A Film By Arnd Wachter

The world is a very diverse place. There are great discoveries to be made, but few people take the effort. Foreign lands, foreign cultures, and foreign languages just seem to hinder the process. It is easier to stay within the boundaries of Disneyland than travel to some far flung country. Disney offers French Fries and Burgers, not Sheep's Eye Balls or some equally sounding dinner delight!

There are of course a few people that do love travel, and film maker Arnd Wachter found some.

Crossing Borders is the result. A pop quiz for you all, where is Morocco? The answer is that it is in North Africa. It is a scant 10 miles from holiday hot spot Spain. A quick boat ride across the Straight Of Gibraltar and you are there. Ten miles is nothing, but the cultures are very different.

Arnd Wachter took four university students from the US and four university students in Morocco. His mission was to document them as they travel across Morocco.

The end result is a wonderful inside look at how different cultures can interact.

Morocco is a relatively small country, its population is 32 million (less than California) and predominately Muslim, the CIA fact book claims 99% Muslim, 1% Christian.

Neither the US students or the Moroccan students knew each other prior to the filming. Sure some might call this adventure just another Reality TV idea. But it is not, it is fascinating to watch the interactions as cultures collide.

Since the 9/11 outrage there has been much said about the Muslim religion. A popular quote being, "Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslim". But is this true?

Crossing Borders is one of those movies that you just have to watch. I am sure that some people will disagree with that sentiment. To those people I say, open your eyes and hearts. Do phrases like 'the other side' or "us and them' really have to exist?

You can order your copy of Crossing Borders from amazon or Janson Media. I also recommend that people visit the web site. A year or two may seem like an insignificant amount of time when you are in your fifties, but it is a lifetime when you are in your twenties. It is interesting  to see how these young people have moved on.

Just about the only thing bad about this documentary was the fact that the mail man forgot to deliver the Moroccan Tagine with the DVD! But I am sure that it is on its way!

Simon Barrett