The Virtual Dinner Guest Project

The Virtual Dinner Guest Project is an international multimedia initiative born from a simple premise: It is harder to ignore, vilify or harm those we have broken bread with.

Our unique methodology utilizes widely available videoconferencing technology to connect Universities, NGO’s, and Media Centers for a series of shared meals, moderated conversations, and collaborative film projects. Our Virtual Dinner tables span borders, cultural differences, and political divisions, placing a special emphasis on Conflict Transformation through creative collaboration. Every project results in two films, that represent each side’s attempt to answer a question that has been posed to them by their partners on the other side of the Virtual Dinner table. So far the project has connected 16 countries across 5 continents, with recent projects connecting Palestinian youth in Gaza to the Native American Community in the US,  and India to Pakistan. Our two most recent collaborations, facilitated by the Lufia Rabbani foundation, connected university students in the Netherlands to youth in Cairo and Beirut. Founder and Director, Eric Maddox, completed his graduate filed research in International Conflict Transformation the West Bank, in 2008.

Please watch the result of the dinners that took place specifically in the context of the 2014 Euro-Arab Dialogue Forum. The video from the dinner between CI-LAS, Cairo and ISS, The Hague. Please click here
The video from the dinner between ULYP, Beirut and LUC, The Hague. Coming soon.

Visit us at: virtualdinnerguest.com to see more of our film projects, and to learn how you can support our efforts.