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CNN Live Sunday
Interview With Filmmakers B.Z. Goldberg, Justine Shapiro
Aired March 17, 2002 - 17:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Palestinian and Israeli children learn the ways of their world at a very young age, and a new documentary exposes the realty. And it's receiving so much acclaim, it's up for an Academy Award.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "PROMISES")
UNIDENTIFIED BOY (translated on screen): When an Arab sees me, he thinks I am one of those who took his land. They think it's their land and we think it's ours. We KNOW it's ours.
UNIDENTIFIED BOY (translated on screen): It's not for Israel. It's for the Arabs. It's ours. This is my land! I was born and raised here. You have no right to take it!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLAWAY: Now, the two people responsible for that documentary are with us today, B.Z. Goldberg and Justine Shapiro co-produced and directed that project. Thank you both for being with us.
First, we should say that I believe our crawl was blocking some of the English translation on that, but basically what those children were saying is that it is their land. And we were hearing that from both sides.
Justine, let me start with you. How did this project come about?
JUSTINE SHAPIRO, CO-PRODUCER, "PROMISES": Well, first of all, the film made by B.Z. Goldberg, myself and Carlos Bolado, who could not be here today. And we were motivated to make the film in 1995, when everyone was talking about the peace process following Oslo, but when we spoke to the children, we heard that for them there really wasn't peace on the ground yet. And we were moved to make a film about them, because all the politicians were talking about peace for the future and peace for the children, but we were not really hearing from the children. So we decided to make a film which would focus on the children.
CALLAWAY: I want to reiterate what you just said, that most of this, all of this was actually shot during a relative calm period there, certainly before this recent spate of violence that we've seen. B.Z., did you have any reservations about getting this involved in the project and meeting with these children? It know it was a long project.
B.Z. GOLDBERG, CO-PRODUCER, "PROMISES": It was a long project, and for me as an Israeli, I actually resisted doing the project in the beginning, because I knew that getting involved with these children deeply -- and we knew that one thing we wanted to do was spend a lot of time with them. We didn't want to do a quick news story; we wanted to go deep into their lives. I knew that that would -- I would have to get emotionally involved. So it was with quite a bit of resistance. But once we started meeting these children, they totally won my heart.
CALLAWAY: B.Z., we're going to show a bite now from this documentary, when you are actually meeting with one of the young Palestinian children, and he's talking about never wanting to meet a Jewish child. And this is an interesting exchange here. I think that's what we're going to show. I believe we have dropped the crawl so people can read the English translation. Let's take that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "PROMISES")
UNIDENTIFIED BOY (translated on screen): Do I want to meet Jewish children? No.
GOLDBERG (translated on screen): But I'm a Jewish boy.
UNIDENTIFIED BOY (translated on screen): You are an AMERICAN Jewish boy. Do you speak Hebrew? Speak Hebrew!
GOLDBERG: Shalom.
UNIDENTIFIED BOY (translated on screen): That's all?
GOLDBERG (translated on screen): No, I speak perfect Hebrew. Because I studied here. Here in Jerusalem, Israel, Palestine. I'm half Israeli.
UNIDENTIFIED BOY (translated on screen): You're also half American, not just Israeli.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLAWAY: You know, the look on his face was heartbreaking to me, just -- what was your reaction?
GOLDBERG: I think it's important to remember that for Palestinian -- Palestinian and Israeli kids live -- these kids live 15, 20 minutes from one another. Mahmud (ph) lives five minutes away from Jewish children, but they completely never meet. They live in separate worlds. So for Mahmud (ph), Jew means Israeli, means occupier, oppressor, soldier, settler. So he could not fathom the possibility that I, that his friend could be one of these people.
CALLAWAY: And Justine, all of these children were so articulate and so devout. It's amazing to me the reaction that we saw in the documentary when you were able to get the children together. How did that come about, Justine, and then we'll show part of that meeting? SHAPIRO: Actually, we decided that we would not bring the children together, because that's just not what happens in the region. It was the children who really took the initiative to meet each other. They saw Polaroids of each other. Now, there were some children who had no interest in the other children in the film, but over the course of the five years of making the film, naturally some of the kids started inquiring about other kids.
And when they saw Polaroids and saw that, in fact, this child did not look like the enemy, he looked like a fellow athlete -- one of the Palestinian kids from the refugee camp, Faraj (ph), he initiates the meeting, and called the two Israeli twins -- during the middle of an interview, he said, "can I call the twins?" And he called them, and he invited them to the camp, and this really surprised us. And then they spent a day together.
But after that day, the meetings really could not continue because the boundaries between these children are just too great -- the physical boundaries like the checkpoints, and the emotional boundaries.
CATHERINE: Let's take a look now at a bit of that meeting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED BOY (translated on screen): Israelis will never understand us. Neither adults, nor kids!
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL (translated on screen): Why is this the children's fault?
UNIDENTIFIED BOY (translated on screen): The children will grow up!
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL (translated on screen): They might feel with us!
UNIDENTIFIED BOY (translated on screen): They won't feel!
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL (translated on screen): No Palestinian child ever tried to explain our situation to the Jews. Arabs and Jews should meet --
UNIDENTIFIED BOY (translated on screen): But Netanyahu --
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL (translated on screen): Not politicians! I want CHILDREN to meet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLAWAY: I am not sure that was exactly what we were talking about, but her words are so moving. I think she says, "I don't know of one Palestinian child who tried to explain their situation to an Israeli."
SHAPIRO: And she convinces Faraj (ph), the young Palestinian boy, she convinces him to think about meeting these Israeli twins. And at that point, he said no. But after he saw the Polaroid of the twins he -- his curiosity was aroused, and it was extraordinary to see this young boy, who had been so adamant about meeting Israelis, say, yes, I do want to meet them. And I thought, it'd be so wonderful to see adults and politicians on television say, you know what, I changed my mind.
It doesn't happen very often with adults, but it does happen with young children, and that's why working with this age group was so wonderful. Most of the kids in the film are between 9 and 12.
CALLAWAY: Out of the mouths of babes. But you went back two years later, we should tell everyone, this documentary goes back, and they were not able to continue their relationships, were they?
GOLDBERG: They were not able to continue the relationships, but even the most hard-line kids were interested in some kind of contact, and they all said they realized that without contact between the two sides, there is no chance for peace.
CALLAWAY: Congratulations on your nomination. I'm sure...
GOLDBERG: Thank you.
CALLAWAY: I'm sure you would love to go back and do a part two, especially with the escalation in violence in that region.
GOLDBERG: Well, we're in contact with the children all the time. We are in close contact with them. Hopefully, some of them will be able to come over here for the Academy Awards ceremony, and also for some screenings. The film just opened in New York, Boston and is opening in L.A., and nationwide in the following weeks. So hopefully they will be able to be here for part of that. And we are in contact with them.
CALLAWAY: B.Z. Goldberg, Justine Shapiro, I agree with you, I wish more people can see it. The documentary is called "Promises," and good luck to you.
GOLDBERG: Thank you.
CALLAWAY: I hope you bring home the Oscar.
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