Saturday, January 3, 2009
Freedom Plaza
Based on a true story. While strolling down a Washington DC street toward Freedom Plaza, an Iraqi news correspondent confides a shocking secret to her colleague, an American news cameraman.
Freedom Plaza was an Official Selection in the 2007 Palm Springs International Festival of Shorts.
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I made this 5 minute short after becoming acquainted with an Iraqi news reporter in Washington DC over the period of about a year. After this conversation I immediately sat down and wrote it all down as the words and emotions were fresh. This is almost the exact dialog we had while walking down the street together that afternoon.
I was just trying to capture that moment in time, the concept that even though it was so relevant it was only one of a thousand conversations on a Washington DC street, coming out of nowhere into earshot and then disappearing, like it never happened with noone the wiser. Also, the redundant question about the leg was much worse in reality.
What I really learned is that even though I pay strict attention to current events and I feel that I am on top of those events, they always kept their distance. The harsh truth and reality of war was right next to me, my friend, and I didn't know. This delicate, petite woman was tougher and stronger than I ever could be.
I was inspired to post the short after reading blog entries at Truly Free Film.
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5 comments:
Peri, this is great. Thanks for posting it, and thanks for making it!
Rick
Peri, thanks for bringing a personal story to break through the flood of conventional media.
JR
Thanks for sharing... excellent story
well told...
Peri, Good for you for putting that out there. More people have to realize that there are ACTUAL human beings who are affected in real, lasting, life changing ways by the things that our country does. Actual peoples' lives changed forever by our implicit acceptance of our government's actions. We can't allow the United States government to dupe its people into another manufactured war.
"A lot of short films try to be something more than they really are. They razzle and dazzle, and try to fit as much bang into their five minutes that they can in order for the filmmaker to make a presence and establish their style. FREEDOM PLAZA takes an opposite approach by dealing with something as simple as the human condition, and by doing so creates an atmosphere that many of us experience time and time again, but never really put much thought into. This is where FREEDOM PLAZA becomes something more. Under sure handed direction and a script that feels all too real to many people, this film reminds us of how a simple conversation can put into perspective our emotions and how they relate to the events of a world desperately going wrong. It also lets us see how one person can be affected by these events as well. FREEDOM PLAZA didn’t take the easy way out with a lot of flash and filigree, which is why it endures. It’s a treasure."
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