Hummus – A Story of Appropriation is about much more than the mere cultural appropriation of a treasured culinary staple. It is emblematic of Palestinians’ loss. Loss of land, of dignity, and ultimately their very identity. Set against the backdrop of the Israeli appropriation of hummus as quintessential to Israeli cuisine, Palestinian-American filmmaker Lafi Abood captures the lives of ordinary Palestinians in Jerusalem. Abu-Falah, an aging blacksmith, who is under constant threat of eviction. He has nowhere else to go. Samer, a young Palestinian with big dreams, finds his life’s plans getting truncated through a macabre sequence of repeated arrests and subsequent release.
Battling daily challenges, Abu-Falah and Samer cannot mourn their past, live their present, and contemplate a future. Their very humanity is appropriated, for the sake of progress and security. In many ways, their lives parallel the fate of Hummus.