"Foragers" + "Women of Gaza"

Palestine Cinema Days

01.11.2026 18:00
„Foragers”, dir. Jumana Manna (2022, Palestine, 65’)

A subversive and meditative story about Palestinian women and men gathering wild edible plants – ’akkoub and za’atar – whose harvesting is regulated by Israeli laws that criminalize foraging, targeting the Palestinian people’s ancient connection to their land. Legal restrictions prohibit the gathering of wild ’akkoub – a plant resembling an artichoke – as well as za’atar (thyme), and violations have resulted in fines and court proceedings against hundreds of people caught collecting these native plants. For Palestinians, these laws provide an ecological pretext for regulations that further distance them from their own land, while Israeli authorities invoke scientific expertise and a duty to protect nature. Following the plants – from the wilderness to the kitchen, from chases between foragers and nature patrols to courtroom defenses – „Foragers” explores the intergenerational love, joy, and knowledge associated with these traditions, as well as Palestinian resistance to Israeli attempts to criminalize them – yet another form of persecution.

Festivals and awards: CPH:DOX, Visions du Réel, Edinburgh IFF, Melbourne IFF, Gijón IFF, Cinéma du Réel
Gazawya: Fidaa,
dir. Khaled Tuaima (2026, Palestine, 11 min.), Polish premiere

The film follows Fidaa Abu Maryam as she uses storytelling as psychological first aid, gathering testimonies from women in Gaza and transforming their voices into a living archive of feminist memory that resists erasure and reclaims the self amid devastation.

Gazawya:  Hadeel
dir. Aisha Adli (2026, Palestine, 6’)
Polish premiere

In displacement camps across central and southern Gaza, women gather spontaneously to share how genocide strips away their humanity and privacy, forcing them to revive old rituals to reclaim their bodies and dignity amid exposed tents.

Gazawya: Maha, dir. Moayed Abu Ammouneh (2026, Palestine, 4’)
Polish premiere

The story of Maha Abu Ammouneh, a displaced mother who, in the heart of genocide, becomes a mother, teacher, doctor, and refuge, reinventing life for her children from nothing through imagination and play to shield them from fear and create a safer world within the ruins.

Gazawya: Noor
dir. Shorouq Al-Aila (2026, Palestine, 7’), Polish premiere

The film follows Nour, a Palestinian journalist living through genocide between frontline reporting and displacement, as life inside a tent exposes the fragility of privacy, the body, and marriage, turning her daily existence into a silent struggle for dignity, voice, and humanity under constant threat.
Films are part of Gazawyat, a series of short documentaries produced by Filmlab Palestine. 

Watch other films as part of Palestine Cinema Days 2026

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"Foragers" + "Women of Gaza"