Brownstones Blog

On To the Next One

2011-09-10T07:28:00.000-07:00

The rain that lasted all day was appropriate. After saying goodbye to the kids, we were all feeling rather gray. We spent it finalizing some travel details, packing and generally feeling down.

Thankfully, we had something to look forward to. That night, Joseph Lamin of the Masanga Children’s Fund had offered to take us out to dinner. We hadn’t gotten much time to know him, so we were looking forward to it. Even prior to arriving in Salone, most of our communication with him was second hand, passed on by Schools for Salone’s Cindy Nofziger.

Joseph is a force. With Schools for Salone, he’s built 16 schools in 6 years. He’s responsible for overseeing all the projects on the ground—no small task in any country, let alone Sierra Leone. He guided our school to completion. For that, we’ll be forever grateful.

We were anxious to talk to Joseph. During the opening ceremony of the school, several of the speakers mentioned the need for a number of things now that the primary school was open. They ranged from a laptop, to a vehicle, to a secondary school to an orphanage. Joseph is a man who we could trust. We wanted his input.

His answer was surprising. He said that if we wanted to do anything, an orphanage would be the most valuable. But, he said, we shouldn’t feel obligated to do anything. What we had done was enough. On that point, we disagree.

We mention this farewell dinner for one reason: our work with Sierra Leone is just getting started. We’ll be moving on to other film projects that most likely won’t have anything to do with Salone, but these kids and this country are embedded deep within our hearts. As long as there are kids like the ones we know and people like Joseph that can help us help them, we’ll do whatever it takes to get it done.

Don’t be surprised when you get an email from us announcing our next fundraiser.

FOLLOWING UP WITH THE KIDS FROM B2RD

2011-09-09T07:46:00.000-07:00

Contributed by: Dave

PART II

Tonight, we hosted the African premiere of BROWNSTONES TO RED DIRT. The guests of honor? The kids from the Children in Crisis Primary School.

In classic Salone fashion, traffic from the east end of town (where the school is) to the west end of town (where the theater is) was terrible. The poda poda we had hired to get them to the screening arrived an hour and a half late. When it finally pulled to a stop in front of the Lagoonda Entertainment Complex, children came barreling out. And they kept barreling out. Somehow, Aunty Musu and Sento managed to get all of the children from the orphanage into one van.

They occupied the first three rows of the theater. As it went dark, we suddenly went from very excited to very nervous.

We didn’t know what to expect of their reactions. What would they think of our portrayal of them, the school and their stories? It was a feeling we hadn’t had since the kids in Brooklyn saw the movie for the first time.

We certainly couldn’t have predicted the reaction we got.

There were the obvious cheers and laughter when a kid appeared on screen for the first time and there was the rather profound silence when the Brooklyn kids spoke in English (we really should’ve prepared a version with Krio subtitles), but what was shocking were the moments in the film that played with great weight and seriousness back home were met with levity here. Where we saw drama, they saw shared pain that they had overcome together. We thought reliving the memories of the war would be painful, but rather than pain, they found joy in seeing their stories of survival in a darkened cinema because it was a testament that they had been heard. It was surreal.

When the final frame played, it was time to say goodbye… for now. We said goodbye to them in a parking lot as they boarded their poda poda for their long journey home. There were tears from both sides. Promises were exchanged. Hugs were given. And given again. It was horrible and gut-wrenching, yet, somehow uplifting. We always knew we’d never be done with these kids—now, it seems they know it too.

FOLLOWING UP WITH THE KIDS FROM B2RD

2011-09-08T08:06:00.000-07:00

Contributed by: Dave

PART I

Yesterday was emotional. Today was fun.

At every stop on the festival circuit, people ask the inevitable question, “Where are they now?” We’ve been able to give vague updates gleaned from letters and emails, but today, we got to ask that question ourselves.

One-by-one, we brought in the kids from the film to hear what they were up to now. We don’t want to give away too many spoilers from our upcoming DVD release, but we can tease it a little. Balla is doing fabulously. Not only has he continued to draw, he’s working as an apprentice at a graphic design shop. Apprenticeship wasn’t for Emmanuel, who decided to open his own small business (wait til we share his new setup). Chief (Abdul) is killing it in school and is on a university track. Gladis is still teaching others how to dance… and still dances with Augusta. Augusta is enrolled at one of the top girls’ schools in Sierra Leone and just represented her school in a dance competition that she placed second in. We couldn’t have asked for better updates—they’re all doing so well.

Aunty Musu attributed a lot of the children’s success to the secondary school sponsorship program we established in 2009 through Schools for Salone. Not every child has a sponsor (hint, hint), so she makes sure the kids know that having one is a privilege. She has told them that they must earn these scholarships and if they don’t, they will be given to a more deserving student. Every night, she says, the students rush to the table to do homework together. Aunty Musu and Aunty Sento get progress reports every two weeks and the results are glowing (they could hardly contain their pride when sharing this with us).

We also sat down on camera with each child that has a sponsor. Consistently, we heard the same thing. The sponsorship changed my life. Without education, I am nothing. I will make you proud. Truthfully, communication back and forth to Salone has been a challenge to the sponsorship program, so hearing that the program is having the desired results was extremely reassuring (and if you happen to be one of our sponsors, look forward to getting a video message soon!).

During the interview process, Chief, Balla and E stuck around, but they didn’t just hang out, they helped. We may have first seen it yesterday, but today we really witnessed how these kids, if we can still call them that, have transitioned into leaders of their community. Given the necessary resources, they are going to, as Balla said he wanted to do in BROWNSTONES, “Push Salone forward.”

We can’t wait to see them do it.

THE OPENING OF THE NEW CIC

2011-09-08T07:04:00.000-07:00

Contributed by: Dave

The chatter in the car on the way to the new school opening belied how nervous we were. It was forgettable at best: discussions about the new power lines, the traffic being as bad as ever, radio deejays sharing universal vocalisms. It hid what simmered under the surface: what would it be like to see our kids again?

But as we bumped up the final stretch of the steep, dirt road and saw the school over a rise, it was fairly vacant. The school was stunning, sure, but there were only a handful of people in attendance. In true Salone fashion, the government had decided that classes wouldn’t resume today, September 5^th, the day we were told when we booked our trip. Rather, they’d start September 18th. Most people were still on holiday in the provinces. For the first time, we started to wonder if we’d actually see our kids. We had to had to push that thought away—it was time to start setting up our shoot.

SFS’ Cindy Nofziger had told us to prepare for music. Loud music. And lots of it. Her prophecy didn’t disappoint. Two giant speakers soon began blaring American and African hip-hop, simultaneously wiping out any chance we had to record decent sound and acting as a beacon that drew in the people of Kola Tree village. We scanned each face that passed, hoping one of them would be one of our kids.

It’s amazing, then, that the first two kids snuck passed us without fanfare. Clay was the first to whisper: “There’s Chief” (or Abdul as he is referred to in the film). Sure enough, there he was. And next to him? Balla.

We made our way over to them and their wide smiles banished any nerves we might have had. We exchanged huge embraces and exclamations of joy and disbelief. Chad and Clay showed baby pictures. Josh, who had spent so much time getting to know these kids and composing music to capture their spirit, met them face-to-face for the first time.

As Chief and Balla disappeared to help set up, we wondered who would be next. Rushing in, with dozens of kids around her, came the school’s headmistress, Aunty Musu. Though she didn’t have much screen time in the film, Aunty Musu has been our point person since we left. We have grown incredibly close. She’s an amazing woman who soothes huge groups of children with her calming voice and earns their respect with her authoritative, but loving rule. The kids are who they are because of who she is. Our reunion was overjoyed.

Then Emmanuel came bounding down the hill. “E” is very dear to us. In addition to being a sweet, savvy and street-smart kid who wowed audiences across the world with his self-reliance, he’s probably the one we spent the most time with in 2008. He acted as our translator then, so he was with us for a lot of down time. In that time, we became friends and seeing him again was unreal.

One of the two Sierra Leonean girls in the film, Gladis, tried to slip in discreetly, but when we saw her, we wouldn’t let her pass quietly. Hugs were exchanged and it was time for the official opening to begin. Augusta, the final child from the film (and the one closest to Chad’s heart), was nowhere to be found.

The ceremony began beautifully, with Aunty Musu’s familiar call, “Helllllllllllllllllloooo” and the children’s response, “HI!” Perhaps more than anything, this brought us back to those days underneath the mango tree. A Christian and Muslim prayer followed. The head table included Aunty Sento, who founded the first CIC during the war, Aunty Musu, Joseph Lamin of the Masanga Children’s Fund, the chairman from the village elders and the village’s chief. I was honored to be up there with them representing Copper Pot and everyone back home. We each made a few remarks. When Aunty Sento spoke, she became so overwhelmed by CIC’s journey from a vision to the school it’s become that she wept openly and couldn’t continue. At times, they broke into song, with all the kids—by now over 100 village children had gathered—singing along. On behalf of all of Copper Pot, I was made an honorary chief and given the name, Pa. Koroma Bai Dave. We were all presented with garas, traditional African dress, and told we were welcomed now to the village as family.

And somewhere, in the middle of the chief’s speech, we spotted Augusta. Shy, but smiling, she waved. They were all there finally.

In a day we’ve all worked towards for so long, a day full of emotion, there was a particular moment that got to us. At the ceremony’s end, they asked the orphans to come forward. The first kids we met at CIC were in this group of 20, as were all five of the kids featured in the film. Chief—Abdul, our Chief, not the village chief—took the microphone. He made a brief speech, then led the group in a welcome song. Three years ago, these were mainly shy kids who had trouble speaking on camera. But here they were, leading their classmates and village in song. They had grown up into kids that the other students looked up to.

We had always felt badly that the students in the film had graduated from primary school and wouldn’t benefit from the new CIC. But from what we saw that day, we were wrong. The kids from BROWNSTONES seemed to have a new confidence. They were proud of the school—even though they wouldn’t attend it, they knew that it was their stories and strength that had inspired the effort to build the school. More than Schools for Salone, the Massanga Children’s Fund, Copper Pot or the countless donors, the school was built by them. All they had ever asked was that their stories be told. The new building standing atop a hill in Kola Tree is evidence that their voices haven’t just been heard, but they will continue to ring out for years to come.

THE DAY AFTER GAME DAY

2011-09-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

Contributed by: Dave

After the insanity that unfolded at Sierra Leone’s 2-1 victory over Egypt yesterday, we wisely planned a bit of a quiet day today. Kei Kamara had spent much of his interview talking about the importance of football in Sierra Leone, and though we had certainly witnessed this for ourselves, we felt we needed to capture the average person’s passion with our cameras.

Right across the street from our hotel, games covered Lumley Beach. Picture your local beach on Fourth of July with blankets and umbrellas covering every available inch of sand. Replace those blankets and umbrellas with balls and makeshift goals and you’ll have an idea of what it was like.

Kei would later tell us that on Sunday, Lumley is the place to play. Guys would run from Kissy, miles away on the opposite side of the city, just to get there to play until they ran out of light. Even the national team gets in on the action. Over their winter holidays, the team arranges games along Lumley. Like the kids that dream of representing Salone, the Leone Stars head to the beach to work on their skills. If the tide is in too far, they sit in the sand, catching up until the water recedes and the game is on.

Unfortunately for us, the tide came in and we were sent searching for another match. We settled on a red clay pitch bordering Man of War Bay. When we arrived, no one was there. We decided to shoot it anyway—it was too picturesque to pass up. We were quickly met by curious children. They poked around our cameras a bit, then disappeared into high grass along the shore. Moments later, they materialized, carrying a small ball. The game began. It was still going a half hour later when the rains rolled in and sent us scattering to get our equipment safe.

And the rain. Oh, the rain. We plowed through Freetown as water flooded through the streets. To our driver, it was nothing. It was a way of life.

A catchall phrase around these parts is “This is Africa.” It’s meant to explain away things like late or missing vans, shady government officials and the general maddening frustration foreigners feel at this way of life. We’ve never been too fond of that sentiment. Because to us, this—the welcoming kids, the sandlot feel of games along Lumley, the resilience and adaptability of the people in face of inescapable challenges like the rainy season downpours—is Africa.

GAME DAY, PART 6: GAME ON

2011-09-05T08:39:00.000-07:00

Contributed by: Dave

After a coach finally booted Chad from the field, he and I rendezvoused on the sideline and began looking for Clay and Josh. Unfortunately, when we met, just before the anthem, Clay and Josh were with a representative from the channel broadcasting the game. Though we’d cleared our shoot through every Sierra Leonean organization possible, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) owned the rights. We wouldn’t be able to shoot the rest of the game.

We were, however, invited to stand on the sidelines and watch the game. And what a game it turned out to be.

We’d never heard an anthem like this. There was a band to accompany the crowd, but it was quickly drowned out. Full-throated, earth-shaking, passion-filled fans belted out every word. It must have been heard throughout Freetown.

When you hear Kei talk about the treatment of the team or see how the conditions they are supposed to play in lack the basic necessities of a high school team, it’s hard to believe that he willingly turned down a chance to play for Bob Bradley and the United States Olympic team years ago. Kei knew the conditions he would be asked to play under if he played for Sierra Leone. But still, he chose green, not red, to go with his white and blue.

Why? That anthem stood for everything: the president’s speech to the team moments before gametime, the masses outside whose exuberance seemed to at times threaten the team’s safety, the flag in every home on gameday. He is a part of that. He may have spent his adult life in America, but it’s clear what this game, this team, this country, mean to him.

The Leone Stars would go on to capture a 2-1 victory and move to second in their group for AfCon qualifying. For us, the result may have been irrelevant—the experience is one we never thought we’d have and one that will never be duplicated—but for the people of this country, it clearly means so much more. Maybe our sports back home are too packaged and presented too neatly. We’re told who to root for and why. We’re given canned reasons to believe someone is an underdog and read storylines meant to prompt a reaction. That’s probably what we’re doing now. But when Kei tells you that he thinks that the Leone Stars can be the next Ivory Coast, and you can see he really means it, then you see what winning a qualifying match means to a country in need of hope and a little bit of celebration, you can’t help but want to see the green, white and blue flying over Brazil in 2014.

GAME DAY, PART 5: CHAD EARNS HIS FIRST CAP

2011-09-05T06:29:00.000-07:00

Contributed by: Dave

Originally, we had been told we could go into the locker room with the team to film Kei getting ready. But since we had fallen so far behind the bus in the chaos, the federation thought that we might be disruptive. Instead of filming their final preparations, we were guided out to a space under the stadium where the Leone Stars would enter before making their way down the tunnel to the pitch.

Energy coursed through the building. Above us, the stands shook. Even from where we were, we could see that fans were crammed into every space available. It was hard to believe it was the same place we had spent the last several days.

Chad hadn’t planned on using the elaborate steadicam system that we had huffed to the stadium (quick note for the non-techies out there: the steadicam allows the user to run alongside action while keeping the motion silky smooth, but it also requires a vest that looks like a flak jacket and a swing arm that makes its wearer look a bit like a three-armed cop from the future). When he saw opportunity, though, he took it. He began ripping stuff out of our bag and assembling the equipment faster than I’ve ever seen him do it. He finished with no time to spare—no sooner had he stood up than the door to the locker room swung open.

The Leone Stars were about to take the pitch.

Chad was too.

As Kei came out, Chad started following him from the side, but decided to hop behind him for a better angle. Not knowing what the hell else to do, I followed the two of them, the entire time expecting Chad to peel off.

Didn’t happen. Chad followed Kei into the tunnel and I followed Chad.

We’ve mentioned we’re former athletes. We’d be lying if we said we didn’t fantasize about running out of a darkened tunnel to be greeted by blinding light and the screams of thousands of fans. Thanks to Kei Kamara, we lived that dream.

Chad took it a bit further. As Kei ran out, the fans started to see the Leone Stars. The intensity grew. And grew. And grew. And then suddenly, Kei was running out onto the field, clapping for his fans. Chad didn’t stop. He followed him across the pitch, steadicam in hand, looking every bit the part. It was epic. Later, when we regained our sanity, we realized that Chad probably could’ve been tackled by security. But damn, it was cool. That kid’s a baller.

GAME DAY, PART 4: IT’S LIKE THIS FOR EVERY GAME

2011-09-05T06:28:00.000-07:00

Contributed by: Dave

The team bus turned down the final stretch of road to the stadium to an explosion of sound. People screaming, horns blaring, vuvuzelas vuvuzelaing. Sirens wailed, contributing to the chaos. Bright colors flashed along the street as seemingly everyone waved a Sierra Leone flag. It was peaceful at first. People stood at a respectful distance from the bus and waved and cheered wildly.

Then, something happened. The bus made one final turn and suddenly, it was a madhouse.

The coach’s van, carrying Chad and I, was never more than three feet from the players’ bus. There was barely enough room for a person to pass by. In New York, where jaywalking is an art, an attempt to get through would result in a smacked hood or an injured pedestrian. But where we saw impassability, the fans saw opportunity. As we turned, they surged between the van and the bus. And instantly, we were stuck. We couldn’t move forward without hitting them… and they were not moving. The bus slowly crawled ahead of us. The gap widened, inviting more and more people.

Quietly, from the back of the van, the goalkeeping coach, who hadn’t spoken a word, said, “Close the windows if you want to keep those cameras.”

People began to notice that the coach was in our van and they started flocking to it. Men pounded on the doors and windows, they rode on our hood, they hung from the back of the van. Enjoying the brief (but absolutely necessary) respite from shooting, we took the opportunity to ask the head coach if it’s always like this. “Every game,” he responded. When we finally scraped through large iron gates better suited for Jurassic Park than a football match, we were relieved. We still had no idea where Josh and Clay were, but we knew Abu would take care of them.

Inside these walls, the madness was curtailed. The van rolled to a stop just yards from a pair of steel doors 15 feet high labeled “Home Team.” A dozen military and police officials guarded it. The coach’s assistant hopped out, slammed the door behind him and proclaimed, “This is the coach, the white coach.” He tried to get security to open the door, but when the throngs of fans realized that the door to the stadium was going to be thrown open wide enough for a van to pass through, they saw their chance. They rushed towards the van, quickly surrounding it. The fine men and women of the Sierra Leone police and military did their best to secure a perimeter around the van, but there were too many people. Seeing what was happening, the coach said he’d just get out and squeeze through an entrance small enough for a person. Chad and I jumped out of the van and stood beside him. The coach’s assistant still hadn’t had any luck getting the door open, so he scaled the doors and continued his assurance that he was with “the white coach.”

The instant the door opened, the crowd pressed forward and people were literally being squeezed through the entrance. In a true, “You jump, I jump” Titanic moment, Chad reached back, grabbed my hand and we burst through the door and found ourselves standing outside the Sierra Leone locker room.

GAME DAY, PART 3: A PRESIDENTIAL PUMP UP

2011-09-03T23:33:00.001-07:00

Contributed by: Dave

Finally safely aboard the coach’s van, Chad and I figured we’d be at the game shortly. Clay and Josh followed closely behind. But rather than turn right along Lumley Beach Road to start the direct, 10-minute drive to the stadium, we turned left. Curious. As the road to the stadium bent left, heading towards the center of Freetown, our thoughts ran faster than our cameras. Perhaps this was some sort of way to throw off the masses of fans seeking a glimpse of their heroes. Or maybe it was the opposite, the route was meant to pump up the team, showing them how much their supporters cared. Either way, as the van climbed through the hills, we had a front row seat to the Leone Stars’ parade.

As the procession rounded the corner of yet another switchback, the trees parted briefly. Freetown stretched all the way to the ocean, a jumbled clutter of congestion. In the center of that mass of hazy humanity, there it was: the National Stadium. Even from here, we could see it was full. I can’t really explain how the energy traversed that distance, but it did. It socked us right in the chest. Suddenly, and maybe for the first time, we knew what this match—strike that, this sport— meant to the country.

Chad and I took our eyes from the stadium and turned them to the team bus, which had slowed to a stop. For the second time in less than five minutes, I was taken aback. I turned to Chad and, as calmly and professionally as I could, whispered: “I think we’re about to meet the President.”

The van pulled to a stop, the team poured out, the passenger side door flew open and we quickly joined the stream of hangers-on. We were rapidly escorted into the equivalent of the White House. The team took its seats and nervously awaited the arrival of the President. Their anxiety was two-fold: not only were they about to be addressed by the Head of State, they were also, as Kei pointed out, less than two hours from kickoff and had yet to even stretch.

The president entered the room without much fanfare. The Leone Stars stood at attention before he told them to sit down and rest. Formalities were exchanged, introductions were done, and then the president rose to speak.

Here at Copper Pot, we’re sports junkies. We love sports movies, even if they can be formulaic and schlock-y. And what’s a sports movie without a riveting pump up speech from the coach?

Well, in our movie, that speech is delivered by President Ernest B. Koroma.

We listened as the president told his team that they have the ability to help the country’s healing, how they can guide Salone from its tormented past, how if they could beat Egypt today, the world would know about Sierra Leone for something other than it’s bloodied history.

It was stirring… and when there’s a Josh Johnson score behind it, it’ll challenge anything Coach Eric Taylor uttered in Friday Night Lights.

He finished to applause and as rapidly as the team entered, it started to leave. He shook each player’s hand. Kei, always the showman, looked directly at the camera before his turn came up: “I can’t believe I’m going to meet the president.” As we caught Kei shaking the president’s hand, I turned to Chad to make sure that he knew we had to get going. Chad, knowing that it was on my bucket list to meet a president, mouthed and gestured, “Shake his hand. You.” Realizing that the president was by the room’s only exit, I figured what the hell. Keeping the camera running, I mustered up a feeble, “Thank you, sir.” Chad fell into the line, firmly grasped the president’s hand and headed out to rejoin me in the coach’s van. It wasn’t until much later that I realized I wouldn’t actually be able to check the item off my bucket list, for it, too, had been in my pickpocketed dummy wallet.

While Chad and I met the president, Clay and Josh were on an adventure of their own… and you can read about it on an upcoming blog from Clay himself.

GAME DAY, PART 2: GET ON THE BUS… OR VAN

2011-09-03T23:33:00.000-07:00

Contributed by: Dave

Gameday began without a hitch. It had been decided that Chad and I would meet Kei at his hotel, film with him as he rode the team bus to the hotel, and shoot with him all the way through the national anthem and kickoff. Then we’d meet up with Josh and Clay, who would be a part of the team’s motorcade through Freetown in the vehicle driven by Abu, our guide. Kei was the first to let us know that things might not go according to plan.

Apparently, unlike most soccer federations, the Sierra Leone Football Association expects its players to make their way to Freetown at their own expense, and then it reimburses them upon arrival. In a not uncommon occurrence, the team hadn’t been paid—and we were less than three hours from kickoff. Kei told us that though we were supposed to leave at 2:30, some of the players were protesting and had left the hotel. He told us not to worry, the game would be played, but we might be a little late. He disappeared to get some more information.

Fifteen minutes later, he returned, popped on some dope white Dr. Dre headphones, and made his way to the bus. We followed.

When we rounded the corner and saw the bus, it was clear we might have a problem. It already looked full to capacity. Kei had warned us that though everyone approved of us filming their ride, there would be a lot of standing. At this point, we weren’t quite sure if they’d even be able to do that.

Kei signed a couple of autographs, then hopped on the bus. We tried to follow, but New Yorkers have nothing on West Africans. The crowd surged forward and though we were at the front, the door slammed in our face. Kei did his best to get us on, but as it pulled away, he could only give an apologetic shrug.

Dejected, we headed back towards the street to meet up with Abu, Josh and Clay. A team representative asked if we needed a ride, we declined, then saw him board a van carrying the team’s coach. We quickly pivoted and hopped in, finding ourselves aboard the second car in a 10-car procession led by a police escort. Fully expecting chaos upon arriving at the stadium, we took solace that we were riding with the coach, knowing that he surely would get in without issue (for those of you English and Humanities teachers heading back to school this week, feel free to use this paragraph as an example of foreshadowing).

GAME DAY, PART 1: PREPARATION

2011-09-03T23:00:00.000-07:00

Contributed by: Dave

There are just some things you can’t prepare for.

Last night, we spent hours—literally, hours—dissecting how today would go. Two days of shooting Kei Kamara’s training with the Leone Stars had forced us to re-evaluate our strategy. From day one, we knew that the torrential downpours that appeared at a moment’s notice threatened to destroy our equipment or, at the very least, severely limit our mobility.

Day two had yielded a much larger threat. At the end of a relatively calm training, Kei made his way over to the Leone Stars supporters, took off one cleat and hurled it into the stands. Not surprisingly, mayhem ensued in the crowd. What was a shock, though, was the reaction from the small number of fans who had been watching the practice from the field. These supporters each had some connection to one of the players. They were each allowed in by security before the entrance gates were locked. They were screened. But when they saw Kei’s boot was up for grabs, they rushed him and began grabbing at him, tearing for his other shoe, literally lifting him off the ground at one point. Always the fan favorite, Kei somehow managed to escape the madness with both his body and status among his supporters unscathed (he did, however, leave shoeless).

Calm was quickly restored, but only for a moment. The gates on the far end of the field swung open to allow the Leone Stars bus to exit. As it did, fans came running towards the few remaining players who chose not to board the bus. Kei had opted to ride home with his brother, which placed him on a collision course with the mob rushing towards his car. He quickly hopped in the passenger’s seat and we were given an idea of what Beatlemania must have been like. People surrounded the vehicle. A dozen fans quickly turned into 50. Then there were a hundred. Kei’s brother couldn’t get his car free of the masses. Kei opened the window a crack, then tossed a stack of player cards into the air, sending men and boys scattering to get one. Kei’s car sped away with hundreds chasing.

We knew that if the reaction of 200 fans could make us feel unsafe, the 45,000 inside National Stadium on gameday could pose a problem. Our fears weren’t unwarranted: not only had my dummy wallet containing $20, an expired license and a 2009-2010 New York Rangers schedule been pickpocketed during the madness, but we heard the government had already called in 1000 additional members of the military for the game. Apparently, the two governing bodies of Sierra Leone’s football association had disagreed on ticket prices. Rather than reach a compromise, two sets of tickets were issued, rendering one useless. Tension was on the rise. We needed to be ready for anything. And we thought we were.

We had dissected every possible scenario. What if we’re separated? What if one of us is injured in a stampede? What if we can’t find the car and need to cab it home? Our preparations went above and beyond. First and foremost, we had decided to leave the game at least 10 minutes before the final whistle (I had excellent preparation for this as I never stayed for a complete game as a child so my dad could “beat the traffic.”) We stashed money in secret places on our body. We left our passports behind, but carried a copy on us. Non-essential electronics stayed in the room. We gave each other the Disney treatment—which is to say we took digital pictures so we could show the authorities what we looked like and what we were wearing on the day we disappeared. We even had headlamps stashed in each bag so if we had to make our way back to the hotel in the midst of one of Freetown’s famous blackouts, we’d at least be able to light the way.

In short, we thought of everything. Or had we?

Kei Kamara: Leone Star, Great Guy

2011-09-02T23:12:00.001-07:00

Today, we finally had the chance to speak with Kei Kamara on camera. We knew Kei would be a great interview—look no further than this YouTube clip of his Michael Jackson goal celebration to know that the guy is comfortable in front of the camera.

We imagine a lot of our readers are based in the tri-state area. You might not follow Major League Soccer and if you do, you probably support one of the teams along the Eastern seaboard. Let us tell you a bit about Kei.

Back home in Kansas City, Kei plays for Sporting KC. If you grew up going to MLS camps, you probably know Sporting better as the Kansas City Wizards. In the last year, they dropped that name, opened arguably the best soccer facility in the country and sold an insane amount of season tickets.

For a newly rebranded team trying to win fans to soccer, Kei is a publicist’s dream. Personable, funny and a social media machine, he’s accessible to his fans, a force on the pitch and a humanitarian off of it (we first connected with him through our mutual support of Schools for Salone). Kei shared the spotlight with fellow Kansas City resident Chad Ochocinco, a surprisingly big soccer fan, when the two exchanged friendly barbs over Twitter. Sadly, when the media-loving Ochocinco pulled a reverse Tony Meola and laced up his soccer boots during the lockout, Kei was on national team duty and the pair never faced off in their long-anticipated penalty kick shootout. Kei has now earned eight appearances (caps, for the uninformed) for Sierra Leone’s national team and he’s still seeking his first international goal.

His fans in Kansas City—and there are many that wear his #23—know Kei as a fun-loving, Chipolte-eating, snowball-fighting star that often Tweets from the handle he created for his dog, @ChelseaTheDog23. Admittedly, that’s how we knew him before today. We knew a bit about his history, but Google can only take you so far. Today, we got a chance to see Kei represent his nation—not by wearing the green, white and blue, but by showing us a spirit of hope unbroken by years of war and everything that comes after.

In the States or in Salone, it’s easy to forget what Kei’s been through. Laughter comes easily to him and between drills, you’ll catch him with his teammates, hamming it up for our cameras, or, as he says shamelessly, flirting with the fans. But talk to him for a bit and it’s evident that, no matter how fast he is with a ball at his feet, he can’t outrun the pain of a wartime childhood.

Moments after we started rolling today, he began talking about when the war came to him. He was only six when the rebels attacked. He knew there was a war on, but didn’t think much about it until the explosion rocked his school. Though his family had told him to stay put if the rebels invaded, six-year-old Kei fled with the rest of his classmates and teachers. As aimless bullets ripped into the crowd around him, familiar faces fell to the ground. Kei stopped running. He didn’t see his brothers. They were older than he was and they weren’t in the same class. What if they had listened to their parents? They’d have stayed sitting at their desks. He had to go find them. He remembers stepping on and over the bodies of the people from his village as his tiny frame pushed against the current of the fleeing masses. But that’s all he remembers. The rest is a blur. He says he somehow found his brothers and they must have made it home together. But home didn’t stay home for long—forced to flee, Kei bounced around West Africa before finally landing in California.

Eventually, Kei’s journey—and his skill on the pitch—brought him back home, where he wore the colors of his country and stood on the crab grass field in front of thousands of his countrymen as the strains of his national anthem played. Kei is a hero to the Leone Stars supporters who will chant his name tomorrow. This country loves its football, after all. But Kei is more than that. His story, remarkable as it is, is echoed by everyone in this country. Each of those supporters has their own story of pain and loss. Somehow, they all survived together. Somehow, they managed to keep their hope alive. And now, somehow, they’re all managing to heal together. Wearing the jersey or not, Kei is a symbol for Sierra Leone and the country’s resilience. When a guy like him makes it, it’s a victory for the entire country.

Damn, we want him to score tomorrow.

Much love,

The Brownstones Crew

Shooting Training With the Leone Stars... In a Monsoon

2011-09-01T22:07:00.000-07:00

We’ve been to Sierra Leone’s national stadium before. Three years ago, we toured it, partially because it’s played an important role in the country’s history as it’s where the president proclaimed that the “War don don,” or that the war was over, but mainly because we’re soccer fans (and, in Chad’s case, an ex-college star from Vermont, where soccer is huge). When we visited, FIFA had just deemed the stadium unsuitable for play.

Despite talking about the development of the country in our last post, looking just at the national soccer team, it’s hard to say that much has changed.

Scrub crabgrass covers the pitch. Two days before gameday, it was still unlined, leaving the 18 a general area up for debate. Drainage, a seeming must in the rainy season, was non-existent. Even before the intense rain began pouring down, the ball would come to a sudden stop in puddles.

It’s hard to believe that this team is trying to qualify for the same World Cup that features teams like England and Spain. Even in high school, if our field was under siege from rain in the days before a game, we practiced somewhere else. You’d be hardpressed to find a team playing in worse conditions. It’s surely a change for Kei Kamara, who we’ve come to profile today. In the States’ Major League Soccer, Kei plays with Sporting KC, whose stadium numbers among the best soccer facilities in the country.

Still, the conditions of the field or the absolute downpour didn’t deter Kei, his teammates or the hundreds of fans that came to watch.

From a film perspective, shooting in the rain was one of the most technical challenges we’ve ever faced. The rain came down hard—and sideways. It drenched us—in retrospect, we probably should’ve brought more rain gear—and the equipment. We constantly were wiping down the lenses and feared that the material would be useless.

And of course, by useless, we mean EPIC. Rocking our new variable frame rate camera, Chad shot amazing slow motion footage of Kei—the pouring rain, the vibrant green, white and blue of the stadium bleachers, the mud flying everywhere—it all contributed to beautiful footage that we can’t wait to share with you.

Tomorrow, we will be back at the stadium, filming the training, before meeting up with Kei to shoot an interview. If it’s anything like today, we expect it to be a special day.

Much love,

The Brownstones Crew

Development Abound in Salone

2011-09-01T15:51:00.000-07:00

Those of you that know the Copper Pot team personally know that we are made up of former athletes. Ok, athletes might be a stretch—let’s call us gym class heroes. Today, we merged our athletic prowess with our love of cinema. The result? An epic shoot in Sierra Leone’s national stadium amidst a downpour.

Let’s back it up for a minute. Last time we were in Salone, it was April, which, apparently, is the best time to visit. We can get down with that. The weather was gorgeous; albeit a bit hot and sticky, but beautiful blue skies met gently breaking waves that lapped against the shore in front of our hotel. Soccer matches were strewn about the beach. Countless beach bars serving Star beer, chicken, fish and rice dotted the white sand. When the tide came in, it washed over our feet as we sat in plastic chairs. It was, simply put, quite delightful.

Flashfoward to the Salone return of the Brownstones crew. We had longed for a return since we left in 2008 and once the final brick of the school was put in place, it was only a matter of time before our return. When it turned out that the day the new school opened for business fell only two days after an African Cup of Nations qualifier between Sierra Leone and Egypt, we figured we had to be there, rainy season be damned. Plus, we had heard we’d be here at the tail end of the monsoons—that might not be the correct meteorological term, but that sure is what it felt like.

It was a simple start to the day. After sleeping til well after noon like a bunch of college kids, Clay, Chad and Dave opted to go for a run along the beach road to jolt themselves back to life. Naturally, it was at this instant Salone chose to show us how vicious her rainy season could be. Torrents of rain poured down upon us, giant puddles covered the road, sand was ripped out to sea. It was a hell of a start.

Soon thereafter, we met with Abu, our guide and driver for the trip. Abu had come recommended to us by Schools for Salone, an organization that you know all about if you know anything about Copper Pot or BROWNSTONES TO RED DIRT. If you happened to find your way here as a new reader, suffice it to say that SFS is the amazing US-based organization that made our dream of building a school here in Salone a reality. We love them. You should too.

The first task we needed Abu’s expertise with was exchanging money. Not hard, you say? Well, last time, when we exchanged money, we did it on what was commonly referred to as the “black market.” This process consisted of parking in a shady part of town and having our then-guide haggle over exchange rates with men who certainly didn’t spend their days as bank tellers. Better rates were given for newer bills and higher denominations. It was a baffling process that seemed to take forever.

Today, Abu told us it wouldn’t take “any time at all”—good news, considering we lingered a bit long at lunch and thought we were running about a half hour late to meet Kei Kamara at the national stadium.

Knowing that what seems like a “short while” in West Africa can seem agonizingly long to an American, we hopped in the car, doubt coursing through the SUV that would serve as our transport for the week. We were in for a shock.

Not only did the drive take less than 10 minutes, but the route that we took followed the same we drove every day to the Children in Crisis Primary School. We were blown away by the changes. In three short years, developments had sprung up all along the road. Yes, there is still unimaginable poverty—that hadn’t changed. But there were signs everywhere of foreign and local investment: developments like condo complexes, shopping centers and gas stations. It was simply amazing.

When Abu pulled into a supermarket where we were to change money, we all pooled our cash, expecting the black market back alleys we knew from last time. We started to hand it to him, knowing he’d get a better rate, but he told us the four of us should change our own money. Admittedly skeptical, we walked in to be greeted by a friendly staff and an exchange rate better than advertised than what we saw in the US. We poked around the store and were surprised to see that the store offered many of the comforts of home—from Snickers bars to Jack Daniels and Gilette razors. These brands may be thought to be international and readily available, but last time we were here, we have no such memory.

Of course, there’s a lot that can be written by a lot smarter people about development in a third world country than the chuckleheads here at Copper Pot. And, of course, as of this point in the trip, our shooting schedule hasn’t brought us much past the reaches of the tourist section of Freetown, so we have yet to see how far the development extends, but it was encouraging to see the growth. In our film, Balla, one of the children from Sierra Leone, says that Sierra Leone is a good place and “everyone should come to Salone.” In the last three years, it seems like that message has gotten out to the people. It seems like people are starting to believe in Salone again—from what we saw three years ago, there’s no reason not to.

Much love,

The Brownstones Crew

Returning to Visit Friends

2011-08-31T17:47:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to the BROWNSTONES TO RED DIRT blog! If you’ve kept up with us on Twitter, you know that sometime earlier this summer, we heard that the school that we built with Schools for Salone (SFS) would open officially on Monday, September 5th. We had to be there for that. When we began booking our trip, it turned out that friend of SFS, Kei Kamara, a Major League Soccer star and Sierra Leone international player, would be in Freetown playing in an African Cup of Nations qualifier against Egypt on September 3rd. The rest just fell into place: from September 1st-4th, we’d film a profile with Kei, on September 5th, we’d open the school, and on Tuesday, September 6th, we’d host the African premiere of BROWNSTONES TO RED DIRT, with the kids from Salone in attendance as guests of honor.

We’ve had a lot of time to think about our return to Sierra Leone—not just the three years since we last visited, but the last 20-some hours (and counting) of our journey. We’ve spent a lot of those minutes in planes and airport bars talking about what it was like last time and what we can expect when we land in just under three hours.

As we regaled our composer (and Salone first-timer) Josh Johnson with tales of beach-side bars and pickup football matches with the kids, Chad wondered aloud if our three year absence has made us romanticize the experience of our last trip. The question hung in the air briefly, but our introspection was punctured when our waitress offered us beers to go with our breakfast (we politely declined, however, there are several complimentary—and empty—cans of Stella currently residing on our seatback trays).

Chad’s question remained unanswered until we boarded the plane and strains of Krio echoed through the cabin. I don’t know that any of us understand the complex mix of tribal language and English any more today than we did three years ago, but unlike last time, when it felt foreign and intimidating, today, it was a gentle welcome back to the embrace of a place to which we have longed to return. A place where harsh challenges like stifling heat and gridlock traffic we may have romanticized, but whose relationships we certainly have not.

We’re not so bold to expect that we’re returning as anything more than visitors, observers to a culture wildly different than our own, but there is a major difference this time: we’re returning to see friends, not documentary subjects.

Speaking candidly (and at the risk of sounding like completely obnoxious film school d-bags), we have found the relationship between us as filmmakers and the subjects we profile to be extremely complex. It runs the risk of being exploitative and beneficial to the filmmaker while leaving the subject exposed and vulnerable. We had only three weeks to work with the kids in Salone and managed to build enough of friendship and trust for them to tell us their stories. But still, when you have a camera stuck in someone’s face, especially a kid whose language you don’t speak, there’s a barrier.

But over these last three years, that barrier has come down. Sure, thanks to a subpar infrastructure, the letters we exchange are few and far between, and when we do get them, they’re written with an air of formality surely coached by their teachers and guardians. But our relationships continued to grow.

Among the remarkable moments this trip promises—attending the school opening, hosting the premiere of and working with Kei but a few among them—the moment I think we’re all the most excited for is seeing the kids again. Not with the cameras rolling, mind you, but hanging out with them around the old mango tree near the orphanage—hearing their stories, telling our own, reminiscing over our shared memories from three years ago—catching up, just like friends do.

We hope you’ll enjoy the journey and know that you all helped make it possible.

Much love,

-The Brownstones Crew

Come See Brownstones in Bed-Stuy!

2011-08-03T10:52:00.000-07:00

Brownstones to Red Dirt has been invited to open the 12th Annual MoCADA KidFlix Film Festival in Bed-Stuy! We are really excited, not just because this is our first screening in the neighborhood where we made the film, but also because it's our first outdoor film festival! The film will show THIS FRIDAY, August 5th at 7 PM in Fulton Park. Fulton Park is located HERE and is accessible by taking the A or C train to Utica Avenue. The screening is FREE to all.

A Brand New School, A Return Trip to Salone

2011-08-03T10:27:00.000-07:00

At the end of the month, we'll be embarking on a return trip to Sierra Leone to attend the opening of the BRAND NEW SCHOOL built by your efforts. We're pretty thrilled.

We're definitely going to be meeting with the kids from the film and doing a "Where are they now?" update. Follow us on Twitter (@Dave_LaMattina, @chadnwalker, @clayfrost & @Copper_Pot) where we'll post all the pictures and videos throughout the trip.

More Progress at the School Site!!

2011-01-17T18:06:00.000-08:00

A New School, Overlooking the Sea

2010-11-29T20:11:00.000-08:00

If you haven't already heard the news, work on the new primary school in Sierra Leone has begun! Thanks to Schools for Salone and all of our incredible donors for making this a reality! Here's the email from Joseph, our local contact, with all of the details:

Dear Cindy & Others,

The Children In Crisis Primary School Building Project site was visited by me, Mamusu, Isatu Abu at Allen town over looking sea by Lungi area. A plot of land 75 feet by 100 feet a quiet place but terrecing of the land is needed in order to have the proposed building on two levels. On the 12th Nov. the ground breaking ceremony was carried out by whole school pupils, teachers parents, coomunity members and MCF staff members. After prayers by Christians and Muslims, the groung breaking were done by following:

Isha Kamara girl class 1 pupil
Daniel Sesay boy class 5 pupil
Isatu Sento Kamara Propraratress
Mamusu Tarawali Co.Prpratretress Head teacher
J.S Kanu MCF/SFS/Donor Representative
Lahai M. Tarawali Community "

The ceremony concluded with refreshments to all. The terrecing of the land started with 10 strong men on contract from the community and Lansana's team. The terrecing is expected to last for 2 to 3 weeks. You willposted on development.

Attached are pictures on the visit to the land and the ground breaking ceremony. With special thanks and appreciation to the Donors and Schools For Salone USA from the school and MCF.

With regards
J.Williams-Lamin & Others.

Thanks to Aspen FilmFest!

2010-10-04T19:40:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to the excellent folks at Aspen FilmFest for screening Brownstones last week and for bringing nearly 100 students to the show! We're planning a special video Q&A with some of the local schools later this fall. More details to come on that!

And here's some additional press from the festival:

Directors LaMattina and Walker follow sixth-graders from an elementary school in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., which as recently as 2005 was declared an “impact zone” due to the excessive violence in the community, who were paired with students in war-town Sierra Leone for a school year-long pen-pal program.

“Usually movies that have anything to do with Africa are all about shock value and people’s limbs getting cut off with machetes,” Walker said. “But for me, personally, when I see that type of stuff, I shut down because the problem is too big. So we made a conscious effort to not use footage like that, and just let the kids tell their story. Which, I think, is more powerful.”

Brownstones in the Aspen Daily News

2010-09-26T16:13:00.000-07:00

Damien Williamson over at Aspen Daily News gave Brownstones a very nice shout-out is his festival preview story:

But it is perhaps in the quieter films, like “Brownstones to Red Dirt,” that the true character of Filmfest emerges. In the movie, sixth-graders from an elementary school in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., which as recently as 2005 was declared an “impact zone” due to the excessive violence in the community, were paired with students in war-town Sierra Leone for a pen-pal program.

Co-director Dave LaMattina had been working in an animation studio, and was looking for “a project with a little more meaning.”

“I had done a film in South Africa on kids with HIV and AIDS,” LaMattina says. “So I was looking for something along those lines. And what I really wanted to do was find a story where there was hope in a community where you wouldn’t expect it.”

The results were astounding. The kids in Bed-Stuy were able to gain perspective on their own lives through interactions with the orphaned children that struggled for food, water and electricity — though who still had similar goals and aspirations — in Sierra Leone. And the African children gained something that had been denied them for most of their lives: someone who cared.

Countdown to Aspen FilmFest!

2010-09-26T15:22:00.000-07:00

In just five short days, Brownstones to Red Dirt will be one of just twenty films to screen at the 32nd annual Aspen FilmFest. All of the screening details are here. We are so excited to be a part of this truly independent festival that aims to focus on the "human spirit." As the festival's Artistic Director Laura Thielen recently told the Aspen Daily News, "We tend to look at ordinary people doing extraordinary things.”

That's exactly how we see the kids that star in Brownstones - Balla, Emmanuel, Augusta, Abdul, Fred, Destiny, Malik and Isaiah. They are ordinary kids doing extraordinary things, as they reach out and offer their hearts to strangers on the other side of the world.

Thank you RIFF!

2010-08-13T07:23:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Happy summer! We just wanted to thank the Rhode Island Film Festival for screening Brownstones this week. The festival is the largest public film event in New England with more than 200 films this year. Check out all of the details here.

We are really honored to be a part of it – even though we aren’t able to be there! We're incredibly disappointed to miss the other films and festivities.

There are lots of exciting things coming up though, including a screening in Bed-Stuy this fall and the construction of the school is Sierra Leone. Many more details to come!

Brownstones Honored at Seattle Film Fest

2010-06-22T08:37:00.000-07:00

We have exciting news! Of the 54 documentaries at the Seattle International Film Festival, Brownstones was third runner up for the Golden Space Needle Audience Award for documentaries. And we were in excellent company.

Restrepo, a film by Sebastian Junger (of A Perfect Storm fame), was fourth runner up and Waiting for Superman by Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) was in the Top 10. We feel honored to be named among these remarkable documentaries.

The documentary awards are below and the complete list is here:

Best Documentary Golden Space Needle Award
(tie) “Ginny Ruffner: A Not So Still Life,” Karen Stanton and "Waste Land,” Lucy Walker

First runner up: “The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls,” Leanne Pooley

Second runner up: “Wheedle's Groove,” Jennifer Maas

Third runner up: “Brownstones to Red Dirt,” Dave LaMattina and Chad N. Walker

Fourth runner up: “Restrepo,” Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington

Top 10: “Marwencol” (Jeff Malmberg), “Waiting for ‘Superman’” (Davis Guggenheim), “Chihuly Fire & Light” (Peter West), “American: The Bill Hicks Story” (Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas), “Mugabe and the White African” (Lucy Bailey and Andrew Thompson)

Thanks Brooklyn!

2010-06-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

The 13th annual Brooklyn International Film Fest closed last night with an excellent party at Dram in Williamsburg. Many thanks to the organizers for including Brownstones in all of the fun! If you missed our two screenings, stay tuned, we've got plans to show the film again in Brooklyn at summer's end.

Also, a big thanks to Nick Shimkin of the Kings County Cinema Society for his help in getting the word out about Brownstones. His group does weekly film screenings throughout Brooklyn and keeps tabs on fun, free events throughout the borough. Get on his mailing list here!

Malik to Brooklyn: You Can Google Me

2010-06-07T21:09:00.000-07:00

We were joined by some very special guests this past Saturday at our Brooklyn premiere:

*Diamond Saj (above center, red plaid shirt), the Salone rap artist who recorded the beautiful track at the end of the documentary, Children of the Universe.

*Malik, one of our Bed-Stuy pen pals (above, second from right). Malik joined us for the Q&A after the show and the audience asked him tons of questions, from his impressions of Sierra Leone to his plans for the future. He cheerily answered them all (in a much deeper voice – he's 13 now) and was sure to inform the crowd: "You can Google me!" Already a businessman. Ha!

*6th graders from the School for the Urban Environment, the Bed-Stuy school featured in Brownstones. The kids passed out postcards after the film to let people know we're raising money to build a new library there.

We also got to meet Ishmael Islam (above, far right) who screened his sweet short, Departure from a Love, after Brownstones. Ishmael took part in Reel Works Teen Filmmaking program and is now a student at Pratt.

Thanks to everyone for coming out in the heat! (And to Henry Street Ale House for letting us stay awhile). It was a great night!

Buy Tix to the Saturday Brooklyn Screening

2010-06-03T21:29:00.000-07:00

Come to our screening Saturday at 5pm at Brooklyn Heights Cinema or Wednesday at the same time and place. Buy tickets and watch the trailer here!

If you can't make the movie, come to the festival's after party at Henry Street Ale House. Hope to see you there.

Pictures from the Seattle Film Fest

2010-06-02T10:13:00.000-07:00

Outside of SIFF Cinema at our first screening (from left to right: our composer Josh Johnson, Chad Walker, Clay Frost and Dave LaMattina). Check out more SIFF pix here.

The Q&A following the first screening. We were joined by Cindy Nofziger of Schools for Salone and Dustin Kaspar, SIFF's Educational Programs Coordinator.

Cindy and Bob from the Seattle-based nonprofit Schools for Salone posing at SIFF's Centerpiece Gala on Saturday night. We've teamed with SFS to build a primary school in Freetown.

We (Really) Heart Seattle Film Fest

2010-06-02T09:48:00.001-07:00

Wow. We had another sold out screening on Monday at the Seattle Film Fest. It was crazy to see people lined up and waiting outside of the theater...and just amazing to sit among all of them, as they laughed and sighed and cried at all of the same moments in the film that we do. We wished we could have had all of the pen pals with us! Thanks for supporting our project, Seattle. What an incredible trip.

What Up Prince of Persia!

2010-05-31T10:59:00.000-07:00

The Stranger is listing Brownstones as a "recommended" movie with a green star. They also had a nice review of the documentary earlier this week. We're planning to see Bilal's Stand (listed above) after our screening tonight.

What Seattletonians Are Saying

2010-05-31T10:39:00.000-07:00

A roundup of comments and blog posts about our screenings in Seattle:

Already one of the bigger talkers among the many films being shown at SIFF this month, "Brownstones to Red Dirt" has raised $53,000 for Seattle-based Schools for Salone to build a new primary school. -- Humberto Martinez, Seattle PI, The Big Blog

This show had me laughing until I cried (wait until you meet Malik with his back up plans) and then I just plain cried. It was amazing to see an eleven year-old boy say that he feels like he's treated like dirt and then see children that sleep on dirt in the next scene. One of the most heart wrenching scenes involved the Sierra Leonians doing a reenactment of the war that tore their country apart and turned them into the orphans that they are. -- Arletta Gustafson, The Common Room

Children have a way of reminding us that interacting with other cultures will change our self-centric priorities. This film is a beautiful document of that. -- Dustin Kaspar, SIFF Programmer, 2010 Programmers' Picks

We Heart Seattle Film Fest

2010-05-30T12:04:00.001-07:00

Day One at SIFF was a great success. We showed Brownstones to a sold-out crowd of 350! Outrageous. A special thanks to the incredibly supportive Dustin Kaspar, SIFF's Educational Program Coordinator, for taking such good care of us.

Here are a few comments from people after the show:

I think that this movie was incredible and awe inspiring. It shows how the love we have is limitless and that we can overcome anything with the help of others. The connection that the students made was so beautiful and made me happy. - Anna

I heard about this movie from a friend that lives in Washington state. She said it was amazing and that she laughed so hard she cried. And then she just cried. - Michelle

This film is beautfully graceful. My family tree has roots in Sierra Leone, and I grew up in South Central Los Angeles in the 1970's. This film hit home. Hopeful, Heartbreaking, and in some parts humorous. - Kelly

Our First Seattle Press Review

2010-05-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

Kim Voynar at Movie City News gave Brownstones a thoughtful review:

When Fred says that growing up as a black kid in the projects makes him feel like "dirt, a black piece of dirt," my heart broke a little. In this post-Obama age, that a black child in America should think that of himself should be unfathomable; that these kids view white people with distrust and fear unthinkable; yet poverty and racism continue to be lines that divide us in our own country. How can we ever hope to heal the world if we cannot even heal ourselves? The answer is: We can't.

And, by the way, we're on their homepage, wedged between Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessie Eisenberg!

Greetings From Seattle!

2010-05-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Rain City late last night...it was indeed raining. And Pearl Jam was on the radio on the drive to the hotel! Ha. We're psyched to be here. Our first screening is tonight: 6:30 pm at SIFF Cinema. We'll also be at Pacific Place Cinemas #10 on Monday at 3:45pm. Please come by!

Prepare Your Heartstrings ...

2010-05-25T06:32:00.000-07:00

We got a lovely review from Bethany Jean Clement at the Seattle Film Festival:

What is more adorable than sixth-grade pen pals? INTERNATIONAL sixth-grade pen pals, half of whom are orphans. Prepare your heartstrings for some major tugging: This documentary documents a group of sixth-graders in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn pen-palling with a group of parentless sixth-graders in war-ravaged Sierra Leone. They wonder: Is it true that in New York the whole house has light anytime, night or day? Do they skateboard in Sierra Leone? The children learn things about each other's lives and—yes—their own. Watching them read each other's letters is fantastic.

There are several other SIFF reviews here.

Countdown to Seattle, 6 Days and Counting!

2010-05-24T09:27:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Just 6 days until our first screening at the 36th Seattle International Film Festival. It's an honor to be a part of the largest festival in the country! Check out the incredible films showing this year.

Here are the Brownstones showtimes for anyone in the area. Or pass along to your friends and family! Tickets can be purchased here.

Saturday, May 29, 6:30 pm SIFF Cinema
Monday, May 31, 3:45pm Pacific Place Cinemas #10

We'll be at both screenings for Q&A's, along with the creator and director of Seattle-based Schools for Salone, Cindy Nofziger. We've partnered with this wonderful and dedicated nonprofit to build a school in Freetown for the children in the film.

Brownstones Comes Home: Brooklyn Showtimes

2010-05-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

This just in! We have two screenings at the upcoming Brooklyn International Film Festival:

Saturday, June 5, 5pm at Brooklyn Heights Cinema
Wednesday, June 9, 5pm at Brooklyn Heights Cinema

You can buy tickets here. We hope you can make it out!

Brownstones Will Screen in Brooklyn!

2010-05-10T20:47:00.001-07:00

Great news. We were just accepted to the 13th Brooklyn International Film Festival, running June 4 through 13. We should have screening dates and times in the next few days. Hope you can be there!

In the News: The Bed-Stuy Library

2010-05-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

A little more love from the NY Daily News:

Is it too much to want a school library? For students at four Bedford-Stuyvesant public schools that share a building, it apparently is.

"Our kids want to read, but we don't have books," said Elizabeth Glenney, a sixth-grade English teacher at Urban School for the Environment, one of the schools in the building on Tompkins Ave. "I feel like we're failing them."

The school has started a library fund with $10,000 donated by the makers of a documentary film called "Brownstones to Red Dirt," which focuses on a pen pal program between Environment School sixth-graders and a group of orphans from Sierra Leone.

The schools need about $150,000 to get a full-fledged library running.

Kids Say the Sharpest Things

2010-04-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

Today, we screened the film for 316 students! After they hooted, hollered and cheered when they saw what the kids in Brooklyn were able to achieve in the film's climax, we had the daunting task of standing in front of a full house of students and answering their questions.

Pretty early on, a middle school kid stood up and said, "In the film, there is a mural that says 'Change your thoughts and you change your world' – has this experience changed your thoughts and your world?" We were sort of blown away by the question. It forced us to try to verbalize the how the film has affected us, which is no small task. Chad answered that, coming from a small town in Vermont where his graduating class only had 25 students, he had some serious preconceived notions about what life would be like in both places. Then, after meeting the kids and their families and seeing their sense of hope, especially in Sierra Leone, and the genuine kindness of the people he met in Bed-Stuy, he was embarrassed by what he thought they might be like. He went on to talk about how the experience has opened his eyes to the world and how he is careful not to form any preconceived notions in any aspect of his life.

Yesterday, we sat in a circle of 7-8th grade students at the Creative Arts Charter School in San Francisco and faced an equally impressive question. The kids were really curious as to where we stayed while we were in Sierra Leone. When we explained that we crashed in a fancy tourist hotel where we were on the beach, had access to showers, wi-fi and pizza, a kid raised his hand and asked how we could put ourselves up in a place with all the luxuries and comforts of home while the kids in the orphanage lived on dirt floors.

Honestly, that's a question we have often asked ourselves. How can we justify spending money to make a film rather than just giving it directly to people in need? The answer, we think, is doing everything we can to get the kids' stories out to the world. Thankfully, as we continue to work the festival circuit and meet with students like the ones we've seen in San Francisco, the voices of the kids in Sierra Leone and Brooklyn grow louder. And with each class that watches and discusses the film, awareness grows. We hope the film takes on a life of its own and inspires more action from kids throughout the world... and if it does, we'll know we've done our job.

A Busy Day at the SF Film Festival

2010-04-26T20:29:00.000-07:00

We spent the day speaking to students at the St. Monica School and the Creative Arts Charter School in San Francisco. They had lots of great questions for us, from how we picked the kids who starred in the documentary to the challenges we faced while traveling in Sierra Leone. Thanks to the festival organizers for setting this up! And tonight we were lucky enough to screen Brownstones for the staff at a little place called Pixar Animation Studios. Whoa. All in all, an incredible day.

Greetings From San Francisco!

2010-04-25T19:12:00.000-07:00

We just arrived in the cool, grey city of love for the 53rd San Francisco International Film Festival. We're so excited to be here! Brownstones is part of the festival's Schools at the Festival program, so we'll be speaking with lots of kids over the next two days. We're so curious to hear what they think of the film. Our screening for the students is Tuesday, April 27 at 10:00 am at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas. We'll keep you posted on how it all goes!

The Determination of Balla

2010-04-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

Sweet and artistic Balla was just 12 years old when we started filming. Much like his pen pal Malik, he wants to be a working artist someday. Balla lives at the Children in Crisis orphanage. Aunty Musu rescued him when he was 5 years old, just after the rebel soldiers murdered his parents.

I want to be like most big people. I want to have an office so people can call me so I can draw for them.

If my friend ever needs anything, if they ask me I will give it to them. That’s what makes a good friend. If my pen pal is good, I feel happy.

I ask myself, what can I remember about the rebels? What do I remember about what they did? When I remember it angers me. What they took from me, oh God.

From the bottom of my heart, I want to get big so I can avenge what they [the rebels] have done to me. What they’ve done to me, to my parents, and to my people ... But my parents would want me to be a good Sierra Leonean. I want to be a good Sierra Leonean. That is my wish.

Drawing will make things better for me, so I will not slack off, I will hold on tight.

Malik's Hope

2010-04-18T19:08:00.000-07:00

Meet Malik, a playful and creative kid from Bed-Stuy. He lives with his mom and sister and was 11 years old when we first met him. Sometimes it seems he’s been around for far longer than that!

I have like three back-up plans to my first job. I want to be a game designer, if I can’t do that, I’ll be a writer, and if I can’t do that, I’ll be an artist, and if I can’t do that I’ll be a photographer. Backup plans...

I think bullies are unsure of themselves. Heck, why would they be bothering people. Someone is bothering them. Those kids don’t think they’re special enough. They are special. We’re all special.

[Referring to his pen pal, Balla] I like that we both draw, I think that’s really something special. He likes drawing, I like drawing. I really think we could be a perfect match.

These kids kinda like deserve a second chance. I mean if I could just turn back the clock, I could just stop this war.

People. Friends. Other countries. Tokyo. Sure I’m black. Sure you’re black. Sure you’re white. Sure you’re Spanish. Sure you’re Hindi. Doesn’t matter. We’re still people.

Our Final Hours in Sarasota

2010-04-15T20:17:00.000-07:00

We had a sweet time at the festival's Cinema Tropicale celebration at the Sarasota Yacht Club last night. There were more than 400 people drinking, dancing and hula hooping (in honor of one the films, The Hooping Life). It was a great way to unwind after a crazy and thrilling couple of days. The festival organizers definitely know how to party well. Check out more pictures from the night, including the hula hoopers, here.

A huge thanks again to everyone at SFF for taking such good care of us. We're sad to be home.

Day Two at Sarasota

2010-04-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

We had another incredible day at the Sarasota Film Festival. At 12:30 we did a spot on ABC Channel 7 with John Scalzi. (We waited in the green room with another guest, Duke the dog from the Sarasota Humane Society. Ha!) We'll post the interview clip as soon as we get our hands on it.

We also visited with students in the film program at Sarasota's Booker High School. Having already watched Brownstones, they had lots of great questions for us. And Chad, waxing academic, dropped an Orson Welles quote on them. Oh boy.

A typewriter needs only paper; a camera uses film, requires subsidiary equipment by the truck-load and several hundreds of technicians. That is always the central fact about the film-maker as opposed to any other artist: he can never afford to own his own tools.

We had our second, and final, screening at 7:15. There was a nice turnout and the crowd was very responsive. Not surprisingly, Malik had them in stitches. And after the Q&A, many people came up to us and confessed that they had tears in their eyes when the Sierra Leone kids performed the play reenacting how the rebels had killed their parents. We left feeling pretty grateful.

We also got to see an incredibly moving documentary about a man's quest to run 63 marathons over 63 days to support kids suffering from a terminal disease known as ataxia telangiectasia. Check out Feat, created by the talented couple, Deb and Brad Carr.

Audio Interview on The Insider

2010-04-14T08:01:00.000-07:00

We were interviewed yesterday by Sarasota Film Festival's The Insider blog:

You’ve heard me RAVE about this staggeringly great and important movie, now you can listen to the co-directors and associate producer chat about it live from our filmmakers lounge at Urban Reef!

Day One at Sarasota, A Roundup

2010-04-14T06:58:00.000-07:00

Our first day at the Sarasota Film Festival was a great success! Thanks to everyone who took the time to come to our screening last night. We have a second and (final) showing tonight at 7:15pm at the Regal 20 Cinema. Here's some of the media coverage we've gotten so far:

Sarasota Herald Tribune
There are so many things to recommend about youthFEST selection “Brownstones to Red Dirt,” it’s hard to know where to begin. So let’s concentrate on the one thing kids never do anymore: Write letters. Because this 85-minute documentary is about the power of the printed word.

A second review, Herald Tribune
Among the unintended consequences of this inaugural feature-length movie — “Brownstones to Red Dirt” — was learning how little it takes to build a school in west Africa.

NY Daily News
Brooklyn and Freetown, Sierra Leone, are 4,310 miles apart - but at one Bedford-Stuyvesant school they'll forever be connected.

Buzz Worthy
This wonderful film is both educational and enchanting as it goes back and forth between the joys and the struggles these students have in both countries.

Greetings From Sunny Sarasota!

2010-04-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

We'll be here for the next three days to screen the documentary (and enjoy a little fun in the sun). Be sure to keep tabs on us on Twitter!

Brownstones in the Daily News!

2010-04-13T08:53:00.000-07:00

The New York Daily News just posted a story about...us!

Brooklyn and Freetown, Sierra Leone, are 4,310 miles apart - but at one Bedford-Stuyvesant school they'll forever be connected.

That's because a pair of filmmakers captured the unlikely pen-pal friendship between a handful of sixth-graders from the Urban School for the Environment on Tompkins Ave. and a group of orphans from war-torn Sierra Leone in a new documentary called "Brownstones to Red Dirt."

Read more.

Fred's Honesty

2010-04-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

Last week we introduced you to Emmanuel, a smart kid who has had to grow up quickly as an orphan in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Now meet his pen pal Fred, an ambitious and laid back kid from Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. When we first met Fred, we thought he was shy. He seemed so serious and quiet but once he started talking, we couldn’t stop listening. He tells it like it is.

[In Bed-Stuy] Some people fight about…money, girls, and stuff like that. Stupid things. But we don’t get involved in nothing like that.

[People] probably think, you black so you a bad little kid. Like really disrespectful cause you just black…fights all the time, curse, but it’s not true. It makes me feel like I ain’t nothing. A black piece of dirt.

I didn’t know, like, it would be that violent over there [in Sierra Leone].

That’s crazy how they don’t got the things that we got. Like medicine…to help them not to be sick and die at a young age.

He [Emmanuel] wants to be a DJ when he grows up and I like music too. First he’ll have to get a skateboard, and then I’ll teach him how to ollie.

Brownstones on The Insider Blog

2010-04-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

Sarasota Film Festival's The Insider just posted an interview with our co-directors Dave LaMattina and Chad Walker! See it here.

INSIDER: Are these kids—from both locales—still a part of your lives?

DL: Obviously, we’ve been able to see the kids in Bed-Stuy more often–we’ve yet to go back to Salone–but they are a major part of our lives. We’ve exchanged a few letters and constantly get updates from the headmistress in Sierra Leone. We’ve also undertaken a considerable fundraising effort to benefit both groups. We’ve currently raised over $53,000 to build a school in Sierra Leone and create a school library in Bed-Stuy. I think it’s safe to say we think of them non-stop. I know Chad does–ask about his tattoo!

CW: Indeed. Before we left Sierra Leone we were all given Krio names and I had mine tattooed on my wrist. The name they gave me is Pa Sorie – which means “the one who delivers messages.” It is a reminder of not only our time in Sierra Leone, but also how much that time changed me as a person. Whenever I am having a bad day I look at that tattoo and it reminds of the kids in SaLone and how they have so much faith and hope even after the tragedies in their lives and when I think of life in those terms, my day never looks bad.

The Wisdom of Emmanuel

2010-04-08T13:00:00.000-07:00

When we set out to make Brownstones, one of our major goals was to give these children a voice. We didn’t want to rely solely on parents or teachers or experts to tell this story. We wanted the kids’ perspectives. And they had so many important things to say.

Here are some thoughts from Emmanuel, who was rescued by Aunty Musu of the Children in Crisis school after the rebels murdered his parents. He was 14 years old when we filmed the documentary.

“When you are educated, no one can come and remove the education from your head.”

“I have to do something which is good for the people in Sierra Leone. That is the only way I think that Sierra Leone is going to be a good place in the future. For us and the children we are going to have in the future.”

“This war is not affecting the big people. It cannot affect them more than us, we the children, because they killed our mothers, they killed our fathers. We do not have parents again. So we think that this war is affecting us more than the big ones.”

“I have forgiven everybody who knows that he is guilty for my parent’s death because you have to forgive and forget.”

Progress on the New School

2010-04-07T10:55:00.000-07:00

We’ve been working with Schools for Salone to build a new primary school for the Children in Crisis School (CIC) in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The existing building (shown left), which is made from sticks and corrugated zinc, is stifling hot in the dry months and incredibly noisy in the rainy season. Overcrowding is a major issue, as the school is used by 379 students from preschool to 6th grade.

Schools for Salone director Cindy Nofziger recently met with leaders from CIC to get the ball rolling. Our on-the-ground project manager, Joseph Lamin of the Masanga Children's Fund, is working with CIC to find the best site for construction.

We’ll keep you posted as plans progress! In the meantime, check out this e-mail we received from Aunty Musu, the director of CIC. “Ma Musu” is more than a teacher to her students – she rescued many of them after the civil war, and has been a mother to them all.

I thank you people very much for all what you have done for our children…We thank u for the things you gave to us, like notebooks for the children, football, their calendar, books for the children to read I thank you all….I am happy as far as my children have got their school building that will make them and even the community people we will be very happy. I we try to send u pictures of the children working at their school site.
much love Mamusu.

Countdown to Sarasota

2010-04-04T19:56:00.000-07:00

Just nine days and counting until Brownstones screens at SFF! Check out the festival’s preview of Brownstones on its blog, The Insider:

Imagine you’re a kid from the projects in Brooklyn. Do you think you would have much in common with an orphan your age from the civil war-ravaged Sierra Leone?

What if it turned out that you did? And the bond you share is that no one gives either of you a chance. Then you learn that even if you can’t count on the outside world, you can count on each other!

That’s the premise of a wonderfully engaging documentary about a pen pal program between a group of youths in Bed-Stey and Sierra Leone...read more.

Brownstones in Rhode Island

2010-04-04T19:14:00.000-07:00

Great news! Brownstones was accepted to the Rhode Island International Film Festival and its partner festival, Roving Eye Film Festival, held at Roger Williams University. We're thrilled to be a part of this!

The Roving Eye screening is Saturday, April 24 at 6:30pm. The Rhode Island IFF runs August 10-15. More on that festival soon.

Also, if you know anyone who lives or works in the area that can help us spread the word about the film, please let us know!

Postcard Art Auction: A Roundup

2010-04-02T09:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who helped us raise more than $26,000 from our postcard art auction, including the 158 artists and 96 donors who participated. And a special shout out to Vicki Saulls, our auction organizer extraordinaire.

You can still see some of the beautiful artwork here. The postcard above is from artist Veronique Joffre.

Along with the more than $23,000 we raised from a friends and family screening in November, we’re using every penny from the auction to build a school in Freetown with our nonprofit partner Schools for Salone. We’re also planning to create a library at the School for the Urban Environment in Bed-Stuy. More details to come!

Welcome to the Brownstones Blog!

2010-04-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

If you’re looking for more information about our feature-length documentary, Brownstones to Red Dirt, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll be posting regularly to let you know:

*the status of the school we’re building in Freetown, Sierra Leone
*updates on the library we’re creating at a Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn school
*news from upcoming film festivals
*details on where and when you can see the movie

In the meantime, you can always contact us at info[at]copperpotpictures[dot]com.