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Film Screening at Le Moyne Highlights Poverty Worldwide

smiling close-up of Peterka, with four african children in the background candid
Speak Up Productions
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whatmattersfilm.com

LeMoyne college is presenting an award-winning documentary tonight on poverty that also includes some surprises.  “What Matters?” is the story of three friends living on $1.25 a day to experience and document what it’s like living in extreme poverty.  
Director and subject Dan Parris says, “What Matters?” lacks the guilt-trip of your typical documentary on poverty.  He says it's the film's realist attitude and sense of adventure that turned the movie into a success - and, he hopes, inspires viewers to make a difference. 

Parris says the biggest problem during their journey was an unexpected  and traumatic one. The plane they boarded for a short flight over the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya experienced some serious problems and crashed: 

 

WHAT-planecrashstory.mp3
Director and subject Dan Parris recounts the story of a deadly plane crash he survived with his fellow producer, Rob Lehr.

The group recovered as well as they could after the crash and continued filming their inspirational documentary, which also includes well-known activists like bestselling author Katie Davis, the founders of the organization Invisible Children, and Paul Rusesabagina, the man on whom the film Hotel Rwanda is based.

Catch the showing in Grewen Auditorium at LeMoyne College Thursday evening at 9:30.  For more information, visit whatmattersmovie.com.

Hannah vividly remembers pulling up in the driveway with her mom as a child and sitting in the car as it idled with the radio on, listening to Ira Glass finish his thought on This American Life. When he reached a transition, it was a wild race out of the car and into the house to flip on the story again and keep listening. Hannah’s love of radio reporting has stuck with her ever since.