In Foragers (2022, 65 minutes), Jumana Manna blends documentary and fiction to profile the age-old Palestinian practice of gathering wild edibles such as za’atar (thyme) and the delicacy ’akkoub. Israeli nature conservation laws have criminalized this indigenous tradition. The film presents a meditative portrait of the resistance, joy, and deep ecological knowledge held by today’s foragers. Manna’s approach mirrors the gentleness of her subjects and the work of other documentarians like Agnès Varda (see related November 10 event). A post-film discussion with Williams College Arabic Studies and Comparative Literature Professor Amal Eqeiq and master’s students Max Gruber (’22) and Meghan Clare Considine (’22) follows.
Free. Commissioned in part by the Pacific Film Archive.