'One More Show': A circus of defiance and laughter in Gaza's ruins

CAIRO - As the lights dimmed in Cairo's historic venues during the 46th Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), one film emerged not just as a premiere, but as a poignant act of resistance: One More Show.

This 74-minute documentary, co-directed by Egyptian filmmaker Mai Saad and Palestinian filmmaker Ahmed Al-Danaf, had its world premiere in the festival's International Competition on November 12, 2025. Amid a lineup of 14 films from over 50 countries, it captured hearts, clinching the Youssef Sherif Rizkallah Audience Award at the closing ceremony on November 21— a testament to its raw emotional pull in a festival shadowed by regional turmoil.

The CIFF, Africa's oldest and the Arab world's most prestigious gathering with FIAPF "A" accreditation, opened with Nuri Bilge Ceylan's The Blue Trail and closed with Kaouther Ben Hania's The Voice of Hind Rajab, a tribute to the young Palestinian girl killed in Gaza.

One More Show stood out as a beacon of fragile hope, screening to packed houses and sparking discussions on art's role in survival. As festival president Hussein Fahmy noted during the gala, cinema must "document truth and preserve memory" in times of crisis - words that resonated deeply with this film's unyielding gaze on Gaza's resilience.

Behind the Big Top: A troupe's audacious performances

At its core, One More Show follows the Free Gaza Circus, a ragtag troupe of performers who refuse to let the rubble of conflict silence their craft. Filmed over several months in 2024 and early 2025, the documentary weaves intimate portraits of acrobats, clowns, and jugglers - many in their 20s and 30s -who stage underground shows for children in refugee camps and bombed-out neighborhoods. What begins as a chronicle of daily rehearsals amid power outages and airstrikes evolves into a meditation on joy as rebellion.

Co-director Mai Saad, making her feature debut after years of short-form work on Egyptian social issues, brings a tender, observational eye to the troupe's camaraderie. Her Palestinian counterpart, Ahmed Al-Danaf, infuses the film with insider access, having collaborated with the circus since its founding in 2010. Together, they capture not just flips and pratfalls, but the precarious logistics: sourcing costumes from salvaged fabrics, rehearsing by flashlight, and navigating checkpoints with props that could double as distractions from despair.

The cast, blending verité footage with staged vignettes, features real troupe members like Youssef Khedr as a stoic ringleader, Mohamed Ayman as a wide-eyed acrobat, and Ahmed Zeyara as the irreverent "Batout" clown. Cinematographers Ahmed Eldanaf, Yousef Mashharawi, and Mahmoud Mashharawi deliver handheld intimacy, their lenses darting through Gaza's labyrinthine ruins—cratered streets in Khan Younis, tent cities in Rafah - where laughter erupts like contraband. Editor Sara Abdallah's rhythmic cuts, synced to Moustafa Shaaban's evocative sound design, amplify the film's pulse: the thud of tumbling bodies against the drone of distant explosions.

As one performer quips in the film: "We can't stop the bombs, but we can make the kids forget them for an hour." This ethos drives sequences of breathtaking vulnerability—a juggling act under starry skies pierced by flares, or a mime routine reenacting the absurdity of endless queues for aid.

Produced by Baho Bakhsh and Safei Eldin Mahmoud for Egypt's Red Star and Film Clinic (with Mohamed Hefzy as co-producer), the documentary clocks in at a taut 75 minutes, leaving audiences breathless yet uplifted.

From Gaza's shadows to Cairo's spotlight

The film's journey to CIFF was no small feat. Shot in Gaza during Israel’s war with Hamas, production faced evacuations and equipment losses, with much of the footage smuggled out via encrypted drives. Its selection for the International Competition—alongside heavyweights like Paul Andrew Williams' Dragonfly (Golden Pyramid winner) and Tarzan and Arab Nasser's Once Upon a Time in Gaza (which swept three awards) - marked a coup for emerging MENA voices.

Screenings at the Cairo Opera House and El-Sawy Culturewheel drew standing ovations, with audiences—many tearful—lining up for Q&As. Saad and Al-Danaf, appearing virtually from Cairo (Al-Danaf relocated temporarily due to safety concerns), fielded questions on ethics: How do you film joy without exploiting pain? Their answer: collaboration.

The troupe co-wrote scenes, ensuring the film honours their agency rather than pitying their plight. Social media amplified the buzz. On X (formerly Twitter), users shared clips of the circus's feats, with one post from Culture Matters linking to a festival review praising its "haunting power." Reuters' video dispatch captured the troupe's rehearsals, underscoring the film's global resonance: from Gaza's daily hardships to an international stage.

Resonance in a Festival of Memory and Mourning

CIFF 2025 was steeped in Palestinian narratives, from the opening tribute to Hind Rajab to masterclasses on archiving amid erasure. One More Show fit seamlessly, its audience award - voted by over 5,000 attendees - outshining formal jury nods. As Saad reflected post-premiere: "This isn't just about circus; it's about insisting on life when everything conspires against it."

 Al-Danaf said that "in Gaza, performance is survival. Laughter is our most dangerous weapon." Critics echoed this. The Film Verdict called it a "rare act of defiance," noting how the crew's vulnerability humanizes the headlines - performers who risk everything for a smile, yet remain "indispensable" only in their own eyes.

The film's impact extends beyond awards. It spotlights the Free Gaza Circus's real-world mission: over 200 shows since 2010, reaching 50,000 children. Post-festival, screenings are slated for Doha and Berlin, with proceeds funding troupe rebuilds.

In a year when Arab cinema grappled with bans, blockades, and biases, One More Show reminds us: art doesn't heal wounds, but it bandages the soul.

As Cairo's Nile glittered under festival lights, this documentary didn't just screen - it performed. In the words of its clowns, one more show, one more laugh, against the gathering dark. For Saad and Al-Danaf, it's a debut that demands encores.