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Screening will start at 12:00 Noon US EDT; 19:00 Palestine, 18:00 Europe, Released 2012, Run Time 70 minutes, English language. The film screening will be followed by a discussion with film director Aaron Dennis, film producer Jacob Wheeler, and event organizer Nasser Abufarha.
Synopsis
The People and the Olive is an inspiring feature-length documentary about the daily struggles and joys of Palestinian olive farmers. When a group of American ultra-marathoners sets out to run 129 miles in 5 days across the West Bank, they discover that in replanting uprooted olive trees they are planting hope and building cultural bridges.
About the Director
Aaron Dennis is an award-winning filmmaker and creator. He has worked around the globe on film and video projects for humanitarian and educational projects. He started shooting video at age 9 with his grandparent’s camcorder and has learned to create films on an evolving set of tools - from VHS to 16k. A graduate of the University of Michigan’s Cinema Arts program, Dennis began his professional career in Malawi, Africa filming and photographing the work of Malaria and AIDS researchers. Later in New York City he worked on several national PBS documentaries including the award-winning four-part “Supreme Court” series. He was commissioned to spend seven months in Asia filming the Tibetan communities of India, Nepal and Tibet to create a video archive of a rapidly changing culture. The importance of family and the natural world led him to return in 2008 to his beautiful hometown of Traverse City, Michigan. Aaron founded Stone Hut Studios in 2011 with a mission to create 'films for a better world'. A year later, Aaron shot and edited the feature documentary, The People and The Olive. In 2014 Stone Hut Studios released its second feature documentary, Connected by Coffee, produced and edited by Aaron. In 2018 Aaron produced and edited the Michigan Emmy award-winning PBS documentary, Beneath the Surface - The Line 5 Pipeline in the Great Lakes. Along the way, Aaron created hundreds of short videos for organizations like Scholastic, PBS, Michigan State University and the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy.
About Stone Hut Studios
Stone Hut Studios is a video production company that specializes in producing documentaries, promotional videos, educational content, and impactful campaigns to make a positive impact on our world. Founded by film director Aaron Dennis, Stone Hut Studios believes in the power of visual storytelling to evoke emotions, provoke thought, and drive meaningful action. With their diverse expertise and innovative approach, they strive to craft engaging narratives that drive meaningful conversations grounded in strong ethical values, social responsibility, and positive change to make a real difference in the world. Find out more at https://stonehutstudios.com/.
About Nasser Abufarha, Founder & Director of Canaan Palestine
Nasser Abufarha is founder and director of Canaan Palestine, an agricultural export company located in the village of Burqin, Palestine that empowers traditional farming communities to sustain the land and their livelihood through longstanding traditions passed down over millennia. Canaan works with over 1,000 artisan family farms spanned across 43 different villages in long-term partnerships with fair trade principles that ensure transparency, full direct payment, fair prices, and purchase guarantee for olives, almonds, and other artisan food products. Canaan is committed to protect, support, and make sustainable the agricultural traditions of family farms across Palestine and share these rich food traditions with the world.
Nasser partnered with On the Ground and Stone Hut Studios to organize and document the Run Across Palestine in 2012, an effort which culminated in the production of the documentary, The People and the Olive. Canaan Palestine was the final destination of the five-day Run Across Palestine.
Find out more at https://canaanpalestine.com/.