Foragers - English subtitled
Foragers – a mix of fiction and documentary – shows the conflict between Palestinians and Israel over the ban on the wild picking of za’atar and akoub, two plants indispensable in Palestinian cuisine.
Za’atar (wild oregano) and akoub (a thistle-like plant that tastes like artichoke) grow on rocky terrain, and are traditionally harvested for use in the kitchen. But Israel has banned wild picking. Officially, this is to protect nature, because both plants are becoming less common in the wild. Local Palestinians see the ban as yet another form of harassment, however, and some of them take little notice of the fines, interrogations and court cases. They simply continue the calmly rebellious act of foraging.
FORAGERS, by the Berlin-based Palestinian filmmaker Jumana Manna, is constructed from fictional scenes alongside documentary and archive footage, to offer a delicate and sometimes poetic look at the political implications of nature conservation. Who gets to decide what’s allowed in the natural environment, and why do they have that right? And what’s going to be the first to die out here, a plant or a cherished tradition?