Atta has farmed the same land in the Baqa’a Valley of the occupied West Bank his whole life. For 27 years, Bruno Sorrentino has documented it: homes demolished, land seized, water destroyed. Through it all, Atta’s words remain: “I have no hate. If I let anger turn to hate, something inside me will die.” Across four generations, this film bears witness to a quiet, profound resistance and a refusal to hate. This is his story.

Atta has farmed the same land in the Baqa’a Valley of the occupied West Bank his whole life. For 27 years, Bruno Sorrentino has documented it: homes demolished, land seized, water destroyed. Through it all, Atta’s words remain: “I have no hate. If I let anger turn to hate, something inside me will die.” Across four generations, this film bears witness to a quiet, profound resistance and a refusal to hate. This is his story.

We both feel privileged to have met Atta Jaber and to have been able to work with him to tell his story.

When we first met Atta back in 1998, his house had been demolished. He had been severely beaten, hospitalised and imprisoned for trying to prevent the demolition with his bare hands. Atta and his young family had spent the winter in a tent, yet his first words to us were ‘I have no hate..’ He told us that if he began to hate anyone, part of him would die. Perhaps he meant his soul, or his humanity. “My father raised me to hate no one, and I teach this to my children and my grandchildren”.

Moved by Atta’s dignity, determination and profound message of peace, we began to film and have continued ever since, often in dangerous circumstances. Our footage is intercut with material filmed by Atta’s family, using cameras lent to them by an Israeli human rights organisation, and with a recently-discovered cache of footage filmed by peace activists which was salvaged from their offices after repeated IDF raids.

By following one Palestinian farmer, we have been able to tell a story of the Israeli Occupation, a story without polemic, in which the truth unfolds over decades as the cameras roll. A quarter of a century on, the children of Atta we filmed in 1999 are now adults with children of their own. They see their children in turn suffer the same traumas that they endured, as the Occupation rolls on and on.

While the world looks to Gaza, attacks on civilians across the West Bank, by settlers with the support of the IDF, continue to escalate. Atta’s message of peace and resilience is profound and timely. It is also a message of hope to all Palestinians and Israelis, and those in the international community who seek a just and enduring peace for all who live there.

Bruno Sorrentino is a multi-award-winning documentary filmmaker and DOP known for his visually stunning films and for his longitudinal filming approach, which allows the viewer to immerse themselves in a story as it unfolds over many years. Industry awards include Royal Television Society (Best Foreign Current Affairs Documentary), One World Broadcasting Trust (Best Network Documentary), Chicago Film Festival Hugo Award, New York Film Festival (Finalist Award), British Environmental Media Awards (Best Documentary), Rory Peck, a Prix-Italia short listing, and Emmy nominations among others.

Uri Fruchtmann is an Israeli film producer, director and human rights activist. As an Israeli solder he was arrested for his refusal to serve in the occupied territories and has consistently campaigned for the rights of Palestinians. As co-owner of Ealing Film Studios he produced and co-directed several feature films including ‘High Heels Low Life’, and ‘Spice Girls, The Movie’, along with classics such as ‘The Importance of Being Ernest’, ‘An Ideal Husband’ and ‘Hope Springs’. His documentaries include the celebrated ‘Atlantic Hip to the Tip’, ‘Stir it Up’, ‘Galoot’, ‘Tawai’, ‘All in the Family’ and ‘Obi’. Uri also produced the documentary ‘Dar O Dur’, (The Price of Bread) directed by Rashid Mashrawi and filmed in Gaza. He is the co-founder and chair of VIDERE, a not-for-profit which aims to revolutionise the fight for human rights through digital technology.

To be added once the film has premiered: festival selections, awards, and pull-quotes from reviews.