There is something of a theme of religious tolerance running through tomorrow’s screenings at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.
At the same time that Daniel Malak's One – which explores multifaith tolerance in the UAE, and which Malak claims is the first film to deal with religion at a major festival in the country – is screening in the Emirates Film Competition (6pm, Vox 3), Linda Mills's 34-minute short Of Many will be playing down the corridor in Vox 9.
The documentary, co-produced by Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of the former American president, focuses on the transformative relationship between an orthodox rabbi Yehuda and an imam Khalid, who serve as university chaplains in New York City.
Through a series of voyages to communities struck by catastrophe, we witness young Jews and Muslims working together and overcoming long-standing divides.
Timely and humorous, the film offers an inspiring and hopeful narrative in the face of a seemingly irreconcilable conflict.
"Of Many tells the story of the journey of an imam and rabbi toward common ground, and ultimately toward one other," says Mills. "It also captures vividly how their relationship inspires and impacts thousands of students' lives.
"Sharing kosher meals, working together at disaster sites, praying side-by-side, Khalid and Yehuda provide inspiration, and model what friendship makes possible, even across long-existing religious divides. The future is multifaith and is indelibly Of Many."
Of Many, Vox 9, Sunday, October 26, 6pm
