Sold-out nominee for Red Rose Best Picture to premiere in Lancaster

Lancaster, PA — “Unexpected Peace” drew so much interest for its November 9 premiere that Penn Cinema in Lititz added three more showings to meet the demand. The film is a nominee for Best Picture in the Red Rose Film Festival, which is happening at both Penn Cinema and Zoetropolis in Lancaster City. 

“Unexpected Peace” is a documentary film that follows social anthropologist and Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM) worker Dr. Jonathan Bornman as he explores three stories: the Amish school shooting in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania; the murders of Murid (Sufi Muslim) migrants from Senegal in Harlem, New York; and Muslim-Christian conflict in Solo, Indonesia.

Jonathan’s central quest begins by asking the question, “Our society believes in redemptive violence — is it possible that most of us are wrong?”

Today, mass killings are common in the U.S. Even so, widespread shock ensued after the 2006 mass shooting in a Pennsylvania one-room Amish schoolhouse. Many in American society believe in redemptive violence — meeting violence with more violence. But the Amish community forgave the murderer the day it happened, and the global response was one of disbelief. The news story morphed from murder to forgiveness. Amish forgiveness released cycles of grace that brought hope to the entire community.

Jonathan continues his quest to Harlem, New York City to learn from the Murid Muslim community. Murids first came to Harlem as migrants, seeking a better life. In the late 1980s, many found work as taxi drivers in what was then a dangerous section of the city. More than 40 drivers were murdered, yet their community did not respond with violence. Their strong commitment to community well-being was a contributing factor in the transformation of Harlem.

Finally, Jonathan travels to Solo, Indonesia, to meet a Christian pastor and Muslim militia commander who became friends in the most unlikely of circumstances. The pastor’s effort to meet his “enemy” took courage. The militia commander, with every reason not to trust Paulus, risked meeting with him. However, they contributed to transforming their city and building a culture of nonviolence.

Founded in 2021 and based in the United States, Dove Tale Productions LLC is owned by Jonathan. The company partnered with two other co-producers: D. Michael Hostetler, a filmmaker and director from Canada, and Ehab Assal, a Palestinian cinematographer and producer from Nazareth, Israel. “Unexpected Peace” is Dove Tale Productions’ first documentary.

Jonathan and his wife, Carol, served in Burkina Faso (1991–94) developing water resources. After earning a master’s degree in intercultural studies with a focus on Islam, Jonathan served with his family in Senegal from 1999–2009 as a Bible teacher. In 2013, Jonathan joined EMM’s Christian-Muslim Relations Team and was mentored by Dr. David W. Shenk (author, speaker, and innovative thinker on interfaith relations). Jonathan holds a Ph.D. from Middlesex University in social anthropology.

Michael is an award-winning producer, director, and communications consultant with more than 30 years of international experience. He is deeply committed to peace and social justice work, with experience helping people from diverse cross-cultural settings communicate their stories.

Ehab started his career in cinema in the early 1990s, working as a first camera assistant on more than thirty feature productions including iconic Hollywood films. He has worked with multi-award-winning cinematographers such as Vilmos Zsigmond, Dante Spinotti, Barry Markowitz, and David Burr. Ehab served as cinematographer on “Omar,” a film that was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Annual Academy Awards. 

The sold-out premiere is at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 9. There is an additional showing that same day at 12:45 p.m. and two more showings the next day, November 10, at 12:30 and 7:45 p.m. You can view the trailer and get tickets on the film’s website: unexpectedpeace.com. Following the premiere, “Unexpected Peace” will be available to stream online, with more details on the same website.