The Non Violence International Film Festival 2008

Today the cycle of violence in the Middle East seems to have no end. Both sides are still exchanging claims and blame ---and bombs. Violence and fear haunt the region, sewing unbearable pain in Israel and in the occupied territories. In San Diego, California, Jim Rauch, a Jew, and his wife Doris Bittar, an Arab, are creating an alternative to living with hatred. In their home, Jews and Palestinians share their stories and their pain. There's a businessman and a teacher; an artist and a karate instructor; a Jewish physicist and a Palestinian engineer. Their discussions are wide-ranging. There is only one rule: To truly listen to one another.Martin escaped from Nazi Germany. Nader survived in a tent in a crowded refugee camp. Miko lost his niece in a suicide bombing. Jamal was nearly killed by the bombing of his camp in Lebanon. As they listen to one another, they overcome their misgivings, and take small steps on a journey from fear to hope.Talking Peace is a documentary about Jewish Palestinian Living Room Dialogue in San Diego. Like dialogue itself, Talking Peace is rooted in a process of getting to know distinct individuals and the telling details of their history and experience.