Hanna Elias was born in Jish village near Nazareth, Galilee. Graduated from the Hebrew university in Jerusalem with BA degree in Sociology and Middle East Studies. In 1991 he graduated with MFA in film production from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).
He directed several short films, including "The Mountain" (1992). In 1997 he directed and produced the Israeli/Palestian co-production of Children's Television Workshop of "Sesame Street" (CTW, New York).
Then from 1998-1999, he worked for the United Nations on a series of promotional films on democracy and women rights in Palestine.
The Olive Harvest is his first full length film.

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Dramatic Films

Documentary

Experimental Projects

Community Projects

Writer/director Hanna Elias chose to work with an Israeli crew as a statement that Israelis and Palestinians can and ought to work together. By working together we establish not only professional working habits, but we also build trust and mutual respect. This is the best way to deal with a conflict that has engulfed all of us in a hundred years of violence. The only way to change it is to create ways for us to work together and learn about each other, so we can see each other as human beings and create new possibilities in our region.

There is no magic to the peace in the Middle East. It starts with establishing trust, and then we can solve the most complex issues we have. It’s the trust that will motivate us to move forward, not fear. For our parents, us and our children.

Hanna shared his views with producer Kamran Elahian, an Iranian-American entrepreneur. Together, they've strived to adopt this multi-cultural approach, matching an all-Palestinian cast with an all-Israeli crew to create The Olive Harvest, a film whose universal themes transcend national borders.

The Olive Harvest is one element of a comprehensive effort to foster peace by building personal bridges between Palestinians and Israelis. Kamran and Hanna are also involved with several nonprofit groups that share the same goal. These include Schools Online , OneVoice, and The Gandhi Project.