Background

Director's note

'In 1997 I made the documentary film Mindfields in Cambodia. The film shows how people slowly start talking about their experience during the Khmer Rouge period. The film was shown in many countries and especially in Cambodia where they made use of the film in special programmes.

The question was raised whether there should be a tribunal. Even though there was resistance against this, the call for justice remained strong. When it seemed very likely that such a tribunal would take place I wanted to make a film in which we could show how the people we worked with earlier would experience this
Then I met Sok Chea and she told me her story of how she saw Mr. Karoby again, the Khmer Rouge leader of the village where she lived during that regime. She wanted justice. This inspired me to follow her while she gathered information about Mr. Karoby. I myself wondered how it was possible that a man, who was depicted as a tyrant, could still live in an ordinary village where he was even respected.

While working on the film I came to know this evil man and slowly came to understand how he himself was well aware of his past and tried to repair his karma by doing good deeds. He helped the poor and took care of cremation ceremonies.
That's how the film got its title: Deacon of Death.
It took years and a great deal of convincing before Mr Karoby and Sok Chea would take part in the film. Both their lives were ruled by fear. We sincerely hope that this film will help not only them, but also many other Cambodians to overcome the paralysing fear which still haunts the country today.

I made many documentaries in which I mixed actual facts and elements with drama by introducing actors. In the case of Deacon of Death adding drama elements was not needed. Reality is sometimes stronger than fiction.'

Jan van den Berg

Film series: War after Peace

Year after year people manage to keep their heads above water under the most difficult circumstances, but then – once peace returns at last – the trauma starts and they have to deal with the war all over again, but this time in their minds. Interest from the Western world is mainly concentrated on the regions where war and violence are headline news at the time. Once peace has been declared, or at least the armed struggle has come to an end, attention turns to newer conflicts even though help and support remain vital for the affected areas. The destroyed infrastructure has to be rebuilt, the displaced population not only has to be found new housing but also new jobs. Recreating balance in the social and economic life of the country is only possible after the traumatized population has come to terms with the recent violence and upheaval.

The number of trauma victims is so large that individual therapy plans are impossible. The most effective way to offer help on such a scale is to give local recruits special training so that they can pass on the necessary skills to health workers, teachers, nuns and healers in the community. The local aid workers’ training consists of various stages: emphasizing the importance of coming to terms with traumatic experiences, introducing counseling for stress and psycho trauma, explaining how the individual traumas can manifest themselves collectively and how they can be dealt with. The use of video films is of great importance in countries where so many people are (almost) illiterate. The films are necessary for training purposes and they also have a role to play in recording what actually happened.

In the documentary series The War after Peace we see how people in various countries try to cope with their war traumas. The films are intended for viewing by a wide public and are particularly interesting for counselors and welfare workers. There are no fundamental differences between people in or from different cultures, they simply use different strategies. For that reason the films are also shown in countries other than the ones they are made.

The Incident
March 4, 2007 Jalalabad, Afghanistan: An incident described by US forces as a "complex ambush" has left 16 civilians dead. Thousands of local people took to the streets, accusing the Americans of deliberately firing on civilians. In the film we speak with victims and witnesses like a photographer who was told by the American army: 'You delete your pictures, or we delete you'. The pictures are part of the film, made together with HealthNet International Afghanistan.

Seven Dreams of Tibet
Seven Tibetan refugees talk about the nightmares they have lived through both in Tibet and during their flight, and of their dreams of a return to a free Tibet. Among them His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet and Ama Adhe, author of the book "The voice that remembers". Nominated for a Dutch Academy Award.

Tales of Crocodiles
People in East Timor have seen many acts of terrible violence on the long road to independence. They started a commission for reception, truth and reconciliation, like the one in South Africa. But there, after the ceremonies, white and black people went back to their separate quarters; here, perpetrators and victims have to live in the same village. 

Wargames
Eleven year old Nyachuom escaped from Sudan and always is the doctor in the war games the children like to play. But actually she would like to become a real doctor. But how can this be achieved in a refugee camp in Ethiopia where even life is

uncertain. 

Mindfields
During a war people try to keep their heads above water. When peace returns at last they have to deal with the war all over again, but this time in their minds. Chhay Marideth, who was herself a prisoner under the Pol Pot regime, organizes women?s groups as a way of trying to break through the deep silence which surrounds the past.

“Mindfields” (in Cambodia), “Wargames” (in Southern Sudan) and “Seven Dreams of Tibet” (about the dreams and the nightmares of Tibetan refugees) are already being used in the Unites States, The Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Australia, Ethiopia, Kenya and India. 

Distribution by:

Wereldomroep, Hilversum: www.rnw.nl, 

Filmakers Library USA: www.filmakerslibrary.com

Films for the Humanities & Sciences, www.films.com

Forthcoming:

“The Road to Justice” (Timor Larosae)

“Shadow of Trial” (Cambodia)