The Devil Came on Horseback. Working towards peace in Darfur, Sudan.
FILM IMPACT
We are committed to using this film as a catalyst for social change and are supporting several endeavors in partnership with a wide range of groups to educate and advocate for peace in Darfur.
- Funding Work with Darfur Refugees
- mtvU UConnect: University Tour
- Outreach to Olympic Athletes
- Supporting Political Action
- Supporting Community Action
FUNDING WORK WITH DARFURIAN REFUGEES
Read more about our partners and their projects helping women genocide survivors rebuild their lives and documenting evidence of genocide:
Global Grassroots, founded by producer Gretchen Steidle Wallace, offers training and seed funding to disadvantaged women to launch their own ideas for social change. 200% of the proceeds from The Devil Came on Horseback are going to Global Grassroots for its work with genocide survivors.
Global Grassroots will return to eastern Chad in early 2008 to build a human rights library. This project is the idea of Adam, a Darfur refugee profiled in the film. Global Grassroots will also hold social entrepreneurship training with women refugee leaders to support their own solutions for issues not already addressed by humanitarian aid.
Three Generations, founded by producer Jane Wells, aims to help survivors of genocide, raise awareness of present and future threats and ensure that “never again” becomes more than an empty promise. Three Generations is spearheading efforts to translate the film into Arabic and will be making a return visit to the Darfur refugee camps of Eastern Chad in early 2008 to screen the film with refugees.
mtvU Social Issue Film Tour of Universities – Uconnect:mtvU chose The Devil Came on Horseback for its fall 2007 social-issue film tour of thirteen US universities. The response to these screenings was so positive that mtvU, which has a presence on 750 campuses reaching 7 million students, has received requests nationwide to expand the tour.
OUTREACH TO OLYMPIC ATHLETES
We are working closely with Dream for Darfur and Team Darfur to educate athletes about Darfur as part of a campaign to use the 2008 Beijing Olympics to encourage China to use its economic influence with Sudan to stop the violence. We created an 11 minute clip of our film, focusing on China’s relationship to Sudan, and have worked with Dream for Darfur, Team Darfur and other activists to make the clip available to over 60 professional and Olympic athletes.
SUPPORTING POLITICAL ACTION
We have made our film available for key screenings targeting policy makers, including:
- A Congressional screening in conjunction with the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus with special guests Joey Cheek.
- A screening during the UN Human Rights Conference in Stockholm, Sweden with Jan Eliasson, UN Special Envoy to Darfur.
- A screening at the Malba Museum in Buenos Aires followed by a panel discussion with International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor and several leading human rights attorneys from Central and South America.
- An exclusive screening with the Manhattan Borough President’s office to honor Ruth Messinger of the American Jewish World Service.
- A special screening for Richard Branson, who was a part of the Trip of Elders to Darfur, prior to his travels with President Jimmy Carter.
- Copies of the film have been delivered to the US Ambassador to the UN and Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon by Congressman Frank Wolf’s Office.
Divestment: In Austin, TX, during the SXSW Film Festival in March, our film team worked with the Sudan Divestment Task Force to ensure politicians attended our screenings, which was followed by testimony from Brian and our producers before a critical hearing on Texas divestment legislation. The bill’s vote was accelerated and later passed unanimously by the legislature.
In March, 2008, Global Grassroots sponsored a Darfur and Divestment Information session for the New Hampshire House of Representatives featuring The Devil Came on Horseback and a discussion on divestment led by Sudan Divestment Task Force National Advocacy Director, Daniel Millenson. The House voted in favor of the bill on March 5, 2008 and the bill has gone to the Senate.
Sudan Divestment Task Force volunteers have been present at theaters and community screenings in states with active divestment campaigns to inform audiences about the movement and provide opportunities for follow-up involvement.
COMMUNITY ACTION
We have been delighted and humbled by the actions taken by individuals and communities as a result of seeing our film:
A young woman inspired by the film, elected to turn a 600km recreational bike ride across the South of France into a Darfur awareness tour. She has raised over $2500 for our film’s charitable work with Darfur refugees and has distributed thousands of French translation action cards across France.
Underground marketing guru and graphic artist Shepard Fairey, inspired by Brian Steidle’s story, the film and the HOPE Campaign for Darfur, created a political poster based on one of Brian’s images, which has now run in SPIN, Swindle and Trace Magazines with our film’s action steps. Fairey later sold prints of his work, raising over $10,000 for our partner’s Global Grassroots’ work with Darfur refugees. Through the HOPE Campaign for Darfur and Obey, this image has been turned into a t-shirt and is now selling at Urban Outfitters and Nordstrom’s across the country, raising over $85,000 for Darfur in less than one month.
TELL US HOW THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK HAS IMPACTED YOU
If you have hosted or been a part of a screening of The Devil Came on Horseback, tell us how your event made an impact! Did you make an Action Pledge? Sign Petitions? Pressure presidential candidates? Fundraise for relief efforts? Let us know what your group did to raise awareness and action for Darfur!
©2008 Global Grassroots