Jul 10 2008
Darfur Now
Last night, and far too late — not in the hour but in the timing — Tina and I finally watched an amazing film written and directed by Ted Braun, one my former USC professors, and now a colleague. Darfur Now is a documentary that tells the story of six individuals fighting to free the Darfur region from the genocide wrought by the Sudanese government against its own people, perpetrated by mercenaries known as the Janjaweed. Featured in the story are a woman who lost everything and now fights as a rebel, a UN official working to provide food to refugees, a Los Angeles waiter who successfully writes and passes a law to divest California from Sudanese business interests, actor Don Cheadle (also featuring his pal George Clooney) who wrote a book on the conflict and hopes to use his celebrity to raise awareness, and finally, the U.N. Prosecutor who seeks to bring Sudanese war criminals to justice.
Darfur Now is wonderfully crafted. It’s a heart-wrenching and inspirational film that should serve as a call of action to those like me who sometimes feel that simply being informed about a subject is enough. Knowing is one thing, but doing is quite another. There is no more chilling moment in the film than when the Rebel Fighter claims that things will be better “when the white people come to help us.” Darfur Now delivers their message. Now it is up to us to respond. All of us.
Watch the film on DVD, and visit its official website to see what is being done and how you can help.
