Promises
A compelling and humorous take on the Middle East conflict from the perspectives of seven Palestinian and Israeli children living only minutes apart in Jerusalem but locked in separate worlds.
Awards & Recognition
Winner
2002 News and Documentary Emmy Awards - Best Background Informational Documentary
Winner
2002 News and Documentary Emmy Awards - Best Documentary
Nominee
2002 Academy Awards - Best Documentary Feature
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.