In Our Son's Name

Gayla Jamison of Lightfoot Films has sent us a 9 1/2-minute demo of the film In Our Son's Name, which features MVFHR members Orlando and Phyllis Rodriguez. The Rodriguezes' son Greg was killed in the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. The description of the film says:

As the documentary follows their journey, a striking portrait emerges of two people coping with grief and moving towards healing by speaking out and by reaching out, in ways they never could have imagined.

They find peace in a controversial friendship with Aïcha el-Wafi, whose son, Zacarias Moussaoui was convicted of conspiracy in the 9/11 attack, and Orlando overcomes fear of reprisal to testify for the defense at Moussaoui’s sentencing trial. At an emotional encounter with convicted felons at Sing Sing, a maximum-security prison, they help the men to understand the suffering of victims of violent acts. The film will follow one of the inmates in his quest to meet and reconcile with the son of the man he killed.

The clip that's available on the website is not yet a finished piece, but it is very much worth watching. To view it, visit the Lightfoot Films site and click on "current productions." I'm planning to show it to a group of teenagers later this week as part of a "rethinking harm and punishment" discussion group that I facilitate, and I can imagine many other good uses for the clip. Let us know if you watch it.