Alma’s family has been producing quality olive oil in the Baix Maestrat area of Spain’s Castellón for generations. Yet changing pressures in the industry have made their traditional practices economically untenable, and the family is now in the mass-production poultry business.

Alma’s grandfather has not spoken in years. Sadness envelopes him, and he no longer wants to eat. His sons—Alma’s father and uncle—are impatient with him, but Alma understands her grandfather. She realizes he has been grieving for a thousand-year-old olive tree that the family has uprooted and sold to pay some debts. (A sadly common reality in Castellón at present.) Unable to bear the idea that her grandfather could die without seeing this terrible wrong corrected, Alma undertakes a quixotic mission to locate the tree and return it to the family orchard, so that her grandfather may have peace in his final days.

Following their collaboration on the multi-Goya-winning Even the Rain, director Iciar Bollaín, BAFTA-winning screenwriter Paul Laverty and producer Juan Gordon have reunited to craft another film rooted in respect for those who have come before us—and hope for those who will carry on after we are gone. The Olive Tree finds fertile ground for a rich journey into faith, family and the healing of our wounded priorities. – Jaie Laplante

PRECEDED BY A CONVERSATION WITH ICIAR BOLLAÍN

The double Goya Award-winning Spanish actress-director will speak about her career and her latest film. This film is also part of the Knight Competition and Lexus Ibero American Feature Film Competition.