Thursday, May 01, 2008

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