In 1973, Lionel Rogosin, the pioneering independent American filmmaker – On the Bowery, Come Back Africa – made the first ever documentary film about an Israeli-Palestinian dialogue, held between Israeli journalist/peace activist/iconoclastic patriot Amos Kenan and Palestinian poet/PLO spokesperson Rashid Hussein. This was also Rogosin’s last film. His son Michael has made a moving and thought-provoking film about the film, called Imagine Peace. He recently screened the original film on the wall of the “Palestine-Israel Journal” offices in East Jerusalem, the only joint Israeli-Palestinian publication, and heard the editors, some of whom knew both Kenan and Hussein, make observations about the 1973 dialogue, and comments about where we are today. We see Hussein say “the victims have become victimisers”, and Kenan say that “all people should be free”. Kenan’s daughter Shlomzion says that “Kenan introduced the term ‘occupation’ into the Israeli lexicon”.
Lionel Rogosin was clearly inspired by American optimism, the belief that all conflicts can be resolved. His son Michael follows in his father’s footsteps, and tries to understand whether this is still possible today. Film critic Janine Euvrad who was involved in the creation of the original film, says that “films can’t bring peace or war, but they can inform”. Imagine Peace is a must for anyone concerned with the fate of Palestinians and Israelis and the quest for peace in the Middle East.

Hillel Schenker