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How can international disputes be resolved in the courtroom rather than on the battlefield? ALL RISE brings this complex question into sharp and personalized focus through the journeys of seven passionate students of law from India, Israel, Jamaica, Palestine, Russia, Singapore, and Uganda to compete in the world championships in Washington, DC, of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition (the “Jessup”), the world’s largest simulated court competition. The “court” is the International Court of Justice (“ICJ”), the judicial arm of the United Nations. Against this backdrop, this moving film lays bare the struggles, triumphs and transformations they experience alone and together.

Diving into these stories, we see seven unique sides of the Jessup story – whether driven by individual competitiveness, the need to overcome personal challenges, cautious optimism as to the role of international law and the ICJ as possible solutions, or the personal motivation to make a difference. But we also see a shared story, as the students overcome unimaginable pressures to persevere in an intensely rigorous competition.

View Abhinav Sekhiri full bio
INDIA
(Abhinav Sekhri)

Abhinav Sekhri’s school in Bangalore, India, won the Jessup in 2013, and Abhinav was challenged with winning the cup again, something no team has ever accomplished…

Abhinav Sekhri Full Bio »

View Tomer Treger full bio
ISRAEL
(Tomer Treger)

Tomer Treger began asking himself tough questions while serving in an elite combat unit of the Israeli Defense Force. The Jessup was his way to practice the tools of answering these questions…

Tomer Treger Full Bio »

View Jonathan Morgan full bio
JAMAICA
(Jonathan Morgan)

Jonathan Morgan has a compulsion to solve puzzles, and the Jessup proved to be his biggest challenge…

Jonathan Morgan Full Bio »

View Areej Alragabi full bio
PALESTINE
(Areej Alragabi)

Areej Alragabi lives with her parents and six younger siblings in a Palestinian refugee camp in East Jerusalem. She is surrounded by the complications of international law every day…

Areej Alragabi Full Bio »

View Olga Koroleva full bio
RUSSIA
(Olga Koroleva)

Hailing from Siberia, Olga Koroleva felt isolated from her true passions of international law until she found the Jessup…

Olga Koroleva Full Bio »

View Kenny Lau full bio
SINGAPORE
(Kenny Lau)

Singapore is known as a powerhouse in the Jessup, and Kenny Lau anchored another strong team in 2014. A fiercely competitive and driven individual,…

Kenny Lau Full Bio »

View Maurice Muhumaza full bio
UGANDA
(Maurice Muhumaza)

Maurice Muhumaza’s strong stoic nature is a product of early school experiences marked by extreme bullying. In a society where lawyers wield a substantial amount of power…

Maurice Muhumaza Full Bio »

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