Day: November 15, 2026

• The 72-minute film, directed by Helene Lam Trong, follows four AFP journalists reporting from war-torn Gaza
• Adel Zaanoun, AFP’s Gaza bureau chief, dedicated the award to journalists killed in the conflict and called for global support for media freedom

 “Inside Gaza,” a documentary that follows journalists from global news agency AFP after the October 7, 2023 attack, received the Best Documentary Film award at Montreal’s Cinemania Film Festival on Saturday.

Directed by Helene Lam Trong, the 72-minute film follows the daily lives of four AFP journalists who bear witness to the difficulties of reporting in a war-torn territory largely closed off to international media.

The film is compiled from material produced by the team on the ground, as well as from interviews conducted after they left.

Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel killed more than 1,200 people, the vast majority of them civilians. Armed men also took more than 200 people hostage.

Israel launched an enormous military response, pulverizing swathes of Gaza in attacks that have left 73,000 people dead, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.

Adel Zaanoun, AFP’s Gaza bureau chief and one of the film’s four protagonists, accepted the award in Montreal.

He dedicated the win to all the journalists “killed in this crazy and dirty war in Gaza” and to those “who still work on the ground without food, without water, without Internet, without anything.”

He called on people worldwide to “continue to support journalists not only in Gaza,” but “everywhere for media freedom.”

The film has won multiple international awards and is eligible for Oscar contention.

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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The documentary ‘Inside Gaza’ won the Best Documentary Film award at Montreal’s Cinemania Film Festival. (Inside Gaza Website)

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PALESTINE, GAZA

The American University in Cairo (AUC) has honoured Egyptian-American scientist, entrepreneur and philanthropist Atef Eltoukhy for more than five decades of leadership, service and contributions to education in Egypt and internationally.

Eltoukhy, an AUC alumnus, former instructor and former chair of its Board of Trustees, has supported educational opportunities through scholarships, university facilities and initiatives aimed at empowering future generations.

His relationship with AUC began in the 1970s, when he joined the university as a graduate student and instructor in the Department of Materials Science. In 2012, he joined the Board of Trustees, leading its Advancement and Investment Committees before becoming board chair in 2016. He was the first American of Egyptian origin and the first AUC alumnus to hold the position.

Together with his wife, Fofa, Eltoukhy established the Atef and Fofa Eltoukhy Family Endowed Scholarship for talented Egyptian students. The couple also supported the establishment of the Eltoukhy Learning Factory at AUC’s School of Sciences and Engineering, providing students with opportunities to develop practical solutions through design, prototyping and entrepreneurship.

AUC President Ahmad Dallal praised Eltoukhy’s achievements as a scientist, entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist, highlighting his longstanding commitment to education and the couple’s efforts to help students make the most of their academic opportunities.

Their philanthropic work extends beyond Egypt. Through the Eltoukhy Family Foundation, the family has supported fellowships at Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, as well as a materials science innovation lab at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

In Egypt, they established the Helmy Eltoukhy School in Sharqiya in honour of Eltoukhy’s father.

Born in Sharqiya, Eltoukhy earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Cairo University before completing a PhD in metallurgical engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1978.

He later moved into the technology industry, joining IBM’s research laboratory before co-founding technology companies focused on digital storage. His research and inventions contributed to advances in magnetic recording technology used in high-density digital storage.

Eltoukhy subsequently pursued quantitative investment management, co-founding investment firms in California.

Through his work in science, business and philanthropy, Eltoukhy has maintained a longstanding commitment to expanding educational opportunities and supporting Egypt’s development.

source/content : dailynewsegypt.com (headline edited)

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AMERICAN / EGYPTIAN