THERE IS ANOTHER WAY

THERE IS ANOTHER WAY

Director: Stephen Apkon

Production: USA, Switzerland 2025

Producers: Stephen Apkon, Marcina Hale, Keaton Cristobal

Executive Producer: Colum McCann

Production Company: Reconsider

Category: Current Affairs, Human Rights, Middle East, Dialogue

Language: Arabic, Hebrew, English

Subtitles: English, Arabic, Hebrew

Length: 67 minutes.

“There is Another Way” is a documentary film set in 2025 that follows Combatants for Peace in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks and during the Gaza War. Combatants for Peace, a two-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee, is an extraordinary binational group of former enemies—Israelis and Palestinians—who work together during an ongoing armed conflict. Faced with the devastation and escalating violence of October 7 and the war in Gaza, the core of the movement must confront immense challenges and demonstrate that another way forward exists.

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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. 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.”

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 former enemy combatants, 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. 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 builds on the foundation laid by my previous film, Disturbing the Peace (2016), that illuminated the transformative journeys of the organization's founders and resonated deeply with communities worldwide.

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. Their resilience and commitment to collective liberation - where freedom for one is tied to freedom for all - is a powerful antidote to the rising tides of division, inhumanity and despair.

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.

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

 

 

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