At the AAR conference in San Diego, the award-winning comedy about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Tel Aviv on Fire, will be screened. 6pm-8pm, Friday 22nd November 2019 Cobalt 202, Hilton Bayfront, San Diego Tel Aviv on Fire (2018, directed by Sameh Zoabi, 96 minutes). At the heart of this cinematic tale is a Palestinian writer, Salam, who lives in Jerusalem and draws upon the experiences and skills of an Israeli checkpoint commander to enhance a popular Palestinian soap opera. The movie provides a catalyst for discussion about the role of film and comedy in one of the world’s most intractable conflicts. The screening will be followed by a roundtable discussion on peacebuilding through film, with Atalia Omer (University of Notre Dame), and CTPI’s director Jolyon Mitchell. The discussion will explore this and other films’ representation of religion, contested borders, divided communities and gender relations, as well as critical reflection upon the potential of film for contributing to conflict transformation and religiously informed peace building in Israel-Palestine. Along with CTPI, the screening is co-sponsored by the Religion, Media, and Culture Unit and the Religions, Social Conflict, and Peace Unit of AAR. This article was published on 2024-03-19
