In Bridge Over the Wadi, Jewish and Arab adults, living on the West Bank, put aside their enmities where their children are concerned
and place a bet on mutual understanding for the next generation, even if they cannot believe in it themselves. The Wadi Ara School in Israel is the third school to open in a program called Hand-in-Hand, a project aimed at educating Israeli and Arab children together in schools jointly run by Arabs and Israelis.

Devoid of voiceover narration, with titles in English to identify key events such as holidays, and to indicate participants and their ethnicity, Bridge Over the Wadi excels in its depiction of the everyday tension and the cultural differences that mark even the most benign aspects of life in this part of the world. We also see small but steady progress: when a Jewish teacher is sick one day, the substitute teacher, an Arab, announces that the day’s lessons will be taught in Arabic, forcing the children to concede that Hebrew is generally the dominant language. This is followed by a scene in which the children play in a completely bilingual way as a result.

Bridge Over the Wadi shows a journey through a truly brave new world, as parents of both sides courageously set about to raise their children in understanding, however uneasy it may be. The film is a primer, through the eyes of children, in the Israeli-Arab conflict; a conflict, a Jewish parent explains to his daughter, in which “both sides are right.” Bridge Over the Wadi offers hope while facing up to the intractability of the conflict. - Dennis Bingham

SCREENS WITH:

EMPATHY
Adi Fefaeli, Israel, 39 minutes

In each of the criss-crossing narratives in Refaeli’s remarkable first film, there is an “attacker” and a “victim.” Through amazing use of chronology, each attacker is shown to be a victim in a previous incident. The final tapestry woven by these tales provides unique insight into the ways we all impact those we encounter on a daily basis.

MAKE A WISH
Cherien Dabis, U.S./ Palestinian Territories, 13 minutes

In the touching drama, Make a Wish, Mariam is determined to buy a birthday cake... but not just any birthday cake.