The information in this section will help you work with a theater or local venue to arrange a screening for your community.  For Encounter Point screenings, please read through the steps below as well as the screening terms in the Encounter Point FAQ to help you decide what type of venue to pursue.

*Note that Budrus is not yet available for theatrical or community screenings. Please contact info at justvision dot org is you are interested in setting up a Budrus screening in the future.  

1. Recruit Organizers, Develop Partnerships

 Encounter Point introduces audiences to the seldom-heard voices of Palestinian and Israeli peacebuilders, and often inspires people to think about constructive ways to support civic peacebuilding in the region. While focusing on the lives and work of peacebuilders, the film presents multiple perspectives about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and audience members of many different backgrounds often find some aspect of the film new and challenging, or even disturbing.

It is constructive both to screen Encounter Point and have a post-screening discussion within communities that care deeply about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and between communities that have typically been aligned with one side of the conflict or the other. It is important to think through potential community partners carefully and to put time into forming partnerships if you wish to work with others to organize a screening of Encounter Point. Some cities or communities have established groups working on interfaith or inter-community dialogue about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but quite often there is deep mistrust around this issue across a variety of groups and organizations. A “neutral” party, or an existing interfaith group can be helpful in bringing different communities together.

It can be informative and eyeopening for members of a diverse audience to hear contrasting reactions to the same film. It can also be constructive for a particular community to discuss the issues the film raises in a more private setting. In either case, you will need a team of people to work together to plan and publicize the event.

2. Choose a Venue and Obtain a Copy of the Film

Please visit the Encounter Point FAQ for screening terms for cinema or theater screenings, community and campus venues.

3. Plan the Program

Program planning should involve all of the event’s co-sponsors. Besides a screening of the film, the program may include refreshments and time to mingle, a discussion or small group conversations after the film, and possibly time to plan another event or action step. Encounter Point is meant to inspire people to get involved in their own way. You may wish to make written materials available, such as a print-out of Just Vision's list of Palestinian and Israeli organizations. Designate someone to introduce Encounter Point and Just Vision (this is not necessary for a commercial theater screening).

Following the screening, you may pass around Just Vision's sign-in sheet for audience members who wish to join our email list.

4. Plan a Discussion

If you wish to open a discussion after screening the film, it is a good idea to designate a facilitator, or a pair of facilitators from different backgrounds, who have some knowledge about the issue but who will not be tempted to provide answers to each comment made. Allow at least 45 minutes for a discussion.

Download our two page Encounter Point Discussion Guide, and visit the facilitation section in the Resource Center for more ideas.

5. Invite Community Leaders

Community leaders to consider inviting might include religious clergy, leaders of Arab, Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities, elected officials, journalists who cover the region, teachers, principals, and professors who teach in a related field. It will be helpful to contact community leaders early in the process, as potential co-sponsors, or in time for them to help publicize the screening to their congregants, constituents, or students.

6. Contact Press

Part of Just Vision’s mission is to bring stories of Israeli and Palestinian peacebuilders into the public eye. Notifying your local press about an Encounter Point screening is a good start—it can also help spread the word about your event. Let them know that Just Vision provides materials to journalists who wish to cover peacebuilding and nonviolence efforts between Israelis and Palestinians.  Send a link to our Newsroom along with your invitation.

7. Publicize the Screening

Newspaper ads and reviews, email blasts, written invitations, and posters in strategic locations are all useful techniques for publicizing screenings. Often the most effective way of getting people to come to a screening is by well timed word of mouth. If you are working to fill multiple screenings or a large venue, it is best to employ all of these methods. It is better to do “too much” outreach than too little. Make sure to include the date, time, address, and contact information on all announcements and invitations. Give people advance notice, and send a reminder a few days before the screening.

E-Postcard	B&W Poster

8. Follow-Up

Well done!  Please remember to make your screening payment or donation to Just Vision, and mail us your sign-in sheet and return the copy of the film if you have not purchased it: Just Vision, 1616 P Street NW, Suite 340, Washington, DC 20036.