STATUS:  PRE-PRODUCTION

FEATURE FILM SYNOPSIS  Hearts and headlines were captivated recently with the story of hundreds of hearing aids distributed to those in need living in both Israel and Palestine. It was a poignant reminder for those on both side of a divided land to listen and hear the other. It is a sentiment that's echoing across the dry, battle-scarred region and in this feature documentary we’ll see and hear some of those whose lives and actions represent a new hope for the area. 

We’ll meet a Jew named Yehuda Shaul. Shaul's has a voice that's mellow and calm - in stark contrast to the clamor of violence that he’s seen as an officer in the IDF. At the end of his tour Shaul went through a transformation in the way that he viewed how Israel was treating Palestinians and sought to redeem his experience. The result was dedicating his life to helping his fellow Israelis to hear the realities of everyday life in the Occupied Territories. It’s a similar reality that Palestinian Mahmoud Subuh lives out every day in Balata Refugee Camp. The camp is largest in the West Bank and home to more than 20,000 people. It’s in this setting where Subuh is trying to sow the seeds of a community that grows beyond cultural borders. We’ll also meet Daoud Nassar, a Palestinian Christian who's prophetically planted an orchard on disputed land. Nassar’s controversial actions spurred an incident now known as the 'tree uprooting heard around the world’. In 2014 the IDF military bulldozed 1,500 fruit trees and caused an international outcry. It showed that the world cared less about the roots of conflict and more about a man crossing borders with a crop of apples, olives and grape vines. 

This important documentary film will reveal these individuals - and others - whose positive contributions are like drops of water in the arid desert. In a place where physical walls and spiritual beliefs act as deep divides we’ll see how everyday Jews, Christians and Muslims are coming together and disregarding borders. Through these empowering characters we’ll explore how it’s possible - even amid a world of violence and fear to find common ground and a chance for peace.

“It takes two to speak the truth – one to speak and another to hear.”

                                                                                                              Henry David Thoreau

CONCEPT  DROP MAKERS will demonstrate the power in listening to understand the other. We will film seven characters listening to the speaker in a variety of environments that both tell us about themselves and one another. This film will draw it’s weight not from a detailed look at the political conflict, or single point of tension but by the intimate revelation of individuals. As reflected in the 6-minute preview, the goal of returning back to Palestine and Israel would be to capture images and ideas that reflect the importance of listening.  Much like the assumption that power manifests itself as physical strength, we assume that the power in being heard rests with the speaker rather than with the listener.  The film will demonstrate the power to listen and understand the other.  The characters will be humanized by seeing them in their day to day lives before their identity in relationship to the conflict is revealed.   At the film’s climax we will flip the perspective to that of the speaker, to dignify their story and to give the audience a chance to solidify their perspective. 

CONCEPT SHORT CREDITS

A HUMDINGER PICTURES FILM

WRITTEN, PRODUCED AND DIRECTED BY  CHAD AMOUR

CO-PRODUCER AND FIELD AUDIO  RYAN CORCORAN

DOP, EDITOR    CHAD AMOUR

MUSIC BY  PHIL AARON

MUSIC MIX BY  BRAD STOKES

SOUND DESIGN  AMEEN ABDULLA