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Two years ago I met Molly McKissick, a teacher who was on her way to Bangladesh to set up children's schools in the Rohingya refugee camps. I was so incredibly moved by her and the work she was about to do and wished I could drop all of my obligations and go with her to document the story. Instead, however, I urged her to film as much as she could, in the chance I could edit a short film from her experience. I showed Molly how to hold the iPhone sideways to film and simply asked her to document as much as she could.
She did just that. Molly came home with incredible, haunting and deeply touching stories and footage of the Rohingya people (mostly women and children).
The most intriguing footage that haunted me for days was when Noor Kaida, a young Rohingya refugee, snuck Molly into the living quarters of the camps and let her film. At the time, no one was allowed to film inside the camps--and the place was buzzing with press after a recent attack on the Rohingya people in Myanmar. We meet Noor Kaida's family and her cousin who had just fled from Myanmar. Her cousin's husband had been shot just days before on the river as they escaped the burnings, shootings and raping of their people. These women. These children. These survivors stared into Molly's iPhone wide-eyed, honest and raw. No tears, no pleading, just raw and real and to my surprise with glimmering hope.
I knew there was a story. And I knew it had to be told. Molly raised $5,000 right away and I began editing in January, 2018.
However, how to tell this story and what the story would be, became a year long collaboration between Molly and me. Long conversations, script writing and re-writing, voice over recording and re-recording, long editing sessions that slowly chipped away to the core of the film, but constantly bringing me back to the haunting imagery as we follow Noor Kaida, the smiling and deeply intelligent young girl around her "birdcage," as she called it.
We invited friends, family and colleagues into our journey to offer thoughts and critique and soon enough we actually had a film. And a pretty good one at that. We received incredible gifts along the way--beautifully composed music, an incredible sound design and mix--all at base-line prices. You can't make a film on a budget like this without gifts from all over the place. Bottom line, all of us who have contributed to this film so far are giving for the Rohingya people. Working on this film has been transformative for me...and here is where my ask begins.
Honestly, when we began I didn't think this film would be a film for festivals. I thought perhaps we would send it around on-line to help raise awareness...and we certainly plan to do just that.
But, after a lot of work, we ended up with a film that deserves a wider audience to help raise awareness and offer a light inside this darkness. We submitted to festivals all over the world, and so far have been accepted into the Ethnografilm Festival in Paris, France and The Ashland Independent Film Festival in Ashland, Oregon where "We Are Blood" will premier.
Unfortunately, screening in festivals adds cost. To prep a film for screening in a theater, there are quite a few hard costs that we unfortunately don't have the funds for. Despite getting the base-line prices, we still need to raise at least another $2,000 for our 5.1 audio mix and DCP (the modern day screener). And if we raise more, we can help send Molly to Paris to represent the film (for which one of us needs to be present).
At the festivals, we intend to pass out postcards ready for people to send to the Chairmen of House and Senate Foreign Affairs Committees to demand the State Department call the crimes committed by Myanmar's security forces against Rohingya Muslims "genocide." The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution (394 votes to 1) declaring crimes committed by Myanmar’s security forces constitute genocide, a distinction that carries legal ramifications. The State Department and the Senate have “steered clear” of such distinction, preventing a mandatory obligation to take action. The best way to support the Rohingya people now is by pushing the message to the State to demand action that can prevent a culture from complete annihilation. After the Premier at Ashland Independent Film Festival, we will share the film link widely to help spread the message to the world.
This project has been a true labor of love for both of us. While I received payment for my work (albeit very small), Molly hasn't taken a cent from her hours of contribution. We've been as conservative as possible, applying to festivals where we would have a couch to sleep on, etc.--but, travel will also add up.
So, with that, any support would be SOOOOO greatly appreciated! And, any extra funds we may have, we will use to directly support the Rohingya people.
I know there are a million things out there to support. Please, only donate, if this one speaks to you as it does to me.
I make movies for these kinds of stories. Stories that build bridges and empathy across worlds so incredibly disparate.
To see the first two minutes of the short film, click on the title below.
"We Are Blood"
A kindergarten teacher finds grace in the smiles and play of Rohingya children and dignity in the eyes of their mothers inside Bangladesh’s refugee camps where a culture faces extinction.
She did just that. Molly came home with incredible, haunting and deeply touching stories and footage of the Rohingya people (mostly women and children).
The most intriguing footage that haunted me for days was when Noor Kaida, a young Rohingya refugee, snuck Molly into the living quarters of the camps and let her film. At the time, no one was allowed to film inside the camps--and the place was buzzing with press after a recent attack on the Rohingya people in Myanmar. We meet Noor Kaida's family and her cousin who had just fled from Myanmar. Her cousin's husband had been shot just days before on the river as they escaped the burnings, shootings and raping of their people. These women. These children. These survivors stared into Molly's iPhone wide-eyed, honest and raw. No tears, no pleading, just raw and real and to my surprise with glimmering hope.
I knew there was a story. And I knew it had to be told. Molly raised $5,000 right away and I began editing in January, 2018.
However, how to tell this story and what the story would be, became a year long collaboration between Molly and me. Long conversations, script writing and re-writing, voice over recording and re-recording, long editing sessions that slowly chipped away to the core of the film, but constantly bringing me back to the haunting imagery as we follow Noor Kaida, the smiling and deeply intelligent young girl around her "birdcage," as she called it.
We invited friends, family and colleagues into our journey to offer thoughts and critique and soon enough we actually had a film. And a pretty good one at that. We received incredible gifts along the way--beautifully composed music, an incredible sound design and mix--all at base-line prices. You can't make a film on a budget like this without gifts from all over the place. Bottom line, all of us who have contributed to this film so far are giving for the Rohingya people. Working on this film has been transformative for me...and here is where my ask begins.
Honestly, when we began I didn't think this film would be a film for festivals. I thought perhaps we would send it around on-line to help raise awareness...and we certainly plan to do just that.
But, after a lot of work, we ended up with a film that deserves a wider audience to help raise awareness and offer a light inside this darkness. We submitted to festivals all over the world, and so far have been accepted into the Ethnografilm Festival in Paris, France and The Ashland Independent Film Festival in Ashland, Oregon where "We Are Blood" will premier.
Unfortunately, screening in festivals adds cost. To prep a film for screening in a theater, there are quite a few hard costs that we unfortunately don't have the funds for. Despite getting the base-line prices, we still need to raise at least another $2,000 for our 5.1 audio mix and DCP (the modern day screener). And if we raise more, we can help send Molly to Paris to represent the film (for which one of us needs to be present).
At the festivals, we intend to pass out postcards ready for people to send to the Chairmen of House and Senate Foreign Affairs Committees to demand the State Department call the crimes committed by Myanmar's security forces against Rohingya Muslims "genocide." The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution (394 votes to 1) declaring crimes committed by Myanmar’s security forces constitute genocide, a distinction that carries legal ramifications. The State Department and the Senate have “steered clear” of such distinction, preventing a mandatory obligation to take action. The best way to support the Rohingya people now is by pushing the message to the State to demand action that can prevent a culture from complete annihilation. After the Premier at Ashland Independent Film Festival, we will share the film link widely to help spread the message to the world.
This project has been a true labor of love for both of us. While I received payment for my work (albeit very small), Molly hasn't taken a cent from her hours of contribution. We've been as conservative as possible, applying to festivals where we would have a couch to sleep on, etc.--but, travel will also add up.
So, with that, any support would be SOOOOO greatly appreciated! And, any extra funds we may have, we will use to directly support the Rohingya people.
I know there are a million things out there to support. Please, only donate, if this one speaks to you as it does to me.
I make movies for these kinds of stories. Stories that build bridges and empathy across worlds so incredibly disparate.
To see the first two minutes of the short film, click on the title below.
"We Are Blood"
A kindergarten teacher finds grace in the smiles and play of Rohingya children and dignity in the eyes of their mothers inside Bangladesh’s refugee camps where a culture faces extinction.
Organizer and beneficiary
Molly McKissick
Beneficiary