....never allows the exposition to overwhelm the visual aspects of the storytelling.... - Variety Magazine
..The film shows Diallo as a whole person, not just as a symbol of a police shooting in New York City... - About.com
..The work.. reminds us that before we are Guineans or Americans or any other nationality, we are first and foremost human beings... - Black Star Journal
DEATH OF TWO SONS TRAILER:
41 Shots
On Feb. 4, 1999, four New York City Police officers killed African immigrant Amadou Diallo on his own doorstep in a hail of 41 bullets. The inhumanity of Amadou..s death outraged African-Americans, so often the victims of such violence themselves, and people of all ethnicities took to the streets in protest.
And yet, despite all the publicity, how many of those marching in Diallo..s name could tell you what his native language was or place Guinea on a map?
Two Lives
Jesse Thyne knew Amadou..s history better than any other American. An exuberant Peace Corps volunteer from Pasadena, CA, Jesse was assigned to Amadou..s home village in Guinea, West Africa. He..d been ..adopted.. by members of Amadou..s family and lived in their house. While Amadou sold hats and gloves on a New York City street corner to save money for college, Jesse was learning to speak the local language and teaching Guinean children math.
When Amadou died, people in Guinea turned to Jesse for an explanation. Jesse was present at Amadou..s funeral, where he sat with the Diallo family and served as a translator for American journalists.
Two Tragic Deaths
In January of 2000, almost a year to date after Amadou..s death, Jesse was killed in a brutal car accident on a Guinean highway. The taxi driver responsible for Jesse..s death spent three years in a Guinean prison .. a harsher-than-usual punishment. Amadou..s killers walked free.
Jesse..s death, like Amadou..s, was used as a rallying cry against endemic problems. While thousands of Americans protested Amadou..s death, thousands of Guineans came together to march for road safety awareness in a country notorious for reckless driving. Like Amadou, Jesse was repatriated to his home soil for burial. Both families had premonitions and dreams foreshadowing the deaths of their sons, and both deaths had a profound spiritual impact on their nation..s religious communities.
One Story
Death of Two Sons follows the life histories of Amadou and Jesse as their dreams led them to each other..s home countries. The film looks at the religious, social and political implications of their deaths, raising painful and difficult questions about race and global disparities of justice. Beyond examining the broad societal aspects of these events, the film leads us to a very personal truth: that the loss of any human life is equally tragic. Death of Two Sons shows the common humanity shared by these young men, their families, and their nations.
Micah Schaffer, Director
After studying history and anthropology at Stanford University, Micah worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guinea, West Africa. While attending the Pan-African Film Festival (FESPACO), he was inspired to become a filmmaker. Upon returning to the United States, he attended NYU..s Tisch School of the Arts. Micah directed several short documentaries, including ..Yahya,.. the story of a white American who converts to Islam while living in Brooklyn. Micah was the cinematographer on ..Shadows of a Leader: Gadaffi..s Female Bodyguards,.. an official selection at the Montreal World Film Festival. He is currently working on a documentary about Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, Africa..s first female president.
Alrick Brown, Producer
Alrick, currently a graduate student at NYU..s Tisch School of the arts, was one of four filmmakers featured in the hit IFC Documentary series ..Film School,.. produced by Academy-Award nominee Nanette Burstein. A writer and teacher, Alrick has found his calling directing and producing narrative films and documentaries on social issues affecting the world at large. For over two years he served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cote d..Ivoire. Alrick..s collective work has screened in over thirty national and international film festivals and has received numerous awards. At present, he is in pre-production for his thesis film, ..Us: A Love Story.. and a feature documentary ..From Waxx to Digital.. as well as writing his first feature screenplay, a psychological thriller entitled ..The Man With the Gun...
I told you I would let you know about a show I am acting in -- lots of laughs! It would be great to meet some fellow rpcv's in nyc.
We also use the space for showing films and workshopping material, if you might be interested, let me know.
'Adventures in Mating' By Joseph Scrimshaw
Inspired by the style of "Choose Your Own Adventure" books, the fate of a dysfunctional couple on a blind date is determined by audience choices. With over 60 possible scripted scene combinations Adventures in Mating is never the same show twice.
"... a fun show from a young and exuberant company" - NYTheatre.com
Alternating casts (check website for scheduling): Steve Chapelle, Cesa Kobe-Smith, Tom Lacey, Bree O'Connor, Sarah Paige, Ben Perry
Directed by Bree O'Connor
Every Thursday at 8:00pm at the 43 stage at Jimmy's (43 E. 7th St., NYC)
TV premier??? CONGRATS!! You gotta email folks...i would have loved to spread the news so that more people could be exposed to the story and your film. Please keep me on your email list :O)
Hey!
My REAL bio is now posted on my blog and all of my tracks are now available at myspace. Hope you are having a nice week.
And my prayers go out to the families affected by the tragic events at VA. Tech :(
kj
