The Messengers takes us on an intimate three-year journey through the maze of emotions and hard truths that exist inside the walls of Joseph's House – a hospice for homeless men and women with end-stage AIDS and terminal cancer. There, dying residents mentor and transform two young volunteers: Cameron, a 20-year-old well-intentioned but naive college dropout, and 23-year-old Brittney, who firmly believes in her life mission. Both of them soon learn that death holds many revelations that alter their assumptions about the world and redefine their place in it. Death, of course, is what happens at Joseph’s House, and this film doesn’t shy away from it. As we follow Cameron and Brittney’s journey, we experience their growth and discover first-hand how every death carries with it its own lesson about compassion and life. Visit the website The Messengers's website.
___________________________________
Trailer: The Brilliance of My World "The world is full of chaos and craziness. My world is full of logic and beauty. And the more I can make my outside world like my inner world, the easier my life is, the happier I am. Therefore I desperately build the life of my dreams. I wish that for all of you, that you find your dream. That you desperately cling to that dream and that you make it because it will keep you sane." Chou Chou Scantlin
Backstage at the Big Apple Circus Go behind the scenes with this amazing circus.
A Mother's Fight Against Childhood Obesity Sonya Branch-Johnson remembers a visit to her doctor and watched as he wrote “obese” on her chart. At 300 pounds, she didn’t see herself that way. “I would put on heels, and you couldn’t tell me I couldn’t fly.” She continues, “Even in a size 28, I thought I was amazing.”
Her journey to lose weight and inspire others began that day. First, she experienced denial, then recognition, and finally determination to change for the sake of her children. “I never thought that I didn’t love my kids, I never thought I wasn’t a good mom. I always pushed that they get a good education. I never thought that I wasn’t teaching them to live healthily. I never thought that was something that I was doing wrong.“ She summarizes, “To be a role model for your kids, you’ve got to make those changes yourself.”
Today Sonya is helping children at Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital in Baltimore overcome their obesity. “I’m kind of that person that in the background is saying, you can do this and in a way, I’m saying to myself that I wish I had that person for me…and that’s what drives me, I’ll do anything for these kids. We can’t quit on them.”
Remote Area Medical Serves a Rural Virginia Community Stan Brock, founder of Remote Area Medical, piloted his DC-3 into Wise, Virginia, to lead a free medical clinic supported by hundreds of volunteer doctors, dentist, nurses, students and other health professionals. Nearly 3,000 people showed up for medical needs at the three-day clinic. “I just look at these people and I hurt," said volunteer dentist Wallace Huff, "because they’re such good people and hard working people…and I just want to do all I can do and I want to do more.” RAM holds clinics throughout the United States as well as other countries such as Guyana and Haiti.
Open-Mic at The Channel Inn So much in DC has changed, which we reminisced about last night with an old and a new friend who wanted to learn more about the cultural history of this city. As we talked, I thought back to the Channel Inn—an old rundown 42-year-old hotel along the wharf, torn down to make way for the new glitzy The Wharf DC. But back in the old days there, Sunday night was Open-Mike night. What was so special about this evening besides Marion Barry taking to the dance floor? They had the very best singing talent that would rival “America’s Got Talent” or any TV show you would see today. Back in 2006, in my early days of shooting video, I made this piece about the Channel Inn for a story in The Washington Post: