Emtiaz Diab, NUN WA ZAYTOUN

FILM 012

Nun Wa Zaytoun (2015, 50 min) takes us on a lyrical road trip through the hills, valleys, and villages of Palestine, following Murad, a cinema-lover whose mission is to bring Palestinian cinema to outlying West Bank communities. From many Palestinian residents encountered along the way, we learn that their attachment to their land, homes, families, and to their fast-disappearing way of life remains as strong as the zaytoun (olive tree) roots and branches, against all odds and despite all they have endured for generations. With an original soundtrack composed by Palestinian composer Saíd Murad. In Arabic and English with English subtitles.

Throughout her career as an accredited journalist and human rights activist, Emtiaz Diab has had several high-profile assignments for prestigious international organizations, including the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Arabic radio service, Al-Jazeera TV, Deutsche Welle TV and Radio and the Associated Press TV. Her prolific career as a photographer, journalist, writer, trainer and manager spans over 25 years, which have been devoted to issues including human rights, women's rights, economic development, peace initiatives and capacity building. Her exposure over the past many years to critical developments, political and humanitarian issues in the Middle East, Europe and Africa has further enriched her competencies and vision both as a team leader and independent journalist and writer.

During the past decade she conducted over 400 high-profile radio and TV interviews including with Arab heads of states, ministers and CEOs. These include Algerian President Boutaflika, former Cuban President Fidel Castro, the late Lebanese prime Minister Rafik Hariri, four Swiss presidents, including Ruth Dreifuss, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, British Foreign Minister Jack Straw, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari; UN Secretary General Butrous Butrous Ghali, Arab Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Labour, Health, Trade and Human Rights, as well as many European Ministers of human rights and CEOs of African Development Bank, Arab Bank and United Bank of Switzerland. Commissioned by Al Quds University to compile and edit a book
about a 600-year old public bath in Jerusalem closed since the 1970s, Hamam al Ayn, she brought together 12 scholars and professionals to contribute from their angles to documenting this important social and cultural landmark in the old city, while her own investigative skills brought the past to life through oral history accounts she compiled from the last generation of Jerusalemites who knew the Hamam.

As the director of the Jaffa Research Centre, she led 40 staff members, including journalists, film producers, fields staff and accountants, providing leadership, direction and inspiration by instilling firm organizational and fiscal discipline, developing strategy and procedures to ensure healthy and professional functioning of the program.

As the project manager of the "Arab Cities and Villages in Israel 1990", a statistical book and a census of Palestinians living in Israel, she led a team including researchers, journalists, photographers, statisticians and accountants on a 6-month comprehensive program and a journey across Israel to map the entire country, while conducting interviews and research to create first time records of the Arab population in the country. Given its huge success, the book remains a respectable and reliable reference for Israeli, Arab and international researchers.