Citizen Osama
(Al mowaten Osama)
In besieged northern Gaza, Osama lives with his parents, wife, and his newborn son, who was miraculously born in the eighth month of the war. Driven by duty and hope, the once aspiring artist transformed himself into a hardened conflict photographer, wearing a bulletproof press vest and helmet, and risking his life to bear witness to and provide visual evidence of the daily devastation surrounding him.
In this raw portrait of resilience and humanity, filmmaker Ahmed Hassouna follows his friend and colleague struggling for survival—scouring makeshift shops for basic necessities like flour and diapers—while he also documents death and destruction at every turn. With extraordinary access to the citizen journalists and Palestinian people living under the constant threat of missile attacks, Citizen Osama is a must-watch chronicle of the unflinching realities of life on the ground in Gaza as well as a sensitive and engrossing portrait of a father trying to protect his family.
