October 28, 2002

In the last few months, Gabriel Films has been pushing ahead with new films and television series.

Currently we are in production on The World's Most Dangerous Places, a series for The Travel Channel. Building on the work of writer and adventurer, Robert Young Pelton, we have already filmed in Afghanistan, Colombia, and Liberia. This show that takes us straight into the dark heart of the world's war zones, terrorist dens, and unforgiving regions and shows us how to explore, survive, and come back alive.

It was during the filming of our first episode in Afghanistan that Robert broke the John Walker Lindh story by getting the first interview, which was subsequently shown repeatedly on CNN. Our completed show aired this past August 25th.

In August, Robert and our co-executive producer, David McIlvride (who also executive produced Casino Diaries) went to Colombia. From the footage that they returned with, this is a country that definitely deserves the label of one of the most dangerous.

Jonathan Stack just returned from Liberia where a rebel group of soldiers, known as the LURD (Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy) are fighting Charles Taylor¹s government troops. While Taylor¹s human rights record is among the most abysmal on this planet, the LURD have their own hurdles to cross to prove worthy of running a nation if they should ever win.

To find out more about the project and Pelton¹s work check out his website: www.comebackalive.com.

Our nonprofit wing, Gabriel Media, has a new director: Alice Shackelford. Alice has been managing humanitarian and development projects all around the world for the past twelve years. She is currently developing a new curriculum for projects that compliment our extensive film library, including a training curriculum for correctional officers to accompany our film on prison rape. Alice is also establishing new ties to other non-profits in the interest of stimulating future collaborations.

Gabriel London, a visiting filmmaker who last completed the Prison Rape project with us, is here cutting a documentary with his editor Randi Barros. The story follows six kids in different forms of state custody--foster care, juvenile probation, and the adult penal system. He is also working with Alice on the prison rape training curriculum.

International themes are running strong these days with another project in development about the late shadow dictator of Peru (and apparently a CIA asset), Vladimiro Montesinos. We¹ll keep you up to date as it progresses.

Also, Jonathan Stack is on the jury this year for The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), which will take place from November 20th-30th. www.idfa.nl.

As always, we are interested in hearing ideas for new projects.