“Beautifully crafted and brutally honest, Promises offers an unexpected window into the complexities of prejudice.”
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Promises. Written and directed by Justine Shapiro, B. Z. Goldberg, and Carlos Bolado. (2001). 106 minutes. Documentary, USA. In Hebrew, Arab, and English with English Subtitles.
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This captivating documentary takes us to the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict between 1997 and 2000 (six years after the first Intifada ended and on the cusp of the second one). The film explores the lives of seven children aged 9 to 13 — Palestinian and Israeli — living in Jerusalem. They live within 20 minutes from each other, but they can’t meet. They grow up in separate worlds. Through fascinating interviews, the film explores their prejudices, fears and distrust as well as the generational transmission of strongly ingrained beliefs. But hope is glimpsed when some of the children dare to cross the checkpoints to meet each other. This moving film offers us fundamental insights into this Middle East conflict, which today are of the utmost value. That this film is over twenty years old only makes it even more relevant. If you’ve seen it before don’t miss seeing it again! It’s essential viewing.
“Extraordinary! Intensely Personal and Insightful – A Humanist’s Dream.”
New York Times
“Stunning and powerful! Should not be missed. The acts of camaraderie transcend politics and ethnicity.”
Los Angeles Times
Promises was nominated for the Best Documentary Oscar and won the Best Documentary Emmy Award.
Directors
Justine Shapiro
Justine Shapiro is an Academy Award-nominated, Emmy Award-winning documentary film director and producer. She has filmed in over 40 countries around the world. Justine co-directed/co-produced the documentary film “Promises” with B.Z. Goldberg. The film, which features seven Palestinian and Israeli children, continues to be one of the most popular resources for educators teaching the Palestine/Israel conflict. Justine’s documentary film “Our Summer in Tehran” takes us into the domestic sphere of three Iranian families. Justine was born in South Africa and grew up in Berkeley California.
B.Z. Goldberg
B.Z. Goldberg was born in Boston but grew up in Israel just outside of Jerusalem. B.Z. attended New York University Film School. In 1987 when the Palestinian uprising broke out, B.Z. returned to Jerusalem to produce television news for Reuters TV, the BBC, NBC, CNN and NHK. In 1995, he and Justine Shapiro started meeting children in the Middle East, some of whom would become the subjects of Promises. B.Z. is fluent in Hebrew and conversant in Arabic.
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