The One Wish Story
One Wish Project (OWP) began in April, 2013 with a camera, a cardboard box with a simple question (written in English, Hebrew, and Arabic), and a desire to give voice to everyday people living in Jerusalem. Our goal was to mirror the shared humanity of individuals living in one of the most seemingly 'conflicted' areas in the world. We produced "One Wish Jerusalem" in less than 3 days and within a week of launching on YouTube, we had almost 100,000 views -- as well as extensive media coverage in Haaretz, The Times of Israel, Upworthy, The Huffington Post, The Forward, Yediot Ahronot, and The Daily Beast. We realized we were onto something big. With the inauguration of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in August 2013, we set out to make our second film, "One Wish for Iran, Love Israel."
With so much of mainstream media emphasizing the tension between Israel and Iran, we went to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem to ask Israelis and Palestinians their "one wish for the incoming president and the Iranian people." We were truly surprised at how positive everyone's wish was, emphasizing the need for renewed relations, peace between both countries, and a simple desire to "have coffee" together. Our second film also received extensive media coverage and over 100,000 YouTube views, and we were even featured on Israeli news channel i24.
When we moved back to Los Angeles in late 2013, we realized the need to humanize marginalized individuals through filmmaking, and set out to speak to the homeless on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles. We released our third film on August 13, 2014 and we hope to spread the message of our shared humanity once again through the wishes and advice of the homeless.
One Wish Project recently completed a PresentenseLA Fellowship for 2014, an 8-month joint program with the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles that provides social entrepreneurship training, leadership skills, business tools, mentoring, and more to kick start our idea into a successful venture.
Beyond the worldwide exposure of our three films, we are currently building the educational component of our organization by engaging students and people of all walks of life by using our films as a launch pad to further the dialogue. We have had the pleasure of speaking at conferences, in houses of worship, schools, camps and universities, and are continuing to grow everyday.
With so much of mainstream media emphasizing the tension between Israel and Iran, we went to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem to ask Israelis and Palestinians their "one wish for the incoming president and the Iranian people." We were truly surprised at how positive everyone's wish was, emphasizing the need for renewed relations, peace between both countries, and a simple desire to "have coffee" together. Our second film also received extensive media coverage and over 100,000 YouTube views, and we were even featured on Israeli news channel i24.
When we moved back to Los Angeles in late 2013, we realized the need to humanize marginalized individuals through filmmaking, and set out to speak to the homeless on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles. We released our third film on August 13, 2014 and we hope to spread the message of our shared humanity once again through the wishes and advice of the homeless.
One Wish Project recently completed a PresentenseLA Fellowship for 2014, an 8-month joint program with the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles that provides social entrepreneurship training, leadership skills, business tools, mentoring, and more to kick start our idea into a successful venture.
Beyond the worldwide exposure of our three films, we are currently building the educational component of our organization by engaging students and people of all walks of life by using our films as a launch pad to further the dialogue. We have had the pleasure of speaking at conferences, in houses of worship, schools, camps and universities, and are continuing to grow everyday.
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