Foragers (2022)

Jumana Manna - Occupied Palestinian Territory - 2022 - 65' - Hebrew, Arabic - English subtitles

Foragers is an experimental documentary from 2022 directed by Jumana Manna. The film portrays how  Palestinians are hindered to partake in their tradition of foraging edible plants by Israeli nature protection laws. Filmed in the Golan heights, Galilee and Jerusalem, it uses a variety of materials: fiction, documentary and archival footage, to illustrate how Israeli laws affect these Palestinian customs. One witnesses how these laws effectively alienate the Palestinians further from their land, whilst the Israelis argue that it is merely what must be done from an environmental perspective to preserve the land. It is a striking film filled with humour and warmth, which depicts the dynamic between people, legislation and nature, and raises the question of the politics of extinction, should we make the deathbed of biodiversity or tradition?