INSIDE THE MIDDLE EAST | THE PRIMER
THE STORY BEHIND THE HEADLINES
Inside The Middle East | The Primer, a one-hour educational video designed to provide a Western audience with an understanding of the underlying factors that have shaped, shape, and will shape the region, through authentic voices from the Arab and Muslim world that are often absent in Western discourse.
WHAT IS INSIDE THE MIDDLE EAST | THE PRIMER?
An educational video designed to equip a diverse audience with different levels of knowledge with the vital education they need to understand the underlying factors that have shaped, shape, and will shape the region. Through a combination of filming in the field and authentic voices from the Arab and Muslim world that are often absent in Western discourse, we believe this will be an engaging, enlightening, and entertaining journey!
WHEN WILL IT BE RELEASED?
Fall of 2024
WHO IS MAKING THE FILM?
The film is being made by Inside The Middle East, Intelligence Perspectives [ITME], founded by Avi Melamed and Maia Hoffman. ITME is dedicated to providing apolitical, non-partisan, authentic education about the Middle East. ITME offers a range of educational experiences, tools, and resources to organizations, individuals, students, practitioners, and leaders.
WHAT IS INSIDE THE MIDDLE EAST | INTELLIGENCE PERSPECTIVES [ITME]?
ITME is a U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit with a diverse board of directors dedicated to providing apolitical education about the Middle East. We believe in the transformative power of education and knowledge to bridge divides. ITME’s mission is to provide authentic education and knowledge to equip individuals, empower minds, bridge differences, and build unity.
WHO IS AVI MELAMED?
Geopolitical Middle East Expert, Intelligence Analyst, Author, Educator, & Founder of Inside The Middle East
Former Israeli Intelligence Official and Senior Arab Affairs Advisor. Founder of ITME, an apolitical, non-partisan educational non-profit institute. Author of three books on the region. His recent book is, "Inside The Middle East | Entering a New Era," published in 2022.  Avi is the author, producer, and host of “The Seam Line,” a five-part docuseries exploring the many layers of the conflict in and over Jerusalem. He is currently working on “Inside The Middle East | The Primer”, a one-hour educational video designed to provide a Western audience with a comprehensive understanding of the underlying factors that have shaped, shape, and will shape the region, through authentic voices from the Arab and Muslim world that are often absent in Western discourse. The film is scheduled to be released in the fall of 2024. Avi is Fluent in Hebrew, Arabic, and English, which allows him to bridge cultural gaps and provide a comprehensive understanding of the region. He is a frequent commentator on international media platforms such as Al-Arabiya, Al-Hura, BBC, CBC, CNN, EFE, France24, I24New, Sky News, and many more. His insights are regularly featured in ABC, AP, Bloomberg, the Financial Times, FOX, the Hill, NBC, Newsweek, Reuters, the Wall Street Journal, to name a few. And is a permanent contributor to USA Today. Avi’s Arabic, English, and Hebrew analysis can be found on the ITME HUB, an ITME initiative providing a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the region.
HOW CAN WE GET IT & IS THERE A COST?
We are honored to our most ambitious project to date! ITME-ON-THE-ROAD-360 | Clarity Amidst Chaos. This year-long North American Teaching Tour, is designed to:
EDUCATE through authentic, apolitical, non-partisan, intelligence-based education about the Middle East
EQUIP people with resources and tools to deepen their understanding of the Middle East
EMPOWER individuals to educate others
Inside The Middle Eat | The Primer is one of the tools we are excited to offer for free to all of our partners that will be a part of ITME-ON-THE-ROAD-360!
If you are interested in finding out more about ITME-ON-THE-ROAD 360, please contact us at [email protected]!
The Primer does not attempt to tell you what to think about the Middle East. Instead, drawing on the two pillars that underpin Avi’s broader educational effort – Inside the Middle East – the series encourages the viewer, first, to see the context of the broader cross-currents of the Middle East (or as Avi puts it: “To understand Israel, you must understand the neighborhood”) and, secondly, to adopt, foster and promote critical thinking based on local perspectives and realities.
Meet Our Experts From The Middle East
INSIDE THE MIDDLE EAST | THE PRIMER features voices from across the Middle East that are not an integral part of the dialogue in the West. We hope that by you meeting our friends and collagues from across the region, we will help you understand what drives the reality on the Middle East.
The Production Team
Watch Also | The Seam Line - Jerusalem Docu-Series (2023)
Produced by Ayelet Ephrati, directed by Eitan Sarid, assisted by Shlomit Goldin-Halevi, Didier Bodin, Maia Hoffman & Avi Melamed.
The series is in English. But we are considering adapting the
series to the Arabic and Hebrew speaking audience as well.
