Facing the serene Mediterranean Sea, 17-year-old Karma Khaial stands at the water's edge and senses freedom. But in Gaza, the sea is yet another wall restricting the lives and dreams of its inhabitants. Premiering at Sundance in 2019, Gaza was selected as the Irish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards.
What is the first song you remember falling in love with? What do you remember about the time you first heard it?
Oh geez I gotta go way back. I could say one of my parents old Christian rock songs, some of which I still enjoy today unironically, but I think one of the first songs that I fell in love with on my own and was me really breaking out into my own musical journey was probably “Mediterranean Sundance/Rio Ancho” by Paco De Lucia, Al Di Meola, and John McLaughlin, aka The Guitar Trio.
I was just beginning guitar lessons and expressed to my teacher an interest in jazz and flamenco/world music styles, and he suggested the trio and their work. I quickly fell in love and eventually performed a heavily abridged version for my recital that year (cause no way was 15-year-old me gonna slog through 9-11 minutes of pure musical greatness after a few months).