“We don’t ask for people to rescue us anymore. That chapter is over. Palestinians can rescue ourselves if you at least stop supporting the machine. If the machine is ostracized, we can keep going, because nothing in the world will stop the people in Jerusalem. Nothing in the universe will stop them. But we need you. If you can’t be our voice, at least don’t put a penny toward the bullet that shoots our children.” This powerful plea from Palestinian journalist and researcher Ashira Darwish resonates deeply in the new documentary Where Olive Trees Weep.
It’s been 10-months and the genocide in Gaza is showing no signs of ending anytime soon. Since Oct. 7, every day brings new massacres and a rising death toll under conditions so inhumane they defy comprehension. In such dark times, art serves as a vital tool to document, challenge narratives, and speak out against relentless injustices. Where Olive Trees Weep is a film that confronts this painful reality head-on, free from Western influences, narratives, and falsehoods.
Directed by Bulgarian filmmaking duo Zaya and Maurizio Benazzo, the documentary is an unfiltered exploration of the ongoing genocide and humanitarian crisis in Palestine under Israeli occupation. Through intimate interviews and personal stories from Palestinian residents, the film leaves no doubt about the brutal settler-colonial project at play—a project that imposes a severe form of apartheid and seeks to ethnically cleanse an Indigenous population by any means necessary.
The directors, who also head the Northern California-based non-profit Science and Nonduality (SAND), originally intended to document intergenerational trauma among various indigenous populations. However, their focus shifted when they learned that Dr. Gabor Maté, a prominent trauma expert, was traveling to Palestine to conduct a workshop with local women recently released from Israeli prisons. Realizing the significance of this moment, the filmmakers chose to document it as part of their work.
“When we arrived in the West Bank in May 2022,” Maurizio recalls in an interview with Directors Notes, “it quickly became clear that our understanding of the ‘complexity’ of the situation was clouded by misinformation and propaganda. Within hours, the grim reality of apartheid and widespread human rights abuses, carried out with impunity by the occupying forces, was undeniable. What’s most disturbing is that these atrocities occur openly, without shame, and are supported by Western media propaganda.”
Maurizio further explains that the original plan for the series was to highlight the impact of colonialism across multiple episodes. “Only after presenting that case clearly,” he says, “would we release the Palestine film, showing how the same scenario is still playing out today, right before our eyes.”
The film includes profound conversations with journalists, activists, and intellectuals. Many participants made one key request: avoid what Palestinians call “normalization”—the false balance of presenting “both sides” of the story. Instead, Zaya and Maurizio made a conscious choice to center the voices of the oppressed, the colonized, and the dehumanized—voices that are seldom heard in the West.
Among those featured in the film is Ahed Tamimi, the Palestinian activist who gained international attention at age sixteen for slapping an Israeli soldier, which led to her being imprisoned for seven months. Recently re-arrested in November 2023 and released later that month in a hostage exchange, her story has become emblematic of the wider Palestinian experience under occupation.
The film also highlights conversations with notable figures like Palestinian researcher Ashira Darwish and Holocaust survivor Dr. Gabor Maté. Maté, a Hungarian-Canadian physician known for his work on trauma and addiction, once identified as a Zionist. However, he has since revised his stance, openly criticizing Israel’s ongoing occupation of Palestinian lands.
The film is accompanied by 23 in-depth conversations on Palestine with prominent historians, spiritual teachers, trauma therapists, poets, and performers. These discussions cover a wide range of topics, including “From Palestine to the World: The Global Struggle for Liberation,” featuring renowned figures such as iconic activist Angela Davis.
This collection is available for purchase on the film’s website and serves to expand on the themes explored in the film, providing a broader historical, cultural, and social context to the Palestinian struggle. All proceeds will support humanitarian aid in Gaza, the planting of olive trees in Palestine, and trauma healing initiatives in Palestinian communities. Additionally, funds will be used to bring the film to larger audiences, helping to deepen understanding of the situation in Palestine and the cycles of trauma that continue to perpetuate it.
