Documentary film will feature Ruth and Alex

Jamie Moffett, Philadelphia filmmaker and friend of the El Salvador Partners, is making great progress on "Return to El Salvador," his upcoming documentary. Jamie and his crew, including CBC members Ron and Betsy Morgan, will be traveling to El Salvador for another round of interviews and filming in July. Their plan is to meet up with Alex and Ruth, who will provide personal stories and commentary about the war and post-war context in El Salvador. Jamie's first visit to El Salvador for filming was in March 2009, when he and Julia Shields were part of the SHARE Election Observers with CBC's delegation.



Here's an excerpt from the Return to El Salvador Blog about the documentary project, where you can also find more information.

The atrocities of the Salvadoran civil war inspired many international human rights groups and faith communities to advocate for justice and peace in El Salvador. Two of the many Americans who became involved in the movement for peace are Dr. Betsy Morgan, a university professor who went on to write a documentary about Salvadoran refugees, and her husband, Ron Morgan, who has volunteered in relief efforts and election monitoring. The Morgans, along with many of their students and their church community (Central Baptist Church in Wayne, PA), have become outspoken advocates for peace and justice in El Salvador both during and after the civil war.

Jamie Moffett, this filmʼs director, was one of those students who heard the stories of El Salvador and was compelled to act. Moffett decided to make a film in which he would travel with Betsy and Ron to reconnect with their friends in El Salvador, and hear and document stories of what happened during the war and what life is like now. He and his crew are traveling to a place teeming with past and current struggle, both to share the stories of pain and suffering that have been kept silent for too long, but also to document the stories of hope. They are going with the desire to understand and communicate the aftermath of war.

Moffett believes that everyday Americans are unaware of the profound impact of their tax dollars and decisions of their elected representatives upon the lives of innocent people. He believes this precisely because, until recently, he himself was ignorant of the particulars of American involvement in El Salvador. He says, “There was just so much that I didn’t know until I started to research. Now that I know, I’m disappointed, upset, and I want to make sure that other Americans are given the opportunity to know the facts.”

With this film, Moffett goes beyond simply educating his fellow citizens on the facts of history. This project is a call to action, urging Americans to become involved in not only knowing the past, but in building a more just and peaceful future.

For more about the documentary and to pre-order a copy of the film, visit the website http://www.returntoelsalvador.com/.

Here's a brief trailer introducing the documentary.Return to El Salvador trailer on YouTube