Just Vision is a non-partisan and religiously unaffiliated nonprofit organization 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. They are based in Washington, New York and Jerusalem.
Background
Just Vision was formed in 2003 by Ronit Avni as a result of 2 years of research and over 475 interviews on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. 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.
The first film to be released by Just Vision was Encounter Point in 2006. Critics have lauded it as a "compassionate, brilliant film goes beyond today's headlines". It follows a former Israeli settler, a Palestinian ex-prisoner, a bereaved Israeli mother and a wounded Palestinian bereaved brother who risk their lives and public standing to promote a nonviolent end to the conflict. The film explores what drives them and thousands of other like-minded civilians to overcome anger and grief to work for grassroots solutions. It is a film about the everyday leaders in our midst. According to Anita Gates 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 non-violent demonstrations conducted by the residents of Budrus during the early 2000s to protest against the building of the Israeli West Bank barrier inside of the village. Budrus initially debuted on the festival circuit in 2009 at the Dubai International Film Festival. It also played at the Tribeca Film Festival. Since the release of Budrus, Just Vision has released two new film projects on the growing trend of home evictions in East Jerusalem. 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 Tribeca Film Festival, 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 blocked the trailer for Naila and the Uprising for all Facebook users in Israel. In a message to the operators of the Local CallFacebook 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, the ad received approval to run on the site.
Awards
Just Vision is the recipient of numerous film awards: 2006 Encounter Point
