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Promises
Plot
B.Z. Goldberg, an American filmmaker who was raised in Jerusalem and is fluent in both Hebrew and Arabic, returned to the Middle East to help make this documentary, which chronicles his encounters with seven children between the ages of 11 and 13, some Israeli and some Palestinian, who discuss their political views, their thoughts about the ongoing violence in their homelands and the possibility of a lasting peace, and the impact the aggression has had upon them. Encompassing extremists and moderates on both sides of the fence, the seven youngsters are interviewed individually and then brought together, where their common interests become clear -- as well as the fact that it's quite possible they'll never live together in peace. Co-directed by Goldberg with Justine Shapiro and Carlos Bolado, Promises won the Audience Award at the 2001 Rotterdam Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, RoviReview
Promises is a profoundly moving document of the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Filmed during a period of relative calm in the region, before the second Intifada, the filmmakers reduce the conflict to its smallest scale, literally, exploring the views of several Palestinian and Israeli children of varying backgrounds. The film offers a bare-bones primer on the conflict, but its main interest is in the lives of these children and the degree of hope they offer for the future. Some of these preteens, like Moishe, the Israeli boy who lives in a settlement within the occupied territories, appear to have been thoroughly indoctrinated, presumably by their parents (who are barely seen in the film), in ideological or religious dogma. Some, like Mahmoud, a Palestinian boy who lives in Jerusalem, seem to have arrived at their harsh views more through unpleasant experiences. Over the course of the film, we learn that things are more complicated. Moishe's views have been hardened by the death of a young friend at the hands of terrorists, and Mahmoud has his simplistic world view shaken by the revelation that his onscreen interviewer, whom he's grown close to (co-director B.Z. Goldberg), is a Jew who was raised in Israel. At the film's climax, Goldberg brings together the middle-class, non-religious Israeli twins, Yarko and Daniel, with several Palestinian children who live on the West Bank, including Faraj, whose friend was killed by an Israeli soldier during the first Intifada, and a young girl, Sanabel, whose activist father has been imprisoned without trial by the Israeli government. For a fleeting moment, the film suggests there's hope, but the barriers to true friendship and understanding remain in place. The filmmakers' refusal to downplay the situation's intractability makes the glimmer of hope the film offers that much more powerful. ~ Josh Ralske, RoviCredit
Janet Cole - Consultant/advisor, Lucy Kaplan - Consultant/advisor, Stephen Most - Consultant/advisor, Carlos Bolado - Director, Justine Shapiro - Director, B.Z. Goldberg - Director, Carlos Bolado - Editor, Yorman Millo - Cinematographer, Ilan Buchbinder - Cinematographer, Justine Shapiro - Producer, B.Z. Goldberg - Producer, Dan Olmsted - Sound Mixer, Rogelio Villanueva - Sound/Sound Designer, Justine Shapiro - Screenwriter, B.Z. Goldberg - Screenwriter| Promised a Miracle (1988 Film), Promised Paradise (2006 Film) | |
| Promises in the Dark (1979 Film), Promises to Keep (1986 Film) |
Promises
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Promises (film)
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This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. (Consider using more specific cleanup instructions.) Please help improve this article if you can. The talk page may contain suggestions. (August 2009) |
| Promises | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Carlos Bolado B.Z. Goldberg Justine Shapiro |
| Produced by | B.Z. Goldberg Justine Shapiro |
| Starring | Moishe and Raheli Bar Am Faraj Adnan Hassan Husein Mahmoud Mazen Mahmoud Izhiman Daniel Solan Yarko Solan Sanabel Hassan Shlomo |
| Cinematography | Ilan Buchbinder Yoram Millo |
| Editing by | Carlos Bolado |
| Distributed by | Cowboy Pictures |
| Release date(s) | January 30, 2001 |
| Running time | 106 min. |
| Language | English/Arabic/Hebrew |
Promises is a 2001 documentary film that examines the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the perspectives of seven children living in the Palestinian communities in the West Bank and Israeli neighborhoods of Jerusalem.
The film follows Israeli-American filmmaker B.Z. Goldberg as he meets with seven Palestinian and Israeli children between the ages of nine and thirteen, seeing the Middle East conflict through their eyes. Rather than focusing on specific political events, the film gives voice to these children, who, although living only 20 minutes apart, live in completely separate worlds. The most important aspect of the film is that it allows "ordinary" kids to develop natural bonds of affection by simply playing games with each other - bonds which go beyond the clutter of prejudices that they have heard from their parents and others around them.
Promises was shot between 1995 and 2000 and was produced in association with the Independent Television Service with partial funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
The film has a running time of 106 minutes, and includes Arabic, Hebrew and English dialogue with English subtitles.
In 2004 the filmmakers' produced a follow-up program called Promises: Four Years On, which features interviews and updates on the children's current lives. It lasts 25 minutes and is included as a special feature on the film's DVD release.
Promises has been shown at many film festivals and received excellent reviews and many accolades.
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Contents
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The Children
- Daniel and Yarko: Israeli boys living in west Jerusalem, secular Jews, put off more by religious Jews than Palestinians
- Shlomo: Jewish quarter in Jerusalem, Orthodox, son of a Jewish rabbi
- Moishe: lives in Beit-El in the West-Bank, dislikes the Arabs
- Faraj: lives in the Deheishe refugee camp in the westbank, Palestinian
- Mahmoud: Palestinian quarter in east jerusalem
- Sanabel: Palestinian lives also in the Deheishe refuge camp, father is in prison because he was affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Before her brother died from heat stroke, he was also in prison.
Nominations
- Best Documentary, 74th Annual Academy Awards [1]
- Best Documentary, IFP Spirit Awards
- Truer than Fiction Award, IFP Spirit Awards
Awards
- 2002 The NBR Freedom of Expression Citation National Board of Review
- 2002 The Michael Landon Award for Community Service to Youth Twenty-Third Annual Young Artist Awards
- 2001 Emmy Award, Best Documentary
- 2001 Emmy Award, Best Background Analysis
- 2001 Rotterdam International Film Festival Audience Award, Best Film
- 2001 Munich Film Festival Freedom of Expression Award
- 2001 Jerusalem Film Festival Special Festival Award
- 2001 Locarno International Film Festival Special Ecumenical Jury Prize
- 2001 San Francisco International Film Festival Audience Award, Best Documentary Grand Prize, Best Documentary Golden Gate Award, Documentary Film
- 2001 Vancouver International Film Festival Audience Award, Diversity in Spirit Award
- 2001 Hamptons International Film Festival Best Documentary
- 2001 São Paulo International Film Festival Best Documentary Audience Award
- 2001 Valladolid International Film Festival Best Documentary
- 2001 Paris International Film Festival (Rencontres) Audience Award-Best Film
References
- ^ "NY Times: Promises". NY Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/242044/Promises/details. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
External links
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