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Jerusalem is always set aside as the last item in any discussion of Israeli-Palestinian peace. But that forever-wait tactic is only on the diplomatic side. The building and contesting of Jerusalem on the ground has gone on for the last 15 years, unabated, untethered to any peace process. Pulitzer Center grantee Sarah Wildman, whose stories examine Jerusalem’s pressure points, joins Just Vision's Ronit Avni and Rebekah Wingert-Jabi on Tuesday, June 4, for a talks @ pulitzer. The evening includes a screening of the latest Just Vision production, "My Neighbourhood," the 2012 Peabody Award-winning film directed by Wingert-Jabi and Julia Bacha. Also on hand will be Amjad Atallah, regional director of the Americas for Al Jazeera Media Network, which broadcast "My Neighbourhood" and won the Peabody Award along with Just Vision for the film.
Space is limited.
RSVP required to [email protected] (specify "June 4 event" in subject)
Tuesday, June 4
5:30-7:30pm
Pulitzer Center
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 615
Washington, DC 20036
Closest Metro: Dupont Circle
Light reception at 5:30 pm. Remarks and film screening begins at 6 pm.
"My Neighbourhood" chronicles the story of Mohammed El Kurd, a Palestinian teenager whose family is forced to share a section of their East Jerusalem home with Israeli settlers. When Israeli activists arrive in his neighborhood to join residents in protests against the settlements, Mohammed comes of age in the midst of unrelenting tension with his neighbors and unexpected cooperation with Israeli allies in his backyard. "My Neighbourhood" premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2012, and has since been screened at venues including the Paley Center for Media, the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, the Al Jazeera International Film Festival and the European Parliament.
Sarah Wildman's Pulitzer Center-supported reporting project focuses on the politics and culture of Jerusalem proper—not the West Bank, not the settlements, but the problems and pressure points of the Holy City itself. She examines what creates the fissures, who hopes to solve them, and who advises Americans and other diplomats on what options remain for a two-state solution. Her reporting was featured in The New Yorker and Newsweek.
Over the last decade, Wildman has lived in and reported from Paris, Vienna, Madrid, Washington, Jerusalem and Berlin, and her writing has focused on the intersection of culture and politics, history and memory in Europe and America. She won the 2010 Peter R. Weitz Prize from the German Marshall Fund for excellence in European coverage. She also has won numerous grants and fellowships that have bolstered her work on Muslim integration in the West, Muslim-Jewish relations in Europe, trans-Atlantic relationships, and Holocaust studies. She is a regular contributor to The New York Times, Slate and a contributing editor at The Forward.
Wingert-Jabi has more than 14 years of producing and directing experience in film and television. In addition to producing and co-directing "My Neighbourhood," Wingert-Jabi has worked on films aired on Discovery Channel and PBS. She lived in the West Bank for eight years where she worked with Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers to produce documentaries including "A Good Samaritan" (2008) aired on Al Arabiya. She has managed several youth media projects in the Middle East including a Palestinian-Israeli video exchange project. Wingert-Jabi achieved a master of fine arts in film and television production from the University of Southern California School of Cinema-TV where she was awarded the Thomas Bush Cinematography scholarship.
Avni is an award-winning filmmaker, media strategist and human rights advocate. She is founder and executive director of Just Vision, an organization that supports Palestinian and Israeli efforts to end the occupation and the conflict without arms. She produced the film "Budrus" (2009), hailed in The New York Times as "this year's must-see documentary" and winner of 18 awards, including the PUMA. Creative Impact Award. Avni, who also directed "Encounter Point" (2006), was the executive producer of "My Neighbourhood" (2012). In addition, Avni co-edited the book, “Video for Change,” with the human rights organization, WITNESS, and is a WITNESS Board member. Recipient of Search for Common Ground’s Award and Auburn’s Lives of Commitment Award, Avni is a Young Global Leader through the World Economic Forum and a Term Member at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Atallah oversees and directs all coverage of North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean for Al Jazeera, the 24-hour international news channel. He previously served as Americas bureau chief for Al Jazeera English. Before joining Al Jazeera, Atallah was co-director of the Middle East Task Force at the New America Foundation. During his tenure, he also served as co-editor of the Middle East Channel for Foreign Policy magazine. Atallah served in senior advocacy and advisory roles in conflict and post-conflict situations including: directing international policy and advocacy efforts at the Save Darfur Coalition; advising Palestinian negotiations; and co-founding Women for Women International. Born in Gary, Indiana, Atallah received his undergraduate and master's degrees from the University of Virginia and his law degree from American University’s Washington College of Law.
Remember to RSVP -- [email protected] -- space is limited!