I am thrilled to announce that Returned:Child Soldiers of Nepal's Maoist Army will be screening during the Atlanta Underground Film Festival, August 22, 2008 in Atlanta, GA. The film will be screened at The Plaza Theatre in Atlanta, Friday, August 22, 2008 at 5:00 pm.
Robert Koenig and Brandon Kohrt will be there holding a Q&A after the screening.
For more information about the festival go to:
http://festivalleague. com/docshorts2008. cfm
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
Child Soldiers in Nepal Get Help from Local Filmmakers
Child Soldiers in Nepal Get Help from Local Filmmakers
By Cassie Bouldin
Decatur, GA (June 23, 2008) – A team of Atlanta-based filmmakers is raising awareness for child soldiers in Nepal, and they’re winning awards in the process.
“This is a story that no one wants to hear because it is gruesome and it’s unbearably sad,” says Robert Koenig, President of Adventure Production Pictures. “We as Americans can’t imagine this type of brutality against a child, and sadly most Americans are unaware of the humanitarian crisis raging in Nepal.”
Koenig and his colleagues spent 12 weeks in Nepal interviewing children as young as 10 years old who were once ran away from home or were kidnapped and forced to fight for Maoist Guerillas. Filmmakers interviewed several of former child soldiers during the making of “Returned: Child Soldiers of Nepal’s Maoist Army”.
“No one wants to discuss this openly, especially on camera and it’s extremely dangerous to try to interview anyone in Nepal on this issue,” says Robert Koenig, Emmy-Award Nominated Producer & Director. “We were stonewalled and it was very difficult to get anyone on camera, for fear of retaliation.”
According to Human Rights Watch, Maoist guerillas have continued using child soldiers, and even recruited more children, despite signing a comprehensive peace agreement with the Nepali government almost two years ago.
“I witnessed the effects of this in person, during the past two years I’ve spent in Nepal working with Transcultural Psychosocial Organization Nepal,” says the documentary’s Director of Research Brandon Kohrt. Kohrt is a medical anthropologist at Emory University. “The saddest part is that after military service the children become outcasts and they can’t find work. Many are forced into abusive child marriages or run away to India.”
“Returned: Child Soldiers of Nepal’s Maoist Army” is a documentary video that follows several Nepali youths as they attempt to reintegrate back into civil society after their association with armed groups linked to the “People’s War.”
A preview of the film can be seen on You Tube. The film will debut during DocuFest, which takes place in Atlanta this August. In November it will be screened during the Society for Visual Anthropology's annual Film, Video and Interactive Media Festival as “Best Student Film”. It will also play during the United Nations Association Film Festival Film this fall.
###
To arrange an interview with Robert Koenig or Brandon Kohrt, please contact Cassie Bouldin by phone at 727-209-1745 or by email at cassie@savvybuzz.com.
“Returned” with be screened on Friday, November 21, 2008 at 11:40 AM during SVA Film Festival. The award ceremony will take place at the annual in San Francisco on November 19.
By Cassie Bouldin
Decatur, GA (June 23, 2008) – A team of Atlanta-based filmmakers is raising awareness for child soldiers in Nepal, and they’re winning awards in the process.
“This is a story that no one wants to hear because it is gruesome and it’s unbearably sad,” says Robert Koenig, President of Adventure Production Pictures. “We as Americans can’t imagine this type of brutality against a child, and sadly most Americans are unaware of the humanitarian crisis raging in Nepal.”
Koenig and his colleagues spent 12 weeks in Nepal interviewing children as young as 10 years old who were once ran away from home or were kidnapped and forced to fight for Maoist Guerillas. Filmmakers interviewed several of former child soldiers during the making of “Returned: Child Soldiers of Nepal’s Maoist Army”.
“No one wants to discuss this openly, especially on camera and it’s extremely dangerous to try to interview anyone in Nepal on this issue,” says Robert Koenig, Emmy-Award Nominated Producer & Director. “We were stonewalled and it was very difficult to get anyone on camera, for fear of retaliation.”
According to Human Rights Watch, Maoist guerillas have continued using child soldiers, and even recruited more children, despite signing a comprehensive peace agreement with the Nepali government almost two years ago.
“I witnessed the effects of this in person, during the past two years I’ve spent in Nepal working with Transcultural Psychosocial Organization Nepal,” says the documentary’s Director of Research Brandon Kohrt. Kohrt is a medical anthropologist at Emory University. “The saddest part is that after military service the children become outcasts and they can’t find work. Many are forced into abusive child marriages or run away to India.”
“Returned: Child Soldiers of Nepal’s Maoist Army” is a documentary video that follows several Nepali youths as they attempt to reintegrate back into civil society after their association with armed groups linked to the “People’s War.”
A preview of the film can be seen on You Tube. The film will debut during DocuFest, which takes place in Atlanta this August. In November it will be screened during the Society for Visual Anthropology's annual Film, Video and Interactive Media Festival as “Best Student Film”. It will also play during the United Nations Association Film Festival Film this fall.
###
To arrange an interview with Robert Koenig or Brandon Kohrt, please contact Cassie Bouldin by phone at 727-209-1745 or by email at cassie@savvybuzz.com.
“Returned” with be screened on Friday, November 21, 2008 at 11:40 AM during SVA Film Festival. The award ceremony will take place at the annual in San Francisco on November 19.
Friday, June 6, 2008
“Returned” wins Jury Award at the 2008 SVA/AAA Film, Video, and Interactive Media Festival
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: San Francisco, CA, June 06, 2008:
Peter Biella, Coordinator, Festival Jury contacted Brandon Kohrt to announce that the 2008 Film, Video and Interactive Media Festival jury has accepted his submission, “Returned: Child Soldiers of Nepal’s Maoist Army”. The jury gave it their "Best Student Film" award out of 17 highly competitive graduate student films in the category. Peter expanded on some of the jury’s comments: The jury was impressed with the documentary’s thoroughness in reaching many types of children, and its investigation into the children’s past, present and future lives. Peter said that the jury felt that the cinematography was sensitive and professional. The jury found the voices of the children to be very eloquent and the film’s argument quite coherent. Each jury member was impressed with the consistency, parsimoniousness and ethnographic sensitivity that the film embodied.
The award ceremony will take place in San Francisco on November 19. Jurors will read prepared commendations for the winning films and show clips. Robert Koenig and Brandon Kohrt will be present to accept the award and speak to the audience about the film.
Clips from award winners will be shown Wednesday night in addition to their regular screening dates. “Returned” with be screened on Friday, November 21, 2008 at 11:40 AM. All award-winning films are followed by a 15 to 20 minute break so that, if filmmakers choose to be present, they may discuss their film with the audience immediately after it has been screened.
“Returned: Child Soldiers of Nepal’s Maoist Army” is a documentary video that follows several Nepali youths as they attempt to reintegrate back into civil society after their association with armed groups linked to the “People’s War.” The child soldier issue in South Asia is quite different than the child soldier issues in Africa and after the major conflict ended in Nepal. The film examines why children join armed groups and explores ways to prevent future recruitment by following the lives of two girl soldiers and two boy soldiers. The children describe how they became associated with the Maoist People’s Liberation Army during the 11-year civil war between the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists and the government of Nepal. The children tell their individual stories, discussing both positive and negative aspects of their association with armed groups. These children are discovering quickly that the return home can be even more painful than the experience of war.
Peter Biella, Coordinator, Festival Jury contacted Brandon Kohrt to announce that the 2008 Film, Video and Interactive Media Festival jury has accepted his submission, “Returned: Child Soldiers of Nepal’s Maoist Army”. The jury gave it their "Best Student Film" award out of 17 highly competitive graduate student films in the category. Peter expanded on some of the jury’s comments: The jury was impressed with the documentary’s thoroughness in reaching many types of children, and its investigation into the children’s past, present and future lives. Peter said that the jury felt that the cinematography was sensitive and professional. The jury found the voices of the children to be very eloquent and the film’s argument quite coherent. Each jury member was impressed with the consistency, parsimoniousness and ethnographic sensitivity that the film embodied.
The award ceremony will take place in San Francisco on November 19. Jurors will read prepared commendations for the winning films and show clips. Robert Koenig and Brandon Kohrt will be present to accept the award and speak to the audience about the film.
Clips from award winners will be shown Wednesday night in addition to their regular screening dates. “Returned” with be screened on Friday, November 21, 2008 at 11:40 AM. All award-winning films are followed by a 15 to 20 minute break so that, if filmmakers choose to be present, they may discuss their film with the audience immediately after it has been screened.
“Returned: Child Soldiers of Nepal’s Maoist Army” is a documentary video that follows several Nepali youths as they attempt to reintegrate back into civil society after their association with armed groups linked to the “People’s War.” The child soldier issue in South Asia is quite different than the child soldier issues in Africa and after the major conflict ended in Nepal. The film examines why children join armed groups and explores ways to prevent future recruitment by following the lives of two girl soldiers and two boy soldiers. The children describe how they became associated with the Maoist People’s Liberation Army during the 11-year civil war between the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists and the government of Nepal. The children tell their individual stories, discussing both positive and negative aspects of their association with armed groups. These children are discovering quickly that the return home can be even more painful than the experience of war.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
