Just Vision

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Just Vision is a non religiously unaffiliated nonprofit organization that utilizes storytelling, media and public engagement campaigns to highlight Palestinian and Israeli grassroots leaders working to end the occupation and conflict through unarmed means. It is based in Washington, New York and Jerusalem.

Contents

Background

Just Vision was formed in 2003 by Ronit Avni as a result of two years of research and over 475 interviews on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The goal of the interviews was "to find out what kind of support they needed to advance peace. The overwhelming answer was to become more visible. The pockets of nonviolent activists throughout the region need a space to link and promote their messages." [1] The interviews eventually became the basis for Just Vision's films and Visionaries [2] interview series.

Filmography

The first film to be released by Just Vision was Encounter Point in 2006. According to Anita Gates of The New York Times, "This film may prompt others to take up the cause."[ citation needed ]

Just Vision's second film, Budrus, is the best known, and has reached diverse audiences worldwide. The film is about nonviolent demonstrations conducted by the residents of Budrus (a Palestinian town in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate) during the early 2000s to protest against the building of the Israeli West Bank barrier inside of the village. [3] Budrus initially debuted on the festival circuit in 2009 at the Dubai International Film Festival. [4] It also played at the Tribeca Film Festival. [5]

Since the release of Budrus, Just Vision has released two new film projects on the growing trend of home evictions in East Jerusalem. The first is a series of shorts called Home Front: Portraits From Sheikh Jarrah, followed by a 25-minute documentary, My Neighbourhood, co-directed and co-produced by Rebekah Wingert-Jabi and Julia Bacha. Both projects follow the individual stories of Palestinian and Israeli nonviolent resistance to the eviction of Palestinian families. My Neighbourhood premiered in 2012 at the Tribeca Film Festival, and has been screened across the United States, as well as at the European Parliament. [6]

In 2017, Just Vision produced Naila and the Uprising, directed by Julia Bacha. It was a documentary that highlighted the hardships Palestinians faced against Israel. [7] [8] In 2018, Facebook blocked the trailer for Naila and the Uprising for all Facebook users in Israel. In a message to the operators of the Local Call Facebook page that attempted to post the trailer, which Just Vision helps fund, Facebook said, “Your ad was not approved because it doesn’t conform to our advertising policy. We don’t allow advertising that includes shocking, derogatory or sensational content, including ads that depict violence or threats of violence.” Yet hours before the film's screening in Jaffa, Israel, the ad received approval to run on the site. [9]

In 2021, Just Vision produced the documentary film Boycott. [10]

Awards

Just Vision is the recipient of numerous film awards: [11]

2006

Encounter Point

2007

2009

Budrus

2010

2011

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References

  1. ↑ Fridman, Leora (3 February 2011). "Interview: Just Vision's Ronit Avni on nonviolent leaders in the Middle East". dowser. Archived from the original on 23 June 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  2. ↑ Just Vision | Visionaries
  3. ↑ Updike, Nancy (11 March 2004). "Hitting the Wall". LA Weekly . Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  4. ↑ Lucas, Becky (20 December 2009). "The world premiere of Budrus went down well at DIFF..." Time Out Dubai . Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  5. ↑ Jordana Horn, Tribeca Offers Jewish Style and Substance, The Jewish Daily Forward, April 27, 2010.
  6. ↑ Boyd, Flora (26 June 2012). "Special Screening and Discussion: Just Vision's New Film My Neighbourhood". Euractiv Agenda . Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  7. ↑ "Naila and the Uprising (2017): A Film Review". CAMERA. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  8. ↑ "Naila and the Uprising: The women who drove the First Intifada". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  9. ↑ "Facebook banned an ad about a Palestinian film for all users in Israel". The National. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  10. ↑ Cohen, Mari (November 18, 2021). "The Right to Boycott is Under Attack". Jewish Currents . Retrieved 2021-11-19.
  11. ↑ Julia Bacha | Staff Bio
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