Synopsis:

Kegham Djeghalian Jr., stumbles upon three dusty boxes of negatives from his grandfather’s photo studio - and with them, he opens a door into an entire historical era. His grandfather Kegham Djeghalian Sr., a survivor of the Armenian Genocide, settled in Gaza in 1944 and founded Photo Kegham. For nearly four decades, he documented studio portraits, key political events, and everyday life, capturing Gaza in a way it hasn’t been seen before.

Burdened by the ongoing situation in Gaza, Kegham feels a profound responsibility to preserve and revive the archive. As he begins the painstaking work of restoring the negatives, and curating the archive into his exhibition, members of the Palestinian diaspora begin reaching out. Some recognise themselves or their relatives in the images, recounting weddings, street celebrations, and everyday moments. Their stories animate the archive, revealing Gaza not only as a site of conflict but as a place of resilience, community, and joy.

Through intimate observational scenes, exclusive archival imagery, and immersive sound design, the film traces Kegham’s journey in honouring his grandfather’s legacy while preserving memories of multiple generations of Palestinians.

Director’s profile:

Marta Miskaryan is a London-based documentary director and producer of Armenian origin. She is deeply passionate about exploring themes of heritage and memory, bringing these stories to life through a creative and cinematic lens. Having grown up in a conflict-affected region, she approaches subjects of displacement and cultural preservation with sensitivity and depth.

One of her earlier projects, the short documentary Arquivo, explored the devastating loss of artefacts in the National Museum fire in Rio de Janeiro and received a nomination for Best Documentary at the FIC Rio Festival. Her latest film, ROT54: Armenia’s Forgotten Space Giant, commissioned by Al Jazeera English, was broadcast globally and recently won Best Short Documentary at the Raw Science Film Festival. She was also awarded the Sandbox Films Best Pitch Prize as part of the Camp 4Science programme at AFO Festival.

Producer’s profile:

Alice Hughes is an award-winning producer specialising in character-driven documentaries with strong social impact. Her work has premiered at major international festivals including SXSW, BFI London Film Festival, Sundance London and AFI Docs, and has received multiple Grierson and BIFA nominations, a BAFTA Cymru win, and Academy Award-qualifying festival awards.

She was selected as a Sheffield DocFest Future Producer in 2023. Her feature documentaries include Half Way, nominated for a BIFA and a Grierson in 2017, and Holloway, funded by BFI Doc Society, which premiered in Competition at the 2024 BFI London Film Festival, winning the Audience Award for Best Documentary.

The film later received a Criminal Justice Alliance Award, was nominated for the 2025 BIFA Maverick Award, and longlisted for Best Documentary and Breakthrough Producer. Holloway was successfully self-distributed to audiences nationwide to critical acclaim and has been recognised across both the film industry and criminal justice sector for its emotional clarity and impact. She also produced the award-winning short documentary Puffling, which premiered at SXSW 2023 and was released by The New Yorker.