‘So They Know We Existed’: Palestinians Film War in Gaza
The New York Times
At a heart-wrenching 14-minutes, “‘So They Know We Existed’” captures the devastation to daily civilian life during the 11-day war between Israel and Hamas in May 2021 in Gaza. Citizen cell phone footage from the attacks and interviews after the fact document a harrowing portrait of life amid warfare. Without taking sides in the conflict itself, The New York Times presents a range of civilian Palestinian perspectives, from a 10-year-old girl to teenage sisters; a young man who lost his father in a bombing; a musician who lost his livelihood to an explosion; a news crew that kept working through it all, and a young mother who gave birth during the war, among others. “I removed the password from my phone so that if we didn’t make it out, and we were killed, people would know what happened to us,” says 15-year-old Sma Ahel. “So they know we existed.” For bearing witness to the resilience of those who continue to survive the emotional trauma of war long after ceasefire, “‘So They Know We Existed’: Palestinians Film War in Gaza” wins a Peabody.
PRIMARY PRODUCTION CREDITS
Network/Station/Platform: The New York Times. Executive Producers: Solana Pyne, Nancy Donaldson Gauss. Senior Producer: Hanaan Sarhan. Producers: Yousur Al-Hlou, Neil Collier, Soliman Anees Hijjy. Editors: Yousur Al-Hlou, Neil Collier. Additional Reporting: Christiaan Triebert, Sarah Moawad, John Ismay, Christoph Koettl. Translators: Naziha Baassiri, Abduljabbar Yousif. Graphics: Aaron Byrd. Cinematography: Yousur Al-Hlou. Audio Mix: Fraser McCulloch.