Contacts:
PR:
Contact Mari Eliza to request more info, suggest other interested parties, or
to request copies of the press kit. eliza@amer.net
To
request a copy of the film trailer, please specify a preference for VHS or DVD.
To schedule an
interview or appointment: Please contact filmmaker, Christine Rose. We are
actively seeking donations, funding, and distribution for “Liberty Bound”. bluemoosefilms@hotmail.com
http://www.bluemoosefilms.com/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 2003 –
After screening “Liberty Bound”, my reactions were varied.
As the title suggests, the film raises many questions about freedom. Are
Americans in danger of loosing some of our personal freedoms because of our new
fears of terrorism? I spoke with Producer/Director, Christine
Rose about her latest film and what drives her to work on such intense
subjects.
Q.
“Liberty Bound” seeks to analyze what
happened and why. Shouldn’t the question be, “What are we going to do about
it”?
A. The first step towards inspiration and action
is knowledge. People have to know what’s happening first, then
each of them individually must decide what they can do about it. I can’t
dictate that. I can tell you what I do about it, and why I think my actions are
effective to varying degrees. But the first step is to see through the game and
the lies…
Q. Was there one film, filmmaker or incident that peaked your interest in documentary production?
A. Absolutely - Michael Moore, the filmmaker -- all his work
(film, activism and print media), but especially his latest film "Bowling
for Columbine" and his book "Stupid White Men." In fact, if I
had to pick one thing that really got me moving on this production, it was
reading in his book, "Downsize This", that Michael Moore
made his first film "Roger & Me" at age 33. I had just turned 33,
and I had made a few short videos by that time. I thought to myself
-- "If you're going to do this -- you had better get going!"
Q. What inspired you to set out on this quest across
A. My grandfather was dying
- the film is dedicated to him, as he died a week after I left him. Money was
tight, so I had a hard time justifying a cross-country trip for making a movie
-- something that could be seen as another one of my whims -- but when I realized my grandfather
was dying -- I took the chance to spend some time with him, to make him as
comfortable as possible. I spent about half the time with him and half in
production. In fact, I cut my production time down to get back to him earlier.
I wouldn't trade those last few days with him for anything.
Q. Did you have a mentor?
A. No.
Q. How did you choose the route you took (by car, bus, and train)?
A. My husband and I are environmentalists as well as political
activists - we try to take "alternative" forms of transportation both
for environmental and political reasons. We're trying to move away from the
"Oil Culture" - in fact, we're converting an old VW Bus to Diesel so
we can run it on bio-diesel and recycled vegetable oil. So, I took the train
across the bulk of the country on my East bound trip, and I'm sure glad I did.
While traveling in coach is hard on the back-- I met some amazing people. One
who ended up in Liberty Bound -
"Winston." I walked in on his interrogation
by the Denver Police and was shocked at what I was hearing! So, I sat down, put
on my headphones and started recording. From everyone who has seen it,
this is the section most commented on. It really shows the levels of
intimidation and fear perpetuated in our society. Poor "Winston"
hadn't been in the
Q. What motivates you to get up in the morning? What are your
passions?
A. I don't get up 'til
Seriously, feeling the need to make a
difference. We live in a very dangerous and crazy time --
and I'd go insane myself if I wasn't doing something to try and educate my
fellow citizens and minimize the suffering in the world.
Q. What motivates you to be creative?
A. Grave injustice to any living being.
Q. The real
selling point of the 9/11 wars has been FEAR. The biggest fear is DEATH, the
antithesis of life. We all expect to die. We just don’t know when. Prior to
9/11 we all faced the possibility of death every day. We just ignored it. How
have the events of 9/11 changed that?
A. Yes, the selling
point in any imperialistic agenda is fear. That’s how governments keep their
subjects in line. It’s how they control them – the Bush Administration has used
fear in the exact same ways as other empires have – Nazi Germany,
We must remember this
quote from Hermann Goering, Hitler’s Right-Hand Man:
“Why of course the people don't want war ... But after all it is the
leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple
matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist
dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship ...Voice or no
voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is
easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce
the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger.”
A friend of mine once
broke down FEAR to this:
False
Evidence
Appearing
Real
I thought that was
pretty clever.
Q. What can we do to embrace
FREEDOM and IGNORE FEAR? In corporate-speak, “What is the next step?”
A. Exactly that –
EMBRACE FREEDOM – that’s what everyone can do. My husband always says – you
only truly lose your freedom of speech when you stop using it – when you censor
yourself. Hold your elected representatives accountable if you think they
aren’t representing you, and remember that they can’t represent you if they
don’t know what YOU want. Call them, write them.
Protest – Civil
Disobedience – Host Democratic Film Nights and Potlucks – become active at your
local peace center. I think one of the most important and effective
things is to vote with your money. Stop paying the people who are lying
to you – trying to hurt you. There are a million things you can do – the
important thing is to do something.
Perhaps Blue Moose will
tackle that problem with their next film.