Info:

Screening format: DCP
Director: Jumana Manna
Country of origin: Occupied Palestinian Territory
Languages: Arabic, Hebrew
Subtitles: English
Runtime: 1 hour 5 minutes

About the film:

Jumana Manna's hybrid documentary Foragers delves into the age-old Palestinian practice of gathering wild edibles, such as the herb za'atar and 'akkoub, a thistle-like plant with medicinal properties, and the cultural conflicts that arise due to Israeli nature conservation laws that criminalize this practice. The film is shot in the Golan Heights, the Galilee and Jerusalem, and uses interviews, archival footage and fictive but realistic court hearings to demonstrate the effects of the laws and prohibitions which alienate Palestinians from their native land.

Next to the director's own parents who reside in East Jerusalem, the film also features other memorable foragers such as Zeidan Hajib and his six enthusiastic dogs. Hajib lives amongst the ruins of a stone shed on land once cultivated by the filmmaker's grandparents, and represents Palestinians' historical intimacy with nature.

With the occupation as a backdrop, Jumana Manna's focus is on exploring familial and cultural traditions, as well as culinary practices that clash with scientific conservation methods. The film also subtly hints at the role of colonialism in conservation efforts and the complexity of the politics of extinction.

Jumana Manna (born 1987, USA)

Jumana Manna is a Berlin based artist and filmmaker who was raised in Jerusalem, and studied in Oslo National Academy of the Arts. Among many exhibition venues stretching over four continents, she had her work exhibited at New York Museum of Modern Arts. Jumana Manna previously directed A Magical Substance Flows Into Me (2015) and Wild Relatives (2017).