Where school screenings become spaces for dialogue

Polarization is no longer an abstract concept; it has become a tangible reality in society. On social media, in classrooms, and in the streets, divisions are sharpened and opinions increasingly presented as absolute truths. For young people in particular—still in the process of shaping their identities and worldview—this can be both confusing and paralyzing. It raises an urgent question: how do we support young people in engaging in genuine dialogue? How do we create spaces where uncertainty is allowed to exist, and where listening carries as much weight as speaking?

Such a space emerged last November at Koninklijk Theater Carré, where a large group of secondary school and vocational students took their seats and were introduced to actor, theater maker, and teacher Mahfoud Mokaddem. Many expected caution; instead, they were surprised. “I came in strong and opened with a personal monologue,” Mokaddem recalls. “The ice was broken immediately.”

Together, they watched the documentary, which follows the outspoken Noam Shuster-Eliassi. As a child, Noam was often seen as a symbol of what peaceful coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis could look like. The daughter of two Jewish parents—her mother from Iran, her father from Romania—she grew up in Neve Shalom, an Israeli village whose name means “Oasis of Peace,” where Palestinians and Israelis live side by side. But as Israeli politics took an increasingly radical turn, her perspective began to shift. What does coexistence mean, she asks, when one group continues to oppress another with such force? The decisive rupture comes later, when the idea of coexistence begins to feel less like an aspiration and more like a bitter joke. While studying at Harvard University, Noam develops a sharp-edged one-woman comedy show. Threaded through the film, this satirical performance offers an intimate view into the thinking of an activist comedian now regarded by some as an enemy of the state.

One teacher reflected: “We were deeply impressed by the documentary. It offers a personal perspective on the life of an extraordinary woman and presents a point of view that, until now, has barely surfaced in mainstream media. Our students are fairly well informed about what is happening in Gaza, but I suspect many of them had never encountered this perspective before—the perspective of Israelis speaking out against their own government.”

After the screening, pupils and students were invited to talk with Mahfoud Mokaddem and with one another. The atmosphere in the auditorium remained open and relaxed, with different—and at times opposing—views shared freely. “From the moment they enter the room, I try to have a brief personal interaction with as many young people as possible,” Mokaddem explains. “It matters to me that they feel the event is really about them.” A moderator, he believes, should not stand above students, but work in service of them. That conviction is shared by IDFA’s education team, and one of the reasons they invited him to lead these sessions. Marije Veenstra, Head of Education, explains: “If you want to have a conversation about something complex, you have to be willing to show vulnerability yourself. As a moderator, you set the tone. You show that it is safe to be honest and open in this room. If you don’t do that yourself, you can’t expect young people to do it either.”

The challenge, of course, is guiding that conversation carefully—allowing difficult and sometimes painful things to be said, while keeping mutual respect at the center. “What makes these conversations work is responding to who is in front of you, and to the dynamic they bring into the cinema,” Mokaddem says. One moment has stayed with him in particular: the discussion around the statement, A ceasefire does not mean peace. “A young woman in the front row raised her hand and said: ‘If there were peace, there wouldn’t need to be a ceasefire.’ That left me speechless. In one simple sentence, she captured the essence of it. I think everyone in the room felt that.”

The screening also left a strong impression at Rialto. A teacher from Techniek College Rotterdam had prepared his students beforehand: “At first, most of them felt the topic was far removed from their own lives.” But the film found its way in. “Some parts were challenging for them, yes, but overall we had a meaningful discussion afterwards. Several students said their understanding of the conflict mostly comes from the news, and that a documentary like this—because it tells a personal story—adds depth by making it emotionally tangible.” One student added: “This is definitely something that should be discussed with students, because what is happening there is truly terrible. The film also makes you realise how fortunate we are in the Netherlands not to experience that kind of violence ourselves. That is something you take with you.”

Broadening horizons, slowing down, and making room for empathy—that is what these screenings aim to do, and what IDFA will continue to invest in through educational programs around films such as Coexistence, My Ass!. Documentaries in which filmmakers and protagonists grapple with contradictions and unresolved questions create space for doubt. And with the right guidance, that doubt can become something to reflect on collectively in the cinema. In a mediated world that increasingly rewards speed and certainty, that space feels urgently necessary—and quietly radical. Because if we want to prevent polarization from hardening in the next generation, we will have to invest in conversation again. 

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If you would like to attend a screening of Coexistence, My Ass! with your class, that is also possible: the film is available on request for upper secondary and vocational education groups at Het Documentaire Paviljoen in Vondelpark.