2015 Action Project – The Bridge: Building Bridges through Art

Team

Ahmed Radwan, Bassma Fahim, Nick Dreselly

The Challenge

After the increase of terrorism around the world, the relationship between East and West has become critical. People-to people communication is lacking, and is desperately needed for younger generations to really understand each other’s’ challenges, fears and ideas in a way to promote peace and dialogue without intermediates.

Project Overview

Art is a great means to deliver a certain message, value, and affect people’s lives. It’s not politics that connect people, there are many other factors that can bring them together to share and exchange their thoughts, cultures and experiences.

The project consists of a short film that focuses on building the bridge between East and West. The goal of the project is to utilize art as a way to spread peace, encourage people-to-people communication and highlight common fears between cultures. The film will feature two families (one from the West and one  from the East), who live in the future during the year 2050 trying to rebuild a damaged bridge between  them after the vanishment of all resources in the aftermath of war.

The aim of the film is to create visual content that communicates with both cultures, in a way that relates with younger generations, to go viral on social media, which is the number one channel for information and education for these millennials. The film will include Egyptian and American actors performing in both languages, in a way that gives a diverse feeling and can relate to both cultures.

Project Goal

  • Encourage multi-lingual dialogue between people.
  • Find ways to bring East and West together regardless of political interests.
  • Highlight similarities between both Eastern and Western cultures.
  • Deliver a strong message through people-to-people interaction.
  • Utilize entertainment as means of education and bridge building.
  • Reach out to as many young people as possible around the globe through social media.

Population Served

  • Internet users and youth who watch movies online

Project Milestones

Phase 1: Script-writing and Fundraising

Phase 2: Recruitment of Film Director and Actors

Phase 3: Table Reading & Rehearsals

Phase 4: Music, Costumes, Décor & Final Rehearsals

Phase 5: Shooting

Phase 6: Editing for final product

Expected Outcome

  • Go viral on social media for optimum impact.
  • Inform perceptions about both Eastern and Western cultures.
  • Support greater communications across cultures.

How the Project Contributes to the Foundation Mission

Through the project, we promote peace and dialogue between East and West, as well as encourage communication between people to exchange cultural experiences and ideas. Through art, we utilize simple means to create the greatest impact within a younger generation that considers visual media as their primary channel for information and education. By implementing this project, we aim to share  our experience and promote peace with as many people as possible, not only in Egypt and the US, but  worldwide in a fun and simple way.