EGM's Little Town Of Bethlehem Featured At 2011 Life and Death Matters Film Festival

Online, August 23, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Contact: Diane Morrow
[email protected] 800.927.1517

EGM's Little Town of Bethlehem Featured at 2011
Life and Death Matters Film Festival

The award-winning film Little Town of Bethlehem from EthnoGraphic Media (EGM) will be screened during the Life and Death Matters Film Festival. The festival will be held September 1 - 4 in Boulder, CO. This international festival celebrates and explores the journey through life via film, theatre, and educational programming.

The screening times for Little Town of Bethlehem will be held in the Nomad Theater located at 1410 Quince Avenue.

The documentary Little Town of Bethlehem was produced by Mart Green and directed by Jim Hanon. This full-length documentary shares the gripping story of three men-a Palestinian Muslim, a Palestinian Christian, and an Israeli Jew-each born into violence but willing to risk everything to bring an end to violence in their lifetime. Little Town of Bethlehem was filmed on location in the West Bank, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem with the hope of bringing awareness to a growing nonviolent movement in the Holy Land that rarely, if ever, makes international headlines.

Sami Awad is a Palestinian Christian whose grandfather was killed in Jerusalem in 1948. He is the executive director of Holy Land Trust, a non-profit organization that promotes Palestinian independence through peaceful means. Yonatan Shapira is an Israeli Jew whose grandparents were Zionist settlers who witnessed the birth of the Israeli nation. He is an outspoken advocate for the nonviolent peace movement, both in his homeland and abroad. Ahmad Al' Azzeh is a Palestinian Muslim who has lived his entire life in the Azzeh refugee camp in Bethlehem. Ahmad heads the nonviolence program at Holy Land Trust, where he trains others in the methods of peaceful activism.

Director Jim Hanon describes the film's unique perspective, "Little Town of Bethlehem doesn't focus on who's right or who's wrong. Rather, it shows what it truly means and ultimately takes to love one's enemies." Images of men, women, and children standing firm in the face of overwhelming opposition are as inspirational as the words, thoughts, and actions of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi that Sami, Yonatan, and Ahmad each recalled during filming. However, Little Town of Bethlehem doesn't just inspire viewers. It also raises an important question-"Might love be the greatest weapon of all?" Watch the trailer at http://littletownofbethlehem.org/.

EthnoGraphic Media (EGM) is an educational non-profit (501c3) organization that explores critical issues of our time. As a community of artists and filmmakers, EGM uses media to tell true stories of hope and compassion in the midst of suffering and strife. EGM believes that gaining a deeper understanding of the human condition inspires positive action. Other projects include Little Town of Bethlehem, The Grandfathers, Miss HIV and Beyond the Gates of Splendor.