A day of Reckoning comes to the big screen

The Reckoning, a documentary film by Skylight Pictures about the first cases of the International Criminal Court, will be presented at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Festival organizers selected about 200 films for exhibition from more than 9000 submissions.

Launched in 2002, the International Criminal Court (ICC) is the first international tribunal of its kind, a permanent criminal court set up to prosecute individuals for crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide. The Reckoning, a feature-length documentary filmed in High Definition on 4 continents, follows charismatic, relentless Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo and his team as he issues arrest warrants for leaders of the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, puts 4 Congolese warlords on trial in The Hague, charges the President of Sudan with genocide and war crimes in Darfur, challenges the UN Security Council to have him arrested, and shakes up the Colombian justice system. How is this tiny upstart court in The Hague going to bring justice and enforce the Prosecutor’s mandate to end genocide in the Wild West of these conflict zones? As the Prosecutor tells us, he has to take this tiny court, created by dreamers, and turn it into a functional reality. He has a global mandate to prosecute perpetrators around the world for the worst crimes imaginable, whether they are warlords or military brass or heads of state, even as they continue to wreak havoc.  But he has no police force – he needs to shame and pressure the international community to follow through, to muster political will.  It has turned out to be a monumental David and Goliath challenge. Will it succeed?  This is a court for humanity, and it’s fighting for its life against the forces of impunity.

Tim Tebow - QB on a Mission

Tim Tebow led the Florida Gators to their second BCS Championship but his leadership extends far beyond the football field. We can only hope he elects to stay at Florida for one more season as his visibility, integrity, and impact on others is likely maximized in pursuit of a third national title instead of a development year in the NFL. This is how Tim spends his downtime from the Gators.

The Price of Silence (music video)

As the world celebrates the 60th birthday of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights this month, a new music video is circulating on the Internet, bringing together 16 of the world’s top musicians — some of whom have fled oppressive regimes — in a rousing musical plea to world leaders to guarantee human rights for all.

Adam Bender - inspiration goes national

Back in November we published a story on the inspiring young man, Adam Bender.  Adam lost his leg when he was one year old but that has never held him back.  He plays baseball, football, soccer and wrestles.

ESPN writer Jeremy Schaap recently filmed a short story on Adam that airs on E:60.  This is a wonderful piece that all should enjoy.

You can read the text of Jeremy’s story - The Power of One.  A short excerpt of Jeremy’s story is below:

A year ago, when Adam Bender was 7 years old, he found a wheelchair in his family’s garage.

Standing just outside the garage, the door open, he called out to his mother, Michelle. “Mom,” he said, “come here.”

Pointing inside at the rusty, folded-up wheelchair, he said, “What’s that doing here?” Anger was floating in the air.

“That’s here just in case of an emergency,” she said. “We might need it if you hurt your leg.”

“Get it out of here,” Adam said. “Get rid of it.”

“What do you want me to do with it?” Michelle asked.

“I don’t know. Get rid of it. I’m never using it.”

Hero Dog - highway rescue in Chile

See this amazing video of one dog rescuing another dog during rush hour on a highway in Chile.  The scene was captured by video traffic cameras.  The injured dog is seen being hit by a vehicle and then another dog pulls the first one to safety.

Football and Autism

Meet Courtland Hale.  At the age of three he was diagnosed with Austism.  He did not let that hold him back from playing football.  Today he is a 6′4″, 270 lb high-school defensive tackle.

Cortland encourages special needs kids to get involved in sports and other activities as therapy.

Wayman Tisdale’s battle

Wayman Tisdale lost his leg to cancer.  But through it all he never lost his joy.

A native Oklahoman, Wayman became the first Division-1 athlete to be named All-American in his first three seasons.  An olympic gold medal winner, he enjoyed a 12 year NBA career before pursuing his life-long passion of music.

He became an accomplished Jazz musician and has released several award winning albums.

Enjoy some of Wayman’s music below:

Kicking up awareness

Ethan Zohn is dribbling a soccer ball while walking from Boston to Washington, D.C., to raise HIV/AIDS awareness.

Playing for Change - the power of music

A clip from film “Playing for Change” by filmmaker Mark Johnson. This remarkable film took 10 years to complete.

The DVD appears to be discontinued but is available through rental companies.

Brendan Foster - a young hero for all

In memory of Brendan Foster, who died November 21, 2008.

Brendan Foster (1997 - 2008) was a victim of leukemia . Before Foster died, he expressed his last few generous wishes. Brendan Foster wanted to feed the hungry and hopeless. Foster’s wish became known and motivated lots of people to donate food to the poor. Then Foster wanted to save the bees. At his funeral packets of wildflower seeds were distributed for people to scatter. The wild flowers, when grown, would provide bees with nectar.

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