Festivals & Awards:

• Winner: The Mercurius Prize 2025
• Winner: Inaugural Vision for Human Rights Award: International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH), Geneva Switzerland 2025
• Nominee: Cinema for Peace Dove: The Most Valuable Documentary of the Year: Cinema for Peace Awards 2026, Berlin, Germany
• Movies That Matter Film Festival, The Netherlands 2025
• United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF), USA 2025
• The Gettysburg Film Festival, USA 2025
• The Other Israel Film Festival, New York, USA 2025
• Crested Butte Film Festival, Colorado, USA 2025

Director's Statement:

It is a strangely radical idea today to hold the suffering, the capacity for violence as well as peace, compassion and love, in other words the humanity, of people engaged in conflict in a shared space. Yet it is exactly this that I believe is essential to reclaiming our humanity and what is possible as we begin to humanize “the other.”

I believe this film has a unique ability to question narratives and amplify the voices of those who challenge the boundaries of what is possible, even in the face of entrenched conflict. "There Is Another Way" deals with universal ideas and the choices we all make, while telling the extraordinary journey of Combatants for Peace, a unique and profoundly courageous group of Palestinians and Israelis who have chosen a path of nonviolence and mutual respect as they work toward a greater understanding of one another, even as violence and despair consume those around them.

This film builds on the foundation laid by Disturbing the Peace (2016), a work that illuminated the transformative journeys of the organization's founders and resonated deeply with communities worldwide. The Combatants' story, of former enemies coming together to break cycles of dehumanization, remains as urgent today as ever. Their commitment to collective liberation, in which we know that freedom for one is tied to freedom for all, is a powerful antidote to the rising tides of division, inhumanity and despair.

In the wake of the October 7th attacks and subsequent devastating war in Gaza, the stakes for this movement have never been higher. Some members of Combatants for Peace faced immense personal loss, yet they chose to continue their work of modeling another way. The resilience of individuals like Michal Halev, who refuses to allow her son’s name to be used for vengeance; Ahmed Al-Helou, who stands firm in his commitment to nonviolence despite losing 60 family members; and Yonatan Zeigen, who honors his mothers’ legacy by rejecting hatred, is nothing short of heroic.

This project is a testament to the human spirit’s capacity for compassion, even in the face of unimaginable loss. The film captures images and stories from Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, telling the stories of people who embody the belief that peace is possible, not as an abstraction, but as a daily, often painful, but ultimately freeing and empowering choice.

The challenges faced by Combatants for Peace echo far beyond the Middle East. As we have traveled with this story to communities across the globe, from the U.S. to Europe to Hong Kong, audiences have consistently found reflections of their own struggles where violence and inhumanity has trumped our belief that change is possible. This film is not just about one conflict, it is about the universal capacity for transformation, both individually and collectively, when we choose to recognize humanity in others and choose to treat “the other” as we ourselves would want.  Humanity cannot stand for peace and profit from war.  At its heart, "There Is Another Way" is a call to action and a reminder: the choices we make—to listen, to connect, to resist hate—matter. They create ripples that transcend borders and shape a future where peace is not just a dream but a shared reality. Stephen Apkon