PALIN LIED ABOUT DARFUR

While watching the vice presidential debates on Thursday night, I was pleased that Darfur became a topic.  Joe Biden had been there and has been a long time advocate for stopping the genocide in Darfur.  He has been outspoken about establishing a no-fly zone over Darfur and for supplying the UN-AU mission with much needed helicopters for delivering supplies and providing protection.  ¶ 2:05 PM 1 comments links to this post

  Crayons and Paper on GRITtv

Tonight, Crayons and Paper was featured on Laura Flanders' show, GRITtv.  Check out the segment below:

  ¶ 10:09 PM 0 comments links to this post

  "Crayons and Paper"--New Film!

We have a new film in production!  It is called Crayons and Paper and it documents the effects of war on children in Sri Lanka and Darfur.  The film runs 30 minutes and is told through the eyes of Dr. Jerry Ehrlich, who has traveled to numerous conflict zones to administer to the children there.  He also had the children draw pictures.  These images are the focus of the film.

Recently, the Courier Post in south new Jersey did an article about Jerry Ehrlich.  That article is below:

Cherry Hill doctor takes 'action'

By KEVIN CALLAHAN
Courier-Post Staff

Bruce David Janu came all the way from Chicago to Cherry Hill to see Dr. Jerry Ehrlich.

"When I first walked out of his office, I felt better," Janu said. "Something rubbed off on me."

Janu didn't come across the country to visit Ehrlich about a physical ailment. Janu, a filmmaker and teacher, wanted to hear Ehrlich's inspiring story.

Ehrlich, 73, is a pediatrician with a practice in Cherry Hill. He also is a volunteer for Doctors Without Borders. He has been to many of the world's hot spots of hatred, including Sri Lanka and Darfur.

While on these missions, Ehrlich took paper and crayons to have children document what they have seen and experienced.

Janu made a 90-minute documentary, "Facing Sudan," that featured many of the drawings Ehrlich brought back with him from Sudan. Janu first saw the drawings in 2005 at Ehrlich's office.

"It was really inspiring," Janu said about his first three-hour meeting with Ehrlich in Cherry Hill. "Not only does he have a lot of compassion, he has a lot of energy."

Ehrlich, who has been practicing since 1966 in Cherry Hill, has been on three missions to Sri Lanka and one mission to Darfur for two months over the summer of 2004.

The United Nations estimates more than 300,000 people have died in Darfur through genocide, the crime of destroying a group of people because of their ethnic, national, racial or religious background.

On his trip to Sudan, Ehrlich took 25 boxes of crayons and 400 pieces of drawing paper. He smuggled out more than 150 drawings done by children ages 8 to 11.

He risked imprisonment if caught leaving Darfur with the drawings. He also took photos he uses for slide shows.

Now, Janu is making a documentary featuring Ehrlich called "Crayons and Paper."

"The new film begins with his first of three missions to Sri Lanka," Janu said. "He went to help kids."

Ehrlich brought back drawings from his initial trip to Sri Lanka.

"It is completely about Dr. Jerry and the children's drawings," Janu said.

Janu said the 30-minute film will be completed in July. He will then submit the film to festivals in the short documentary category.

"The first film was to raise awareness," Janu said about "Facing Sudan," which won two awards in 2007 at film festivals. "The next film was to talk about Dr. Jerry and hopefully inspire other people."

Ehrlich has received requests by the Sudan government not to show these pictures of malnourished and sick children he snapped when he was a volunteer with Doctors Without Borders working with refugees from the Darfur region in western Sudan.

However, he shows the pictures to raise awareness of the continuing genocide in Darfur.

"You don't walk away from Darfur and forget about it," Ehrlich said. "I'm speaking for those who can't speak for themselves, the people of Darfur."

Recently, he took his sad slide show to Haddonfield High School, where German teacher Christopher Gwin organized the Spring Student Summit, titled "Getting Comfy with Genocide: What in the World is Going On?"

Ehrlich received the first of what is intended to be the annual Haddonfield Memorial High School S.T.A.N.D. Humanitarian Award. The award from the high school's Students Take Action Now for Darfur group honors a South Jersey community member of significant distinction who has demonstrated sincere and inspiring commitment to saving Darfurians.

"I sometimes talk to three high schools a week," Ehrlich said.

In July, Ehrlich will take the voices of Darfur to Israel. He will show his slide presentation at the Holocaust Center in Jerusalem on July 8.

Before then, however, Ehrlich will take his video and notebooks to do a documentary on a thousand Darfur refugees now living in Israel.

"It will be a very interesting trip," Ehrlich said. "A thousand Darfur refugees escaped the Sudan through Egypt and marched into Israel. They were originally detained prisoners, but an Israel human rights group got them out and now they are integrated with the Israel society. They are called B'nei Darfur, the Sons of Darfur."

Ehrlich will attempt to document their experiences. He might just learn more, like Janu did.

Janu, who teaches history, sociology and literature at John Hersey High School in Chicago's northwest suburbs, didn't intend to make a full-length feature film about the atrocities in Sudan that led him to meeting Ehrlich. Janu wanted to make a short, educational film in which Brian Burns, a janitor at the school where Janu teaches, discussed his work in Sudan.

Quickly, though, Janu realized the stories about genocide told by Burns were much bigger than he thought.

Burns' aid work in Africa inspired Janu to film a full-length documentary about him and other "ordinary people" who have taken it upon themselves to help Sudanese refugees.

That is when Janu, whose filmmaking was limited to educational films, met Ehrlich.

"A lot of people have compassion, but these people took compassion to the next level to do something," Janu said.

"Facing Sudan" is about activism. The film shows the passion that has spurred ordinary people to dedicate their lives to a country imploded by war and genocide.

Over the last 20 years, millions have died in Sudan. A civil war devastated the South and a genocide is occurring in Darfur.

Ehrlich has been making presentations to schools ever since he smuggled the photos and drawings out of Darfur. Interestingly, he doesn't know where the original drawings are.

"They have a life of their own," he said with a smile. "They keep traveling."

Ehrlich said he last heard the original drawings, which were framed by art students at Temple University, were in Canada at museums.

"I could have never imagined the exposure they have gotten," he said. "I never really looked at them until I got back home. I felt they had to get exposure, but I never could have imagined this much exposure."

Soon the drawings and Ehrlich will get more exposure. More importantly for Ehrlich, the voices of the children of Darfur will be heard.

Reach Kevin Callahan at (856) 317-7821 or kcallahan@courierpostonline.com.

  ¶ 1:05 PM 0 comments links to this post

  New review in School Library Journal

Here is the new review of Facing Sudan that appeared in School Library Journal:

Facing Sudan. DVD. 90 min. with tchr’s. guide. Bell, Book & Camera Prods. 2007, 2008 release. $24.95.

Gr 9 Up–Twenty years of bloody internal fighting in Sudan have left millions dead and displaced. Even though high profile celebrities continue to bring the mayhem to the forefront, most of the world’s governments have been unwilling or impotent to intervene in the genocide. This low-key but overwhelmingly powerful documentary shows how individuals can affect the ongoing situation. Interviews with those involved as well as the victims of the violence are supplemented by a powerful collection of video footage, including actual Sudanese military attacks on the populace. Resulting from a seemingly incidental conversation between a young custodian in a suburban Chicago high school and Bruce David Janu, a social science teacher, this timely and touching program provides both a historical context as well as a striking contemporary description of the political, social, medical, and military mayhem in Africa’s darkest corner. One segment on the Lost Boys of Sudan will particularly hit home with younger viewers; be cautioned that there are several instances of graphic images of death and explicit descriptions of events. The film was produced and directed by a teacher who crafted it to be as classroom-friendly as possible with scene selection, English subtitles, several bonus tracks, useful lesson plan suggestions, and a moving soundtrack of original compositions which greatly enhances the spirit of the program. This excellent, award-winning film will definitely have a deep impact on viewers.

Dwain Thomas, formerly Lake Park High School, Roselle, IL -- School Library Journal, 6/5/2008

Labels: darfur, documentary, dvd, facing sudan, review, sudan

  Link ¶ 10:40 AM 0 comments links to this post

  Facing Sudan Review in Booklist

The following review appears in the May 1 edition of Booklist:

Facing Sudan.
Jan. 2008. 90min. Bell, Book & Camera, DVD, $24.95.
REVIEW. First published May 1, 2008 (Booklist).

Featuring graphic photographs, home-movie footage, and heartbreaking testimonies, this film is “told through the eyes of ordinary people” who are helping the Sudanese, many of whom are dying of starvation and disease. The camera captures images of these valiant heroes, including a college student who travels to Africa to photograph the Sudanese and stays to pass out medicines and offer comfort to malnourished refugees. A Chicago woman opens her home and heart to “lost boys” who seek a better life in America; a New Jersey doctor leaves his thriving practice to give aid to needy Africans; a high-school girl sends disposable cameras to children in refugee camps who take pictures of family and friends victimized by the ethnic struggle; and a young man returns to his native country to help drill wells that provide clean water for thousands. This moving, eye-opening documentary is a call to action.

— Candace Smith

Labels: darfur, documentary, facing sudan, sudan

  ¶ 7:58 AM 4 comments links to this post

  Meeting Tom and Lorne (Finally)

A couple of weeks ago, I finally had the opportunity to meet the songerwriters for Facing Sudan, Tom Flannery and Lorne Clarke. After three years of emails and phone calls here and there, it was great finally meeting them face-to-face.

Tom was performing at the Old Lynn Concert series, which is run by Lorne Clarke. His set included "Crayons and Paper," a song from the film.

I met Tom and Lorne online three years ago while searching for music for the movie. Originally, I had envisioned Bruce Cockburn's "If I Had a Rocket Launcher" as the opening song of the film. However, Cockburn's record label never returned my calls.

And that was a very good thing.   I ended up stumbling across a site online called Songaweek.com. This site featured music by Tom Flannery and Lorne Clarke, including several songs about Darfur and a whole song cycle about the Rwandan Genocide. In fact, Lorne's song, "How Do We Sleep at Night?" from the series on Rwanda became the opening song of Facing Sudan. This song is so much better than the Bruce Cockburn song, for it captures the mood and the feel of the film more than any other song and it introduces a powerful theme that runs throughout the film.

After contacting Tom Flannery for permission to use a song called "It's Called Genocide," Tom replied that I could use the song for free. All that I needed was to properly credit him for the song. He then went on to say that this would be a "a gentleman's agreement." But if I were to appear at the "Oscars with Demi Moore" on my arm or on Larry King with a "new Armani suit," we would have to renegotiate the deal. Needless to say, that never happened. Tom's email did, however, lead to a complete re-envisioning of the film as I soon began to discover more about how music could enhance the film I was trying to make. And in the process, I also discovered two kindred spirits several hundred miles away.

Tom then pointed me to several other songs that could be of use, including some from Lorne Clarke. I soon heard from Lorne, too, who was also enthusiastic about the project. Together, they both offered their services to write more songs as needed.

As the film was coming together, I realized that Tom and Lorne could provide musical continuity to the film. I purposely pulled the planned narration from the film and decided that these two singer/songwriters could provide the needed social commentary through their music. Tom and Lorne's soundtrack holds the film together, linking the images to the emotion. The music thus becomes the conscience of the film.

I could not have made the film without them. And Facing Sudan would not be the film it is without their voices.

Tom and Lorne are both very passionate individuals, using music as a way to comment about politics and life. Understanding that I was tackling this project completely on my own, Tom and Lorne offered all of their music for free use, including all of the songs specifically written for the film. Once a rough cut of the film was complete, I sent the film to Tom and Lorne with suggestions as to where I would like additional music. The two got together then on a Sunday afternoon at Tom's house in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and pushed out the music in a few hours.

The two are very prolific. At Songaweek.com the duo posts music (for free download) every week. Over the last four years, they have had over 1 million downloads.

I encourage all of you to go to the site and give their music a listen. They are both extremely talented individuals who deserve to be heard. It was a pleasure to finally meet them. It was a little strange, however. Although we had not previously met in person, I felt like I had known them for a long, long time.

I am so thankful that three years ago I accidentally stumbled across their music. Today, I count Tom and Lorne among my friends and, in fact, I have become one of their biggest fans.

---

To view more images of Tom and Lorne from my visit, please go to the Flickr page.

To get acquainted with the music of Tom Flannery and Lorne Clarke, please visit their website at SongAWeek.com.

Tom has a new album available online. The album is entitled Love in the Present Tense. This is a great album and is available for download for only $6.99. Take a listen here.

In addition, Lorne's new album, Moonlight and Cider is also available. This album features a great new version of Facing Sudan's title theme, "How Do We Sleep at Night?" Take a listen here.

Don't forget, the soundtrack to Facing Sudan is also available. Download it here.

Labels: darfur, documentary, facing sudan, folk music, lorne clarke, soundtrack, sudan, tom flannery

  ¶ 10:31 AM 0 comments links to this post

  Film Festival Photos

I was able to attend several festivals last year at which Facing Sudan screened. I have finally put up some photographs taken at some of those festivals. Enjoy.

Facing Sudan Flickr Site

Labels: darfur, documentary, facing sudan, Film festivals, photographs

  ¶ 12:44 PM 1 comments links to this post