CARTER USING BRANDEIS TO STAGE A "DOCUMENTARY"

Demme blocked from Brandeis (JTA)
Jonathan Demme said he is willing to face arrest to film former President Carter confronting Jewish critics at Brandeis University. Demme, who won an Oscar in 1992 for “Silence of the Lambs,” is filming a documentary about Carter titled “He Comes in Peace.”

Carter is to appear Tuesday at Brandeis, a Jewish-founded university in the Boston area, to answer questions about his book, “Palestine: Peace not Apartheid,” which alleges that Israel has set up a de facto apartheid system for Palestinians in the West Bank.

Brandeis turned down Demme’s request to film the session, saying it could accommodate news crews but not a documentary team.

“I plan on getting as far as I can until I’m utterly prevented from going any farther,” Demme told The Associated Press.

“Brandeis is a character in our movie. Our film leads to Brandeis. We plan on accompanying him to Brandeis. I hope to not get arrested. What I need to do is get as close as I can.”

Carter claims that U.S. Jews stifle honest debate about the Middle East, but he agreed to appear at Brandeis only after receiving assurances that he would not have to debate Alan Dershowitz, a critic of Carter’s book.