Univ of Southern Calif to host filmmakers on Arab-Israeli conflict

Eyes on the Middle East Visions and Voices
	Saturday, November 20, 2010 - Sunday, November 21, 2010 University Park Campus Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre (NCT) Admission is free. See below for event schedule.
The Israeli/Palestinian conflict is complex and controversial. Filmmakers on both sides are using cinematic media to express a variety of perspectives about struggles in the Middle East and the quest for peace. This two-day event will feature screenings of dramas and documentaries that offer diverse insights and alternatives to violence. Filmmakers from Israel, Palestine and the United States, including Hany Abu-Assad, Adi Arbel, Joseph Cedar, Barak Heymann, Ibtisam Mara’ana, Eran Riklis and Ari Sandel, will discuss their work, the issues that they are engaging and the powerful role cinema can play in increasing international awareness and understanding. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Saturday, November 20: 12:45 p.m.: Bridge Over the WadiDirected by Barak Heymann, the documentary Bridge Over the Wadi is about a binational and bilingual grade school with both Arab and Jewish children. 1:45 p.m.: Paradise Now  Directed by Hany Abu-Assad, the Academy Award–nominated film Paradise Now follows two close friends who are recruited by an extremist group to carry out a bombing in Tel-Aviv. 3:30 p.m.: 9 Star Hotel Israeli director Ido Haar’s award-winning documentary (Best Documentary, Jerusalem International Film Festival, 2006) focuses on a group of young Palestinians working construction in Israel. 5 p.m.: Be Quiet and West Bank Story Directed by USC alumnus Ari Sandel, the Academy Award–winning short West Bank Story is a musical comedy set in the fast-paced, fast-food world of competing falafel stands in the West Bank. 6 p.m.: Panel Discussion 7:45 p.m.: Lemon Tree Directed by Eran Riklis, Lemon Tree is about a Palestinian widow who defends her lemon-tree field from an Israeli defense minister. Sunday, November 21: 11:30 a.m.: Salt of This Sea Soraya, a young woman born and raised in Brooklyn, decides to “return” to Palestine—the home she has never known—to reclaim her family’s heritage. 2 p.m.: Panel Discussion (via webcast) 3:40 p.m.: Lullaby Directed by Adi Arbel, Lullaby shows a distressing intimate encounter between the Palestinian mother of a terrorist bomber and the Israeli mother of a bombing victim. 4:30 p.m.: Campfire Campfire is the story of a widow and mother of two daughters who finds her dreams of joining an Israeli settlement complicated when her younger daughter is sexually abused by boys from her youth movement. Organized by Jeremy Kagan (Cinematic Arts), John Odell (International Relations), Dave O’Brien (Cinematic Arts). Co-sponsored by the USC Change Making Media Lab, the USC School of International Relations and the Levantine Cultural Center. For further information on this event: visionsandvoices@usc.edu

Documentary: "Relentless: The Quest for Peace in the Middle East" by Wayne Kopping