Besa: The Promise

FAIN: TW-50034-11

Eye Contact Foundation (Basalt, CO 81621-8309)
Christine Solinski Romero (Project Director: July 2010 to January 2013)
William Morgan (Project Director: January 2013 to present)

Final production of a 90-minute documentary on the history, culture, and beliefs of Albanian Muslims who worked to rescue Jewish refugees during World War II.

Besa - The Promise tells the incredible story of Albanian Muslims saving nearly 2,000 Jews during the Holocaust. This forgotten history is told through the journeys of two men: Norman H. Gershman, an American photographer who documents the Muslims who rescued Jews; and Rexhep Hoxha, an Albanian Muslim who seeks Norman's help to return a set of Hebrew books to the survivor that his family sheltered over 60 years ago. His inspiring journey offers hope that contemporary misunderstandings and prejudices can be overcome. Woven throughout are interviews with Jewish survivors and the Albanian Muslims who protected them. These witnesses provide the historical background and context that frame Rexhep Hoxha’s verité journey. Besa - The Promise challenges the prevailing view of Jewish-Muslim relations and speaks to the future as much as it does to the past.

Associated Products

Prizes

Audience Award Winner
Date: 12/1/2012
Organization: Washington Jewish Film Festival
Abstract: The WJFF Audience Award winner for Best Documentary is Besa: The Promise.

Best Documentary
Date: 10/16/2014
Organization: Jewish Eye Film Festival
Abstract: BESA:The Promise won best documentary at the Jewish Eye Festival, its Isreal premiere