SANDRA HAMMEL HAS A MESSAGE FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA USING HIS OWN WORDS
Portsmouth Resident Sandra Hammel to Spotlight Darfur Genocide at Compassion Film Festival
Posted April 8, 2011, 9:30 a.m. in the Portsmouth Patch
Written by Kirsten Ferguson
Sandra Hammel, retired music teacher and activist, who is trying to raise awareness about the Darfur genocide, has been selected to show her film this Friday at the Compassion Film Festival
Activist Sandra HammelApril 6, 2011
Sandra Hammel of Portsmouth will attempt just that this Friday, when she debuts her film “Darfur The Abandoned Genocide” at the Compassion Film Festival at Jane Pickens Theater in Newport.
Hammel, a retired music teacher, became an activist for the cause in 2004 after watching a powerful documentary on the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. "I knew very little about what was happening in Rwanda at the time, but after seeing the film, I decided to educate myself,” said Hammel. “When I heard what was happening in Darfur, I knew I couldn’t be silent anymore.”
Since 2004, Hammel has been extremely proactive about the cause and has volunteered in two major rallies both in Washington, DC, and New York to bring more awareness to the troubles overseas, but in the past few years, the Darfur conflict has not been settled.
“In the last several months, bombing from Sudan has escalated in Darfur, yet we don’t hear about it anymore,” said Hammel. “We are inundated with news daily, yet somehow this entire conflict has dropped out of circulation. The only reason I know what is going on is because I am actively looking for updates on what is going on.”
As for expectations on Friday, Hammel is looking to get the attention of her audience and motivate them to get involved.
“The change starts with us,” said Hammel. “Until we, as people, ask and pressure our leaders to do something, they are just going to let it go.”
As for getting her message down to a five-minute film slot, it wasn’t an easy task but she has faith that it will get through to the audience by the time the ending credits come on.
“I think so many of us, myself included, are so busy and now people are losing jobs and have their own issues so it takes a lot more to move people,” said Hammel. “I completely understand that but it is still so important to get involved.”
The Compassion Film Festival, is a benefit event for Looking Upwards, a local non-profit organization and will consist of a juried collection of short films submitted by local and regional film artists that are all based around the theme of compassion.
If you are interested in checking out the event, you can join the group on April 8 at 6 p.m. at the Jane Pickens Theater in Newport.
For more information about the film series, click here.
Volunteers in the News
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Unfortunately the lips and audio became out of snyc due to compression of uploading here at Vimeo. Fortunately, the DVD for the Compassion Film Festival of this video was in sync.
I always put credits at the end and couldn't because of the limit I had to get my message across.
❧ Special thanks to ❧
Eric Reeves for Open Letter excerpts
Mohamed Suleiman for Darfuri sayings
Photos ~
Mia Farrow
Gabriel Stauring
Sandra Hammel
♫ Music ♫
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Performed by Eva Cassidy
Available at itunes
Krista Powell
Presented by Sandra Hammel
Genocide flourishes when there is no accountability.
It has been flourishing in Darfur since February 2003.
One voice won’t stop a genocide,
but that is no excuse to be silent.
Please, use your voice to call upon our leaders
to do what is right about something
that is very wrong.
1-800-GENOCIDE for President Obama,
U.S. Senators and Representatives
Updated news
Radio Dabanga
Eric Reeves
sudanreeves.org
Mia Farrow photos of Darfur Refugee Camps
miafarrow.org/images
Terry Nickelson ~ OUR HUMANITY IN THE BALANCE
ourhumanityinthebalance.org
Where there is a will there is always a way,
where there is no will there is never a way.
Labels: Compassion, Darfur, Government of Sudan, ICC, Ocampo, Omar al-Bashir, Patch, Portsmouth, President Barack Obama, Sandra Hammel ilovemylife Rhode Island
posted by ilovemylife @ 1:24 AM
1 Comments
1 Comments:
I really thought you were 20s young, so I suppose the ageing was sudden. Have you tried cutting your hair off? For the change and to allow space for your lovely face. And you have tension in your neck. Swimming, a massage, should take care of that.
You are beautiful, if you ever were on the other side of the camera, with the makeup and glam dress - that you're too busy and passionate to choose to wear - you'd see that Julia Roberts got nothing on you.
I still want to marry Nadal, after all these years. I wish you could help me.
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