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NewswireTODAY - /newswire/ -
Philadelphia, PA, United States, 2009/06/16 - "Crayons and Paper," the new documentary from the maker of "Facing Sudan," will screen at the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival.
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“Crayons and Paper,” a documentary about Dr. Jerry Ehrlich, a Philadelphia-area pediatrician who has worked in some of the world's most violent regions, will be screening at the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival. The film, directed by Chicago teacher Bruce David Janu, highlights Ehrlich and his use of crayons and paper to help children document the atrocities in these war-torn areas. Over the years, the 74-year-old pediatrician has discovered that the drawings made by children speak louder than his own voice and are a living testament to the atrocities committed upon children in war zones.
“Crayons and Paper” features hundreds of drawing collected by Ehrlich in both Darfur and Sri Lanka.
“These drawings are heartbreaking," says Janu. "It's hard to imagine what these children experienced."
Janu first met Ehrlich while working on his first documentary feature in 2005.
"Facing Sudan" won best documentary awards in 2007 at the Illinois International Film Festival and the Landlocked Film Festival. Like his first film, "Crayons and Paper" features an original soundtrack composed by singer/songwriters Tom Flannery and Lorne Clarke, both residents of northeastern Pennsylvania.
After finishing "Facing Sudan," Janu was ready for another documentary. But his wife wasn’t, however. The long hours Janu put into the making of “Facing Sudan” was difficult, especially since the couple has two small children and Janu works full time as a teacher.
So Janu decided to incorporate the new film into a Master’s thesis he was completing at the University of Chicago. Parts of the film was presented along with a cultural analysis of Dr. Ehrlich’s drawings.
“So here I am again,” states Janu. “Hopefully using Dr. Jerry’s story to raise awareness not only about Darfur, but about Sri Lanka as well.”
When he is not making films, Janu teaches history and sociology at John Hersey High School in suburban Chicago.
Dr. Ehrlich still works at his practice in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and in his spare time, gives numerous presentations and lectures about what he experienced on humanitarian missions.
“Crayons and Paper” screens at the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival on Saturday, June 27 at 2:21 pm at Philadelphia Soundstages and June 28 at 1:43 pm at Piazza at Schmidts.
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