Just Vision is a non religiously unaffiliated

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

that utilizes storytelling, media and public engagement campaigns to highlight Palestinian and Israeli grassroots leaders working to end the occupation and conflict through unarmed means. It is based in

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, New York and

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

Background

Just Vision was formed in 2003 by

Ronit Avni Ronit Avni is a Canadian entrepreneur, tech founder, human rights advocate, and Peabody Award-winning film director and producer. Early life and education Avni was born and raised in Canada. She graduated with honors with an A.B. in politica ...

as a result of two years of research and over 475 interviews on the

Israeli–Palestinian conflict The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is an ongoing military and political conflict about Territory, land and self-determination within the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine. Key aspects of the conflict include the Israeli occupation ...

. The goal of the interviews was "to find out what kind of support they needed to advance peace. The overwhelming answer was to become more visible. The pockets of nonviolent activists throughout the region need a space to link and promote their messages." The interviews eventually became the basis for Just Vision's films and Visionaries interview series.

Filmography

* '' Encounter Point'' (2006) * ''Budrus'' (2009) * ''Home Front: Portraits From Sheikh Jarrah'' (2011) * ''My Neighbourhood'' (2012) * ''Naila and the Uprising'' (2017) * ''Boycott'' (2021) The first film to be released by Just Vision was '' Encounter Point'' in 2006. According to Anita Gates of

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

, "This film may prompt others to take up the cause." Just Vision's second film, ''Budrus'', is the best known, and has reached diverse audiences worldwide. The film is about

nonviolent Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosoph ...

demonstrations conducted by the residents of Budrus (a Palestinian town in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate) during the early 2000s to protest against the building of the

Israeli West Bank barrier The West Bank barrier, West Bank wall or the West Bank separation barrier, is a separation barrier built by Israel along the Green Line (Israel), Green Line and inside parts of the West Bank. Israel describes the wall as a necessary securi ...

inside of the village. ''Budrus'' initially debuted on the festival circuit in 2009 at the

Dubai International Film Festival The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF, ) was the largest film festival in the Arab world, Arab region. With particular emphasis on showcasing Arab cinema, Arab, Asian cinema, Asian, and African cinema, it also helped to develop industry a ...

. It also played at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

. Since the release of ''Budrus'', Just Vision has released two new film projects on the growing trend of home evictions in

East Jerusalem East Jerusalem (, ; , ) is the portion of Jerusalem that was Jordanian annexation of the West Bank, held by Jordan after the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, as opposed to West Jerusalem, which was held by Israel. Captured and occupied in 1967, th ...

. The first is a series of shorts called ''Home Front: Portraits From Sheikh Jarrah'', followed by a 25-minute documentary, ''My Neighbourhood'', co-directed and co-produced by Rebekah Wingert-Jabi and Julia Bacha. Both projects follow the individual stories of Palestinian and Israeli nonviolent resistance to the eviction of Palestinian families. ''My Neighbourhood'' premiered in 2012 at the

, and has been screened across the United States, as well as at the European Parliament. In 2017, Just Vision produced Naila and the Uprising, directed by Julia Bacha. It was a documentary that highlighted the hardships Palestinians faced against Israel. In 2018,

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

blocked the trailer for Naila and the Uprising for all Facebook users in Israel. In a message to the operators of the Local Call Facebook page that attempted to post the trailer, which Just Vision helps fund, Facebook said, “Your ad was not approved because it doesn’t conform to our advertising policy. We don’t allow advertising that includes shocking, derogatory or sensational content, including ads that depict violence or threats of violence.” Yet hours before the film's screening in

Jaffa, Israel Jaffa (, ; , ), also called Japho, Joppa or Joppe in English, is an ancient Levantine Sea, Levantine port city which is part of Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, located in its southern part. The city sits atop a naturally elevated outcrop on ...

, the ad received approval to run on the site. In 2021, Just Vision produced the documentary film ''Boycott''.

Awards

Just Vision is the recipient of numerous film awards:Julia Bacha , Staff Bio
/ref> 2006 ''Encounter Point'' * Winner: Audience Award Best Documentary at San Francisco International Film Festival * Winner: Audience Award Best Documentary at Rencontres International Film Festival * Winner: Spirit of Freedom Award, Bahamas International Film Festival * Winner: Best Musical Score at Bend Film Festival 2007 * Winner: Grand Jury Prize, Best Documentary at São Paulo Jewish Film Festivals * Winner: Best First Documentary, Docupólis Film Festival (Barcelona) 2009 ''Budrus'' * King Hussein Leadership Prize 2010 * Winner, Panorama Audience Award Second Prize, Berlin International Film Festival * Winner, Special Jury Mention, Tribeca Film Festival * Winner, Audience Award, San Francisco International Film Festival * Winner, Honorable Mention for Best Documentary in the Spirit of Freedom Award, Jerusalem International Film Festival * Winner, Witness Award at Silverdocs Film Festival * Winner, Honorable Mention of the Jury, Documenta Madrid * Winner, Amnesty Italia Award, Pesaro Film Festival * Winner, Founders Prize, Best of Fest, Nonfiction, Traverse City Film Festival * Winner, Checkpoints Award, Bergen International Film Festival * Winner, Festival des Libertés Prize, Festival des Libertés * Winner, Spirit of Freedom Documentary Award, Bahamas International Film Festival * Circles of Change Award * The Common Ground Award 2011 * Winner, Amnesty's Matter of Act Human Rights Award, Movies That Matter Film Festival * Winner, Jury Award for Excellence in Documenting a Human Rights Issue, Bellingham Human Rights Film Festival * The Henry Hampton Award for Excellence in Film and Digital Media * The Ridenhour Documentary Film Prize

References

External links

* {{Authority control Organizations established in 2003 Documentary film production companies Non-profit organizations based in the United States Peace organizations