deadCENTER Film Festival 2009

The horrific and systematic murder of nearly half a million people ceases to be a distant reality in this film about the ongoing genocide in Darfur. Dramatic first-hand accounts are interwoven with expert analysis of the devastating situation, and international activists offer insight into the tangible options available for affecting change. These are the voices of people in action - voices that represent a call for peace that is essential to the human spirit.UNICEF Ambassador, activist and actress Mia Farrow shares moving accounts of her many visits to the refugee camps in Southern Darfur, Eastern Chad, and the Central African Republic. Together with these riveting stories, Professor Eric Reeves - a 10-year Sudan researcher and activist - offers a clear analysis of the political climate of the region - while Darfuri contributors, ranging from an award-winning human rights leader on the ground to activist leaders in the U.S., paint a vivid picture of life in Darfur before and after the conflict broke out.Nobel Peace Prize winners, legislators, community leaders, international activists, college students and fifth graders all join together to speak for those who cannot sit in front of a camera today to tell their stories. They clearly convey the complexity of this crisis, guide the audience toward many available resources, and invite them to act now. Like those of the leaders that came before them, these 'Familiar Voices' inspire, empower, and call to effective action a new anti-genocide generation.