Thirteen women find themselves trapped in a Gaza hair salon during a stand-off between police and a local gangster, in this audacious and incisive feature debut from twin brothers Tarzan and Arab Nasser.

Gaza Strip, present day. Christine’s beauty salon is heaving with female clients: a bitter divorcée, a stern religious woman, a disenchanted housewife addicted to prescription drugs, and a young bride-to-be, among others. But their day of leisure is disrupted when gunfire breaks out across the street. A gangland family has stolen the lion from Gaza’s zoo, and the police have decided it’s time to wrestle control. Stuck in the salon, the women start to unravel…

Impressively directed and featuring an ensemble of blazing performances, Dégradé is, at its heart, an ode to the women of Gaza: their resilience, strength, and, especially, their humour.