FILM DISTRIBUTION FUNDRAISER

Why this film NOW?

DUSTWUN is a film for the moment we are living in. Bombarded with contradictory news stories and flooded with catastrophizing propaganda, we need a simple story that cuts through to the heart of it all – a story about the sweetness of human connection. We shine a light on the path ahead, the path toward workable solutions that are inclusive of the humanity of all people. DUSTWUN was created to provide a path for the heart that leads in the direction of productive conversation and hopeful solutions. It touches upon issues and questions within the immigration debate, but it has no political agenda. Our goal is to utilize the film and the graphic novel series to foster an expanded understanding of the issues at stake, affecting how we talk about these issues, and ultimately how we construct policy around them.

The Desert

I came to the desert in Southern Arizona with my young son in the summer of 2015 to be near my family during a painful divorce. The desert – lush and barren, scorching and freezing, delicate and ferocious - is a place of extreme paradox. I came for comfort and protection, and was instead stripped bare of everything I thought I was. Whatever I thought I believed as an individual and an activist was replaced by the reality of what was occurring outside my front door. It was from this place of the total erasure of illusion that I conceived DUSTWUN.

Historically, from the Exodus to the Burning Bush to the monks in the 4th century, the desert has been the setting for isolation, suffering, and spiritual truth. It is the landscape where one's life is surrendered for transformation – spiritual or material.

The desert is a place of both death and deliverance, and it is no truer then than it is today, when thousands of migrants risk their lives daily crossing the desert for the most basic of human rights – work, family, and sustenance.The desert is the home of the exiled and the seekers. The starkness of its landscape mirrors the vastness of the human soul in all its terror and grandeur.

The desert in Southern Arizona exists between two worlds – the US and Mexico – and two world views – "liberal" and "conservative." My views have expanded dramatically over the 4 years hearing the stories told by my stepbrother who works as a border patrol agent. It became more difficult for me to think of immigration in black and white terms - there are so many shades of grey in between that are often ignored in the news media, but that need to be brought to light in order to have a balanced discussion about solutions.

Regardless of what side of the wall we happen to live on, this crisis belongs to us all, and whatever our position on the debate, we cannot forget the reality of those who are lost in the desert, seeking the very things we take for granted. Specifically, we should be recalling the spiritual meaning of this crisis – it belongs to us all, regardless of what side of the wall we happen to live on.

Meaning of DUSTWUN

DUSTWUN – Duty, Status, Whereabouts Unknown – is the transitory status assigned to service members who have disappeared but have not yet been confirmed dead or captured. It was the status given to our lead character, Kenny, before he was captured as a POW and then escaped, his disappearance never sanctioned by the military as legitimate. Consequently, he was dishonorably discharged and denied all benefits, leaving him to fend for himself. His story remains nebulous in the film because this is not a story about a DUSTWUN vet, but about Americans who serve their country and find themselves in exile regardless of how they served. This exile is mirrored by our other protagonist, Marta, who shares the same status, not as a servicemember, but as a human being, who, like Kenny, is forging a path for survival. I am also applying this term to the present state of America's moral character regarding human rights – Duty, Status, Whereabouts Unknown.

The Crisis

Human migration, not just at the Mexican border, but across the globe, is a crisis on par with our catastrophically shifting environment. Political refugees as well as climate refugees are flooding borders everywhere, and building walls to keep them out is as absurd as building a dam to stop a tsunami. The wall built during the Clinton administration, which President Trump dreams of making bigger and more "beautiful," actually exacerbates the human and drug smuggling trades. Migrants, who will cross regardless of how big the wall is, are forced to rely on Coyotes to guide them through increasingly perilous terrain, multiplying the death toll. Border control and immigration regulation is critical, but turning the other cheek to the deaths caused by the wall as a strategy for enforcing regulation is, at base, inhumane.

We are required to find a solution that honors basic human need – what is essential and shared by us all. This starts with a dialogue that rejects catastrophizing and xenophobia on all accounts, and puts forth policies we would design for ourselves and our families if we were in a similar position of need.

What is at stake?

I had the privilege of attending the Scott Warren Trial in Tucson, where a young man was facing 20 years in prison for allegedly harboring undocumented migrants and giving them water and basic medical care. I was there on the day when clergy from across the nation gathered in support of Scott Warren and human rights. They came because this trial was critical in determining the moral future of the United States. Although the case ended in a mistrial because the jury could not unanimously condemn a basic act of kindness, Warren is scheduled to be retried in November.

I also spent time volunteering at Casa Alitas in Tucson, an entirely volunteer-run site for asylum seekers waiting to travel to their sponsors. I was able to witness first-hand what masses of exiled people are experiencing trying to get to a place free of danger. There is a very real difference between seeing these stories on the news and looking into the eyes of real people seeking the very same rights we all take for granted.

What is at stake is the future of our humanity. This is perhaps the most critical issue of our time. Whatever our current position is on the immigration crisis, it is imperative that we remember what the desert represents, understanding that this moment in history is part of a long trajectory of struggle, isolation, and ultimately redemption. How will future generations talk about our time in the desert?

The DUSTWUN Graphic Novel

We are developing a series of graphic novels to further explore the themes in the movie – immigration, patriotism, DACA, veterans and mental illness, the reality of mass migration and its implications, citizenship and civic duty, compassion and the complex web of moral obligation. Our intention with this series is to expand the current dialogue on subjects often simplified in the media, inviting a more layered understanding of how to approach one of the most complex challenges of the present time. We intend to create a compelling series that can be utilized in middle schools and high schools to deepen the conversation about these issues.

We are working with Mexican artist Cristian Jose Maria Cuellar Hernandez ("Chema") from San Luis Potosi, Mexico and Hector Rodriguez ("El Peso Hero") on the development of the project,

Check out Bios and Behind the Scenes pictures at

dustwunmovie.com

THANK YOU for supporting this important, timely film!