Film Links Traditions of Jews and Christians

PEABODY, Mass. — Documentary filmmaker Gerald Krell has scrambled to fund projects from opera history to Bosnia, but few have been more difficult to finance than a new film linking the traditions of Jews and Christians.

Five years and $650,000 later, however, “Jews and Christians: A Journey of Faith” is set to debut on public television in at least 70 markets this fall.

Now that the film is finished, stations are seeing its potential to be a major element of their fall seasons, according to Larry Rifkin, executive vice president for programming at Connecticut Public Television, which co-produced the two-hour show.

“Religion is a hard subject to handle in a way that’s balanced and doesn’t offend anyone,” Rifkin said. But this film “fills a vacuum” as the first documentary to address the shared heritage and differences without either side “scoring points,” he said.