The Belle from Gaza / La belle de Gaza

Nadine, Talleen, Danielle, Nathalie, or Israela? A mysterious woman is said to be hiding somewhere in the Tel Aviv alleys. She was supposed to walk from the occupied Gaza all the way to the HaTnufa Street area, where local trans women seek community, comfort, and a livelihood. Yet aside from a grainy photo on a phone and a few rumors, no one really knows much about this mythical beauty. Perhaps that’s why director Yolande Zauberman remains so fascinated by the local legend. Through intimate, candid conversations with five women from different backgrounds and social classes, she sifts through the facts and teases them apart from the elusive, romantic images. The personal and authentic interviews reveal more about the enigmatic beauty of Gaza than she originally intended. Initially meant to be kept from the public eye, given the current events in Palestine and Israel, the film was eventually selected for the Cannes Film Festival program and marks the conclusion of Zauberman’s Southwest Asian trilogy.