Promises

Seven Palestinian and Israeli children live only minutes apart in Jerusalem, and have compelling and humorous take on the Middle East conflict.

Film Signature Image
Series
POV, Global Voices
Premiere Date
December 13, 2001
Length
90 minutes
Funding Initiative
Open Call
  • Award laurels-r Created with Sketch.
    2001 SFFilm Festival-Golden Gate Award, Bay Area Documentary
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    2001 SFFilm Festival-Audience Award, Best Documentary Feature
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    2001 Vancouver International Film Festival-People's Choice Award
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    2001 Rotterdam International Film Festival-Audience Award
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    2001 Munich International Film Festival-Freedom of Expression Award
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    2001 Locarno International Film Festival-Ecumenical Jury Award
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    2001 Valladolid Int'l Film Festival-First Prize Documentary
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    2001 Mostra Internacional de Cinema / Sao Paulo International Film Festival-Best Documentary and Audience Award
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    2001 Jerusalem Film Festival-Festival Award
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    2001 Hamptons International Film Festival-Best Documentary
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    2001 Vancouver International Film Festival-Spirit of Diversity Award
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    2002 News and Documentary Emmy Awards-Best Background Informational Documentary
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    2002 News and Documentary Emmy Awards-Best Documentary
  • Nominated laurels-r Created with Sketch.
    2002 Academy Awards-Best Documentary Feature
  • Producer

    Justine Shapiro

    Justine Shapiro was born in South Africa and grew up in Berkeley, California. After graduating Magna Cum Laude in History and Theatre from Tufts University, Justine spent 10 years as a travel show host for the PBS series GlobeTrekker which took her to more than 40 countries. In 1996, Justine co-founded the non-profit production company Promises Films with Show more B.Z. Goldberg. Justine speaks Spanish, French, and English. Show less

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    Producer

    B.Z. Goldberg

    B.Z. Goldberg was born in Boston and grew up just outside of Jerusalem. After studying filmmaking at New York University Film School, he worked as a sound recordist and producer covering the Palestinian Intifada for Reuters TV, the BBC, NBC, CNN, and NHK (Japanese TV). B.Z. left his TV job to study alternative approaches to conflict and conflict Show more resolution. He spent seven years as a management consultant for a variety of companies (including Fortune 500, multi-nationals, social organizations, and universities). In 1995 B.Z. and Justine Shapiro founded Promises Films to produced the award winning documentary Promises, which was released in 2001. From 2004 to 2009 B.Z. directed and produced a series of 170 short films (all filmed around the world on the same line of longitude) for the Klimahaus, the world’s first museum on climate change, located in northern Germany. He lives and works in Jerusalem. Show less

    Producer

    Carlos Bolado

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    The Film

    What is it really like to live in Jerusalem? Promises offers touching and fresh insight into the Middle East conflict when filmmakers Shaprio, Goldberg, and Bolado travel to this complex and charged city to see what seven children — Palestinian and Israeli — think about war, peace, and just growing up. Living within 20 minutes of each other, these children are nevertheless locked in separate worlds. Through candid interviews, the film explores a legacy of distrust and bitterness, but signs of hope emerge when some of the children dare to cross the checkpoints to meet one another.

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