Trailers and Interviews for the S.U.R.G.E. Film Festival

The Fourth World [A Billion People At the Bottom of the Pile]

First World. Second World. Developing World … Slums.

There's a hidden world out there that is getting ready to explode: The world of slums.

A seething mass of humanity--1 billion people--inhabits this hidden world and if the United Nations is right--that number will triple in the years to come.

Who are these people and what are these slums? Are they a danger? A menace? Or are slums a breeding ground for entrepreneurs? A transition point for people on a desperate journey from poverty to middle-class respectability?

The Fourth World takes you inside slums on three continents to meet individuals caught up in the largest people migration in the history of the world. Understanding 'a billion people' is almost impossible, but meeting a handful of slum dwellers strips away the statistic and begins the process of building understanding.

Journey with the filmmakers to Guatemala, Kenya and the Philippines to meet slum dwellers. Listen to published experts--leaders in their fields from three more continents--as they bring understanding to the 'why' of slums, and foreshadow what's going to happen if the world ignores this social powder keg much longer.

Mark Volkers has won multiple national and international awards for his work. He has filmed in more than 20 countries over the past 15 years and brings his unique storytelling style to this powerful documentary film about how one in six human beings live.

The stories are real. The implications of turning a blind eye to this situation are real. We ignore this at our own peril.

Run Time: 54 minutes

Inner Worlds, Outer Worlds (2012) - Trailer

Inner Worlds, Outer Worlds

There is one vibratory field that connects all things. It has been called Akasha, Logos, the primordial OM, the music of the spheres, the Higgs field, dark energy, and a thousand other names throughout history. The ancient teachers taught Nada Brahma, the universe is vibration. The vibratory field is at the root of all true spiritual experience and scientific investigation. It is the same field of energy that saints, Buddhas, yogis, mystics, priests, shamans and seers have observed by looking within themselves. In today's society, most of humanity has forgotten this ancient wisdom. We have strayed too far into the realm of thinking; what we perceive to be the outer world of form. We have lost our connection to our inner worlds. This balance, what the Buddha called the middle way, what Aristotle called the golden mean, is the birthright of every human being. It is the common link between all religions, and the link between our inner worlds and our outer worlds. Check out www.innerworldsmovie.com for more.

Trailer: Finding Your Voice

The Finding Your Voice film is designed to promote discussion and help children make healthy choices when faced with challenging situations. Happy to receive the 7th Surge Film Fest Award I would like to acknowledge the hard work, professionalism and creative commitment of both the cast and crew without which this film would not have been made. They include Peter Wigand, Amy Dzambo, Yazzie Gabler-Alonzo, Haidyn Harvey, Henry Venrick, Eve Cohen, Austen Martinez, Michelle Guasto, Chris Canfield, Devon Orand and Dustin Lawrence.

http://vimeo.com/49572178

Ivory Heart, a feature film, by Wendell Charles NeSmith

Human Skab: The Accolade Award-Winning Documentary

This film tells the poignant story of Human Skab and its front man, Travis Roberts, who led the group as a young child since 1986, accompanied by his siblings, friends, and cousin Frankie (co-director Frank Gunderson). The music that they created and recorded in the late 1980s as a result of the boy's adventures and creative explorations gathered a dedicated following in the cassette underground. After two years of making music, life caught up to young Travis. He finished school, grew up, and joined the army, serving as a soldier and contractor in Egypt, Kosovo, and Afghanistan.

'I'm not doin' this for the money, I'm on a mission,' Travis once said in a 1987 interview with SPIN magazine. 'I have a message for the world. It's not just playin' guitars good that is important. It's all the things that you do.' Rife with amazing synchronicities, Travis's music, both old and new, not only provides a powerful creative vision of American society, but offers a wealth of insight to present politics, 'outsider music,' life as a war veteran, and personal healing.

Three years in the making, our film documents Travis's story as he reconnects with the music he created as a young child in 1986. After serving in the military and then returning home, Travis decided to reconstruct the band and continue the message of his music. Human Skab held their first reunion tour in December 2009, with bassist Matt Love and drummer Bret (co-director Bret Woods). We realized rather quickly that the process of Travis's musical reunion was a story that needed to be told, so we gathered camera equipment and recorded footage throughout the entirety of our rehearsals and tour. During the tour, it became more apparent that the story was not simply a band ethnography and reunion, but a reclamation and remembrance; our film is an eye-opening narrative about a veteran's post-war experience and personal healing.

About Human Skab as both a performance group and a concept, Travis noted: "The thing that appealed to me about playing music both when I was young as well as now is that within my music I find a freedom unparalleled within the confines of everyday American life. Since pre-history music has played an integral part in the human experience. Not just listening to music but creating it. Unfortunately, capitalism has stolen this aspect of humanity from most people living behind the bars of consumerist systems. If you want music, just pop in a CD or turn on your IPOD. Let the pros make the tunes. In my house we are taking music back." Our film making approach follows this aesthetic as a mash-up of cinéma vérité and vaudeville: we follow the action as it happens; if you don't like what you see, wait thirty seconds and then you will.

Visit our website, humanskab.com, to read more about the film, the band, and the music. You can also find Human Skab and OddFreak Films on YouTube.

Stand Down Soldier, a feature film, by Jeryl Prescott Sales

'Dead Man Walking' Author to speak in West Des Moines

Sister Helen Prejean, the author of Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty, will make a special guest appearance next week as with Dowling Catholic High School students stage a play based on her book.

On Tuesday, she’ll make a presentation to junior class members who will have read her book, and then have lunch with the cast of the school play. That evening, she will speak at an open house for the general public, from 6 to 7:15 p.m., prior to the 7:30 p.m. Dowling production of the play.

"We are very excited to have Sr. Helen Prejean visit and present to our students and the community. She has a powerful message and life story that I believe will connect with and inspire us. Having the students read the book and then see the book acted out in the play gives power to her message. Sister's message of love and forgiveness should resonate with all," Jerry Deegan, Dowling Catholic High School president said in a news release.

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