Lebanon today - the war in Syria is next door. A once dreamy and undisturbed meadow changes drastically in the eyes of Boushra, 14 years - who returns from work picking&nbsp;potatoes to learn that her childhood will soon come to an end. With an absent father, her mother sells her into marriage. As she tries to connect with her decaying hometown, Boushra fears the impending possibilities of departure and becoming a woman. Without dialogue, ‘Trumpets in the&nbsp; Sky’ is a poetic visual contemplation on landscapes and the complexity of human traditions. Part&nbsp;fiction, part documentary, and purposely blurring the distinction, the bleakness of the narrative &nbsp;explores a dark socio-political critique of patriarchy, the repercussions of war, and the myth of sacrifice.&nbsp;

Trumpets in the Sky

Boushra, one of the potato-picking girls, returns from a long day of work in the field only to learn that today her childhood will come to an end.

A mockumentary film in which Bedouin girls are taught to swim in a waterless “pool”, 'Swimming Lesson' aims to stimulate thought about the lack of swimming pools accessible to Palestinian Bedouins of Israel, denying them swimming lessons and causing frequent cases of drowning. There are over 200,000 Palestinian Bedouins living in the Negev region today, with access to one single swimming pool that was inaugurated in the town of Rahat in 2017. Bedouins are not allowed to enter swimming pools in Jewish localities.

Swimming Lesson

A mockumentary film in which Bedouin girls are taught to swim

Foragers depicts the dramas around the practice of foraging for wild edible plants in Palestine/Israel with wry humor and an elaborate composition. Shot in the Golan Heights, the Galilee and Jerusalem, it moves between fiction, documentary and archival footage to portray the impact of Israeli nature protection laws on these customs. The restrictions prohibit the collection of the artichoke-like ’akkoub and za’atar (thyme), and have resulted in fines and trials for hundreds caught collecting these native plants. For Palestinians, these laws constitute an ecological veil for legislation that further alienates them from their land while Israeli state representatives insist on their scientific expertise and duty to protect. Following the plants from the wild to the kitchen, from the chases between the foragers and the nature patrol, to courtroom defenses, Foragers the inherited love, joy and knowledge in these traditions alongside their resilience to the prohibitive law. By reframing the terms and constraints of preservation, the film raises questions around the politics of extinction, namely who determines what is made extinct and what gets to live on.

Foragers

Foragers moves between documentary and fiction to report on the dramas between the Israeli Nature Protection Authority and Palestinian foragers. Through an elegant composition and with wry humor, the film captures the inherited love, resilience and knowledge of these traditions, over an eminently political backdrop.

United States of America

Foragers preceded by Trumpets in the Sky and Swimming Lesson

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