CNN Opinion
Zaid's world: A 10-year-old's story of escaping Gaza
Animated Explainer
Zaid is 10. He was born and raised in Gaza, where he lived until Israeli airstrikes forced his family to flee. He still dreams of home. From sleeping in windowless rooms to losing his dog, this is his story of growing up under siege and escaping what he called the worst war he had ever seen.
We used a mixed media approach to tell Zaid’s story through his eyes. The media used were actual scenes and footage from the war. This helped show how a child remembers things: fragmented, emotional and layered with both fear and innocence. I worked with our designer to guide the visual tone using hand-drawn elements, textured animation and subtle photo overlays that would loop in certain scenes. This gave the piece a tactile feel and helped connect viewers to the daily reality of life in Gaza.
Watch the piece on CNN’s social media
Executive Producer: Alexandra King
Art Direction: Elisa Solinas
Design & Animation: Agne Jurkenaite
Adt Animation: Duncan Senkumba
Awards: 2024 Online News Association: Digital Video Storytelling - Social Media
We used a mixed media approach to tell Zaid’s story through his eyes. The media used were actual scenes and footage from the war. This helped show how a child remembers things: fragmented, emotional and layered with both fear and innocence. I worked with our designer to guide the visual tone using hand-drawn elements, textured animation and subtle photo overlays that would loop in certain scenes. This gave the piece a tactile feel and helped connect viewers to the daily reality of life in Gaza.
Watch the piece on CNN’s social media
Executive Producer: Alexandra King
Art Direction: Elisa Solinas
Design & Animation: Agne Jurkenaite
Adt Animation: Duncan Senkumba
Awards: 2024 Online News Association: Digital Video Storytelling - Social Media