Jerusalem | |
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Directed by | Daniel Ferguson |
Written by | Daniel Ferguson |
Produced by |
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Narrated by | Benedict Cumberbatch |
Cinematography | Reed Smoot |
Edited by |
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Music by | Michael Brook |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | National Geographic Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 45 minutes |
Countries |
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Language | English |
Box office | $8 million[1] |
Jerusalem is a 2013 documentary film about the ancient city of Jerusalem.[2] It was produced by Cosmic Picture and Arcane Pictures and distributed by National Geographic Cinema Ventures in IMAX and giant screen theatres.
The film is narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch.[3][4][5] It had a US$8 million production budget and some of the profits from the distribution of the film are to be given to projects in the city that promote co-existence.[6]
A stated aim of the 45-minute film is to show the diversity of Jerusalem[7] and to promote understanding of the different cultures[6][8][9] in Jerusalem.
The film-makers were given special access to holy sites and several of the little-known parts of the city. They were permitted to film aerial shots of areas normally treated as no-fly zones. The filmmakers formed an advisory panel that includes academic and theological experts.[8][10][11] Jerusalem presents the city through the eyes of three teenagers – a Jew, Christian and Muslim - and the archaeologist Dr Jodi Magness, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.[12] The teenagers are Farah Ammouri, Nadia Tadros, and Revital Zacharie.[13] The film shows how the teenagers live in Jerusalem, where they go and how the city is important to them.[6][7] Dr Magness uses archaeology to understand the past in Jerusalem.[10]
Jerusalem was a joint production between Cosmic Picture based in New York City, United States, and Arcane Pictures based in London, United Kingdom.[8][14][15] Jake Eberts was the executive producer until his death in September 2012.[16] He described the city of Jerusalem as, "The beating heart of our world today.[7]" Jerusalem was produced by Taran Davies and George Duffield.[5][17] Daniel Ferguson was producer, writer and director.[5][18] Dominic Cunningham Reid is also an executive producer. The Director of Photography was Reed Smoot.
The Washington Post described the panoramic photography as "at once awe-inspiring and intimate" and said watching the film "may be as close as a person can get to praying at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Western Wall, without actually going there".[5] It was described by NBC as "an eye-popping travelogue",[19] and "sure to enthral and educate" in The Washington Times.[20]