EPILOGUE

EXT. DAY. KIGALI SERENA HOTEL. POOLSIDE.

We've gathered for brunch and are talking logistics about getting the rest of the day's act together. I'm already checked out and have my bags in storage. We have 'free time' scheduled for gift shopping and are waiting on another State Dept. speaker to arrive along with his Embassy host. Steve is an aide to Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson and he greets us warmly. Compared to his, our schedule was a breeze! He met with a variety of committee members and official ministers, and we had a nice time sharing impressions of the tasks ahead of the Rwandan government and their successes to date. He can't go with us, but he and I agree to meet the driver early to take a quick tour of the National Stadium and sights along the way. Tice, from the Embassy, was not only helping us find our way to quality gift shopping but she was also a graduate of the National University of Rwanda, and had been an instructor there almost immediately afterward. What a wonderful way to close out the trip!


EXT. SAME DAY. ON THE ROAD.

We navigate our way to two very interesting places. The first is of two places we visit. The students come from the countryside and workshops are held on traditional weaving techniques, using traditional materials. The craftsmanship is outstanding and we eagerly browse the shelves. Everything is made by hand and I almost felt I should find a way to buy some property just to house the magnificent work I saw on there. (Apparently this was one of those micro-businesses that the Clinton Foundation helped get going. There's an 8x10 of President Clinton and the owner hung prominently on the wall.) There's a woman there who appears to be a buyer of sorts. She speaks American English and was inspecting several bunches of bracelets which I later learn are made from recycled magazines. Wow!

We settle up, negotiate as best we can for discount (I'm really bad at that) and head out. I've spent all my Rwandan money but the next place we come to takes US dollars. There's a car blocking the drive when we pull up, but they soon leave and we pull in. Up front are the seamstresses, using foot-power to run the Singer machines. We stroll around back to the shop and are surprised by all the goods---bags of all shapes, colors and sizes, pouches, wallets, belts. I mosey around the back and there's a man's shirt that looks to be huge (which at Eddie's insistence I later try on and find it fits--so I have to buy it, right?). All kinds of tableware, toys for children--you name it. Add to this, many staffers from the Embassy start showing up and it turns into a regular off-campus office party!

No one leaves without having bought something and all of us leave happy!


INT. SAME DAY. KIGALI SERENA HOTEL. LOBBY.

Its time to say goodbye. Patti's staying another day and has arranged with Charles to tour one of the protected areas nearby. Believe it or not for all the times she's been to Africa she has never seen any animals, and since tickets to see the Gorillas have been sold out for months this is it until next time. Eddie will be re-assigned by the time I come back--and both she and Charles have told me I'm coming back, so I guess I'm coming back! I know I'm going to see Patti again somewhere down the road so I wish her well. Eddie I say goodbye too and ask her pass along my sincere thanks to Charles.


I spend the next hour of so trying to catch up on this blog and eventually the driver takes Steve and I for an all-too-short tour of the previously unseen parts of Kigali, the Stadium and eventually to the airport. I'm a couple of hours early so I get to doze a bit, misunderstand the boarding announcements twice, then finally board and take off for Brussels (with a short stop in Entebbe). Then a few hours later I'm on a flight to NYC, and finally the shuttle from Newark to Logan--and home.

I can't imaging this trip being any more successful, unless you count the fact that each group of students wanted us to stay longer. Clearly my next summer is already planned for me so that's fine. Not sure how long I can stay but I will stay for as long as I can and do as much as I can. All I knew about Rwanda was what everyone else knew--the Gorillas, and the movie Hotel Rwanda. Back when I was a journalism major reading five different newspapers a day and looking to broaden my knowledge of world events I came upon Rwanda but didn't study it too much. Uganda, Congo, Liberia, and of course, South Africa topped the charts for me. I tried very hard hot to come with preconceived notions about what has happened to this nation and its people and I was, I think, open-minded enough to grasp that if one is going to contribute---now is as good a time as any!

[One way to make a meaningful contribution: http://www.kiva.org/lend?partner_id=117]



SOME OF THE MOVING IMAGE CONCEPTS OF OUR FILM STUDENTS:

• A first person narrative about a young person adopted in the Congo who wants to return to Rwanda and the trouble that ensues.
• a documentary about domestic violence, re-enacted by a local theater group
• exiles meet in the Congo, marry but are not accepted by locals nor the government--nevertheless love binds the couple as they struggle while missing their native culture
• interviews with former and current prostitutes with the goal of revealing the innermost sacrifices necessary to survive in this business
• examining the lives of young men growing up on the streets of Kigali and elsewhere and particularly one who singing talents propel him into an international competition which he ultimately wins
  
• an examination of the life of a woman with 5 children, each fathered by a different husband
• a self-portrait of a young Rwandan filmmaker who is struggling to support himself while practicing his art
• sugar daddies, sugar mommies--a survivor story
• a family of street children and their story of survival
• an examination of the Swahili language and the unifying effects it has on East African culture
• What Does It Mean To Pray To The Lord? --an examination of nuances of prayer as seen from the viewpoints of believers and non-believers
  
• an examination of the impact of music on the lives of Rwandan Freedom fighters.
• 
  

ACT THREE, SCENE FOUR

INT. NIGHT. KIGALI SERENA HOTEL.
(Friday, July 23)

So, its the big night! We've all gathered to attend the Rwanda Film Festival closing night party which is being held in the same hotel. As we walk in, there's a science fiction film in progress. (We grab a glass of wine and move on down to the front row.) PUMZI, the name of the film, is an amazing story that brings together issues around the environment (global warming), political intrigue, and self sacrifice. Set 35 years after World War III, its a mesmerising story about the "Water Wars".

Right after a short Q&A by the Rwanda Film Center director, another film rolls--SOUL BOY. Set in contemporary times and staged in Nairobi's largest slum, it tells the story of a teenager whose father looses his soul to a local witch. Caring and concerned he takes on the task of redeeming his father's soul. Apparently, a West German film company put together a project on a shoe-string budget, brought down production crew heads and hired local talent for the production. Filmed on location its a huge cinematic success story and I can't wait to see it again in theaters in the US.


These were the last few films before the 2010 awards were announced and as we sat quietly marveling at the films we had just seen (and wondering what we must have missed!), the Film Festival Director, Pierre Kayitana came to mic to announce the winners. Lo and behold SOUNDTRACK OF A REVOLUTION wins "BEST DOCUMENTARY" for the 6th Annual Rwanda Film Festival and we're all called up front (by name) to accept the award on behalf of the filmmakers.

Wow!


So! On to the concert....Lokua Kanza is preceded by two marvelous acts that, unfortunately, none of us knew the names of. The Minister of Sports and Culture introduces him and, again unfortunately, I don't understand French as well as I can speak it (and interesting I can apparently read it out load as if I were a native speaker). Anyway, he is a singer/songwriter who was born in the Congo (his mother is Rwandan) and he has quite an international reputation. (Wouldn't you know it, when Patti and I got back from the Embassy we took the elevator up and two musicians got in. She greeted both of them and darned if one wasn't Lokua!!!) The music is fantastic but around 10:30 I have to bow out. I make do with a veggie-burger for dinner and head back to the room and crash. I am told Charles and Eddie left an hour after me, Patti stayed until half-past midnight.

ACT THREE, SCENE THREE

EXT. SAME DAY. GISOZI GENOCIDE MEMORIAL.

Its rather late Friday afternoon when we arrive at the Genocide Memorial. The facility almost resembles a villa what with its position on a hillside and its view of 'downtown Kigali" across the way. There are gardens, enumerated walkways---even what first appears to be a fountain. I'm uncertain about what we're going to see....

Like any museum there's a reception desk and we're given several options for entry, including paying an extra fee to take pictures (we had this at the Old King's Palace as well). With a handout and an audio guide we follow the numbers out and around toward the rear of the facility. Each garden is terraced and has a message underlying its existence. We walk around examining the sculpture, plants and pools of water and find the relationship between these forms quite moving.

We descend out of the gardens and find ourselves standing on a brick terrace, facing a rather large slab of concrete with what appears to be a Bay-like window embedded in the center. It is an "open" grave site and thousands of people are buried here. As bodies are still being found all over the country, the site remains open until it is filled then it is permanently closed--and another site is open.

This is both the most grotesque and the most elegant expression of sorrow and loss. Upon closer examination there are three coffins laid to rest under the window, each draped in a purple and white shroud. At various spots people have placed flowers and plants--and almost unseemly a sign reminds us not to "step on [the] mass graves".

Who could stand here and not be moved and at the same time shamed...?

When you look up and back toward the front of the museum that are more slabs. These are closed and we walk slowly down the pathway beside them. More flowers and planters, some of which are older, are placed around the edges. We pass under an elongated pergola and emerge at a wall that carries the names of most of the victims buried here. Plenty of room is left for the names of those yet to be discovered.

Somewhere along the way Charles tells us something of his own personal story. The remains of his mother, father and several relatives were found in May of this year--16 years after the end of the Genocide.....

INT. SAME DAY. GENOCIDE MUSEUM.

We work our way up the steps and into the museum proper. Charles has been here before so we follow his lead. The rooms are rather small and fit round the outside of the building in a tunnel-like manner. We see images from the years after WWII when King Mutara II Rudahigwa met King Baudouin of Belgium. A few other images/posters inform of us of the years after his death. And then we come face-to-face with the immediate aftermath of the Genocide.

Mostly images by/from the European press after the world finally woke up to what was happening. Slaughtered bodies drape the ground, floors of churches, schools and other buildings--and the streets. Display cases below the enlarged prints house the instruments of death--clubs, common tools like hammers and knives. There's a video installation and we witness the testimony of survivors who tell stories of torture, mayhem and madness that's almost to much to bear to listen to....

We come to another space (pictured above) that is a large, round room with alcoves. Each has wire strung across in succeeding rows. Clips are attached and hanging from each clip is a photograph of someone killed and/or missing. There are seats where you can rest and contemplate this horror. I am reminded of a similar wall at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC.....

We move on to find another room that contains more display cases. These have clothes of the victims. Another room houses display cases that contain neat piles of human bones and other cases that contain human skulls--of various sizes. On an upper floor there is a another room with wall-sized images of tiny children whose photographs parent lent to the exhibit. There is a sidebar containing information about the child's likes/dislikes, descriptions of their personalities, and what method was used to take their lives.

The museum is nearing its time to close.

There is one more room to see however. In it the exhibit teaches us (briefly) about genocidal wars throughout history. Some as recent as Bosnia and of course the Nazi Holocaust against Jews. Others tell of the slaughter of Armenians and of the Hereoes of Central Africa. (I had never heard of the plight of these people and I stopped and studied the exhibit.)

Somehow we managed to find our way outside and I was grateful that the driver was called late so we could take time to gather ourselves.....

ACT THREE, SCENE TWO

INT. DAY. KIGALI SERENA HOTEL. (Friday, July 23)

Everyone is there to pick us up and take us to the television studios of TV Rwanda. Of course I'm anxious as all get-out as we were told it was a "live" TV interview. Turns out not to be the case--and I've skipped breakfast for nothing.

The studios are a few blocks away and, as usual, we get to the entrance and have to pass thru armed security. Standing there waiting is our host, Emmanuel Munyarukumbuzi, who, while taking a phone call directs our driver to a parking spot. There's a few moments of meeting/greeting and we stroll around to the rear (or was it front?) of the building. The studios are on the second floor and Emmanuel is clearly a very popular person among the staff who greet him/us along the way to a rather large office where we take seats.

There's more conversation, mostly questions to Emmanuel about his background and professional interests. Seems he's been out of school only a few years before landing this job. His show is an eclectic mix of programming, something that makes it hard to categorize and there are distinct advantages to that. Among other ideas we shared among ourselves was that perhaps the regional journalists might want to develop a professional association--and we suggest to him that he might consider starting it. It has distinct advantages, too!

Anyway, we're waiting for the studio to breakdown the set from a previous program, and for the Rwanda Film Center/Festival Director Pierre Kayitana to arrive. After a while we're guided upstairs and introduced to the Director of the show then take our seats on the set. Its about a half-hour before we begin. Emmanuel has several bio-sketches of us and we take some time to go over a few of the missing details, as well as clarify a few facts. Once Pierre arrives we get down to business. Emmanuel's questions are insightful and he gets us to relax and talk more easily as the interview progresses. The half-hour goes by quickly and after we pose for a couple of snaps, we're off to the Embassy again for the last workshop.

INT. SAME DAY. US EMBASSY.

We're on for our last workshop--this time with local filmmakers and television producers. Emmanuel turns up as does Olivier! We run thru an abbreviated version of our two-day (8-hour) workshop and give the filmmakers a chance to talk about their own works. One Rwandan filmmaker has brought his own film, a work-in-progress and he screens it. Its quite moving but there's criticism from the audience (and a local journalist who has come to do a story on us) about the opening segment. We let it circulate and eventually one person stands and defends the Director's right to experiment with the art form and decide what s/he wants.

Once again we go overtime and just as with the other students, these are also disappointed that we're there for only a few hours. Several have projects in advanced stages and each pumps us for information on pitching proposals for fundraising, marketing strategies, distribution locally and thru the Internet, and community-building strategies for filmmakers. One filmmaker wants to attend workshops in South Africa and has the tuition all covered but has zero funds for travel. Write a proposal to the Minister of Sports and Culture, I say. If he contributes ___% towards your travel, in exchange, you will hold x-number of workshops at District so-and-so's high school, for x-number of weeks. If that doesn't work go door-to-door to churches and make the same pitch. Try local business, especially those who know you from the community. Every franc helps!

We're done but we can't pull ourselves completely away yet.

The local reporter is a bit anxious and we gather ourselves around the table at the front of the room for an interview. He elicits some detailed responses from us about the ADS10 program and the organizations in the US (the UFVA, the IDA) that are helping to organize the films which travel as part of the program. Once again, business cards come out, email addresses are exchanged. Several students have scripts for narrative films and want our feedback and we promise to give it.

Its been "real", but the ending is almost anti-climatic.....

ACT THREE, SCENE ONE

INT. DAY. US EMBASSY, KIGALI

(Thursday, July 22nd)

We're there early and I of course have taken to grumbling about being "stripped searched" when in fact no such thing ever happened. My usual method of waking myself up has started to go over with humor (I hope!) among my companions. Anyway, folks are still being screened thru Security. Patti and I are both starting to pull on our reserves but the students are still energetic and probing with one question after another. We finish up with the categorical approaches to storytelling in this particular genre, work our way to the last list of questions to answer before you begin shooting, and then open things up a bit.

We ask them about their work and about their work-in-progress. Amazing answers!

Most are seeking to tell stories about the Genocide--survivor stories, stories of heorism; stories about post-Genocide characters that live on the streets, parents from different countries who met in exile but came back to open hostility. One young filmmaker works with a troupe of actors and turns real-world narratives into theatrical productions. Her group performed in Dallas and she's interested in doing more there and perhaps in other cities in the US. The current project she has in mind is about domestic violence in Rwanda. Another wants to produce a story about the impact of the Swahilli language; its unifying effects on peoples in the region. And, another is inspired by the clip we showed of SOUNDTRACK OF A REVOLUTION and wants to create his own documentary about the music that inspired and sustained the Freedom Fighters in his country. And there was much more. In a word....wow!

Another 2PM meeting is cancelled (gosh, darn it!) and we let the workshop run on a bit more. As it closes out we realize we're done---for now at least. Handshakes and hugs are shared all around. We take as many snapshots as we can, business cards are circulated, email addresses exchanged--and make sure to invite everyone to the evening's screening and hope to see them again on Friday night.

INT. NIGHT US EMBASSY, KIGALI

Its moving closer to 7PM by the time folks filter their way thru Security. The film is WHICH WAY HOME, an Oscar-nominated documentary which tells the story of two children who attempt to ride the trains from the border of Honduras to the Mexican border and on into the US. It is an incredible journey filled with all manor of dangers--trains jump the tracks, adults and children are raped--and there are 8, 9-year-old kids traveling by themselves! Its not much more comforting that the protagonists in this film are 14 -17 years of age....

After we roll the footage, the crowd is very quiet. Eddie made sure to introduce us asnot the producers/directors of the film but were there representing the organization helped organize the screening and workshop series. A few hands/voices raise themselves and the questions are mostly speculative--what kind of relationship did the filmmakers develop with the teenagers? The parents? What about the police? Why are they not seen (or referred to favorably) in the film? An older couple in the front comments about the improbable nature of letting people travel atop trains when its clearly illegal--and now the discussion truly begins.

All nations have problems with their borders, with immigrant/migrant populations and their effects on economies (food, housing, medicine, education, etc.) Seeing it thru the lens of this story, our audience began examining the particulars of the film and their relationship to larger issues such as the cost of hiring a "coyote" vs. using that money to start a "micro-business", or the effects it has on mothers who successfully emigrated but in turn sacrificed their connection to families left behind in order to help out financially. [Given that the film suggested the 100's of thousands of children are turned away each year, the sheer number of people traversing the Mexican countryside (via rail) and its impact on the social structure is staggering.]

I would love to say this was a "transformative" experience for our audience (a term we were asked to keep in mind as regards one of our overall objectives) but it certainly was "provocative" and I'm willing to settle for that.

ACT TWO, SCENE FIVE

INT. MORNING HOTEL SERENA.

Despite all the desire in the world, real continuous sleep is not to be had. Instead I wake up early and go about the business of preping for the half-day workshop with students from the Rwanda Film Institute. We're told these young people have a strong background in fiction film making and that our documentary instruction will be value added. We've had one or two minor schedule changes and Patti and I have been rolling with the punches. The important thing has been to hydrate, eat a breakfast and get as much sleep as one can.

The phone rings. The driver is here already--and I tell them 15 minutes and I'll be down. I make it in 12 or 13 which is definitely a record but there's no driver! Patti's there ahead of me but apparently the driver had the Front Desk call. Eventually we work things out, load up and head on in to the Embassy.

INT. SAME DAY. US EMBASSY

Security is taking care of business and we have to surrender our passports and cell phones; no cameras, no computers or other electronic devices are allowed. We balk at the computer restriction (one can't give a PowerPoint presentation with one's fingers acting as shadow puppets) and we wait for Eddie to come get us. Its a half hour before she's able to get folks to talk to each other about the previously agreed upon clearances, but eventually we get that part of our business done and sail thru the metal detectors.

Once again we're in the Multi-Purpose Room and the staff, working under Charles', direction has all our handouts laid out neatly along with notebooks and pens. Additionally, they've tucked refreshments in a nook at the back of the room for the students. I grab a juice while Patty unloads the freebees she's brought from her gig at National Geographic in Washington, DC. When its my turn I unload the last batch of FSC pens and whatnot, along with some postcards from my documentary, T-shirts and baseball caps. But I only have 8, T-shirts with my "NoShortClimb" DVD logo, and only two baseball caps with same. What to do....?

Raffle!

The students come in and take their seats. Patti and I have agreed to more or less repeat the same workshop as before and off we go. This group, however, is much shyer than the journalism students at NUR, but they are no less eager to learn. Its obvious they understand the grammar of film so we quickly move thru the lesson plan and the back and forth becomes more advanced and much richer. Patti and I walk them thru the steps and once again the film clips reinforce the lessons. (It was a somewhat disappointing not to have direct control over the projector and DVD playback unit, but Festus, the Embassy AV staffer, picked up our cues and there were very gaps in our presentation.)

Time flew! We took a ten minute break at the end of which we commandeered one of the Embassy DSLRs and took a class photo. By now the shyness had completely given way and the students were raising their hands much more and posing more probing questions about ethics and the like. We were told our 2:00 meeting would likely be cancelled so we pushed to 12:5o or so before we had to call time for the day.

The students gathered around us enthusiastically asking questions and taking feedback on their ideas for projects, or on projects already in the works. (A short list of story their story ideas will be appended to this blog). I grabbed a few candids of Patti and the students for the ADS10 website. (The raffle was fun and I'm sad to say I disappointed folks with the letter "J" in their last name, but what else to do...?)

We had lunch in the Embassy cafeteria. There was a meeting scheduled with the IRZIA CART--Association of Independent Filmmakers but it was canceled and our "live TV" interview was moved to the next day. So we retrieved our personables, saddled up and headed back to the hotel.


INT. NIGHT US EMBASSY, KIGALI.

We're back! There's a 6PM screening of another of the ADS10 films that the Embassy chose, SOUNDTRACK FOR A REVOLUTION .

Afterward we started talking about the "Red Carpet Filmmakers Party" that was scheduled for 10 PM. This was still a few hours away and 3 of the 4 of us were determined to get some sleep. As it happened none of us went but pledged to go to the Gala on Friday night.

ACT TWO, SCENE FOUR

INT. HOTEL. EARLY MORNING, BUTARE.

I'm awake before the rooster crows (my Father would be proud!) and I slowly get up, do my stretches and exercises, then quickly wash up. Charles Mugabo greets me on the restaurant steps and shortly afterward I join Patti Bonnet and Eddie Sagitto in the dinning room. Apparently a group has already gone thru most of the Passion Juice so they drain the last drop for me and then I sit down after ordering an tomato and onion omelet.

Eddie's had a very interesting career serving overseas for many years in State Dept. posts like Romania, Bosnia, Honduras, and Germany. Charles is a twenty-year veteran of the US Embassy, and a native of Rwanda. Of course, Patti has traveled to many countries having taken her degree from Johns Hopkins in International Studies. Its an interesting conversation that follows and before long we're done with our meals and have to check out and head down the road.

EXT. SAME DAY. THE ROAD BACK

Since we're pretty high up in the mountains there's really no need for air conditioning. Our driver doesn't play around with the gas peddle and every once in a while Patti and I wince as we see some 5 or 6 year-old playing aside the road as we (and all the other drivers) go whizzing by. Otherwise there's nothing to complain about--the terraced hills and fertile valleys fly by and we we sit back and enjoy the day heading to our next destination.


EXT. SAME DAY. MUSEUM OF RWANDAN ANCIENT HISTORY

We arrive at this thoroughly modern museum an hour or so later and have the parking lot to ourselves. Just as everywhere we've been there's a guard on duty (in this case, two young men) and we all smile and greet each other before going in. Charles is immediately greeted by a young woman swathed in traditional dress and the rest of us are ushered over the Reception desk where we pay our fee in Rwandan money. (Among other this, Charles made sure we had some of the national currency even though most places accept US dollars--printed after 2003.)

No pictures were allowed (bummer!) but we got to wander around and learn a bit about the geology of the region, the clothing and garments, tools, musical instruments, and the governing hierarchy and overall culture that existed prior to the arrival of the first Europeans. One can see why farmers today use the wide, steel-bladed hoe. The Rwandans occupied a much large territory back then which was divided and farmed regularly with forged tools. The exhibits are well organized and presented, and we were told that all of the materials would be available soon online. What was also of interest was the exhibit of Presidents of the nation. Mutare III Rudahigwa was the last king of Rwanda and after that popular elections were held. The succeeding Presidents, a brief history of their lives and careers are prominently displayed on one wall.

Knowing we were scheduled at some point to have "time off" I resisted buying anything in the Museum, instead I went outside and exercised my photographic skills in the surrounding garden and landscape. Naturally, I was last to get on board.....


EXT. SAME DAY. THE OLD KING'S PALACE

We stop by another national landmark and pay a modest admissions fee and are escorted into the Old King's Palace. Our guide gives us the background on the social rituals and politics of the ancient kingdom. The posts at the entrance each have historical significance both to welcome strangers and ward off enemies. The courtyard would be lined with the King's Warriors and parties in dispute would present their cases, mindful of the obvious penalites if found guilty. (If a complainer ran to the King, thru the gauntlet of soldiers, and lived---the King automatically granted a pardon as only a person of true faith and fidelity would dare to try such a task.

Everything is handwoven, and as we walked around the structures there were preseverationists are work restoring the thatch above roofs, and the fencing that separates each compound. The interior of the Palace was an interesting place, so to the King's Bedchamber, and sections for various petitions and 'staff'. We were not permitted to take pictures in the New King's Palace--a structure built by the Belgians and occupied by the last King of Rwanda. This building houses various reception rooms (some for Europeans, some for visiting dignitaries from the Continent, some for locals), and has all the appearances of a "modern" building. We were told that across on a nearby hillside, the last King chose to build his own "modern" palace but dies before fully enjoying it.

We drove the rest of the way back to Kigali alternating between naps (not me and Patti!), shooting short videos with our "flip" video cameras, and engaging in good conversation.


INT. NIGHT. US EMBASSY. KIGALI, RWANDA

So we're picked up from the Kigali Serena hotel and whisked over to the Embassy where Patti is to screen COME BACK TO SUDAN to an invited audience. We're inside in a flash and we're told the facility is only a few years old, and its something to marvel at. They've set us up in the Multi-Purpose Room and we meet the projectionist and other staff who're still about this time of day. Then sit and wait for the guests to come.

Apparently someone has invited scores of people--off list. So Security is stepped up and folks are trickling in long after we should have started. Eventually, someone make a decision and the lights fall and the DVD menu page is activated. Needless to say, COME BACK TO SUDAN is an enthralling documents. The film has universal themes that are accessible to any society, and from the beginning you can tell the story is going to be handled well--and it is! Its about a group of the "Lost Boys of Sudan" who make their way to Colorado where they are taken in by a brave and generous woman who becomes a second mother to each. At some point they learn that a peace agreement has been signed in the regions they came from, and the idea is planted about returning--17/18 years later. We follow them on the flight out, knowing that the central character is homesick beyond belief. He's had no contact with his relatives all this time, indeed he doesn't know if any survived the war. Not that I want to spoil it for those who haven't seen the film, but the scenes where he finally discovers what's happened to his relatives are extremely moving.

Of course I hate coming in late to a movie, hate it even more when someone comes in late to my movie. I suggest that perhaps we should screen Patti's film again for those who missed the opening and its agreed to, but experience suggests no one is likely to stay. Once settled, the crowd is a bit surprising. Heretofore, I've seen Rwandan men dressed on shirts, trousers (when was the last time you heard that word!) and shoes. This crowd is more like what you'd see in Cambridge on a Saturday night--young, sandled, mixed nations and races.


Patti does the Q&A and I actually get a few photos for the Facebook pages. Afterward only a few depart as there's a double-bill for the evening. SOUNDTRACK OF A REVOLUTION is a story about the music the supported the Civil Rights Movement. Told with a combination of interviews, archival B&W footage, and studio performances by Mary Mary, The Roots, John Legend, Richie Havens, Joss Stone and others, the piece offers a unique view of what happened and how folks relied on music to buttress their success, and salve their defeats. It was longer than SUDAN but just as compelling.

Afterward folks started taking off (as Eddie said they would) and several people came up to me and shook my hand. Because of the accent it took a while before I realized they thought I was the director of SOUNDTRACK--must have been that darn neck tie! Anyway, I corrected the impressions and thanked them for coming and supporting the work. We meet up with Rwandan doc filmmaker Olivier Uwayezu who was one of about 20 students who were accepted in the George Washington University International Emerging Filmmaker Fellowship program--I met him at the State Dept. briefing in DC last month.

We got back to the hotel just in time for me to fall asleep....

ACT TWO, SCENE THREE

EXT. DAY. BUTARE.

We're heading to the NUR Radio Station and on the way we make a quick stop at the library that's be set up nearby. Nick, a Fulbright Scholar from Florida International University is eagerly awaiting the arrival of a tech support person to help get the Internet service back online. Its a nice space! All the current issues of WIRED, TIME and various magazine are neatly placed on the tables. Books are properly shelved, and PC terminals and keyboards evenly spaced near the longest wall. Though it was empty today, Nick told us on days when there are programmed activities the room is packed.

Nick also happens to have a Mac with the correct AC adapter. Patti's laptop is running down and we spend a few moments making the correct connections for charging it up. There's a public screening of Patti's documentary COME BACK TO SUDAN later on in the NUR Auditorium and we vow to come back and pick Nick up.


INT. SAME DAY. N.U.R. RADIO STATION.

The Stations is down the road a piece from the library and after we climb down from our SUV I draw the short straw to be interviewed. We're met by the Director and shortly thereafter the young staffers begin setting up for the interview. Our young journalist is quite the interviewer and the conversation covers a lot of ground in what feels like a very few minutes but what turns out to be closer to a half-hour. Wrapping up, we get to ask him a few questions and he speaks about his programming responsibilities as well as his professional ambitions. His story, like many of those we've heard so far, consists of a deeply held desire to make something of himself as well as contribute to the growth of his country. And though we wished him luck it honestly seems like he's going to succeed in making his own!


EXT. SAME DAY. BUTARE.

We pick Nick up and head on over to the NUR campus. Even with darkness approaching the campus is still very attractive and we all remark how pleasant the learning environment must be for the students. We get to wait a few minutes for the technical crew to set up (we're early) and wait outside as the day gradually cools. A group of young men in gii's are stretching and practicing their routines for what is obviously about to take place soon--a karate lesson. All eyes are on them and just as they start lining up for the lesson, we're invited into the auditorium and take our seats.

The crew warms the audience up with a few music videos and then Dr. Mukama introduces the first speaker (faculty member from Theater and Performing Arts), who then introduces Patti to the audience. The film screens very well in this space! Patti does a Q&A with the audience and then we're off to a celebratory dinner at the hotel.


INT. HOTEL. BUTARE

After changing into a clean shirt, I hurry over to the hotel restaurant where they've set things up for us. All the invited guests (faculty, staff, and students) are mixing and I join in. The hotel staff bring in the last trays and we slowly line up. The first course, as apparently is the custom, is soup, followed by chicken, fish, assorted local vegetables and mixed crab salad--laid out for us buffet style. Eddie (from the Embassy) greets everyone and she's followed by Dr. Mukama. We dig in.

I'm directly across the table from him and I quickly learn about the instructional needs, curriculum goals, and ambitions for the institution. By now we're all talking about my getting a Fulbright and coming over during my sabbatical (whenever I can arrange it). Next summer has possibilities as well and we begin to explore how we can collectively program workshops and some courses. The conversation shifts to talk about problems with infrastructure and I begin smiling as I hear the same kind of complaints I'm used to writing memo after memo after memo about.... We share more stories, discuss potential collaborations and funding options and before you know it, everyone's had dessert and we're all exchanging business cards, DVDs and assurances of seeing each other again soon.


INT. HOTEL. MY ROOM.

So this is the first time I'm sleeping under a net since I was a Boy Scout in High School. Everything is clean and comfortable and as I shrug out of the day's clothes I check the screens for a tight fit (and any holes) and begin tucking the net around the sides of the bed. The phone is hooked up for charging, the door is secured, the curtains drawn--and the sandman takes me off to the first good night's sleep I've had since the night before I boarded the airplane at Logan.

ACT TWO, SCENE TWO

EXT. SAME DAY. HOTEL MATER BONIS CONSILII, BUTARE.

Packed not too uncomfortably in the SUV, we finally hit the came upon the legendary byways of Africa on the last half mile or so to the hotel. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.....

As experienced everywhere we've been so far, the staff are professional and genuinely courteous. The exterior is carefully detailed and the grounds are well looked after. As with each hotel we've stayed in there's a security person on duty at the front/gate. Each of us checks in and is given a room key and its a pleasure to see how comfortable the room is--nothing fancy, a good traveler's hotel. No wonder it was almost completely booked when our reservations were made.

We hustle on over to the National University of Rwanda campus which one could easily mistake for a small, prosperous college somewhere in California. The grounds are well kept, teh buildings have the 70's quad/mod look, and of course students walking/talking easily among themselves on the way to class. Not untypical of any healthy academic community. We meet several people immediately including Dr. Evode Mukama, director of the Centre for Instructional Technology, faculty and a couple of students. We get a short tour on our way to the outgoing Director of Academic Instruction for the School of Journalism's office and then we settle down to discuss some of the specific needs/wants of their students.

Patti and I put together quite an instructional package for the workshops, mostly because the specifics of what the student/teachers wanted weren't all that clear. We understood we have latitude but all that does is make one feel even more responsible--so we over prepared. This meeting gave us as much better feel for the circumstances and on the short walk over we sorted thru several approaches for how to work with the materials we had, then confidently strode into the classroom.

What we found were 60 or so bright, eager and determined young men and women. We took a few moments to set up the computer, LCD projector; sort and stack handouts--all while the students waited patiently. Then with a nod between us we greeted the class and Patti and I introduced ourselves, taking a few moments to talk about our respective career paths which, interestingly, both started with studies in Journalism. When then shifted gears and started in with a few general questions and concepts and we got what were told to expect! The students tossed philosophical and ethical questions at us, and we responded with more challenges and examples, and more quesitons for them.

Patti had made an extra effort to identify clips from the package of films we were carrying from the American Documentary Showcase 2010 catalog. These reinforced our lectures quite nicely and the students kept asking for more! At some point, someone suggested we take a break, and after cooled fruit juice and one or two individual conversations we went back to work.

What most impressed me was the way in which the students grappled with the hard and fast rules that come with journalism, as opposed to those that, frankly, don't exist in non-fiction filmmaking. (I use the contemporary term "non-fiction", as distinct from the more traditional "documentary".) We covered a broad range of subject matter--finding a story that connects, research, understanding how passion and commitment are the driving force behind most docs that get made (and why many don't); elements that one finds in most documentaries such as interviews and their role in shaping the story; camera techniques; responsibilities to the subject (and to the documentary)--and of course photos, music, animation/graphics, voice-over, stock film, etc. and how they are commonly and uncommonly used in documentary filmmaking.


We took an hour for lunch at a local restaurant frequented by many Europeon travelers and the food was delicious! Then we jumped back in again--this time improvising on our own improvisation by giving the students the opportunity to speak about their own project proposals. We gave them positive suggestions and encouragement whenever possible. Several times we revisited some of the ethical issues posed earlier and we made sure to address them--sometimes reinforcing the concepts with clips, other times using examples common to all people.

When we looked up to take a breather we realized class was over--and there was so much more material to cover!

It was pretty clear the students wanted more from us--one looked me rather seriously in the eye and demanded to know when I would be back to finish. I promised I would be at the first opportunity! We distributed out handouts along with a bunch of other freebees. (I was nearly mobbed when I handed out Framingham State College ink pens!)

Afterward we both admitted to exhaustion--the kind that comes from students who are excited to learn from you and pick your brain for every bit of information they can get!

I do plan on coming back to Rwanda to teach and I hope to have a class just like that one again...!

ACT TWO, SCENE ONE

INT. MORNING. KIGALI SERENA HOTEL

After a croissant, scrambled eggs, and passion fruit juice, we are met by Eddie (PAO) and Charles (PAS) at the front desk and have our bags loaded into a muscular SUV for the trip to Kigali. There's a small mixup as the hotel bill ends up on our individual credit cards as opposed to the State Dept's. local account but Eddie takes care of it and we're off.

EXT. SAME DAY. ROAD TRIP!

If I hadn't mentioned it before nows the time to point out that the first thing you smell when you get off the plane (something that continues throughout our stay in Kigali) is the smell of burning wood. It's not overpowering, but omni-present--and from what I hear its an "African smell"--ubiquitous on the continent and a warm welcome for the returning traveler. Indeed, its something to embrace for the first-timer as well....

As we leave the City one is immediately engaged in a visual montage of the cleanest streets imaginable, the hustle and bustle of well-dress people going to work on foot, motobike, or crowded mini-bus; varied small-business fronts housed in short, very modern buildings, and the sidewalks the giving out to dirt trails that connect to evenly carved steps that lead upward to families' homes.

For the first few miles these small-to-mid-sized dwellings frequent the terraced hills and roadside landscape. Almost all are made from brick, stone, adobe--or some combination. And as we move further from the central city, one can see them being constructed (completely by hand!) in nearly every town or community. Some have terracotta roofs, others have corrugated metal, one or two have steel. Imbedde above their doors and atop some windows, like a talisman, are a variety of open-design cinderblocks, and nearly every one is neatly painted, surrounded on one side or the other by vegetation and most lie under or near trees.

Further out, the homes are spread out in the landscape; sometimes bigger, sometimes more demanding of the time and skill of their builders. Distinct 'plots' of farmed land become visible and I am told these belong to families (subdivided by kinship, marriage). And where one simply assumes the bustle of the City is tied into the dynamic of economics, it becomes clear that this work ethic has its origins in country life. Every plot is hand-watered, every row of crops is hand sewn/harvested, and people are here and there lifing soil with steel-bladed, wooden-handled hoes. Talk about an industrious people--the Rwandans I saw are the very definition!

And now we settle in for the multi-hour drive....

First let me state, this is not the land of "1,000 Hills"--its the land of 100,000 hills! We climb, curve, dip, climb, and climb again--and repeat this hour after hour. People are out and about. And the car rapidly gives way to the utility of the bicycle onto which EVERYTHING is ported that is not carried atop the head. Men, women, children (as in "tots") are living, playing, working and walking along side this road. The road itself is a well kept two lane highway with sidewalks in some place, well defined pathways in others.And the gap between the traffic and the walkways is less than a foot in most places--perhaps just a few inches in others!

Young children guide even younger ones aside when the sound of a motor approaches and adults just as knowingly step inward to let the vehicles pass, then continue onward. Uniformed students appear on the playgrounds in some communities, churches here and there. Intersections seems to define the boundaries of several regions and/or towns and there gather people waiting for the mini-bus and motorbike taxis, or they stop to fill their tank at the gas station, or trade goods with their fellow citizens.

But these communities are in and among HILLS. I'm talking about long stretches of unbelievably windingly steep hills!! I started sweating just thinking about how winded I would be after trying the shortest of them! The cyclists carrying water jugs, baskets, furniture, buidling materials, etc. wherever and however they can balance them, then walk their bicycles up hill and (I'm sure) gleefully take in the breeze downhill.

ACT ONE, SCENE FOUR

INT. NIGHT. KIGALI, RWANDA

Patti Bonnet and I met for brunch earlier today to get to know each other a little better and to talk strategy about our workshops! Afterward we took a short walk a few blocks around the hotel and noticed this area seems to be attractive to a number of foreign embassies. It was a VERY quiet Sunday afternoon for the most part until we found ourselves at a major intersection with many small businesses and a traffic circle which stood opposite a wonderful view of the countryside.

Its quite interesting to pick up little differences in the culture. For example, not one man I saw wore jewelry, and all were dressed in what we would call "casual"--no shorts, long sleeve shirts open at the collar, shoes. One would expect there to be a large number of motorbikes as they are so fuel efficient, but as it turns out most are taxis. The drivers wear vests with their license number stitched on and they carry an extra helmet for the passenger!

A few hours ago we finished a formal/informal meeting followed by dinner with our State Department colleagues who will be with us for the rest of our journey here. During the meeting we had teh pleasure of meeting the director of the Rwandan Film Festival (Pierre Kayitana)---and what an interesting young man he is and what a remarkable story he has to tell!

The Festival is in its 6th year and in each of the preceding years, they've focused on films from different countries. They made great strides in attracting broad audiences for their films (the actor/activist Danny Glover was a recent guest), and with the support of the Ministry of Sports and Culture, the festival Board of Directors, and various partners--Eric Kabera (the founder and chair), Pierre and a staff of about 15 young people have worked hard to create this very impressive venue for films--a tremendous success story, not only about programming a successful two-week event, but also helping to create a Rwandan film industry from the ground up. (Interestingly, the first week of the festival is spent driving into the surrounding countryside and using an inflatable screen to project the works to audiences, most of whom would not have access to these stories as there are no formal theaters in Rwanda. This is something these folks are working on as well!)

They've had Canadian, French and a few other European film companies come and produce their films in Rwanda. And why not? The temperatures are pretty constant (62 at night and 85 degrees during the days), the rainy season lasts only a few weeks, and winters are very mild. Just as importantly, there are few restrictions for filmmakers to enter the country with their equipment and work. Little to no fees exist for the most commonplace in-country support (even the Police feels its their duty to assist filmmakers when the need crowd control!) And there are roads to nearly every part of the country. Of course the landscape is incredible, and the Rwanda Film Institute (major organizer of the Festival) is helping to create the talent pool that will support film and filmmaking in the Country for many years to come.

They are also planning to step up their game--move their instructional capabilities from the workshop model to a diploma/degree curriculum. They've invested in a new (potential) location for the school and have even found a splendid vantage point nearby to erect a "HILLYWOOD" sign across a the crest of the hill. And believe it or not--most of the people involved in this effort are in their 20's. What a wonderful time to be in on the ground floor of creating the first-ever regional center for filmmaking in this part of Africa!

Well....tomorrow is the big day! We're up early and on the road by 7AM headed to Butare (40+ miles away) to begin our first workshops at the School of Journalism at the National University of Rwanda. We've asked all the questions we could think of and our State Dept. crew has provided us with all the information they have.


So---ACT TWO begins!

ACT ONE, SCENE THREE

INT. DAY (AFTERNOON). BOSTOM MEDICAL CENTER

There are several "Travel Clinics" in the Boston area and as you can image this time of year their schedules are pretty tight. Having never been to the continent, its important to have your inoculations up to date, and in the case of Rwanda, you can't get in without having a certificate of inoculation for Yellow Fever.

So I made an appointment at one clinic with the understanding that they might not have the serum, then connected with the Boston Medical Center's travel clinic who seemed to have plenty on hand (naturally, I canceled the former before going.)

BMC's travel clinic l is located right next to the on/off ramp for Rte. 93, corner of Mass Ave and Melina Caas. After winding your way through and past some construction plastic you find the clinic. I was early because I knew I had to complete their registration forms and the woman at the window (I'll call her "Janice") was very straight forward and professional about the whole thing when I arrived. I sat down with my number and my slip of paper and darned if one of my students wasn't sitting there as well. He works for one of the airlines and was planning a swing through India and SE Asia and of course was getting his shots. He'd been there a while and there was some snafu so he was patiently waiting for the next available provider. Apparently he travels abroad quite frequently and we sat back and chatted for a while until his number came up. (Very interesting young man--nice to have him as a student!--even if he was carrying all his belongings in a paper bag instead of a backpack....)

I turned in my clipboard and Janice and I had a few moments to talk. At some point she told me her son had died of AIDS (blood transfusion) and how she spent his last months/days giving him care at home. The loss was very plain but its also plain that she's a spirited person. There was a lot about the experience that had strengthened her--and she still found a way to keep a sense of humor.

Finally, I got to see the doctor. I brought my list of medications and we examined my medical history in depth--or as best I could manage. Talk about living a sheltered life! I've never had mumps, measles, chicken pox--nor any of the other so-called childhood diseases or infections--so I was prepared to become a pin-cushion for the next hour or so if necessary. Turns out it was--Hep A & B, typhoid, YF, Polio, Meningitis--eight shots in all!--and a bunch of pills to take with me. (And this was all out of pocket!)

While I was getting the shots, I was signed up for a post-travel survey. The young woman who signed me up kept me busy talking while the male nurse gave me the shots.

This was something of a flashback to the days when I was trotted around from one clinic to another when I was a kid. There's always a dingy quality to those places--chairs arranged to accommodate the space and not the sitter, institutional green or beige-painted walls, with the ubiquitous out-of-place prints of sunsets and close-ups of flora; a TV set blaring in the corner (at least this one was HD!), and a lot of people getting familiar with each other at volumes that always challenge the receptionist's ability to hear the phone complete the picture.

Before it seemingly took years to find out what was wrong but it was interesting to see that the quality of care wasn't affected by the drap surroundings.

ACT ONE, SCENE TWO

EXT. DAY. WASHINGTON, DC (hot, HUMID!)

INT. DAY GEO. WASHINGTON UNIV. ELLIOT SCHOOL FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

(FANTASTIC!!)

The Documentary Center at GWU hosted an exciting and extremely interesting gathering of filmmakers, film students, and international programming experts for the all-day meeting. The State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (BECA) staff were there along with Betsy McLane and Susan Ruch to lead us through the day-long seminar and briefing.

About a third of the 2010 American Documentary Showcase filmmakers and experts were on hand--Karen Rodriguez ("Notes on Liberty"), Aaron Wolf ("King Corn"), Kim Snyder ("Welcome to Shelbyville"), Doan Hoag ("Oh, Saigon"), M.K. Asante, Jr., David Novack ("Burning the Future: Coal in America"), Niklas Vollmer ("Reading the Water"), and Oscar Nominee, Rebecca Camissa ("Which Way Home"). A few of the 2009 filmmakers were there, too! Ben Niles ("Note By Note: The Making of Steinway L1037"), Alex Rotaru, Alice Elliot ("Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy), and of course, me.

We began with the AmDoc filmmakers gathering in a circle--and each doc-maker introducing themselves, their films, a bit about their own personal history, and plans for the Showcase. Several of the experts and filmmakers have already traveled abroad on behalf of the program and each took a turn talking about their experience. Since the program is offered to Embassies worldwide, each much not only select the film title and filmmaker, but must also pro-offer a program of activity that maximizes exposure of the work and its author(s). The entire thrust of the effort is to engage artists as cultural diplomats--bridging political and culture gaps through the shared (and universal) language of film.

[ The "expert" is there to facilitate discussion that helps place the films in the context of documentary cinema, as well as highlight the fact that many controversial subjects/issues are shared by people worldwide (such as health care, environment, immigration). The filmmaker is there to discuss her/his work and, hopefully, engage the audience in a way that can have lasting ("transformative") effects. When more than one film is chosen, but the filmmaker is not present the "expert" takes over and promotes that film as well.]

We learned that once, in-country, the delegation is usually scheduled back-to-back for events that include screenings at high schools, universities, film festivals, as well as workshops and other gatherings that are open to the public. Staff from the Embassy escort the delegations from one location to another and where necessary, security is provided. We were told our medial/health coverage begins from the moment we stepped onto the plane to the moment we returned. And of course, all shots, passport and Visas preparations have to be dealt with in as far in advance as possible by each delegate.

The Embassy provides funds for meals and hotels (receipts for everything!) and of course everyone was asked to take pictures and video to document their stay but to also keep journals for a final report each delegate was obliged to make. (We were treated to a lot of the photos and several videos while the sessions progressed.) It was also stressed how important it was for each member of a delegation to do their homework on the host country; its cultures, geography, film schools, filmmakers--and that once confirmed, commitment to the schedule of dates is a serious one because Embassy staff and their partners go to great lengths to put these activities together.

Most of the delegations who traveled were interviewed by local media, so part of the briefing was conducted by the State Department's Media Relations group manager. Again and again it was stressed that we're not "policy makers" but as citizens we have the right to our own opinions--and certainly the divergent subject matter of the films underscores that the notion that we're there to engage different communities in dialogue about film. There was a strong interest in taking advantage of any opportunity that might arise to meet with local and/or regional documentary makers--and the ADS and State staff were much interested in making that a permanent part of the experience.

After a box lunch break the folks at GW brought in student fellows from the International Documentary Fellowship program. Now this was interesting--you have some of the top documentary filmmakers in the country in the same room with some of the top student filmmakers from abroad! Burkina Faso, Nicaragua, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Brazil, Armenia, Lamlaysia, Kenya, Pakistan, South Africa, Columbia, Egypt, Nepal, Cambodia, Chana, Kyrgyzstan, Zimbabwe, Indonesia, and--Rwanda! So--another round of introductions and off we go again!

I met this interesting young man from Rwanda (Olivier Uwayezu) who traveled many many miles to take part in this fellowship program. I hope to stay in contact with him as we come nearer to our arrival in his home country. All serious filmmakers they have just 6-weeks to research, produce, and edit a short documentary that will be screened in important venues in DC and NYC, as well as attend workshops and discussions, including the SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival, and the International Documentary Festival in the latter part of June. The young many from Zimbabwe (Simon deSwardt) was working on a film about folks who were organizing an effort to gather human hair to be used to help combat the oil spill in Louisiana. What a timely subject!

So after a full and exhausting (in a good way) day, I headed back to my hotel. Somewhere around M Street I got a call that dinner had been moved up from 7 PM to that moment, so I U-turned and found Besty, Susan (from State) Sandra, Niklas, and Alex at a nice little Italian restaurant across from the their hotel.

So...a day late (updating the Blog) but not a dollar short! Now off to the DC Historical Society to begin research on another documentary!

ACT ONE, SCENE ONE

EXT. DAY (HIGHWAY)

INT. CAR. GARMIN is having a bad day--must be the rain!

The further you get from the Central City the more obvious it becomes that much of the day-to-day living we engage in is dependent upon 18 wheels. "Transformers", recycled steel, rubber, ceramics; car parts, flowers, boats, "processed fuel" and petroleum products, peat, milk, bricks, horses, aluminum, wire, "fresh fruit", "seafood", pipes, pre-fabbed homes, "wax", backhoes, lumber, US Army Hummers---hauled by tractor trailers too numerous to count.

And when you look beyond the easily recognized carriers, the side panels reveal something quite interesting--Case Paper, Evergreen, Metropolitan, Cooper Powers, SouthWick, Barr-Run, Freight Master, Rozy Shack, Xtra, Swift, Speedy, Equity, Ceva, BRC, LKQ, GT, GTS, RLS, ASE, NEMF, GFI, Epes, Edge, New Century, Anchor, C&C, Synergy, Federal, Mogul, Cordall, Yang Ming, Clear Harbors, Digmans's, Forward Air, Prime, Jack & Jill, OBloom, Baldor...

Hard to tell if these are large or small companies but they have people and materials on the road. They are going about their business; keeping things flowing thru a densely intertwined network of goods exchanged and services provided--fundamental to how we construct (and maintain) our lives. And--like the documentaries in the American Documentary Showcase, these 18 wheelers can show us a portrait of not only who we are but what we are up to, and where we want to go.....

TEASER---THE ADVENTURE BEGINS

Most of us travel everyday thru environments that are saturated with media. Whether its two- or three-dimensional, moving image or acoustical--its increasingly difficult to differentiate our mediated environment from one without it. And of course we've become adept at manipulating the media we seemingly can't disconnect from. Whether its digital photographs, music files, or e-communication--we're pretty "smart" about our phones, our computers, our classrooms...

Sometimes we give ourselves room to experience "reality"--non-media driven reality. We vacate one location and relocate to another, different landscape--perhaps even "culture"--so that we can re-mind ourselves; reshape, recharge, refashion our consciousness by "getting away." But the reality of other people's experiences are not far from our minds. Its in the (e)books we take along, the music that plays in the background.... We escape only to allow ourselves to be recaptured by a 'new experience of reality'--or perhaps, just another's experience of reality...

Non-fiction (documentary) film and video has a way of giving us escape from our own (and nearby) selves so that we can observe how other people are dealing with 'reality'.

Like all other media its portable in many formats. By accepted conventions, non-fiction stories engage us in "serious" examination of events. They can be joyful, they can be overbearingly sad--but as with other media--we choose which type of experience (and how long to endure it) as both a means to recapture some notion of our selves and of our collective experience as human being whatever sub-category is applicable.

I've been many years making and studying non-fiction films that explore the human experience and recently, one of my works was added to a list of 30 films (including two Academy Award Nominees) that are being shared with 55+ countries at festivals, schools, embassy functions and the like. This year another collection of films is being gathered and films and filmmakers are traveling to nations around the world. I will have the privilege of serving as "expert" for several films and will accompany filmmaker Patti Bonnett to Rwanda during July 17-24.

I'm going to use this Blog both to report and to serve as a diary of my experience. (I will also post updates on my Facebook page as time permits.)

The adventure begins with a trip to Washington, DC for a State Department briefing this coming Wednesday!

rj