Documentary 'Inside Gaza' Wins Top Prize at FIGRA Festival in Douai

The documentary 'Inside Gaza,' directed by Hélène Lam Trong, received the Grand Prix at the 33rd International Festival of News Reporting and Social Documentary (FIGRA) on April 3, 2026, in Douai, France. The 76-minute film, co-produced by Arte France, RTBF, and Factstory, follows four AFP journalists and collaborators working in Gaza City after October 7, 2023, documenting their challenges in reporting from the war-torn territory where international press access is severely restricted. The Franco-Belgian production also earned the audience award. In the official competition, which featured around 60 films, the Special Jury Prize went to 'Fragments de guerre' by Solène Chalvon-Fioriti, focusing on women's testimonies from Gaza to the West Bank. The human rights prize was awarded to 'Politzek, les voix qui défient le Kremlin' by Manon Loizeau and Ekaterina Mamontova, about political prisoners criticizing Russia's war in Ukraine. In the under-40-minute category, the Grand Prix was given to 'Histoire de vie' by Florence Helleux, with a special mention for 'Gaza l'arme de la faim' by Fanny Morel and Jérémie Paire, which addresses famine affecting over 500,000 Gazans. The Ina-FIGRA Terre(s) d'histoire prize, for films using archives to analyze contemporary society, went to 'Catherine Leroy, une Française dans la guerre du Vietnam' by Marie-Christine Gambart, chronicling a female photographer's coverage of the Vietnam War. In the 'Autrement vu' section, the audience award honored 'Les 2 Gisèle' by Juliette Guérin, about a 1978 legal battle in Aix-en-Provence to recognize rape as a crime. The festival concluded on Saturday in Douai, highlighting documentaries on global conflicts and social issues.