Where Olive Trees Weep

Where Olive Trees Weep offers a searing window into the struggles and resilience of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation. It explores themes of loss, trauma, and the quest for justice. We follow, among others, Palestinian journalist and therapist Ashira Darwish, grassroots activist Ahed Tamimi, and Israeli journalist Amira Hass.

We witness Dr. Gabor Maté offering trauma-healing work for a group of women who have been tortured in Israeli prisons. Ancient landscapes bear deep scars, having witnessed the brutal reality of ancestral land confiscation, expulsions, imprisonment, home demolitions, water deprivation, and denial of basic human rights. Yet, through the veil of oppression, we catch a glimpse of resilience—deep roots that have carried the Palestinian people through decades of darkness and shattered lives.

This emotional journey bares the humanity of the oppressed while grappling with the question: what makes the oppressor so ruthlessly blind to its own cruelty?

Genre: Documentary

Runtime: 1h 44m

Released: 2024

Director: Zaya Benazzo, Maurizio Benazzo

Producer: Zaya Benazzo, Maurizio Benazzo, Finley MacNeil

Executive Producer: Ashira Darwish

Crew: Caroline Campbell, Maral Quttieneh, Nickoloz Kachibaia, Yasen Stoev

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Please save/visit this resource link including action recommendations: https://whereolivetreesweep.com/resources/

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Thank you for collaborating with DICASJ (Denman Islanders for Climate Action & Social Justice) by participating in this June 16th documentary showing. Together, our engagement with the film supports "planting olive trees in Palestine, humanitarian aid in Gaza and trauma healing in Palestinian communities. It will also help the film makers "bring the movie to larger audiences and broaden the understanding of the situation in Palestine, along with the cycles of trauma that perpetuate it."

DICASJ is a grassroots, independent and pro-intersectional activists' initiative hosting a variety of resource sites on social media. For example, in regards to the Palestinian crisis, our page 'Planting and Protecting Trees for the Future' (PPT4F) includes supporting the planting of olive trees in Palestine, while our page 'Bearing Witness to Genocide' (BW2G) is dedicated to helping elevate the voices of Palestinians and other peace advocates calling for an end to the apartheid and ethnic cleansing underway.

In part, we provide support for local action on Palestine, including the monthly CV Peace Group rallies in Courtenay, fundraise for humanitarian and animal-aid , and are allied with other regional grassroots initiatives including Comox Valley for Palestine (CV4P), Mid-Islanders for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (MIJPME), among other NGOs.