Rosa
M. Gonzalez, Project Coordinator
When
the opportunity came to develop this project, we knew that the challenge was
tremendous and the choices many. How could we contribute to increasing intercultural
dialogue through communication?
We
chose film and television because images can overcome language barriers. Television
can reach billions of people worldwide conveying images that are often "worth
a thousand words". Secondly, we chose fiction because because it is a genre
that provides the necessary distance to tackle sensitive issues while facilitating
identification processes.
Finally
we chose to work with young filmmakers enrolled in television and cinema schools
because we wanted to hear new ideas on conflict resolution reflecting challenging
perspectives and unconventional approaches.
Working
with young filmmakers has been extremely refreshing. Sometimes with a stunning
simplicity, their films succeed in stimulating reflection on the causes of conflict
and how humanity is often trapped in impossible situations because of its own
egoism. The viewer is driven to ponder on possible ways out of violence, loneliness
and ignorance.
My
special thanks to all the filmmakers and their respective schools for their
excellent work and dedication to this project. And a very warm "thank you"
to Gustavo Montiel for his patience during these long months of "virtual
harassment".