Global Voices of Nonviolence 2012 represents a community event on a global scale that encompasses and acknowledges the collective efforts of individuals, groups and organizations. So if you are planning events and activities during these important 12 days, or if you’d like to sponsor GVON ’12 or host a screening of Little Town of Bethlehem during this time, please email us at screenings@egmfilms.org.

In keeping with the conference’s theme of “hope in the midst of conflict,” EGM’s Little Town of Bethlehem was shown one evening to a very engaged audience. Sami Awad and Yonatan Shapira, both subjects featured in the film, were joined by EGM president Bill Oechsler in a post-screening Q&A that lasted well past midnight.

You can read more about Christ at the Checkpoint 2012 at christatthecheckpoint.com. To host your own screening of Little Town of Bethlehem, visit littletownofbethlehem.org.

Says Susan May Granada, the national coordinator of PCEC-Parcom, in an article by ucanews.com staff, “It is a film that gives us a model and draws us to the ‘other,’ the neighbor whom we have been called to love.”

Sign up your group or organization for a Little Town of Bethlehem screening this year. Learn more.

“It [the conference] aims is to provide an opportunity for Evangelical Christians to prayerfully seek a proper awareness of issues of peace, justice, and reconciliation in the context of the realities on the ground in the Palestinian Territories,” according to the website.

Some sessions will be streamed live around the world. You can also follow the conference proceedings on Twitter (@ChristAtCheckpt) and via hashtag #CATC2012.

Prominent evangelical leaders, such as John Ortberg, Gary M. Burge, Shane Claiborne, and Lynne Hybels will be speaking at the conference. Going along with the conference theme of “hope in the midst of conflict,” the award-winning EGM film Little Town of Bethlehem will be shown on Thursday. Sami Awad, executive director of Holy Land Trust and one of the subjects of the film, will lead a discussion following the screening.

For Jim, the early October Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation On Screen/In Person tour proved every bit as exciting as EGM’s late September Global Voices of Nonviolence kickoff from Washington D.C. If anything, the ten-day, eight-venue, four-state schedule proved much more demanding.

Before hitting the road, Jim was interviewed by the tour hosts (click here to listen to the interview). Each stop on the tour included a public screening of Little Town of Bethlehem and a post-screening discussion with Hanon.

Below is the tour schedule, interspersed with some observations and Jim’s personal thoughts about the experience.

10/5 — Mercyhurst College in Erie, PA

Not only did Jim have the opportunity to talk with students after the screening at Mercyhurst College, he also had the privilege of speaking in some of the classrooms about the Israeli-Palestinian nonviolence movement. Michael Fuhrman, director of the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center at Mercyhurst, interviewed Jim while he was there.

10/6 — Walter K. Gordon Theatre in Camden, NJ

Rutgers University has three campuses. The film was screened on the New Brunswick Campus and hosted by the Department of Latino and Hispanic Caribbean Studies. Much of the post-screening discussion focused on nonviolence in the larger, global context.

Jim’s Takeaway
There were African-American students who wanted to talk about the equality issue, and Latino students who wanted to talk about the similarities of the cycle of violence in gangs. And many in the audience wanted to talk about the Arab Spring and the current Occupy Wall Street movement. Yet, all of the questions kept feeding back to what the media reports and why. What information the public does and doesn’t receive kind of became a central thread in the discussion after the film. Once again, the audience confirmed that Little Town of Bethlehem shared things they simply hadn’t heard before. Powerful things. Whenever people discover there is more to the story it is a natural response for them to ask why they didn’t know.

10/8 — Allentown Symphony Hall in Allentown, PA

The symphony hall in Allentown, which once played host to Bob Hope years ago, hosted this stop on the On Screen/In Person Tour. Unlike the college and university stops, this audience was older. Many of them remember the 1960′s U.S. civil rights movement, and some questioned the appropriateness of the comparison to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Jim’s Explanation
How you feel about the Palestinian people is at the heart of whether you agree if the comparison is appropriate. If you feel they are terrorists at war with Israel, then the comparison is outrageous. If you feel they are civilians struggling to survive and make their respective societies better for both peoples, then the comparison is nothing short of inspirational. The film Little Town of Bethlehem is about the joint Israeli and Palestinian nonviolence movement. They are paying the price within their respective societies to bridge the gap between the two peoples. They believe, as Dr. King did, “Their destiny is tied to our destiny.”

10/10 — Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ

Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey has a reputation for its work with interfaith dialog, especially between Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Many professors brought their classes to the screening, making it the largest audience at that point of the tour.

Jim’s Observation
In 2007, when we started the journey of making the film, I’m not sure how many community efforts like the one in Monmouth existed. It was great to see that our telling the story in Little Town of Bethlehem was simply part of a larger picture.

10/12 — Weinberg Center for the Arts, Frederick, MD

Everyone stayed at the conclusion of the film in Frederick, Maryland, to hear what Jim had to say. The discussion at the beautifully renovated Weinberg Center focused on what was being done to help the young people in the region avoid being indoctrinated into the conflict.

Jim’s Thoughts
The audience understood that the older generations tended to hold on to the conflict because of their trauma, but the younger generations tended to be more open to knowing the other side, and were inclined to believe that it could be different.

Remembering the holocaust is essential, and I devoted a good portion of the film to it. But there are two ways to remember it: One that creates fear and self survival and one that creates compassion for others whose survival is also threatened. How much of each way do we pass on to our children? This isn’t a question for just Israelis and Palestinians; it is a question for us all.

10/13 — Maryland Hall of the Creative Arts, Annapolis, MD

Not far from Washington D.C., stands a new memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. During the screening, some expressed doubt that any progress toward peace could be achieved without the involvement of those in power.

Jim’s Perspective
You have to be grateful that Dr. King never left equality in the hands of the politicians of his day. The non-violence movement put pressure on the political process to listen to the admonitions of humanity.

10/15 — St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Lewes, DE

On the final night of the tour, Little Town of Bethlehem screened to a packed auditorium. And as often is the case, various faith traditions were represented in the audience.

Jim’s Reflection
Tonight at St. Peter’s I saw a diverse community come together and share in this one experience—only to later share their unique experiences with each other. It reminded me of one night of filming at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. It was there that I saw both Israelis and Palestinians treating one another as human.

Memphis native Kirk Whalum opened the evening with a soulful performance before conference attendees—a diverse mix of activists, academics, and community leaders united in their commitment to peace and nonviolence.

The passionate offerings of this Grammy-winning recording artist, saxophonist, and ordained minister set the tone for an equally stirring “conversation” with Clayborne Carson, professor of history at Stanford University and the founding director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute.

By eight o’clock, houselights in Christian Brothers University’s theater had dimmed and the haunting strains of a blues harmonica rose from Manger Square’s center. Little Town of Bethlehem is rolling. Naturally, the film’s score is very familiar to Kirk Whalum—he produced it, blending the music of Israeli and Palestinian artists with blues musicians from his hometown.

During the panel discussion that closed out the night, director Jim Hanon considers the Little Town of Bethlehem soundtrack, “one of the most powerful, emotive elements of the film.”

The three-day conference culminated with a closing ceremony at the National Civil Rights Museum—the very site of Dr. King’s assassination. While a cold rain moved activities indoors, it didn’t seem to dampen anyone’s spirit. In fact, a march organized by a large group of Occupy Memphis protesters actually culminated at the Museum as we gathered for the ceremony.

Kirk Whalum once again captured the moment with his moving interpretation of “Amazing Grace.” Conference host Jacob Flowers then joined EthnoGraphic Media president Bill Oechsler for a presentation of a wreath. Its white sash read, “May the path to peace start here.” As Whalum played “We Shall Overcome,” the entrance hall filled with the hopeful voices of those who gathered.

Oechsler encouraged the crowd with these final thoughts:

The following are a few highlights from these incredible 12 days:

GVON in Words and Pictures

While we have accomplished much since first launching Little Town of Bethlehem one year ago, we know our work has just begun. And we need your help! Through your generous support, we can expand and elevate this important conversation. More importantly, we can reach, engage, and encourage our youth through authentic examples of principled decision-making and authentic faith in action. Please consider a gift to EGM today. Your investment will pay dividends for generations to come.

The award, presented on November 19, is “the highest award given to film or video productions,” according to the festival website, and is “the hallmark of superior quality.”

This is the third award garnered by Little Town of Bethlehem and its makers in 2011. In February, the documentary received the Reel Rose Award for best documentary film at the John Paul II International Film Festival in Miami, Florida. The Oklahoma-City-based deadCENTER Film Festival honored Little Town of Bethlehem with its Best Oklahoma Film Award.

Now in its 59th year, the Columbus International Film + Video Festival is the longest running film festival in the U.S. The Film Council, an organization established in 1950 by a group of Columbus, Ohio educators, puts on the annual six-day event.

Immediately following the screening, director Jim Hanon, noted jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum, and Robin Salant of Indie Memphis will participate in a panel discussion moderated by Jacob Flowers, executive director of the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center. In addition to serving on the discussion panel, Whalum will be performing from 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. while guests arrive. Whalum produced the Little Town of Bethlehem soundtrack, and he helped blend the sounds of Palestinian and Israeli musicians with artists here in the U.S. who perform Memphis blues.

With its strong connection to the civil rights movement, Memphis is an ideal host city for this three-day event. It is the home of the National Civil Rights Museum, located at the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

Moreover, Little Town of Bethlehem’s focus on the growing nonviolence movement in the Holy Land aligns very well with the conference’s aim of exploring “how civil rights and grassroots organizing can be reimagined and reinvigorated as an essential tool for peacemaking and addressing structural violence.”

“We are both pleased and excited that the organizers of the Gandhi-King Conference have chosen to include a screening of Little Town of Bethlehem as part of their planned events,” said EGM president Bill Oechsler. “The film has already proven itself as a catalyst for positive dialogue and action since last year’s launch and I have personally witnessed it’s amazing power of engagement.”

On Sunday at 12:30 p.m., Bill Oechsler and Jacob Flowers will participate in a wreath laying ceremony at the National Civil Rights Museum. Whalum will play “Amazing Grace” during the ceremony. This event and the screening of Little Town of Bethlehem are free and open to the public.

Go here for more information about the conference screening of Little Town of Bethlehem.