STRAWBERRY FIELDS

STRAWBERRY FIELDS

    Price: $310.00

    Code: 2303

    Directed by Ayelet Heller
    2007, 60 Minutes
    Purchase: $310 | Classroom Rental: $125


    Planted in Israel, harvested in Gaza, and exported to gourmet markets in Europe, the Gazan strawberry is the only product sold as Palestinian produce in the world. The amazing story of this little red fruit - and the people who cultivate it - is a study in globalization, politics and occupation.

    The lush strawberry fields of Beit Lahiya straddle the border between the Gaza strip and Israel. Thousands of Palestinian families make their living growing these strawberries for export.

    Because of its close proximity, it is from the fields around Beit Lahiya that most rockets are launched on neighboring Israeli towns. And it is thus this area that receives the brunt of Israel's firepower.

    At the beginning of each season, the farmers of Beit Lahiya buy their seedlings, fertilizer, supplies and materials from Israel. Everything enters through the Karni crossing, the only commercial gateway to the Gaza strip. When strawberry season ends, the fruit exits through the same crossing en route to European markets.

    When a suicide bomber targeted Karni in 2005, Israel closed the crossing and thousands of strawberry crates made it no further than Gaza's dumpsters. This film documents Gaza's strawberry fields in the season that followed, from May 2005 to April 2006, the year in which Israel disengaged from the Gaza Strip and Hamas assumed political power.

    In chronicling the unusual challenges facing these fragile berries (Mother Nature is but one force at play in the Gaza Strip - and certainly not the one most feared), this creative documentary provides a fresh take on a much debated and seemingly endless crisis.

    Subjects & Collections



    Festivals & Awards

    * Official Selection, Hot Docs Film Festival, 2008
    * Official Selection, Amsterdam Documentary Film Festival, 2007
    * Official Selection, International Human Rights Film Festival, 2007
    * Official Selection, Global Visions Film Festival, 2007



    Reviews

    “Highly recommended as a work to gain an inside view of the condition of life and commerce in the Gaza Strip.” – Educational Media Reviews Online

    [Three-and-a-Half Stars] “Highly recommended. The heart of the film lies in the plight of the farmers, whose frayed patience and barely concealed anguish offer a heartbreaking portrait of people who just want to go about their business without literally being stuck in the middle.” - Video Librarian

    “This film will be of exceptional use in classes on world history, democracy and human rights. An excellent contribution to university, high school and public libraries.” - Leonardo Reviews