TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2

Film Details: 15 minutes | Directed by Ibrahim Yaghi | Fiction (Under 60 Minutes) | 2026 | Switzerland, Belgium | Canadian Premiere | Award: Short Film Corner Catalogue, Cannes 2026 

Synopsis: Salem and Leila, an elderly couple in their seventies, live in a fragile tent overlooking the sea in Gaza after their home was destroyed and their three sons were killed. Their days pass slowly through simple routines: washing clothes, baking bread, waiting in food lines, and listening to the radio. One day, they find a chili seed among the ruins of their former home and decide to plant it beside their tent — a small gesture of life and resilience. Meanwhile, Salem lights the fire for coffee using torn pages from an old book about the history of Gaza, pausing to read fragments before they turn to ash. 

Website: gazahotchili.com