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Land of Canaan is an environmental portrait that immerses viewers in the lives of Palestinian farmers and their ancient olive trees—living symbols of heritage and land stewardship. The film follows Dr. Nasser Abufarha’s return to the occupied West Bank, where he finds the olive harvest industry in crisis and leads a movement to protect a fragile ecosystem and generations of ecological knowledge. Through intimate portraits of farming families, it reveals how traditional Palestinian agriculture sustains both people and land. Many of the olive trees featured are more than 1,000 years old, rooted in regenerative, biodiversity-rich ecosystems shaped by centuries of permaculture practices.
The film explores how food sovereignty, fair trade, and environmental stewardship become acts of cultural survival under occupation. It captures what is at stake—not only for one community, but for humanity’s relationship to memory, land, and ecological resilience. It also highlights the work of Canaan Palestine and the Trees for Life initiative, which support over 2,400 artisan farming families across 52 villages and have helped plant more than 429,000 trees throughout the West Bank. Blending environmental storytelling with cultural preservation and human resilience, Land of Canaan offers a rare perspective on climate, ecology, and collective survival.
- Year2025
- Runtime84 minutes
- CountryPalestine
- PremiereCanada
- GenreDocumentary
- AwardsTrento Film Festival: Best Documentary on Current Affairs, Arizona International Film Festival: Best Documentary, Ely MN Film Festival: Best Cinematography, Nordic Palestine Film Festival: Jury Special Honorable Mention, Saint Louis International Film Festival: Arab Cultural Center, St. Louis Certificate of Appreciation, Chicago Palestine Film Festival: sold-out audience
- DirectorMaggie Lemere

Land of Canaan is an environmental portrait that immerses viewers in the lives of Palestinian farmers and their ancient olive trees—living symbols of heritage and land stewardship. The film follows Dr. Nasser Abufarha’s return to the occupied West Bank, where he finds the olive harvest industry in crisis and leads a movement to protect a fragile ecosystem and generations of ecological knowledge. Through intimate portraits of farming families, it reveals how traditional Palestinian agriculture sustains both people and land. Many of the olive trees featured are more than 1,000 years old, rooted in regenerative, biodiversity-rich ecosystems shaped by centuries of permaculture practices.
The film explores how food sovereignty, fair trade, and environmental stewardship become acts of cultural survival under occupation. It captures what is at stake—not only for one community, but for humanity’s relationship to memory, land, and ecological resilience. It also highlights the work of Canaan Palestine and the Trees for Life initiative, which support over 2,400 artisan farming families across 52 villages and have helped plant more than 429,000 trees throughout the West Bank. Blending environmental storytelling with cultural preservation and human resilience, Land of Canaan offers a rare perspective on climate, ecology, and collective survival.
- Year2025
- Runtime84 minutes
- CountryPalestine
- PremiereCanada
- GenreDocumentary
- AwardsTrento Film Festival: Best Documentary on Current Affairs, Arizona International Film Festival: Best Documentary, Ely MN Film Festival: Best Cinematography, Nordic Palestine Film Festival: Jury Special Honorable Mention, Saint Louis International Film Festival: Arab Cultural Center, St. Louis Certificate of Appreciation, Chicago Palestine Film Festival: sold-out audience
- DirectorMaggie Lemere
