Documentary on Palestine to be screened in Aireys

A group of Aireys Inlet residents are presenting a community screening of the documentary Where Olive Trees Weep.

Directed by Maurizio Benazzo and Zaya Benazzo, the film features interviews with Palestinian journalist and therapist Ashira Darwish, grassroots activist Ahed Tamimi, and Israeli journalist Amira Hass, and follows the experiences of residents of the West Bank.

The film been shown at several international film festivals and was awarded the best International Director award at the 2024 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival.

Made before the outbreak of the present conflict, the film provides an historical context to better understand the Palestinian experience in the occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza.

Part of the film is its focus on the impact of intergenerational cycles of trauma in the region. This is brought out through the footage of trauma healing work with Palestinian women conducted by Canadian physician Dr Gabor Maté, an Order of Canada recipient and a Holocaust survivor.

The organisers hope the screening will prompt deeper conversations about the present conflict and an understanding of the impact that the decades-long occupation continues to have on Palestinians.

Where Olive Trees Weep will be screened at Aireys Inlet Community Centre, 6 Great Ocean Road, Aireys Inlet, on Friday, January 24 at 7pm.

Tickets are $10. Parental guidance is recommended.

To book, head to trybooking.com/CYEVJ