Karla Hansen / Silent Screams.info – 2010-12-12 01:03:38

http://www.silentscreams.info

Silent Screams:
The Impact of US Drone Attacks
Karla Hansen

Waking from a dream as she slept comfortably in a remote Kurdish village in Northeastern Iran, Karla Hansen stared wide-eyed at the ceiling. Across the border in Afghanistan, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), controlled by American pilots sitting in front of video screens inside the US were dropping bombs on the poorest of Afghanistan’s poor.

Hundreds of children, beautiful children, like those who welcomed her every day during her visit to Iran, had already perished. On that night, Hansen made a promise to herself: She would make a film to document the effects of the drones through the eyes of innocent children and families with no place left to run.

In 35 minutes, Silent Screams echoes the desperation of victims around the globe without a voice, and examines the crucial question “What is real security?” Silent Screams deftly interweaves the lives of Iranian, Afghani and Pakistani villagers with those of America’s forgotten poor.

Director-producer Hansen ties the plight of defenseless civilian victims abroad with the hardships of countless Americans whose vital needs remain unmet as a result of America’s spiraling military spending.

Delivering an unapologetic account of the devastating effects of US warfare in the Middle East, Silent Screams also offers a timely message about the humanitarian disaster that a US war on Iran would create.

Karla Hansen met Ismael Hossein-zadeh when she attended a discussion of his book, The Political Economy of US Militarism (Palgrave-Macmillan 2006). The meeting was the beginning of a friendship that led to their marriage in 2007 and travel to Iran in 2009.

Karla envisioned the documentary Silent Screams during her first trip to Iran as a reflection of her belief in the power of stories to change the world around us. Honoring the universal role of families in shaping our stories she closes Silent Screams with these words.

“And, most importantly, thanks to my family. To my grown children, Heather and David, without their talents this story would not have become a film and whose faces I saw in every Kurdish child. And to my husband, Ismael Hossein-zadeh, whose love found a way halfway around the globe …. and continues to inspire an incredible journey.”

Praise for Silent Screams
Silent Screams is a carefully calibrated broadside aimed directly at the ignorance, disinformation, crimes, and excesses that characterize the US government’s so-called Global War on Terror, re-branded by the Obama administration as Overseas Contingency Operations.
— Michael Gillespie, Contributing Editor, The Independent Monitor

One of the most powerful messages in Silent Screams, is that life goes on even in war zones — marriages, births, schooling, housekeeping, and all of the things that should make for a good life.
— Kathryn Koob, former US hostage in Iran

Special Features Menu
• The journey to Silent Screams, remarks from Director Karla Hansen
• Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad regarding U.S. relations
• The Political Economy of U.S. Militarism, Ismael Hossein-zadeh, Ph.D
• Massive pro-government demonstrations in Iran
• American Iranian Friendship Committee, co-founders commentary
• An international perspective on US- Iran relations
• Messages to President Obama from outside the White House gates

* Silent Screams DVD $15 (includes shipping)
* Silent Screams House Party Kit with DVD $18 (includes shipping)

Proceeds go to support the Peace Garden renewal project – Des Moines, Iowa, and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.