S+L unveils trailer for new Holy Land documentary

Kris Dmytrenko

February 1, 2012
A close friend recently gave birth to her first child. The newborn arrived ten days later than expected, having decided to make his debut on Christmas Day. Though my friend (and all mothers) might disagree, today I feel like I can somewhat relate.
S+L’s upcoming documentary Across the Divide also required an extended gestation. Across the Divide takes viewers to Bethlehem University, a Catholic university that, since its founding in 1973, has served the Christian and Muslim students who live in the Palestinian West Bank. The dramatic history of the university—along with the lives of its over 12,000 graduates—has been shaped by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The documentary was conceived in 2009 when S+L traveled to the Holy Land to film Within Your Gates. While in Bethlehem, we met the extraordinary students and De La Salle Christian Brothers at the university. Our visit began just days after one such student, Berlanty Azzam, was deported from Bethlehem to the Gaza Strip. Her battle to return to her studies was captured in our documentary.
In the process of creating Across the Divide, we took great care to be faithful to Berlanty’s story, and also to the complex and often contradictory narratives of the ongoing conflict. And finally, the production is complete. Today we debut the trailer on S+L. The full documentary will premiere this spring.