Go Beyond

   For the past several days I have been privileged to serve in Cambodia at the invitation of Kurt Dillinger, President of Life International. I have made new friends with a great group of guys committed to standing for life around the world. Two of my newest friends are Evan Davis, the Director of Harvest Media Ministry, and Roman Jaquez, Director of Photography for Harvest Media. These guys are traveling the world with heavy trunks filled with camera equipment. Harvest Media is producing an independent, documentary film that will explore the global impact and repercussions of abortion and the rewards of choosing life. What follows is my interview of Evan Davis in Phnom Penh.

Omar | Evan, what is Silent Fall?

Evan | Silent Fall is a documentary film exploring the humanity of the unborn and the global impact of abortion. Our film will avoid the unusual rhetoric and examine the issue from an international perspective. We hope to bring fresh insight to the abortion issue. Our aim is to dismantle the narrowly focused and thoroughly American Roe v Wade arguments and seek to restore humanity and dignity to the unborn.

Omar | Please explain the meaning behind the name of the documentary.

Evan | We chose the name Silent Fall because the idea of Autumn, a season of death, with the imagery of millions of leaves, silently falling and forgotten, is a picture of the silent and systematic elimination of millions of innocent, unborn children. We also like the picture of the future hope we find in Spring along with the hope that we can help usher in a new culture of life throughout the world.

Omar | Your documentary will give viewers an intimate look at some of the personal stories behind the statistics. That’s great because the story of one person is sometimes more compelling than charts and graphs. However, please explain why you are also looking at abortion statistics.

Evan | We are looking at abortion statistics in as much as they give us a picture of what a nation gets when abortion is adopted as a mainstream method of birth control. For example, we are investigating the impact of abortion on the economy, society, and culture of nations like China and Vietnam, where population policies of one or two children per family and ultrasounds and abortion on demand lead many to practice sex selection prenatally, creating a generation of many more boys than girls.

Omar | Who are you hoping to mobilize with your documentary?

Evan | Silent Fall hopes to mobilize the grassroots pro-life base, including the faith and student communities, by equipping them with a fresh perspective and strategic direction to advance the cause of life. The institutional pro-life base is also part of the target audience as the film serves as a highly effective, in-house resource for front-line pro-life advocates and pregnancy resource centers.

Omar | What impact would you like for your film to have on those who are pro-choice and those who are indifferent to the issue of abortion?

Evan | The majority of Americans are in what I have heard called the “Mushy Middle” where they are nominally pro-life or pro-choice but have not thoroughly thought about what the word “choice” actually means. By presenting the case of life from a uniquely global perspective, Silent Fall hopes to move these individuals, as well as indifferent viewers, beyond complacency.

Omar | Where can people find more information about the Silent Fall documentary and when do you expect it to be available?

Evan | We have created a website where they can learn more about the project and even see some short segments of some of the interviews and material we are filming along the way. The website is www.silentfall.com. I encourage you to sign up for our email updates if you want to stay up to date on the project. For those who are on facebook, you can join our page at www.facebook.com/SilentFallDocumentary and our Twitter friends can find us at www.twitter.com/silentfall. We hope to finish the film in Fall of 2010.