Palestinian Rainbow Over Tokyo

Among 17 films competing in the film festival, "Rainbow" produced by Ramattan News Agency, won the first award. Two Japanese documentaries won the second and the third awards.

Shehade expressed his happiness and pride for the achievemnt, which he considered a gift for Palestine.

"Rainbow documents the killing and structural devastation in Rafah, caused by Israel's Operation Rainbow in May 2004," Shehade said "it mixed the destroyed refugees' homes, the damaged streets, and displaced people".

Operation Rainbow killed approximately 50 people and demolished 400 houses within the seven-day operation.

"This film is not a documentary in the traditional sense - from the perspective of an outsider looking in. Rainbow is as much about Shehada coming to terms with his own relation to this tragedy as it is about recording the destruction," said Jenny Gheith, a film critic for the Electronic Intifada.

"A seasoned filmmaker, Shehada succeeds in creating a powerful film that pushes the boundaries of what a documentary should be. While Rainbow ingrains unforgettable images in the viewer and gives voice to those who are typically silenced in the popular news media, it also reflects upon the medium itself," Gheith added.