Rose Mapendo Honored by the United Nations

Dear Friends of Pushing The Elephant,

Recently Rose Mapendo, the subject of our upcoming film Pushing The Elephant was the recipient of the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the United Nations’ Refugee Agency (UNHCR). We were in DC to film the event, which included presentations by Angelina Jolie and Ann Curry from NBC’s Today. The event featured a clip from our film showcasing Rose’s international work.  Rose gave an emotional and effective speech about the plight of refugees and the importance of maintaining world focus on the issues, illustrated by her personal story. This was also the first time Nangabire had the opportunity to see her mother at work. Nangabire is adapting well to her new life. She comfortably chatted (in English!) with other guests at a party, relaxed in her hotel room with her mother, and joined in a photo shoot for the Boston Globe.

We are eager to bring this new material into our edit room. We started editing in early May with award-winning editor Mona Davis (LOVE & DIANE). We have made real progress on the film and are amazed at the richness and complexity of the footage. However, our edit budget will only last another 6 weeks, at which point we risk losing Mona (as well as missing the Sundance Film Festival entry deadline). We are grateful to you and to all of our donors and supporters, without whom we could not have come this far. Out of a deep commitment to this important story of peace and family, we feel obliged to ask if you can contribute more to enable us to continue the edit or if you would be willing to ask a friend or a colleague to join you in your support. Every contribution gets us that much closer to a finished film.

All donations are tax deductible. Please consider donating online or sending a check made out to Arts Engine to 104 West 14th Street, #4, New York, NY 10011, and be sure to include Pushing The Elephant in the memo line.