The Color of Olives (2006)

Original title

El color de los olivos

Directed by

Carolina Rivas

Genre

documentary film

Country

Israel

Runtime

1h 37m

Rating

8.8 of 10 from 4 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

The movie follows a Palestinian farming family in the West Bank whose daily life and work are disrupted by military barriers and walls. It shows their quiet routine and stubbornness as they refuse to leave their ancestral land.

observationalquietsoberingintimategroundedslow-paceddisturbingresilient

What happens

The Color of Olives (Arabic: لون الزيتون, Lawn al-Zaytoon) is a 2006 political documentary film. It was originally distributed by Arab Film Distribution, produced by Daoud Sarhandi, and directed by Carolina Rivas. The film depicts one Palestinian family, the Amers, living in the West Bank. The documentary was filmed in Masha, a Palestinian village 15 miles from Tel Aviv, that is separated by the West Bank wall. Hani Amer, a Palestinian farmer, refused to vacate his house and land his ancestors cultivated for generations. So, his wife and six children were punished through the construction of Israeli military fences, walls and barricades. The Color of Olives follows the Amers' everyday work routine and struggles; little dialogue is spoken, although the family is often quoted by Rivas in intertitles that appear on-screen throughout the film. In the United States, the movie opened in New York at the Two Boots Pioneer Theater in the East Village. It was shown with English subtitles. Between 2006 and 2008, The Color of Olives won a number of awards:2008. Special Mention, Cine Pobre Festival, Cuba.2008. Honorary Mention, Todas las Voces Contra el Silencio, Mexico.2007. Special Mention, Cancún Riviera Maya Film Festival, Mexico.2007. Best Direction Documentary, Golden Minbar, Russia.2007. Artistic Vision, Big Sky Documentary Festival, USA.2006. Courage in Filmmaking, Women Film Critics Circle Awards, USA.2006. Special Mention Sound, Docúpolis, Spain. In 2024, the film was remastered by Daoud Sarhandi, and redistributed by Watermelon Pictures. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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