52nd City

Darfur film to play Royale

I don't have a pithy lead for this one. So, here 'tis:

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Unconventional documentary follows ordinary citizens as they travel to Africa to meet with rebels, refugees, and humanitarian aid workers.

In December of 2006, three guys from Chicago traveled to the border of Chad and Sudan to get a first-hand look at the effects of the crisis in Darfur. Jim Milak, Jason Mojica, and G. Ryan Faith (an IT professional, a waiter, and a space policy wonk, respectively) had no previous experience as filmmakers. Shooting without a script, the three captured intimate interviews with reporters, activists, and aid workers in the region. They visited Gaga refugee camp, where 13,000 of the nearly 300,000 Darfuris displaced by the conflict live in makeshift quarters. They spent the Muslim holy day of Eid with the rebel leaders of Darfur's Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM), and met with Chadian officials to discuss the destabilizing effect the situation has had on the population of that central African nation..

Nearly one year later, the filmmakers will screen a rough cut of their film, "Christmas in Darfur?," in three U.S. cities, each event taking place in the casual confines of a bar, with local musicians taking on the role of DJ to provide an after-party soundtrack.

"The reason we chose to show the film in such an informal setting, is because the whole project got started over beer," says director, Jason Mojica. "The three of us were sitting on our barstools, wondering why nothing had been done about the crisis in Darfur which seemed to have such clear-cut good-guys and bad-guys. This led us to wonder if perhaps the situation was more complicated than it was being reported in the media. Then, after a few more drinks, Jim said, almost as a dare,'let's go.'"

The group raised funds for the three-week excursion via small donations on their website, http://www.christmasindarfur.org/ and kept their supporters up to date on their progress on its accompanying blog http://christmasindarfur.blogspot.com/

Proceeds from the December screenings will go toward the film's post-production costs. The filmmakers will be on had after each screening for a Q&A with the audience.

Christmas in Darfur? – U.S. Screenings – December 2007

Chicago
Monday, December 17 at 8pm
The Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, Chicago, IL
Admission $5 (advance tickets available via Ticketweb.com)
DJs: Whitney Johnson (Notes and Scratches) and
Betty Barnes (Saturday Looks Good to Me)

Washington, DC
Thursday, December 20 at 8pm
Bourbon, 2321 18th Street NW, Washington, DC
Admission: $5
DJs: Laura Burhenn (Georgie James) and Winston Yu (every other band in DC)

St. Louis
Sunday, December 23 at 5pm
The Royale, 3132 Kingshighway, St. Louis, MO
Admission: free, but donations accepted
DJs: Mark Early (Macro Meltdown) and Jerome Gaynor (STL Punk)