Promises (2001 film)
Promises is a 2001 documentary film that examines the Israeli–Palestinian conflict from the perspectives of seven children living in the Palestinian communities in the West Bank and Israeli neighborhoods of Jerusalem. "Promises" has been shown at many film festivals and received excellent reviews and many accolades. The film follows Israeli-American filmmaker B.Z. Goldberg as he meets with seven Palestinian and Israeli children between the ages of nine and thirteen, seeing the Middle East conflict through their eyes. It allows "ordinary" kids to develop natural bonds of affection by simply playing games with each other - bonds  which go beyond the clutter of prejudices that they have heard from their parents and others around them. Production. "Promises" was shot between 1997 and 2000 and was produced in association with the Independent Television Service with partial funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The film has a running time of 106 minutes, and includes Arabic, Hebrew and English dialogue with English subtitles. In 2004 the filmmakers' produced a follow-up program called "Promises: Four Years On," which features interviews and updates on the children's current lives. It lasts 25 minutes and is included as a special  feature on the film's DVD release. Reception. Critical response. "Promises" has an approval rating of 96% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 47 reviews, and an average rating of 7.81/10. The website's critical consensus states, "A heartbreaking and illuminating look at the Israeli and Palestinian conflict through the eyes of children". Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 80 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".