The Al Jazeera Balkans Documentary Film Festival (AJB DOC) started tonight at the Bosnian Cultural Center with a ceremony and a screening of the film “Where Olives Weep” directed by Zaya and Maurizi Benazzo.
The guests, the audience, the directors, the actors, the AJB DOC team were greeted by the director of the Festival, Edhem Fočo, who briefly explained why they chose the theme “Justice”. And according to him, the topic came up by itself “since October, when the genocide in Palestine started”.
“Although this is not the first genocide, there were also genocides in BiH, Rwanda, Congo, but this time we are watching it live, and there is no doubt what is happening in Palestine,” he said.
We hoped, he added, that the world would stand up and stop, be on the side of justice, as it was on the side of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, “but when October came, we watched the massacre of children, and the world did not react”.
A brief overview of the AJB DOC festival over the course of six years was given, followed by a screening of the film “Where olives are crying” directed by Zaya and Maurizi Benazzo.
A moving and poignant story about the struggle and resilience of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in the West Bank. The film explores themes of loss, trauma and the search for justice.
In this production, the film follows, among others, Palestinian journalist and therapist Ashira Darwish, activist Ahed Tamimi and Israeli journalist Amira Hass. The film also features Gabor Mate, who offers help in healing trauma to Palestinian women tortured in Israeli prisons.
After the premiere of the film, there was a discussion between Asira Darwish, journalist and therapist, protagonist of the film, with the audience.
The AJB DOC documentary film festival will last until September 17. The theme of this year’s edition is “Justice?”, with an emphasis on the war in Gaza and the suffering of the Palestinian people.
