Apples of the Golan is the epic story of a village in the Golan Heights, a once Syrian area that was captured by Israel in 1967 during the Six Day War. It's a story of death, separation, war, torture, mines, love and nationalism told through a multitude of characters - from rappers to salsa dancers, holy men to lovers, and freedom fighters and their heartbroken mothers.

Once one of over one hundred villages in the region, Majdal Shams is now just one of five, after 130,000 Syrian Arabs were forced from their homes. As the revolution rages across the border in Syria and creeps through the orchards towards them, the villagers remain steadfast and rooted to their land, just like the apple trees which grow around them.

This is a moving film that conveys the complex nature of this population's existence and asks, if Israel is their home and Syria their homeland, where do the people of Majdal Shams belong and how can they be free?

In this post-screening Q&A co-director Keith Walsh takes questions from the audience about the logistics of the shoot and the impetus behind the film.

This event was presented as part of Bristol Palestine Film Festival 2013.

Posted on Sun 8 Dec 2013.

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