You, Me, Jerusalem

YOU, ME, JERUSALEM is the first documentary about Jerusalem co-directed by an Israeli and a Palestinian. We travel with an Arab doctor and a Jewish paramedic who are part of a Jerusalem ambulance team that responds to traffic accidents and terrorist attacks. The pair's daily contact and reliance on each other are hopeful beacons of co-existence in this volatile environment.

Working together, a Palestinian and an Israeli, became a metaphor for the subject of our film. We certainly had our differences of opinion, but we also had a common goal -- to finish on time a film we both liked. An impasse was not acceptable. In the same way, all the residents of Jerusalem, East and West, in spite of all their conflicts, share a common goal -- to create a livable city for all and according to the national aspirations of both sides. We turned our cameras away from politicians and experts in this film not only because they are in the news every day, but mostly because we were much more interested in the lives of the ordinary residents of the city. No matter what agreements are signed in Oslo and who shakes hands in Washington, ultimately it's the citizens of Jerusalem who will determine the future of their city. It is the fate of Jerusalem and its people that we wanted our viewers to reflect upon. When we began this project, our commitment was only to explore the possibility of co-existence in an open-minded manner. We shot this film during a turbulent period in the second part of 1995. Hamas suicide bombers exploded two buses. Israeli militants demonstrated daily just a short block from George's office. Prime Minister Rabin was assassinated. Neither one of us expected the film to be as optimistic as it ended up being. We could have easily nudged it toward a more confrontational direction. At times we were even tempted. And yet, the warm tone of YOU, ME, JERUSALEM and its impressionistic style accurately reflected our feelings as we made it. We simply let the film take over., Documentary films: YOU, ME, JERUSALEM 52 min., MXP Productions, 1996 Credits: Producer, Co-Director Co-directed with George Khleifi, it is the first Israeli-Palestinian film about the biggest obstacle to peace between them - Jerusalem. The film follows an ambulance crew with an Arab doctor and an Israeli paramedic who respond to emergencies in all parts of town. Premiered at New York's Lincoln Center and at the Rotterdam Film Festival, the film aired in Europe, Australia and Japan. INSIDE GOD'S BUNKER 52 min., MXP Productions, 1994 Credits: Producer, Director, Writer An up-close, chilling portrait of the extremist Jewish settlers in the West Bank town of Hebron. Includes the only footage filmed when Hebron was closed to the media after the 1994 massacre. The film aired by 17 broadcasters in 14 countries. ('It grabs your conscience and doesn't let go", the Paris Telerama; "A journalistic scoop", the London Independent.) WILL MY MOTHER GO BACK TO BERLIN?, 52 min. 1992 Credits: Director, Writer A first-person documentary about a Jewish refugee from Germany and her filmmaker son who tries to convince her to visit with him the city of her childhood. An intimate and surprising portrait of a mother-son relationship. Co-produced by Germany's BR and WDR and aired on U.S. public television stations. ("Very moving...it's a damn good film", the Los Angeles Times.) WITHIN OUR REACH, 35 min., A GOOD PLANET IS HARD TO FIND, 10 mi. 1985-87 Educational and organizing videos for the anti-nuclear movement Freeze TEATRO LATINO - A VOICE IN THE MISSION, 30 min. 1984 The harsh daily lives of a Latino theater group members are transformed on stage. Television programs: MAD MUNDO, 26 min., weekly television magazine, Internews Europe, 1997 Senior producer of pilot of international magazine about globalization for eight European broadcasters including Channel Four (Britain) and La Cinquième (France). SCAN, CNBC, weekly magazine on technology and new media, 1996 Produced international items for the show, which also aired on United Airlines Television magazine stories, 4-9 min. 1993-96 Produced investigative pieces for national European channels in Germany (ARD -- Weltspiegel and Kulturweltspiegel) and France (FR 2 -- Envoyé Spécial). AWARDS Best Documentary, Hawaii International Film Festival The Robert Geisendorfer Preis honoring the best television program in Germany contributing to better understanding between nations (given for the first time to a non-German) The Gold Apple award the U.S. National Educational Film & Video Festival Honorable Mention, Windy City International Documentary Festival, Chicago First Prize, Video, Marin Arts Council FESTIVALS o San Antonio Festival of Latin Cinema 1986 o Denver International Film Festival 1993 o San Francisco Film Arts Film Festival 1993, 1994 o Berlin Film Festival, Forum Section 1993 o Marseille (France) Vue Sur Les Docs International Film Festival 1994, 1996 o Mill Valley Film Festival 1994 o Leipzig (Germany) International Festival of Documentary & Animation 1994 o Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival 1994 o Hawaii International Film Festival 1994, 1995 o Philippines Centennial Celebration of Cinema 1995 o Rotterdam (Netherlands) International Film Festival 1996 o Montreal (Canada) Festival du Nouveau Cinema 1996 o Haifa (Israel) International Film Festival 1996 o Encontros internacionais de cinema (Portugal) 1995, 1997 o Windy City International Documentary Festival, Chicago, U.S., 1997 o Jewish Film Festivals in London, Washington, San Francisco, Boston, New York, Toronto, Portland, Palm Beach, Fresno 1994-97 o Art centers in the Mint Museum (Charlotte, NC), Baltimore (MD) and the Northwest Art Center (Portland, OR) 1995, 1996, 1997 TELEVISION o Germany: ARD, BR, WDR, NDR, ORB, ARTE o Britain: Channel Four o France: ARTE, FR2 o United States: 14 PBS stations including WGBH (Boston), KCET (Los Angeles) and KQED (San Francisco) o Australia: SBS, Belgium: BRTN, Denmark: TV2, Finland: TV2, Hungary: MTV, Japan: NHK, MICO, Netherlands: NOS, KOR, Norway: NRK, Spain: TVE, TV3 Televisio de Catalunya, TV3 Galicia Sweden: SVT 2, Italy: RAI cable