Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan, a Palestinian and Israeli, were once dedicated fighters willing to kill and be killed. Yet each one of them came face to face with the price of war when their daughters were killed in the conflict. Left with the pain of bereavement, they chose to do the unexpected, setting out together on a journey to humanise the enemy and prevent the vicious cycle of retaliation in themselves and their societies. Within the Eye of the Storm is an award-winning film directed by Shelley Hermon about the parallel stories of the two men as they work for peace and face their shattered families and confused communities.
Fathom editor Alan Johnson talked to Aramin, Elhanan and Hermon in London about the experiences of loss that inspired the film, the challenges faced in making it, and its reception by audiences within Israel and the Territories.
Listen to the interview