A series of ten one-hour documentaries which explores Arab history, culture and society from within through the lives and opinions of Arabs today.

Its main focus is on the plight of the Palestinians which can be seen as the most enduring residue of the modern encounter between the Arabs and the West. Edward Said traces the course of European involvement with the Near East via the Crusades to Napoleon's campaign in Egypt and the French and English entrepreneurs, adventurers and empire builders who came in his wake.

In this adaptation of his paradigm-shifting book, Edward Said examines the origins and evolution of Western attitudes towards the Middle East. Said shows how perceptions of the Middle East as an exotic land full of villains and terrorists are deeply rooted in the Western imagination, and argues that this caricatured cultural heritage continues to blind too many Europeans and Americans to the complexity and diversity of the region.

"That's the power of the discourse of Orientalism. If you're thinking about people and Islam, and about that part of the wold, those are the words you constantly have to use. To think past it, to go beyond it, not to use it, is virtually impossible, because there is no knowledge that isn't codified in this way about that part of the world." - Edward Said

1999年，著名的东方学学者萨伊德和指挥大师巴伦伯伊姆共同创立了《东西合集交响乐团》，来自以色列和阿拉伯世界的年轻音乐家联袂演出贝多芬作品，来自当今世界热点地区的冲突双方首次在音乐中和谐交流。该团成功首演后，一直活跃于世界各地，给悲观的人们带来一丝希望。
该片跟随乐团在以色列和阿拉伯地区巡演的过程，展现了来自敌对地区的音乐学子们的内心世界和音乐才能，并和乐团的灵魂人物——指挥大师巴伦伯伊姆有深入的交流。
德国著名音乐纪录片导演Paul Smaczny在2006年完成了这部广受关注的影片，当年获得了艾美奖最佳纪录片。
该片在2009年5月9日首映于上海新天地国际影城，参加上海之春国际音乐节“用眼倾听——古典音乐纪录片展映”活动，导演本人亲临现场。