Independent documentary film
kicks-off Cambodian Heritage Month
Eastern Oregon University alum and documentary filmmaker, Skye Fitzgerald, and his two full-time crew members spent six months in Cambodia and Viet Nam making a film that will tell the shocking, yet not uncommon story of a people surrounded by the remnants of war: The story of the bomb hunters.
Fitzgerald graduated from EOU in 1993 and became committed to telling this story after visiting Cambodia in 2001. He is the recipient of the Fulbright Scholar Award.
Contact: Skye Fitzgerald | Spin Film
(503) 522-6313
spinfilm@gmail.com www.bombhunters.com
PORTLAND, Oregon – Spin Film and the Cambodian American Community of Oregon will sponsor the first public screening of “Bombhunters” at the Hollywood Theatre in Portland on Dec. 10.
Produced by local filmmaker and Fulbright scholar, Skye Fitzgerald, this documentary explores the long-term consequences of war in Cambodia by following rural villagers as they search for and dismantle war munitions in order to survive. The screening event will start off the Cambodian Heritage Month Celebration, and will include live traditional Cambodian music and Apsara Dance.
Shot on location in Cambodia over a six-month period, “Bombhunters” documents the lingering aftermath of unexploded ordnance (UXO) and landmines. Between 1968 and 1973, approximately 540,000 tons of ordnance was dropped on Cambodia, and more than thirty years later, the country is still heavily contaminated. Experts estimate that it will take at least one hundred years to clear Cambodia of UXO. Having survived war and the brutal Khmer Rouge genocide, many contemporary Cambodians experience a high level of poverty and limited access to resources.
To clear their own land for farming, and to feed their families, more and more villagers are turning to the harvesting of scrap metal for profit. In an increasingly global economy, the disarming of UXO is now one of the few ways for poor, rural Cambodians to survive. Head-mounted cameras allow audiences to see the process of dismantling bombs from the perspective of the bomb hunters themselves.
On Dec. 10, International Human Rights Day, audiences will be exposed to the realities of life in Cambodia, a country ranked by the United Nations poverty index as one of the poorest nations in the world, where, after risking life and limb, a bomb hunter often earns less than $2.00 U.S. a day for working to dismantle a bomb. This special event will feature the first public screening of “Bombhunters,” and is a result of the collaboration between Spin Film and the Cambodian American Community of Oregon, two of whose members are included in the film.
“Bombhunters” will screen Dec. 10, 2005 at the Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR 97212 (503.281.4215). Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with live Cambodian music through 7:30 p.m. when the main event begins. Tickets are $8 and will be available at the door or in advance at www.ticketweb.com. An additional show will play Sunday, Dec. 11 at 3:00 p.m. For more information, contact Skye Fitzgerald at (503) 522-6313 or spinfilm@gmail.com. Also visit www.bombhunters.com and www.cacoregon.org.
Contact Information for Admissions
Eastern Oregon University
University Advancement
One University Boulevard
Ackerman Hall, Room 209
La Grande, OR 97850
Phone: 541-962-3740
Fax: 541-962-3680
Email: advancement@eou.edu