IDFA.7 Bridge Over the Wadi

Bridge Over the Wadi
Israel / Dir: Barak Heymann & Tomer Heymann / 58 min
World Premiere
website

It was electrifying to be in the audience for the world premiere of this exceptional documentary from filmmaking brothers Tomer and Barak Heymann. It’s the story of a groundbreaking K-12 school created by Arab and Israeli parents interested in schooling their children together. The kids all learn Hebrew and Arabic —and in every classroom there is an Israeli and an Arab teacher. It's fascinating to witness the additional layer of challenges that the parents, teachers and students face each day, as if school isn't already hard enough for many kids.

The parents struggle with the complexity in their decision to have their children participate, but for most of them, their commitment to creating a different future for their children keeps them going. And in the end, it's the brave teachers and the amazing kids who win our hearts, and leave us with a sense of hope that through these loving friendships started at an early age, this kind of personal, and not political peacemaking may be a critical piece of finding another way.

This is an example of my favorite kind of doc—a story that illuminates the heroes among us who don’t just believe in ideals like peace, but are actively peace-making. I'd like to see the film expanded—the characters and subject matter are worthy of a feature length treatment, and I hope the film will find US distribution theatrically and in education channels.

For more info about the school featured in the documentary, check out: Bridge Over the Wadi School

Also, keep an eye out for Encounter Point which I watched at a limited engagement at the Quad in New York last week. It’s another exceptional film also about Israelis and Arabs, who are choosing to talk to each other under the most challenging circumstances, having lost their children through terrorism and war. Encounter Point will likely have a theatrical release in Los Angeles, and other American cities next year.