August 20, 2010: Search for Common Ground to honor Just Vision at November 11th awards ceremony in Washington, DC.

PAST ANNOUNCEMENTS:

 August 03, 2010: Budrus wins Founders Prize, Best of Fest, Nonfiction at Michael Moore's Traverse City Film Festival. 

July 11, 2010: New York Times calls Budrus "Must See Documentary of the Year."

July 09, 2010: Budrus premiered at the Jerusalem Film Festival to sold-out theaters.

July 07, 2010: Budrus premiered in Ramallah to a crowd of 700 Palestinians from all political factions, internationals and Israeli activists.  HM Queen Noor visited the West Bank for the first time to attend.

July 06, 2010: Budrus won the Amnesty International Award at Pesaro Film Festival.

June 26, 2010. Budrus won the Witness Award at Silverdocs Film Festival in Washington, DC - given in honor of Joey R. B. Lozano to the strongest documentary about human rights violations or social justice issues.

May 14, 2010. Budrus WINS Honorable Mention of the Jury at Documenta Madrid 10.

May 06, 2010. Budrus WINS the Audience Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival.

April 29, 2010. Budrus WINS Special Jury Mention in the World Documentary Competition at the Tribeca Film Festival.

April 27, 2010. West Coast Premiere of Budrus at the San Francisco International Film Festival; Canadian Premiere at Hot Docs.

April 22, 2010. HM Queen Noor presents Just Vision and Ayed Morrar with the King Hussein Leadership Prize.

March 10, 2010.  The US Premiere of Budrus will take place at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. 

The US Premiere of Budrus will take place at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York on Sunday, April 25 at 3pm.  Please visit our events page for details.

March 8, 2010. International Women's Day

This International Women's Day, Just Vision, led by a team of women from North America, Israel and Palestine, honors the Palestinian and Israeli women who are working nonviolently to resolve the conflict.  Read our interviews with them in Visionaries. 

February 15, 2010. Budrus opens in Berlin to a sold out 350-person theater and receives the Silver Audience Award for Best Documentary

After the opening and two subsequent screenings, the audience gave Ayed Morrar and the people behind the movement in Budrus a standing ovation. The film received fantastic reviews. The protagonists, as well as several of the courageous cameramen and women, who stood with the villagers of Budrus and filmed events as they unfolded, attended. You can view photos on the Just Vision's Facebook page.

February 10, 2010. Encounter Point Screened to over 450 Students in Israel and the Hand in Hand Community
This month in Israel Encounter Point screened before two communities including teachers and parents of the Hand in Hand School in Kfar Kara.  Both Mr. Nasi Musrwah, Head of the Kfar Kara Local Council, and Mr. Ori Distenik, Head of the Binyamina-Givat Ada Local Council, attended the event. The screening was followed by a discussion panel which included film protagonists: George and Najwa Sa'adeh, Ayelet and Tzvika Shahak and Shlomo Zagman.  Another screening took place in Hod Hasharon after which Tzvika and George were interviewed for Radio A Shams.

Encounter Point was also screened during the past month before some 450 12th grade students from Dror Regional High School followed by a discussion with George Sa'adeh, Tzvika Shahak and Just Vision’s Anat Langer-Gal.   Forty 18-year old students from the Nachson Pre-Army Preparatory Program, youth of the Bnei Hamoshavim Youth Movement, as well as Communications students at the Achva Academic College also watched the film.

December 03, 2009. Gala Screening of Budrus at Dubai Film Fest; Panel with Just Vision's Media Director and Her Majesty Queen Noor
Just Vision's new feature documentary film, Budrus, made its debut at the Dubai International Film Festival as the Cultural Bridge Gala Film. The movie follows the story of a Palestinian-led movement in the West Bank that brings together all Palestinian political factions and Israelis to wage a 10-month nonviolent struggle to protect the village of Budrus from destruction. Like the people who are featured in Encounter Point, those in Budrus are rejecting revenge in favor of Gandhian approaches to creating a world with dignity for themselves and their communities.

The Gala Screening was followed by a panel discussion featuring Her Majesty Queen Noor, acclaimed Hollywood producer Mike Medavoy, and our own Julia Bacha - the director and one of the producers of Budrus. Film subject Ayed Morrar and his daughter, Iltezam, will also join along with Just Vision staff and Budrus Producers Rula Salameh and Ronit Avni as well as Executive Producer Jehane Noujaim and Associate Producer Jessica Devaney.  After Dubai, we will be adding an original score by award-winning composer Kareem Roustom and preparing English, Arabic and Hebrew-only versions of the film in anticipation of upcoming premieres. You can help us by sharing the trailer with friends and family, or by making a donation to support the film's completion and related outreach.

November 12, 2009.  Christiane Amanpour to feature Encounter Point on CNN
A two-minute clip of Encounter Point with George Sa'adeh and Tzvika Shahak will be aired on Christiane Amanpour's program on CNN this Sunday, November 15, at 2-3pm EST. Next week, the clip will air on a separate program on CNN International. Next week's story will also be online at www.cnn.com/CNNI/Programs/amanpour/. Stay tuned for exact times.

August 06, 2009.  Our New Film to be Featured at Independent Film Week in NYC
Following last month's inclusion in the Good Pitch at Silverdocs, Just Vision's new feature documentary, Budrus is again recognized as one of the most promising films of 2010. We are invited to participate in one of the largest independent film markets in the world, Independent Film Week. Budrus follows the story of a Palestinian community organizer who unites Palestinian political factions, international supporters and many Israelis to wage a 10-month lunch-counter-sit-in-style struggle to save his village from destruction by Israel's Separation Barrier - with women from the community serving on the front lines. In the process, he has unleashed a little-known but incredibly inspiring unarmed movement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories that is still gaining ground today.

July 31, 2009.  UN Event in Rio
Media Director Julia Bacha participated in a panel during the International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East in Rio de Janeiro, organized by the United Nations in cooperation with the Government of Brazil. Alongside Parents Circle-Bereaved Families Forum members Robi Damelin and Ali Abu Awwad, protagonists of our film, Encounter Point, Julia spoke about the role of media in bridging divides on this issue. Other participants included columnists Nahum Barnea from Yediot Aharonot, Gideon Levy from Haaretz newspaper, Mohammad Shaker Abdullah from Al-Quds newspaper, and Helda Ereqat, a Ma'an News Agency journalist.

July 30, 2009.  Just Vision's Irene Nasser Facilitates Workshop at Neve Shalom/Wahat al Salam
Community Outreach and Content Manager Irene Nasser facilitated a two-day workshop at Wahat al Salam/Neve Shalom for Palestinian and Israeli English Language Educators. Teachers from across the region came to gain skills in conflict resolution and peace education in the hopes of integrating important lessons learned into their classrooms. The workshop was funded by the United States Institute of Peace.

July 12, 2009.  Executive Director's Op-Ed Pieces in Haaretz, Washington Post
Executive Director Ronit Avni has begun writing Op-Eds that relate to Just Vision's work.

June 17, 2009.  Just Vision's New Film at the Good Pitch
This week, Just Vision was among 8 filmmaking teams featured at the Good Pitch at the prestigious Silverdocs film festival. We presented a 4-minute trailer of our new film.

May 01, 2009.  Just Vision Launches Facebook Page

 
February 27, 2009.  Executive Director Ronit Avni selected as "Young Global Leader" 2009
Executive Director Ronit Avni was selected to be among 230 "Young Global Leaders" from business, government, academia, media, non-profit organizations and the arts. These individuals were recognized for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world. More than 5000 candidates applied, and 230 were selected by a selection committee, chaired by H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah, comprising 31 eminent international media leaders, including Steve Forbes, Shekhar Gupta, Nabil A. Al Khatib, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Arthur Sulzberger, Robert Thomson and Mehmet Ali Yalçindag. Other YGL members include: Van Jones, Eboo Patel, Sergey Brin and many more. For the press release on this network, visit http://www.weforum.org/en/media/Latest%20Press%20Releases/PR_YGL2009.

January 18, 2009.  Executive Director on Washington Post and Huffington Post
Read Executive Director Ronit Avni's blog post on Eboo Patel's Washington Post column, On Faith, regarding the current situation in Gaza. The post was also published on the Huffington Post.

October 20, 2008.  Encounter Point stars receive Search for Common Ground Awards
Robi Damelin and Ali Abu Awwad, members of the Parents Circle-Bereaved Families Forum and the stars of Just Vision's award-winning documentary film, Encounter Point, will be receiving the 2008 Common Ground Awards in Washington, DC on Friday, November 14th 2008.

April 10, 2008.  Just Vision's Encounter Point Featured on TED Prize Winner Jehane Noujaim's Pangea Day
Pangea Day, a day to bring the world together through film, came about as a result of Jehane Noujaim's wish through the TED Prize. On May 10, 2008, Just Vision was featured as part of this global gathering. Watch Encounter Point film subjects Robi Damelin and Ali Abu Awwad deliver their speech following the excerpts of Encounter Point.

March 28, 2008.  Executive Director Ronit Avni to speak at conference featuring former South African president FW de Klerk
Just Vision Executive Director Ronit Avni will screen Encounter Point and present a workshop on civic peace building among Palestinians and Israelis. The conference, entitled: "Reconciliation: Balancing Peace and Justice," features keynote speaker and former South African president FW de Klerk at the Borah Symposium at the University of Idaho.

February 16, 2008.  "No More Taking Sides": Encounter Point film subjects Ali Abu Awwad and Robi Damelin interviewed on NPR
Ali Abu Awwad and Robi Damelin, two of the main subjects of Encounter Point, can be heard in an in-depth interview with Krista Tippett on Speaking of Faith.

January 10, 2008.  Julia Bacha to speak at Alliance of Civilizations Forum
Just Vision Media Director Julia Bacha will be speaking on a panel about  Innovative Uses of Mass Media to Promote Cross-Cultural Understanding at the Alliance of Civilizations Forum in Madrid.

November 30, 2007.  Just Vision Launches Arabic and Hebrew Website
Check out the Arabic and Hebrew versions of this website by clicking on the Arabic and Hebrew icons in the nav bar. Let us know what you think and help spread the word!

November 09, 2007.  Encounter Point to Premiere in London
Encounter Point's London premiere will be at the UK Jewish Film Festival. The Film will then screen in Manchester and tour the UK as part of the festival. The screening will take place on November 10th, 2007 at 6:30pm at the Odeon Swiss Cottage. Director/Producer Ronit Avni and film subjects Ali Abu Awwad and Robi Damelin will be present.

August 12, 2007.  Encounter Point wins prize in Brazil
Encounter Point won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Sao Paulo Jewish Festival.

August 03, 2007.  Encounter Point screens on Al Arabiya
Encounter Point was broadcast on Al Arabiya, one of the most important Arabic satellite networks in the world, as part of the Mashahed wa Araa'" [Scenes and Views] programme. It was shown in two parts: on Wednesday August 8th, 2007 at 21:00 GMT and on Thursday August 9th 2007 at 20:00 GMT. Film subject Ali Abu Awwad and an Israeli member of Combatants for Peace participated in a round table discussion following Thursday's screening.

March 01, 2007.  Encounter Point Opens Theatrically in Los Angeles March 2-8th
Encounter Point will screen at the Laemmle Music Hall 3 in Beverly Hills and the Town Center Hall 3 in Encino from March 2-8th. Director Ronit Avni will attend the March 3, 5, 6, 7th screenings at the Music Hall at 7:20pm for a Q&A following the film.

February 28, 2007.  Encounter Point will screen on CBC in Canada on March 4th at 10pm on "The Passionate Eye."
A 63-minute version of Encounter Point (the original is 85 minutes) will screen on CBC in Canada on March 4th at 10pm on "The Passionate Eye."

January 31, 2007.  Just Vision among finalists of the Ashoka-Changemakers Competition on "Entrepreneuring Peace: On-the-ground Innovations for managing conflict"

The competition attracted a total of 158 entries from 42 countries. As a finalist, Just Vision will be attending the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship between 27-29 March 2007 at Oxford, U.K.

December 11, 2006.  Encounter Point wins the 2006 Spirit of Freedom Award at the Bahamas International Film Festival
Encounter Point was selected to receive the 2006 Bahamas International Film Festival Spirit of Freedom award, which honors one narrative and one documentary "whose subject matter touches upon the filmmakers personal convictions and journey into the human spirit with ties to themes such as religion, politics and the freedom of expression." Director Ronit Avni was present to accept the award.

November 30, 2006.  Encounter Point Co-Director Julia Bacha to speak on panel with Richard Gere, Oliver Stone at Dubai Film Festival.
Encounter Point Co-Director/Writer/Editor Julia Bacha will be on a panel with Richard Gere, Oliver Stone, Maji Abdi, Mohammed Khan and Ronnie Screwvala. The panel is called DUBAI DIFF Industry Panel: Operation Cultural Bridge – A World of Discovery. It takes place on December 15th at 7pm in the Madinat Theatre.

November 22, 2006.  Encounter Point Wins Another Audience Award
The 2006 Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Rencontres Film Festival in Montreal was awarded to Encounter Point.

November 17, 2006. Encounter Point Reviewed in NYT, VillageVoice, TimeOut
When Encounter Point opened on November 17th in NY, here is what the critics had to say:

• "A riveting documentary, which blazes with a kind of spiritual grace while remaining firmly grounded in a tragic reality..." Melissa Levine, Village Voice
• "Something else entirely.... Ronit Avni and Julia Bacha never flinch from the brutal tragedies these men and women have endured, thereby capturing the heroism of their nonviolent choice." Hank Shteamer, TimeOut NY
• "Assured, thoughtful and clear-eyed... nonviolent resistance could happen here. This film may prompt others to take up the cause." Anita Gates, New York Times

Read more reviews at www.justvision.org/encounterpoint/press.

October 15, 2006.  Encounter Point Wins 2006 Bend Film Festival Award for Best Score
Kareem Roustom, who composed an original score for Encounter Point, accepted the Bend Film Festival Award for Best Score on October 14, 2006. Listen to music from the film by scrolling down the page to the Encounter Point section.

September 20, 2006.  Encounter Point among top 5 audience picks at the Kansas International Film Festival
Encounter Point was voted among the top 5 films at the Kansas International Film Festival in September 2006.

May 10, 2006.  Encounter Point Wins San Francisco International Film Festival Audience Award
Encounter Point wins the Audience Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival.

May 09, 2006.  Encounter Point ranks 4th among audience picks at Hot Docs
Audiences choose Encounter Point as their 4th favorite film among 100 movies at the Hot Docs Film Festival in Toronto

March 15, 2006.  Encounter Point Clips at TED Awards
Excerpts of Encounter Point screened at the TED Prize awards as part of Control Room Director Jehane Noujaim's wish to use film to bring the world together.  Watch the awards and the Encounter Point clips at: http://www.ted.com/tedprize/webcast2006.cfm?flashEnabled=1

March 14, 2006.  Encounter Point to Premiere at Tribeca Film Festival
Just Vision's feature documentary, Encounter Point, will premiere on April 26, 2006, at the Tribeca Film Festival in NYC at 6pm. Tickets can be purchased as of April 8th for Amex cardholders and as of April 15th for the general public. Encounter Point's Canadian Premiere will take place at Hot Docs in Toronto on May 4 at 7pm and our West Coast Premiere will take place at the San Francisco International Film Festival on May 1 at 6:45pm. Stay tuned for our Southern premiere!

March 10, 2006.  Encounter Point at the World Bank and Capitol Hill
Just Vision recently screened its film, Encounter Point, at the IFC of the World Bank in cooperation with Search for Common Ground and the Middle East Institute. Julia Bacha and Ronit Avni answered questions, moderated by Clayton Swisher. Just Vision and the Alliance for Middle East Peace also held an event at Lounge 201 in Washington, DC, to encourage increased support of Palestinian and Israeli peace building efforts in the Middle East. Excerpts of Encounter Point were shown.

January 28, 2006.  Ronit Avni at True/False's Women Filmmakers' Symposium
Just Vision's film Director, Ronit Avni, will be speaking at the women filmmakers' symposium during the True/False Film Festival on February 23 at 3pm at the Windsor Auditorium at Stephens College.

January 09, 2006.  Just Vision speaking at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Ethics and the the Islamic Center of Southern CA
Just Vision Director Ronit Avni screened excerpts of the documentary film, Encounter Point, at the Second Annual Jewish/Muslim Dialogue: Visions and Viewpoints on January 22 at the Islamic Center of Southern CA, hosted along with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Ethics. For information, visit: http://raoulwallenberginstitute.org/January22FFinalFlyer.htm.

January 06, 2006.  Just Vision recently in Los Angeles, Bethlehem December 2005
Ronit Avni was in Los Angeles to screen scenes from Just Vision's upcoming documentary film, Encounter Point, and to speak at the Pasadena Jewish Temple, Leo Baeck Temple and Temple Kol Tikvah.

December 27, 2005.  Just Vision's Nahanni Rous presented at a conference on nonviolence in Bethlehem
Nahanni showed excerpts of our film, Encounter Point, and shared the stage with film subjects and peacebuilders, including Ali Abu Awwad and George Sa'adeh.

July 05, 2005.  Just Vision staff on All for Peace Radio
Just Vision's Nahanni Rous and Joline Makhlouf appeared on a recent program at All for Peace Radio. The interviews were broadcast from Jerusalem at 107.2FM and simultaneously online at www.allforpeace.org.

June 06, 2005.  Just Vision's Director receives Lives of Commitment Award
Just Vision's Director, Ronit Avni, received the Auburn Seminary's Lives of Commitment Award, for women "whose lives demonstrate a powerful commitment to the common good". The awards ceremony was a multifaith, intergenerational event that took place on June 9th. Fellow honorees Dr. Johnetta Cole, the President of Bennett College for Women and Daisy Khan, Executive Director of the ASMA Society.

May 02, 2005.  Just Vision on the Oprah Winfrey Show
Just Vision Director Ronit Avni and Project Co-Manager Joline Makhlouf recently appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show. An image from their segment was also shown online at www.oprah.com.

January 18, 2005.  Film Editor/Writer Julia Bacha nominated by the Writers Guild of America
Just Vision's film editor and writer, Julia Bacha, was nominated by the Writers Guild of America for her work on the critically acclaimed film, Control Room. The ceremony, which included this first-ever WGA Documentary Screenplay Award for outstanding achievement in documentary writing for the screen, took place in Los Angeles in mid-February.

November 30, 2004.  Editing Begins
The world-renowned Palestinian musical group Sabreen has generously granted us space to edit our documentary film in their recording studio. We are delighted to be surrounded by such wonderful talent. Like Just Vision, Sabreen actively pursues cooperative artistic relationships with Israeli and Palestinian musicians (Israeli celebrity David Broza recorded half of his latest album here) so our missions and methods are truly harmonious.

In other News:
Project Co-Manager Joline Makhlouf represented Just Vision in Amman, Jordan, as a participant in a conference of women peacemakers with the Global Peace Initiative of Women.