- but hadn't actually considered what that might mean for us, either personally or professionally. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 “What have you done?” replied the LORD. The answer has its roots in a conversation that took place a couple of years ago between myself and the lead actor in this scenario, Damian Lewis - my brother. Link × Email Sent. This was before we got anywhere near production, or even full finance. Remarkably, Mohamedou’s book was written and published while he was still a prisoner at Guantánamo. Mohamedou Ould Salahi: A Guantánamo detainee’s fight for freedom. In this cramped room, the temperature has risen to that of a Swedish sauna; sweat trickles down the inside of my shirt. My Brother's Keeper has been longlisted for a BAFTA in the category of British Short Film. The Guardian - Laurence Topham. I'm from the school of gritted teeth, with the occasional explosive release under (semi-)controlled circumstances. Throughout his 15-year incarceration, Mohamedou was never charged with a crime by US authorities. We didn’t do that after prison, we did that in the darkest of moments. Mohamedou had expressed an interest in having his first moments of freedom documented on camera, so Nancy invited me to join her in Nouakchott just a few days after he was released in 2016. It vividly described his “extraordinary rendition” from his home country of Mauritania to Jordan, Afghanistan and finally Cuba, and the gut-wrenching interrogation and torture that followed (euphemistically dubbed “special measures”). How did you first discover Mohamedou and Steve? It was through that project that I … According to gastroenterologist Dr. Flloyd Carter, screening is a part of health maintenance, and during Colon Cancer Awareness Month, everyone age 45 and older should be screened for colon cancer. Bonus clip on Twitter of Mohamedou doing his Attenborough impression, Your support powers our independent journalism, Available for everyone, funded by readers. Are we our brothers’ keepers? If we disagreed, would we do it nicely, through gritted teeth, or just shout and scream at each other? The film-maker behind the Bafta-longlisted Guardian documentary on how it came together and transcended stereotypes, Mon 1 Mar 2021 06.45 GMT He suggested we go down to the beach because he hadn’t seen a sunset in over 15 years. He did know where he was, and he should have been his brother’s protector or guardian. 'My brothers' keepers' 08 February 2012 . YouTube. Membership Event: Mohamedou Ould Salahi: A Guantánamo detainee’s fight for freedom. All rights reserved. I first heard about Mohamedou Ould Slahi in December 2014, when my then-Guardian editor, Mustafa Khalili, commissioned me to make a short animated film about [Slahi’s] bestselling memoir, Guantánamo Diary. He was going to commit to saying words I'd written, under my direction, on film, a film that was going out into the big, wide world to have a life of its own beyond our control. So he had to go for long walks, clenching and unclenching his fists and chanting a mantra he'd been given by his yogi, to help him calm down. 9 And the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I do not know!” he answered. In other words, are we responsible to look after the well-being of our neighbors as we seek to earn our daily bread? So far, so good. My Brother’s Keeper: a former Guantánamo detainee's unlikely friendship with his guard. We got to work on the script, and as Damian got his teeth into the role, I started to get a feeling for how the character was going to play out in his hands. He … © 2021 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Would he sit on my head again? Detainees themselves were rarely described as three-dimensional people with universal human rights, or treated as innocent until proven guilty. Satan says we are not. There was still the small matter of the sex scene. My Brother's Keeper: The Guardians II | King, J J | ISBN: 9781988159294 | Kostenloser Versand für alle Bücher mit Versand und Verkauf duch Amazon. Subject . Because we are a Christian community serving in Christ's name, we do not accept any local, state, or federal funding. MY BROTHER’S KEEPER shares the story of returning war veteran SFC Travis Fox (TC Stallings) who has one more battle to fight - PTSD. Guantánamo, torture and friendship: how we made My Brother's Keeper. So, when God asked Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” his response was, “I do not know, am I my brother’s keeper” (Gen. 4:9)? We did that when it mattered most.”. by Gareth Lewis, The Guardian, September 22, 2008. My Brother’s Keeper is BAFTA longlisted for British Short Film 2021. Laurence has chosen an interesting lens by which to reflect on Guantanemo, a powerful symbol of the ‘war on terror’. The shifter part of the tale is handled nicely, never feeling forced or overdone as it often can with books of this genre. How did you go about making the documentary? There is plenty to say on the cruelty but to choose instead to celebrate the humanity that can be found even in the darkest corners was a bold decision. While tying up some loose ends regarding Lady Ashvane, an unexpected message arrives for Lady Jaina Proudmoore from Baine Bloodhoof. Mohamedou and I clicked straight away and I had a strong feeling that his post-release journey would be worth exploring. It seemed to me that the same was the case for Damian. In this sense, I think Guantánamo was sadly very successful in dehumanising the people it incarcerated. That really brought home the shocking nature of his incarceration and how easily we take life’s simple pleasures for granted. My Brother's Keeper. From the shadows, a group of men and women stare at the bodies on the floor. My Brother's Keeper: Obama vows to 'stay invested' after he leaves office | Obama administration | The Guardian Cancel. In the cold, grey light of dawn, we started to understand what we'd got ourselves into. Mohamedou later told me that one of the few DVDs he had access to at Guantánmo was the BBC’s Blue Planet series, and because he’d watched every episode hundreds of times, he’d mastered David’s famous intonation. Link × Email Sent Fail. More importantly, how did they get into that position? Cain Murders Abel 8 Then Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. I Am My Brothers Keeper, is a Biking community site. But now would come the real test: working under the intense pressure of a film set, in the public gaze, as it were, of the crew and cast. Damian Lewis and Kate Ashfield lie at my feet, all but naked, covered in flour, eggs, jam, custard, cake mix and glacé cherries. My Brother's Keeper: Obama vows to 'stay invested' after he leaves office. At that point it hadn't really occurred to either of us what it would be like to work together. He has suffered a run of bad luck and is still there, three years later. He tries to get the eldest emancipated so he can be the guardian but it's difficult without a … In this sequel to Blood of Eden, the possibility of danger for wolf-shifter Katherine LaFlamme and her growing family brings them to Newfoundland to be under the protection of Daphne Dru and Keme Littlefoot. By the time we got to the first day of the shoot, we seemed to be working well together. Filmmaking is always a collaboration, a push and pull between life and imagination. He is not born again and right now he is giving up all hope on life. It went something like this: Connect With Your Local MBK Community. How did you first discover Mohamedou and Steve? Mohamedou Ould Salahi in My Brother's Keeper, a Guardian Documentary directed by Laurence Topham Photograph: My Brother's Keeper, Guardian Documentaries Join us for this very special livestreamed event as former Guantánamo detainee Mohamedou Ould Salahi shares his remarkable story. His way of coping with a downward spiral was to escape, avoiding his responsibilities. Would there be an added level of emotional tension? Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Thank you for sharing the article. My Brother's Keeper is another fantastic book from author JJ King. President Obama launched My Brother’s Keeper in February 2014 to address persistent opportunity gaps facing boys and young men of color and to ensure all youth can reach their full potential.