'Peacebuilding on Screen' film series highlights human dignity, compassion, and courage in the face of conflict
It鈥檚 an unlikely union: Amid bullet holes and the bureaucracy of occupation, an Israeli Jewish woman and a Palestinian man fall in love. Their marriage, documented in 鈥淟ove During Wartime,鈥� is part of a five-film series that highlights stories of human dignity, compassion, and courage in the face of conflict.
The 鈥淧eacebuilding on Screen鈥� series is a welcome reprieve, considering the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Kenya bracing for a possible fresh eruption of ethnic tensions, and feelings of helplessness in the face of brutality from Libya to Syria.
It screens June 20-26 at the Silverdocs Documentary Film Festival in Maryland, but many of the films are showing at other film festivals.
鈥淟ove During Wartime鈥� masterly illustrates the uneasy coexistence of Israelis and Palestinians in human terms. Osama comes alive as a determined sculptor, loving uncle, and tender husband of a woman whose country forbids them to live together. Jasmin, the daughter of a Jewish woman born in Nazi Germany, struggles to remain a caring wife as she becomes angry about Israel鈥檚 treatment of Palestinians 鈥� at one point joking that she will get around to folding Osama鈥檚 laundry when Israel stops building settlements.
Such humanity also shines forth in 鈥淭he Team,鈥� which documents a Kenyan soap opera about a soccer team that overcomes ethnic tensions to succeed 鈥� a poignant national metaphor. 鈥淭he Team鈥� is filmed in such an intimate way that the audience may actually duck as it follows an actor entering his tidy but tiny slum dwelling, or wince as another gets beat up. If you can鈥檛 afford to visit Nairobi, consider paying $8
to meet these faces of Kenyan courage.
Other films in the series include:
鈥淭he Rescuers鈥�: Chronicles 12 diplomats鈥� efforts to rescue tens of thousands of Jews from concentration camps.
鈥淒iary鈥�: An experimental film by veteran war photographer Tim Hetherington, who was killed in Libya this spring.
鈥淭he Green Wave鈥�: A tale of Iran鈥檚 2009 protests, told through motion comic, news footage, and interviews.
