August 2, 2008
Yet I hope one with an end in sight. A final, final has just been delivered to KERA, Channel 13 public broadcasting Dallas and with a few tweaks here and there an airing date may soon be set.
The documentary on terrorism as it relates to 9/11 and bin Laden has a history as long as Gone with the Wind. Scheduled for airing on January 29, 2006 it hit a snag, to say the least. On January 23, it aired at the Angelika Theatre in Dallas- by special invitation to community leaders, friends and associates. Playing to a full house, most of the comments were very favorable. With the topic what it is and the diversity and conflict between the players we knew we would not nor did we have an intention of pleasing everyone, that’s not what a documentary is about. Our intent was to have the experts on the doc speak their perspective and give a capsule summary of what led to 9/11 and where we are as a result. Imagine our shock when the doc was protested by a Muslim activist group- the Freedom and Justice Foundation. They had contacted KERA, they then contacted us and wanted to talk about some of the issues they felt that were not reported accurately or with fairness in the doc. I was not able to meet with them, the non stop events of being responsible for the doc’s airing, the production to meet the deadline we had sent, all of the work that goes into editing and producing, as my role on this project was that of Executive producer, Producer and Director, had caught up with me and silly as this sounds I had collapsed the morning after the airing with a fever and accompanying aches and pains. Dennis met with the group, a cordial meeting, and he agreed to a disclaimer that the content and views were not those of the average Muslim. No problem, the doc had stated that often. We felt we could do so with integrity. And we learned that agreeing to a disclaimer meant that possibly you did not stand behind the work. Which we did, but never the less the documentary did not air on KERA. We met with KERA decision makers and were assured that if changes were made and revetting done we would be considered for airing.
In our desire to get the work aired we agreed to new vetting, incorporating the changes suggested, editing the work form 120 minutes to 90. Now as a novice documentarian, I had no idea that this work would be a full time job- yes, full time…producing the initial work and then redoing the Roots of War has taken 4 years. Job security you might think, except at no pay. In fact using my own monies when funds ran out after the first Roots was I thought completed. Still job security is job security. Roots became my life’s work. And yes it has been an adventure and an immense learning experience. And hopefully there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Its good work and deserves to be aired. It is balanced, and as fair to all of the issues as can be…
So- let me tell you a tale of a work that has consumed me and caused a change of direction and a new life, like it or not….
In 1986, when Dennis McCuistion met- I was a rising star in the National Speakers Association, he was a new speaker. We met and he spoke to me of his interest in doing a TV show. Now my first reaction was ego. Yet his premise was sound. If you have ideas and want to influence opinion, a TV show, rather than just speaking or consulting makes sense. It did. I get things done. We joined forces and what a mighty force it was. I marketed the company, raised monies, managed the tv show as producer, raised the money for the programs after we formed the 501 c 3 , still spoke and consulted ; Dennis built his speaking career and focused on being host of the show. And he did a great job and word spread. It worked.
Fast forward, we produced a decent TV program on KERA that focused on Talking about Things That Matter with People Who Care. Many years later , 2003, many successes later, and awards, still imagine my surprise when our major funder, The Hatton W. Sumners Foundation called and said, would you be interested in producing a documentary on terrorism, the Middle East crisis, and essentially what had led up to 9/11 and events since? Now since the day after 9/11 Rick Thompson, the executive director for KERA had called me and said, Niki how about a show on 9/11, and I produced one in days, and it won a major award, of course we were interested.
Write a proposal, they said, we’ll talk. I did and they did, and in March of 2004, Phil Smith, lead camera person, and editor; Dennis McCuistion, narrator co-interviewer and I, producer-director and co-interviewer headed to Bagdad, and Saudi Arabia and Lebanon and Jordan and Israel; Palestine and Turkey, to produce a documentary on terrorism. And we did. Our first night in Baghdad a hotel and two blocks square, 2 minutes from our hotel was taken out... Immersion. Learning. We asked questions, we learned, we attempted to portray what we had heard. Dennis did a great job, Phil and I were not too shabby.
800 hours editing, that much more in time writing, editing transcripts, a full year for such a complex topic, putting together a story. Small budget, yes even funding for this is a learned process and as generous as our funder was and I am grateful, we really needed 3 times more in funding to be able to do the best possible work. 800 hours on top of 30 days in the Middle East, getting interviews from key players, and weaving together a story. And we finished and presented it in record time, a year later. Knowing we did the best we could and it did not air.
So here we are , and in the last two years, many new interviews later, since 2004 I have gone to Saudi Arabia , again, Syria, Israel 3 more times, Lebanon and Jordan… listening to the “man” and woman on the street, updating the new Roots, which had to be edited down to 90 minutes, so a new work. And another 950 hours of new footage editing with no funding. . Phil has done yeoman work. I have become an expert in Middle East politics and a worthwhile cause has become my life and my funds work.
Roots, a labor of love, and one that has consumed me. Yet it is spawning new projects. And forced a different way of looking at the world. Perhaps a world where peace can be attained. Where each of us acknowledges a shared responsibility for the state of our world. And maybe a place where we each, with our own differences are willing to sit down, and break bread and talk about our differences which underline how similar we all are.
The protestors of Roots have become advocates; the differences from each group are forging relationships. Roots in its small way is already examining diversity and asking for respect for each others differences. A long journey and not over yet.
So please stay with us. Roots is worth your time.
Niki
Monday, August 18, 2008
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