Their film, 鈥�,鈥� is helping to shape a national conversation about environmental justice, citizen activism, indigenous rights, and nonviolent resistance.

Largest open-pit mine ever?

The 45-minute film focuses on the proposed creation of the world鈥檚 largest open-pit mine 鈥� nearly four miles long, 1,000 feet wide and 900 feet deep 鈥� in the Penokee Hills, just miles from the world鈥檚 largest freshwater lake and several Native American communities that rely on the water source to preserve tribal traditions and economic well-being.

鈥淓MU students are helping drive a very important dialogue about one of the major issues of our day,鈥� says Moore, associate professor of and .

鈥淭his is a story that is far from over,鈥� added Pete Rasmussen, co-founder of the and a prominent voice in the film. He noted the of a from mining company Gogebic Taconite to Governor Scott Walker鈥檚 recall campaign.

The film traces three compelling story lines 鈥� the extractive industry of open pit iron ore mining, its potential effect on one of the world鈥檚 largest freshwater lakes, and the multicultural group of citizen activists who have been monitoring the site and protesting the proposal. Woven into the narrative is a Greek chorus of West Virginia residents affected by the .

Alerting people of Wisconsin

The documentary is 鈥渁 message to the people in Wisconsin of what will likely happen if the mining is continued,鈥� said student filmmaker Anne Diller 鈥�14. 鈥淎fter listening to the people from West Virginia share their warning to Wisconsin, it felt like we were piecing together a love letter.鈥�

Since its premiere June 20 on the reservation of the Bad River band of the Lake Superior Chippewa tribe, the film has earned accolades from local activists.

Jill 鈥淧each鈥� Hartlev, a member of the tribe鈥檚 , helped host the premiere, which was open to the public and included a potluck, poetry, singing and dancing. Several of those interviewed in the film were also present, including tribal chair Mike Wiggins Jr.

鈥淚t was an overwhelmingly positive response among those present,鈥� Hartlev said, who added that Moore鈥檚 presence made the event special. 鈥淚t was very moving for me personally to see those faces and hear those voices. These are personal friends and also people who I work closely with. I was moved to tears.鈥�

Rasmussen said he appreciated 鈥渢he connections the students made, how it showed an understanding of how we鈥檙e all connected, from West Virginia to Virginia to what鈥檚 happening here.鈥�

Putting all the pieces together

Local and national media had reported on the proposed project, Rasmussen said, but 鈥渢he film put all the pieces together and has definitely had a broader impact with audiences who are not as familiar with the issue and the idea that we鈥檙e facing this all over the country in a systemic way.鈥�

Hartlev and Rasmussen, who both attended multiple regional showings throughout the summer, noted that the various audiences shared an especially visceral reaction to Gogebic Taconite spokesman Bob Seitz鈥檚 statement about the presence at the proposed site of grunerite, a rare asbestiform rock that carries the risk of airborne carcinogens. Seitz鈥檚 statement contradicted both of the company鈥檚 own scientists, as well as that of Northlands College geologist Tom Fitz.

鈥淭here were gasps and laughter, expressions of disbelief during that segment,鈥� said Rasmussen. 鈥淭he people who have been paying attention in meetings and hearings have seen that denial, but there鈥檚 only a few people going to those meetings. So to get that on film is motivating to the public, because it鈥檚 something they鈥檝e heard about, but they haven鈥檛 seen it.鈥�

Moore 鈥� an experienced videographer who has produced documentaries aired by the Discovery Channel, PBS and National Geographic 鈥� noted that the experience of capturing that interview on film and dealing with the ethical aftermath was unsettling, though educational for her students.

鈥淭he students are really in the middle of this, and that interview segment shows that,鈥� she said. 鈥淗ere was a company spokesperson offering misleading information, right on film, and we spent a lot of time talking about the best way to handle it.鈥�

Importance of bearing witness

Moore teaches a documentary filmmaking course every two years. (Previous student-involved projects include a and a feature about local cooperative restaurant .)

The challenges students 鈥� and professors, Moore says 鈥� to think about 鈥淓MU鈥檚 message of service and responsibility in a media industry which is so entitled and can be quite destructive and powerful.鈥�

鈥淗ow do we think about media as creating a sacred space?鈥� Moore said. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 our role as a witness to the social justice movement?鈥�

Moore was introduced to the documentary鈥檚 subject matter by Danielle Taylor, who holds a from EMU. Taylor created the 鈥溾�� video project and blog.

Moore began filming in the fall of 2013. On several occasions, she stayed at a harvest camp established near the proposed site by the Lac Courte Oreilles band, where participants monitor a mining project entrance, conduct research, and practice traditional hunting and foraging skills.

By the time the spring 2014 documentary class began, she had dozens of hours of footage and faced the unique challenge of 鈥済etting my students excited about something I was already passionate about.鈥�

Link to West Virginia chemical spill

That wasn鈥檛 a problem after the Elk River toxic chemical spill on January 9, which contaminated the water supply 300,000 residents of Charleston, West Virginia, for days.

Senior Emma King and junior Karla Hovde interviewed several West Virginia residents, including Bob Kincaid, host of and a frequent contributor to the anti-mining discussion in Wisconsin. Those interviews had a dramatic impact on King.

鈥淚 really saw how misusing the environment hurts everyone,鈥� King said. 鈥淭alking to people firsthand, rather than reading about it in a book, put this into perspective for me.鈥�

Her involvement in the project changed her from a casual supporter of environmental causes to a passionate proponent.

鈥淲e were able to amplify the voices of a group of people who were concerned about their community,鈥� Diller said. 鈥淚 felt like I had a personal relationship with the people as we edited their interviews. They opened up and shared their stories with us and trusted us to get their message out to the world.鈥�

Moore says the film is an official selection of the . A spring showing on campus is also planned.

For more information on this issue, check out the reports on the , , and .

Editor’s note: In February 2015, Gogebic Taconite announced , citing unforeseen “wetland issues that make major continued investment unfeasible at this time,” as well as concern with impending environmental legislation. Though the company continues to claim that it will still work on securing permits to mine, some local officials and have suggested the press release is a sign of victory.

The 4th Annual , sponsored by the (encompassing those who work with 鈥渕oving pixels鈥�), was founded by David E. Carter, originator of the well-known Telly Awards for film/video work.

Weaving Life was produced by last spring, in cooperation with . The documentary began airing on ABC-TV affiliates on Oct. 21, with the last airing on Dec. 16.

Weaving Life tells how Terry wove relationships, joy, partnership and understanding into his lifelong work in Afghanistan. Terry, a 64-year-old United Methodist, was among 10 humanitarian aid workers assassinated in Afghanistan in August 2010. was among the slain workers.

The documentary shows the way Terry set out to build bridges where 鈥渆veryone else was blowing them up,鈥� says production consultant and storyteller Jonathan Larson. 鈥淗e spans the chasms of suspicion, religious hatred and outright warfare, with patient bonds of trust and openness.鈥�

, media arts and peacebuilding professor at EMU, oversaw the 16 students who produced the documentary, with help from classmates in a motion graphics course taught by , PhD, professor of visual and communication arts. Unable to go to Afghanistan to get new video footage for the documentary, the students relied on photos, numerous motion graphics and effects, and videotaped interviews to illustrate the story.

The highest Pixie award is a platinum award for entries scoring 9 or higher on a 10 point scale; those scoring 7 to 8.9 points qualify for a gold award. More information is available at

Terry鈥檚 story is also the focus of a book, . The book is available for $15.99 (25 percent off for group study) and the documentary is available for $14.99 from . More information on the program and book is also available at

MennoMedia, which produces documentaries through participation in the , worked with EMU intern Justin Roth to complete the documentary to meet ABC-TV specifications for airing this fall.

Weaving Life tells how Dan Terry, a United Methodist who worked with numerous Mennonites through the years, wove relationships, joy, partnership and understanding into his lifelong work in Afghanistan. Terry, 64, was among 10 humanitarian aid workers assassinated in Afghanistan in August 2010.

Going against the grain of almost all conventional wisdom, the documentary shows how Terry set out to build bridges where 鈥渆veryone else was blowing them up,鈥� says production consultant and storyteller Jonathan Larson. 鈥淗e spans the chasms of suspicion, religious hatred and outright warfare, with patient bonds of trust and openness.鈥�

The production of this film was also a weaving together of opportunity, timing, and willing student production workers through students, who worked on the documentary during the spring 2012 semester and first showed it during EMU鈥檚 graduation weekend in April.

, media arts and professor at EMU who oversaw the 16 students who worked on the documentary, says they were drawn to the story because of Terry鈥檚 almost 40 years 鈥渄evoted to the people, the culture, and the landscapes of Afghanistan.鈥� The students were able to interview Terry鈥檚 wife and daughter extensively for the documentary.

, and Brian Carderelli, a videographer and resident of Harrisonburg, were among the 10 workers who were killed along with Terry. The team was returning to Kabul from a medical relief trip to northern Afghanistan when they were ambushed.

Larson, an international aid worker who first met Dan Terry as a student at Woodstock boarding school in northern India, tells much of Terry鈥檚 story in the film, and is the author of a forthcoming book, Making Friends among the Taliban: A Peacemaker鈥檚 Journey in Afghanistan (Herald Press, to be released Oct. 19, 2012).

鈥淓very now and then, a story comes along that seems so improbable, that it causes us to stop and reconsider what we have taken to be settled issues,鈥� says Larson.

, which produces documentaries through participation in the Electronic Programming Committee of the National Council of Churches, worked with EMU intern Justin Roth to complete the documentary to meet ABC-TV specifications for airing this fall.

To find out which ABC stations are planning to air the documentary, check .

For information on encouraging a local ABC station to use the program, call Sheri Hartzler, electronic programming director at MennoMedia at 540-574-4487.

MennoMedia is an agency of and .

Dan Terry devoted his life to helping Afghan people.

For nearly four decades, the humanitarian aid worker coordinated small-scale community development projects throughout the struggling country until his murder in 2010.

鈥淚 never know how to describe what my dad did. Every time I called him, he was doing something different,鈥� said his daughter, Anneli Terry-Nelson, 30. 鈥淗e was a networker. He knew someone who could do something someone needed to be done and could link them up over a cup of tea.鈥�

The 64-year-old was among 10 humanitarian aid workers murdered on Aug. 5, 2010, as they were returning to Kabul from a medical relief trip in the northern part of Afghanistan.

草莓社区 alum Glen Lapp and Harrisonburg resident Brian Carderelli also were killed in the ambush.

On Friday night at the MainStage Theater in University Commons, 16 EMU students from the university鈥檚 visual and communication arts department unveiled a 57-minute documentary, 鈥淲eaving Life,鈥� which portrayed Terry鈥檚 life.

Paulette Moore, a media arts and peace building professor, thought of the idea for the documentary after one of Terry鈥檚 friends, Jonathan Larson, spoke during a university chapel service.

鈥淭hose killings affected our community, the Mennonite community, greatly,鈥� Moore said. 鈥淲e were part of that story.鈥�

Kelby Miller, a 22-year-old senior from Sarasota, Fla., served as the senior producer for the project.

The film depicts Terry鈥檚 unique approach to humanitarianism.

鈥淚 hope the documentary shows people Dan鈥檚 different ways of doing things,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淗e wasn鈥檛 just worried about giving them things but [also] making relationships.鈥�

Justin Roth, a 21-year-old senior from Bettsville, Ohio, served as the project鈥檚 editor. Roth said he learned a great deal about Terry鈥檚 life during the semester-long project.

鈥淲e learned a whole lot about Dan through the stories of other people,鈥� he said.

MennoMedia, which produces documentaries through the National Programming Committee of the National Council of Churches, plans to prepare the film for airing on ABC television stations this fall.

草莓社区 (EMU) students, intrigued by Terry鈥檚 story of commitment and humility, will present a documentary, 鈥淲eaving Life,鈥� that explores his life, work and tragic death, Friday, April 27 at 6 p.m. in the .

鈥淒an and his family spent 40 years devoted to the people, the culture, and the landscapes of Afghanistan,鈥� said , media arts and peacebuilding professor at EMU who oversaw the 16 students who worked on the documentary.

Glen Lapp, , and Brian Carderelli, a videographer and resident of Harrisonburg, were among the 10 workers who were killed along with Terry. The team was returning to Kabul from a medical relief trip to northern Afghanistan when they were ambushed.

Special guests at the Friday showing will include members of the Terry, Lapp and Carderelli families, as well as Jonathan Larson, an international aid worker and life-long friend of Dan Terry.

A talkback after the viewing, which is 57 minutes long, will provide opportunity for audience members to interact with the student producers and special guests.

The student production team spent the spring semester gathering video footage, photos and stories, as well as conducting interviews across the U.S.

The showing is free and open to the public.

This event is jointly hosted by the EMU Visual and Communication Arts department, EMU鈥檚 and , also located in Harrisonburg.

MennoMedia, which produces documentaries through participation in the Electronic Programming Committee of the , will prepare the student-produced video for airing on ABC stations in the fall.