Land of Canaan | Land of Canaan Film

About The Film

When Dr. Nasser Abufarha, a Palestinian American entrepreneur, returns to the occupied West Bank and finds the olive harvest in crisis, he leads a movement to preserve an ecosystem and thousands of years of ecological knowledge, helping to build one of Palestine's most influential fair-trade networks. In the midst of a genocide and ecocide, where Palestinian land, culture, and livelihood face erasure, Land of Canaan documents a way of life, shows us what is at stake, and why it must be protected.

Fair Trade & Regenerative Agriculture: A Living Model
Many of the olive trees featured in the film are more than 1,000 years old, growing within regenerative, biodiversity-rich ecosystems shaped by generations of traditional permaculture knowledge. By honoring these practices, Land of Canaan presents agriculture as both resistance and future-building—demonstrating how food sovereignty, environmental stewardship, and cultural preservation are inseparable. Canaan Palestine works with over 2,400 artisan farming families across 52 villages.

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Help bring the story to audiences around the world.
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Plant a Tree in Palestine

For all donations $200 and above, a tree will be planted through the Trees for Life Program, supporting Palestinian farmers by strengthening livelihoods and deepening generational ties to the land.

Trees for Life plants olive and almond trees alongside heirloom grains such as wheat and legumes, while increasing biodiversity through fruit and forest trees—including apricot, plum, carob, grape, fig, and pomegranate. To date, more than 429,000 trees have been planted, supporting over 6,900 farmers and restoring land across the West Bank. The program prioritizes young families, women, and small-scale farmers, particularly those cultivating land under pressure.

"The Trees for Life Program is about more than planting trees; it's about planting hope. Each seedling carries the dignity, heritage, and resilience of generations." — Dr. Nasser Abufarha

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Key Team

Dr. Nasser Abufarha

Dr. Nasser Abufarha (Protagonist) is the founder of Canaan Palestine, which connects over 2,000 small-scale Palestinian farming families to global markets through fair trade and organic olive oil. Raised among the olive groves of Jenin, he earned a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, focusing on culture, land, and resistance. Through his work, he has helped bring Palestinian olive oil to international recognition while supporting rural livelihoods, women's cooperatives, and educational initiatives. His efforts center on strengthening communities, sustaining traditional agricultural practices, and building economic resilience rooted in cultural heritage. He continues to advocate for fair trade and environmental stewardship on an international stage.

Maggie Lemere

Maggie Lemere (Director) is a filmmaker, oral historian, and National Geographic Explorer whose work explores relationships between people and the environment. She has worked globally as a researcher, trainer, and storytelling strategist, and edited Nowhere to Be Home: Narratives from Survivors of Burma's Military Regime (2011), later translated into Burmese. She is currently directing projects including Vs. Goliath, a series following frontline communities resisting fossil fuel industries and envisioning more just futures. Maggie co-founded Rhiza Collective, is a member of Tikkun Olam Productions, and works as an oral historian with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Carey Russell

Carey Russell (Director of Photography) is a cinematographer and director of the documentary series Tibetan Stories. He has collaborated with Terrence Malick as an associate producer and editor on The New World, as assistant to cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki on The Tree of Life, and as a contributor to The Voyage of Time. Carey is also the author of The New Arcadians, an ethnographic photography monograph. Trained in forest ecology, he is a Master Naturalist and founder of The Dendro Lab, an online platform for tree identification. He lives in the Catskill region of New York.