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A 501(c)(3) organization

What we do:

Fund productions for television and theatrical release that explore dynamics of faith and culture

Conduct seminars and workshops that promote peacemaking, understanding, and dialogue between Jews, Christians, and Muslims

Conduct events that help Americans understand religion and politics in the Middle East so that peaceful solutions may be found

What we believe:

We believe that the relationship between Christians, Muslims, and Jews presents the greatest peacemaking challenge in the human family. We believe that peace is possible when people learn about history, hear stories, and meet each other. We believe films and documentaries offer unique possibilities for understanding. Therefore our work, which is international in scope, is focused upon funding productions in line with this vision and providing and promoting events that utilize them for education and dialogue.

Films Make A Difference

As our mission statement says, we fund films for theatrical and broadcast release. But we don’t just help make films: we get people to talk about them. And that’s where we make a difference.

My first success in documentary filmmaking came in the summer of 2001. I had just completed “Muslims in Appalachia,” a one-hour documentary telling the stories of Muslims living in the heart of the Bible Belt. Through a series of “serendipities” the program went out to the public television system and in August of that year, I was thrilled that six stations in the US had broadcast it. This obscure ethnographic piece had seen the light of day!

But then September came, and so came that awful day in which our country was attacked. I remembered in many of my encounters with Muslims, through the production of this program, the stories of fear when the Oklahoma City bombing had taken place. Even though it was a terrorist attack committed by white “Christians,” Muslims stayed in their homes for fear of anti-Muslim retaliation. When I saw the twin towers fall on September 11th, one of my first thoughts was, “My Muslim friends are in danger.”

Apparently, program managers at PBS stations were worried about the same thing. They looked on their shelves for anything remotely positive about Islam. “Muslims in Appalachia” was just about the only thing there. In six months’ time this program was broadcast by 45 stations to over 70 million households. I was amazed: my meager effort became part of the post-9/11 discussion.

After I finished “Theologians Under Hitler,” it became obvious that in the culture wars in the summer of 2005, this program about a time when the church got too cozy with the state was going to be controversial. To insure that all sides of the political spectrum would face up to the history revealed in this film, and not use it as a weapon against the other, we put together two dialogues that included some of the most powerful voices in the religious/political sphere. Richard Land, Arthur Waskow, Gary Cass, Barry Lynn, Harry Jackson, Bob Edgar, Richard Scarborough, and many others participated in these groundbreaking sessions.

There are many other stories to tell, but these should give a taste of what we have discovered: films are great conversation pieces. In a world where there’s not enough meaningful conversation, I hope you’ll join us in our work.

Sincerely,
Rev. Steven D. Martin
President