THE LAST SERMON

THE LAST SERMON is a journey to uncover the truth. The film begins with a flashback to the horrific 2003 terrorist attack on a Tel Aviv blues bar called Mike’s Place. THE LAST SERMON then takes us straight into today’s headlines when filmmakers Baxter and Faudem – united for life by the tragedy of that terrible night – seek answers about the suicide bombers who almost murdered them. In doing so, the filmmakers hope to bridge the looming chasm between traditional and radicalized Muslims and non-Muslims worldwide, and to encourage peaceful co-existence among all peoples.

 

In the aftermath of the infamous April 2003 suicide bombing at Mike’s Place that killed three and injured dozens, including Baxter, the filmmakers made the award-winning documentary BLUES BY THE BEACH (2004). But they didn’t get to tell the entire story at that time.

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THE LAST SERMON started in Jerusalem. Baxter and Faudem and their film crew traveled to Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary, Germany, Czech Republic, France, then on to England. At Refugee Camps and Mosques they interviewed, interacted and challenged Muslims and non-Muslims with the last words of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): "There is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab, or a non-Arab over an Arab, or a White over a Black, or a Black over a White, except by righteousness and piety.”

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THE LAST SERMON is shot in cinéma vérité style,  inspired by the Maysles Brothers’ work, and informed by such groundbreaking films as D.A. Pennebaker’s DON’T LOOK BACK (1967) and Alex Gibney’s TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE (2007). 

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THE LAST SERMON is more than a whodunit or starry-eyed pursuit of an unsustainable peace plan. It’s about our common humanity and the quixotic pursuit of tolerance.

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