Presented by the NMC International Affairs Forum
Land of Canaan
Documentary w/ filmmaker Q & A
A revealing look at the hidden environmental, social, and economic impacts of U.S. military spending. Event presented in partnership with On The Ground Global.
May 14, 2026
6pm reception w/ olive oil tasting
6:30 documentary
8:00 filmmaker Q & A
Q & A
Nasser Abufarha, Ph.D., producer & protagonist
Maggie Lemere, director
About the documentary
Land of Canaan is a cinematic meditation following Palestinian farmers tending to some of the oldest olive trees in the world: living symbols of livelihood, heritage, and resistance. When Dr. Nasser Abufarha, a Palestinian American entrepreneur, returns to the occupied West Bank and finds the olive oil industry 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. While 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.
About the filmmakers / panel
Nasser Abufarha, Ph.D.
Producer / Protagonist
Raised among the olive groves of Jenin, Abufarha founded Canaan Palestine, the world’s first fair‑trade and organic olive oil company. Through his work he has connected more than 2,000 small‑scale Palestinian farming families to global markets, brought Palestinian olive oil to international recognition and funded scholarships and women’s cooperatives. His vision of sustainable, community‑based trade has been celebrated worldwide and is even more relevant today as conflict threatens to sever farmers from their land.
Maggie Lemere
Director
Award‑winning filmmaker and oral historian Maggie Lemere is a National Geographic Explorer and co‑founder of the Rhiza Collective. Lemere’s storytelling focuses on the intersections of humanity and the environment; she is currently directing Land of Canaan, “a National Geographic Society‑supported feature film about Palestinians’ relationship with ancient olive trees”. In a recent interview, she said that making the film has become one of the hardest things she has ever done; as violence escalated in the West Bank the project “became a historical document … because of the horrible escalation of violence in the communities where we filmed”. Lemere’s approach uses oral history to foreground love, joy and connection rather than trauma alone, revealing a seldom‑seen side of contemporary Palestine.
Meryl Marsh (moderator)
Board Member, On The Ground Global
Meryl has been volunteering with OTG since she participated in Run Across Palestine and Run Across Congo and is thrilled to be on the board. She is based in Traverse City, MI.
For more information and tickets visit https://www.tciaf.com/event-may-14-2026