The Cucalorus Film Festival is trying to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur, and they're taking over local movie screens to do it.By Megan V. Williams
Wilmington, NC – The Cucalorus Film Festival is trying to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur, and they're taking over local movie screens to do it.
Four venues around town - Mayfaire Cinemas, Lumina Theatre, the Cameron Art Museum, and Jengo's Playhouse, will show the film ten times between tonight and Sunday.
The documentary, The Devil Came on Horseback, looks at the Darfur tragedy through the eyes of a US soldier who served as a military observer in the area. Witness to horrors and frustrated by international complacency, the former marine captain resigned from the military to make the documentary.
Working Films and Cucalorus film festival organized the screenings. According to Cucalorus director Dan Brawley, the idea for a mass screening came from the 'One Book, One Community' programs that encourage entire cities to read the same book at the same time.
"That's kind of the reason we're taking this one film and screening it at several different locations, to try to give everybody in the community an opportunity to take a look at this film," Brawley said, "It's an important film, so it kind of fits that model."
All of the screenings will include discussions with experts involved with Darfur.
Brawley says if public reaction is strong, Cucalorus may do other mass film screenings in the future.
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Find a schedule of the screenings here