By Daily Press staff
Come meet filmmaker Mark Manning and attend a screening of his two newest films. Two new documentaries by Manning will be presented at three separate events in January.
Manning’s film, “American Voices,” will be presented by Topanga Peace Alliance to raise finishing funds to complete the documentary. “American Voices” will screen on Friday, Jan. 6 at Yoga Desa, located at 120 N. Topanga Cyn. Blvd. The presentation starts at 7:45 p.m. and admission is $10 at the door. To RSVP, call Julie at (310) 455-9389.
Manning’s documentary film, “Caught in the Crossfire: The Untold Story of Falluja,” will be presented twice in January. On Saturday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m., Frank Dorrel (Addicted to War) will host a house party at 3967 Shedd Terrace in Culver City. Admission is $10 at the door. On Sunday, Jan. 22, at 11 a.m., special guest Fernando Suarez will appear with Manning at the Laemmle Monica 4-Plex Theatre, 1332 Second St., in Santa Monica. Tickets are $15 at the door. To RSVP, call (310) 838-8131.
In the aftermath of Sept. 11, when many Americans were shocked and unsure of where to turn, Manning decided to take a journey. He was deeply troubled that his country appeared headed into war. He traveled across the country, from the Pacific Coast to the heartland, through Dixie and up the Eastern seaboard, to try to find out what his fellow Americans were thinking.
With film camera in tow, Manning asked Americans four basic questions: How do you feel about the impending war against Iraq? Why are terrorists attacking the U.S.? Can you describe the United States’ foreign policy in the Middle East? How do you feel emotionally about the United States going to war?
“In every case, people wanted to express themselves,” Manning said. “They wanted to be heard above the administration’s declaration, ‘Your either with us or you’re against us.’
“I was searching for the goodness in America and I found it. Deep down, people want the best for everyone. They just don’t know how to get there.”
While filming “American Voices,” Manning met Nadia McCaffrey, a mother whose only son, Patrick, was killed in Iraq.
“It was amazing to me, how many people thought Iraq attacked us,” Manning said. “These Americans were ready to respond with violence. Patrick, on the other hand, was attacked by Iraqis, and yet Nadia had only compassion for the Iraqi people after her son had been killed.”
McCaffrey wanted to hook up with Iraqi mothers who also lost children in the U.S. invasion. With the help of Global Exchange, the mothers met at a conference in Jordan in late 2004. Manning joined Nadia and filmed the 20-minute documentary, “Journey to Peace.” It shows the raw emotional encounters of American and Iraqi mothers who shared the horrific tragedy of having their children killed in the Iraq war.
Manning’s trip to Jordan had an unexpected twist. At the conference, an Iraqi translator approached him. She suggested that Manning come inside the war zone and film what happened in Falluja. Three weeks later, Manning was walking down the airport road, the most dangerous highway in the world. His quest to find out how Americans felt about going to war had catapulted him into epicenter of that war. Heading for the ravaged city of Falluja, with a few clothes and a camera bundled over his shoulder, he would soon find out the Iraqi point of view.
The people of Falluja befriended Manning, saying they felt if Americans knew the truth of what their government was doing, they would work to stop the suffering and killing. The documentary “Caught in the Crossfire: The Untold Story of Falluja,” bears witness to the horrendous military destruction on an ancient city roughly the size of Cincinnati, Ohio.
At venues around the country Manning is fulfilling his promise to the citizens of Falluja by showing the American people the atrocities being committed in their name.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 6, 2006. Read the original PDF.