Waimea Ocean Film Festival - Almost Sunrise
HOPE IS ON THE HORIZON - The inspiring true story of two friends, ex-soldiers, who embark on an epic journey to heal from their time in combat.
Interview with Director Michael Collins
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Back in 2012, I was volunteering for a veteran’s organization creating a video. One particular day, my interview subject casually mentioned, “Twenty-two veterans kill themselves every day.” It stopped me dead in my tracks. I thought I had misheard. I didn’t. That was a pivotal moment for me in this journey to make this film. I realized that there was a crisis in this country, taking place right in front of our eyes, one to which many of us, including myself, were blind. In that moment I knew my next film had to be about the veteran and military family experience. I wanted audience to have the opportunity that I was having, to hear their stories, walk in their shoes, and feel that connection and sense of responsibility to tackle these issues they are facing, together.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
On one hand, I made the film for veterans and their families. As a way to show those who may be struggling that there is hope, that they are not alone. And to shine a spotlight on different paths of healing that they may not have been familiar with, such as spending time in nature and the Power Breath Meditation Workshop (http://www.projectwelcomehometroops.org/).
But this is very much a film for everyone. As a civilian myself, I wanted other non-military viewers to witness this journey up-close, to create empathy. To give people a better understanding of what we are asking of our soldiers and their families to sacrifice when we send them to war. In fact it is often the non-veterans that have the most emotional response to the film.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Many great documentaries have been made about the recent wars, helping us to understand the struggles veterans face. But we wanted to pick up where so many leave off. This film is ultimately about hope and healing. It’s about moving forward towards solutions.
What I observed is that our main subjects, Tom and Anthony, brought out the best in everyone they met. As they approached a town, people would come out and try to serve them any way they could. Strangers might buy them a meal or offer them a place to sleep and do laundry. Some would seek them out just to thank them, encourage them, to share their stories, to walk with them for a few miles, or to give them whatever they could to help support their journey. It was like they saw some aspect of themselves in these guys and had a stake in their healing journey. Witnessing this was a tremendous gift.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
Our production was massive! Our main subjects, Tom and Anthony, walked through seven states: Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and California. From a filmmaking perspective it was wonderful to see nearly every terrain and landscape this beautiful country has to offer, and across many seasons. The American landscape itself is a character in the film.
I also always knew that I wanted this film to go beyond talking about PTS; to be looking ahead and starting a new conversation, but I wasn’t sure of exactly how. It was shortly after the trek began that my director of photography Clarissa de los Reyes sent me a link to an extraordinary three-fold article by senior war correspondent David Wood on the Huffington Post about Moral Injury. (http://projects.huffingtonpost.com/projects/moral-injury) It was so eye-opening and really helped shape the vision for the film.
Anthony, one the film’s main subjects has said “The PTSD wakes me up in the middle of the night, and the moral injury is what stops me from falling asleep in the first place.”
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We premiered at the Telluride Mountainfilm Festival in Colorado and we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect venue. So much of the transformation and healing that takes place in the film is in Colorado, so we have a special connection to that place. The reactions far exceeded anything we could have hoped for. People were so moved, both civilians and veterans. They were all touched by different aspects of the story, depending on their perspective. There were so many tears of gratitude and people inspired to work towards change together. One of the most common question we continue to get is “How can I share the film?”, which is why we created the community screening tour. To host a screening of the film in your community, please see here: http://AlmostSunriseMovie.com/
In Telluride we also launched our Impact Campaign through a series of activities outside of the screenings. We had a panel discussion on Moral Injury, took a sunrise trek with Anthony and Wolf Walker, Katinka led her powerful “Tracings of Trauma” performance and Dear Veteran community art projects, and we had a meditation session led by Tom that was so popular we had to turn people away!
We have since played in festivals and communities all over the country and Canada, and continue to see powerful, emotional reactions from civilians and veterans alike. Recently we were the centerpiece presentation at the Milwaukee Film Festival, and we won the audience award at the Reelworld Film Festival in Toronto.
We hope that veterans and their families will come out to see ALMOST SUNRISE in Hawaii. We recently found out that the Big Island has over 10,000 veterans that live here!
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The feedback has been tremendous. Especially from military families and social workers.
To hear reactions from families of veterans, please check out this short video from our world premiere at the Telluride Mountainfilm Festival in Colorado (where Tania Howard, festival director of Waimea Ocean Film Festival, first saw the film!): http://bit.ly/2buYt4P
As far as social workers are concerned, they are on the front line; they play such a vital role in the healing journey for veterans and their families. The film really spotlights the complexity of the veteran experience and what the family goes through when they return. It takes the conversation far beyond PTS and fear-based trauma to the nervous system. It dives into the wounds to the soul; the moral injuries that are more nuanced and require special care and attention to heal.
Social workers, like veterans, are driven by service. I think any opportunity to dive deeper into the experience of those we serve, to walk in their shoes and get a glimpse of the world from their perspective - it ultimately empowers us.
Recently we were invited to participate at the NYU Silver School "Social Work with Military Personnel, Veterans and their Families" Conference showing the film and participating in a Panel discussion about Moral Injury. It was one of the most dynamic conversations and question and answer sessions I’ve participated in. The response was overwhelmingly positive and has led to a number of new opportunities including a partnership to have targeted screenings within the VA system across New York state.
Benjamin Sher, MA, LMSW, who organized the conference said, “What a triumph…The film was the focal point at the conference.” In fact because of the success and the clear alignment in missions, we now have two social workers on our campaign advisory board. Together we plan to create opportunities for many more social workers to engage around the film and invite anyone to reach out to us who would like to host a screening.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I’m so grateful for this opportunity to share my experiences with your readers. We’d love to meet them! And invite them to come out to our screenings at the Waimea Ocean Film Festival. We have one today at the Parker Theater in Waimea, and one more on Sunday at the Four Seasons hotel.
The campaign we’re embarking on to support veterans is very grassroots, and I invite you all to learn more, stay connected with though our website so we can explore ways to bring these conversations and the film to those who need it most. And we’d love to hear from you, about your experiences with veterans and how we all can work together to properly welcome them home.
Website: http://sunrisedocumentary.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/almostsunrise/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/almost_sunrise
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We are currently looking for corporate brands and philanthropists to sponsor our community screening tour, and to bring the film to schools and VA hospitals across the country. We would also like to partner with local organizations that are on the ground doing healing work, like veterans groups, social workers, and holistic healers. And of course we always love to talk to journalists.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I see the film as only the first phase of the project. Of course I want it to stand alone as an “entertaining” piece that will get invited to festivals and broadcast on television, but I ultimately I’ve always envisioned it as a tool in a larger impact campaign to create change and promote healing.
Right now we are in the early stages of the Moving Mountains campaign that is outlined on our website (http://AlmostSunriseMovie.com/).
Our goal is to reach those communities beyond the festival audience who can benefit from the film the most. This is why we’ve just launched a massive grassroots screening initiative. We’re giving people a chance to easily host a screening of the film in their community, school or organization by visiting our site and clicking “Host a Screening”. Our recent participation at the NYU Military Social Worker’s conference, where we screened the film and had a panel discussion on moral injury, is a perfect example of this campaign in action. But we are just getting started and hope to do hundreds more in the coming years.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Every phase of this production was such a gift, often very humbling, but always an enlightening experience. To watch the mainstream media these days you would think there are two, very divided Americas. What I got to experience first-hand as my crew and I were welcomed into communities and invited into homes all across the country, was how much we have in common. How at our core we are connected by our humanity – and when we are at our best, our true nature is to care for and be of service to each other.
Would you like to add anything else?
We have four major goals as part of our Moving Mountains Impact Campaign.
They are: Promoting Wellness, Connecting Communities, Changing Legislation… But the very first one is Educating on Moral Injury. As part of our campaign I’ve participated on dozens of panel discussions on the topic. We are partnering with Moral Injury Project at Le Moyne College and some of the most prominent experts on Moral Injury to spark a national conversation. You can see video highlights from a powerhouse panel we had in DC here: http://bit.ly/2i84Dtq
I hope that all of us will gain a better understanding of moral injury because we can all relate to it. Ultimately I believe this knowledge will bring us closer to each other, and move us towards more peaceful solutions to conflict in the future.
Interview: January 2017
_______________________________________________________________________________
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
_______________________________________________________________________________
ALMOST SUNRISE
HOPE IS ON THE HORIZON - The inspiring true story of two friends, ex-soldiers, who embark on an epic journey to heal from their time in combat.
Length:
98 minutes
Director:
Michael Collins
Producer:
Marty Syjuco
Writer:
Michael Collins and Eric Daniel Metzgar
About the writer, director and producer:
Michael Collins, Director
Michael is a multi-awarded, Emmy® nominated filmmaker and the founder of Thoughtful Robot, a film production company that creates documentaries and impact campaigns that galvanize change. Michael’s first feature-length film "Give Up Tomorrow” (2011), seven years in the making, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2011 and won the Audience Award and a Special Jury Prize for Best New Director. The film went on to screen in over 80 festivals around the globe, winning 18 major international awards including seven Audience Awards, four Human Rights Awards and the Activism Award at Michael Moore’s Traverse City Film Festival. Additionally, "Give Up Tomorrow" was selected for the Britdoc Impact Award and was nominated for an Emmy® Award for Outstanding Investigative Journalism.
Marty Syjuco, Producer
Originally from the Philippines, Marty moved to New York City in 2000 and worked in film distribution at Focus Features, booking the theatrical releases of independent, commercial and Academy Award-winning films. In 2004 he took a leap of faith to pursue his passion: documentary filmmaking. His first feature "Give Up Tomorrow" has been seen by millions around the globe, including on the BBC, DR, SVT, Canal+ and on PBS in the USA as part of POV’s 25th anniversary season. In addition to being nominated for an Emmy® Award for Outstanding Investigative Journalism, the film has received recognition from the Grierson British Awards, Cinema Eye Honors, Amnesty International’s Media Awards, and the Britdoc Impact Award.
Key cast:
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
Funders:
Cooper Investments, Bertha Foundation, Sundance Institute, Fledgling Fund, Pare Lorentz Fund, Derek Freese Foundations, New York Council on the Arts, Tribeca Film Institute
Made in association with:
ITVS and POV, with support from CPB
Release date:
Television broadcast on award-winning documentary series POV on PBS scheduled for May 29, 2017 (Memorial Day)
Where will it screen in the next month?
2 major event screenings coming up!
1. Screening at the International House in New York City on Jan. 31, 2017 followed by Meditation Session the next morning:
http://www.ihouse-nyc.org/s/707/internal.aspx?sid=707&gid=1&pgid=3867&cid=6682&ecid=6682&crid=0&calpgid=254&calcid=2592
http://www.ihouse-nyc.org/s/707/internal.aspx?sid=707&gid=1&verbiagebuilder=1&pgid=3868&cid=6683&ecid=6683&crid=0&calpgid=2586&calcid=2618
2. Screening in San Diego as part of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival on Feb 4, 2017:
https://ff.hrw.org/film/almost-sunrise
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/human-rights-watch-film-festival-almost-sunrise-tickets-29590629369