People of the Land explores the connection the Palestinian people have to land and nature. This collection of short films delves into the ways that occupation affects the environment. Often the actions of an oppressor lead to the destruction of nature, misuse of the land and the limitation of native people's access to the land that they have been stewards of for generations. The films not only highlight this in Palestine but also connect this struggle to that of other indigenous communities. Additionally, the films explore the continued connection Palestinian people have to nature, even when they have been forced to leave or are born in the diaspora. Fruit, herbs, trees and even soil hold on to beloved memories and the rich history of their homeland.
This program is presented in partnership with Storm Studio.
Wild Plants of Palestine follows journeys of observational tours solicited by the Palestinian Museum and conducted by two professors from Birzeit University to collect photos of and information on the Palestinian Flora. The title is adapted from a collection of 123 images (circa 1900 to 1920) of wild flowers in Palestine found in the Matson Collection in the Library of Congress. Despite the tendency to trace the wild plants, the text in general aims at questioning the territorial extension of what is meant by the term “Palestinian”, while standing on insignificant topographical features of the (postcolonial) landscape in West Bank. Furthermore, it addresses photography as a practice and a tool of distributing and restricting information at once.
Filmmaker bio:
Alaa Abu Asad is an artist, researcher, and photographer. His practice is centred around developing and experiencing alternative trajectories where values of (re)presentation, translation, viewing, reading, and understanding intersect.
- Year2018
- Runtime10 minutes
- LanguageEnglish
- CountryPalestine, State of, Netherlands
- GenreVideo Essay
- Subtitle LanguageEnglish
- DirectorAlaa Abu Asad
People of the Land explores the connection the Palestinian people have to land and nature. This collection of short films delves into the ways that occupation affects the environment. Often the actions of an oppressor lead to the destruction of nature, misuse of the land and the limitation of native people's access to the land that they have been stewards of for generations. The films not only highlight this in Palestine but also connect this struggle to that of other indigenous communities. Additionally, the films explore the continued connection Palestinian people have to nature, even when they have been forced to leave or are born in the diaspora. Fruit, herbs, trees and even soil hold on to beloved memories and the rich history of their homeland.
This program is presented in partnership with Storm Studio.
Wild Plants of Palestine follows journeys of observational tours solicited by the Palestinian Museum and conducted by two professors from Birzeit University to collect photos of and information on the Palestinian Flora. The title is adapted from a collection of 123 images (circa 1900 to 1920) of wild flowers in Palestine found in the Matson Collection in the Library of Congress. Despite the tendency to trace the wild plants, the text in general aims at questioning the territorial extension of what is meant by the term “Palestinian”, while standing on insignificant topographical features of the (postcolonial) landscape in West Bank. Furthermore, it addresses photography as a practice and a tool of distributing and restricting information at once.
Filmmaker bio:
Alaa Abu Asad is an artist, researcher, and photographer. His practice is centred around developing and experiencing alternative trajectories where values of (re)presentation, translation, viewing, reading, and understanding intersect.
- Year2018
- Runtime10 minutes
- LanguageEnglish
- CountryPalestine, State of, Netherlands
- GenreVideo Essay
- Subtitle LanguageEnglish
- DirectorAlaa Abu Asad