Peace of Mind

This is the first documentary film shot jointly by Israeli and Palestinian youth, chronicling a year in their lives after returning home from an Israeli-Arab summer camp in the Maine woods. The camp is run by Seeds of Peace, an organization that brings young Israelis together with Palestinians and other Arab teenagers to build friendship and discuss ways to resolve the conflict between their peoples. Until their meeting and bonding at Seeds of Peace none of them had ever had friends from the "other side." Back home seven of the teens were met with the dual challenge of maintaining the friendships and recording video diaries of themselves, their families and their personal hopes and fears. What comes immediately into focus are the day-to-day realities in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. The Palestinians had to obtain permissions from the Israeli army and pass through a series of checkpoints before they could reach their friends home in Israel. Israelis had to negotiate through a society filled with fear of any Palestinian location. And yet, as they shared their lives and encountered each other’s family histories, these lively and articulate teens reveal that if relationships are based on mutual trust, then real friendship and peace are attainable.

Mark Landsman is an independent filmmaker whose recent work centers around youth culture. He is the producer and director of PEACE OF MIND, the first documentary to be jointly produced with a group of Palestinian and Israeli teenagers. The film won an Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 1999 Hamptons International Film Festival and was presented on the ABC News program, "Nightline." A former Associate Producer for KQED-TV in San Francisco, he is currently producer for the ABC Television program, "Children First." He is also the creator and executive producer of "move it!", a new children's television series on dance, currently in development with Disney. PEACE OF MIND is his first feature-length documentary.