Indianapolis International Film Festival 2009

With all of the problems facing the world today including war, poverty, weapons, environmental degradation, starvation, overpopulation and severe desperation among millions, people are longing for meaning. Many seek answers in spirituality, but often faith and religion are hijacked by a fundamentalist few who use the name of God to promote their own ends. With this dichotomy in mind, the documentary film Beyond Our Differences calls upon key religious leaders, politicians, and luminaries in their respective fields to tackle the most complex issues in the modern age, and we ask what inspires them to affect positive change. The hope is that their personal experiences will provide a new perspective on how non-violent activism and compassion can be effectively used in resolving even the most difficult disputes. This tapestry of voices and viewpoints regarding spirituality is woven with one universal expression of hope. By providing such a variety of experiences against the backdrop of rich landscapes and religious images, we hope that individual viewers will understand this unified message of hope and will become empowered through their own expressions of faith to impact positive change in their lives and the lives of others. The film also gives hope by exploring past and present religious-inspired movements that have resulted in positive change. In addition to documenting the work of great leaders such as Gandhi, Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama we will also follow several modern-day visionaries whose faith have afforded them the courage to promote social change.Over seventy interviews have been completed in over ten countries on four continents, including contributions from His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Ela Gandhi, Ambassador Andrew Young, Deepak Chopra, Former President of Iran Mohammad Khatami, Peter Gabriel, author Paulo Coelho, and Prime Minister of Egypt Ahmed Nazif.Beyond Our Differences is directed by Peter Bisanz and produced by Vladimir Trushchenkov, Catherine Tatge and Tonko Soljan.