FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - "All God's Children" World Premiere at Sarasota Film Festival
Good Hard Working People
Contact: Luci Westphal
admin[at]goodhardworkingpeople.com
WORLD PREMIERE: ALL GOD’S CHILDREN, FIRST DOCUMENTARY EXPOSING CHILD ABUSE WITHIN PROTESTANT EVANGELICAL MISSIONARY COMMUNITY
Filmmakers and Eight Abuse Survivors Attend World Premiere at Sarasota Film Festival on April 5th and 6th
(Brooklyn, NY, March 2008) All God’s Children will have its world premiere Saturday, April 5, 2:30pm, at Regal Cinemas Hollywood 20 Theater 8, with a second screening on April 6th, 3:30pm, at Regal Cinemas Hollywood 20 Theater 11, as part of the Sarasota Film Festival. Eight members of the Beardslee, Darr and Shellrude families, who are featured in the film, are scheduled to attend both screenings along with the filmmakers, Scott Solary and Luci Westphal. Q&A sessions with the filmmakers and participants will follow both screenings.
All God's Children is the first documentary to expose issues of child abuse within the Protestant Evangelical missionary community. The film takes a personal look at the consequences of the abuse through the eyes of three former missionary families. While the parents were stationed in remote outposts throughout West Africa, the children - starting at the age of 6 - were required to attend Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) boarding school in Mamou, Guinea. Cut off from their parents and without any reliable means of communication, the children suffered extensive abuse at the hands of the all-missionary staff.
It took the children decades to acknowledge the effects the abuses had on their lives. When they finally dared to speak out, the C&MA denied all allegations and refused to help. The children and their parents took action...
In Attendance:
- Scott Solary, New York (director, producer, editor)
- Luci Westphal, New York (director, producer, camera)
- Ann Beardslee, Florida (parent & former C&MA missionary, member of MK SafetyNet)
- Dr. Howard Beardslee, Florida (parent & former C&MA missionary, member of MK SafetyNet)
- Dianne Darr Couts, Ohio (former student)
- David Darr, Ohio (former student)
- Dr. John Darr, Massachusetts (former student, professor of theology at Boston College)
- Rev. Richard Darr, Illinois (former student, Methodist pastor)
- Marilyn Shellrude Christman, Washington (former student, member of MK SafetyNet)
- Beverly Shellrude, Ontario (former student, member of MK SafetyNet)
ADDITIONAL PRESS CONFERENCE:
The MK SafetyNet is an advocacy organization for abused MKs. Many of their founding members are featured in the film. They are holding a press conference preceding the premiere on Saturday, April 5, 1pm at the Selby Public Library, 1331 First Street, Sarasota.
Website (Trailer, Hi-Res Stills, Press Kit & Synopsis): http://www.allgodschildrenthefilm.com
To request a DVD Screener of the film: info[at]allgodschildrenthefilm.com
Filmmakers Scott Solary and Luci Westphal are available for interviews.
Please contact Luci Westphal, admin[at]goodhardworkingpeople.com
Good Hard Working People, LLC, P.O. Box 170077, Brooklyn, NY 11217 http://www.goodhardworkingpeople.com/
BLOGS:
Good Hard Working People blog: http://goodhardworkingpeople.blogspot.com/
Scott Solary blog: http://blogs.indiewire.com/swestphal-solary/