ONE MORE SHOW
Egypt I 2025 I Arabic dialogue with English subtitles l 74 min
ABOUT FILM
Directors Mai Saad and Ahmed Al Danaf present in their feature-length documentary One More Show a deeply human and moving work that documents the journey of the “Free Gaza Circus” amidst destruction and siege, raising fundamental questions about the role of art when existence itself is under threat. The film is about perseverance, and about the stage as a space of life, not just a performance.
The film had its world premiere in the International Competition at the 46th Cairo International Film Festival, where it immediately drew attention as a vibrant and hopeful documentary, winning several major awards that confirmed its artistic and human value.
One More Show focuses on a group of circus performers in Gaza, who continue training and performing despite bombing, destruction, and the loss of safe spaces. The film does not treat art as a luxury, but as a means of survival, protecting childhood, and reimagining the future in a place where the present is under siege. The camera remains close to daily details: rehearsals, fleeting laughter, fear, and fatigue, while also capturing rare moments of joy that emerge from the heart of darkness.
What distinguishes the film is its authentic energy, grounded in genuine human interaction with its characters, without overt messaging or emotional manipulation. Here, cinema is an act of solidarity, not distant observation. The rhythm is lively, reflecting the nature of theatrical and circus work, where the body, movement, and balance themselves become instruments of resistance.
The film has received numerous prestigious international awards, including the Audience Award and Best Production at the Rome International Documentary Film Festival (World-Doc), as well as the Audience Award (Youssef Chahine Award) and a shared Best Directing Award in the “Next Generation” section at the Cairo International Film Festival.
At its screening at the Malmö Arab Film Festival, One More Show offers a moving and inspiring documentary experience about Gaza, about art as a space of survival, and about the belief that while the show may end, the desire for life does not.
Screening: April 13th 19:45 Panora 2
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CAST & CREDITS
Director: Mai Saad, Ahmed Al Danaf
Dop: Ahmed al Danaf, Yousef Mashharawi, Mahmoud Mashharawi
Producer: Baho Bakhsh, Safi El Din Mahmoud
Mai Saad
Mai Saad is an Egyptian filmmaker and producer. She began her career as an assistant director, working on several feature films, and short films. She is currently producing a feature- documentary and working as a creative producer on a feature narrative film. One More Show marks her directorial debut in documentary filmmaking.
Ahmed Al Danaf
Ahmed Al Danaf is a cinematographer and filmmaker from Gaza. He directed School Day, one of the short fiction films in the Ground Zero project, which received the Youssef Chahine Award at the Cairo International Film Festival 2024 and was screened at several international film festivals. One More Show marks his directorial debut in documentary filmmaking.