(Alternative Title Give A Damn?)A Feature Length Documentary by Dan ParrisWinner: Best Documentary – St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase

Winner: Visionary Award – Awareness Film Fest (L.A.)Official Selection - Heartland Film Festival (World Premiere)

Official Selection - St. Louis International Film FestOfficial Selection – Africa World Documentary Film Fest

Official Selection – Omaha Film FestOfficial Selection – Lower East Side Film Fest (N.Y.C)

Official Selection – Reel Water Film FestOfficial Selection – United Film Fest (San Francisco)

“A tremendous accomplishment…I know the film will have a lasting impression on my own outlook on the world.”

-Travis Keune, Critic for “We Are Movie Geeks”

“This documentary has enormous potential to rattle a complacent public into action.”

-Lisa Swain, Production Supervisor: Big Fish, Anger Management, Three Kings

Press Contact: Dan ParrisMobile: 1-314-303-0723

dan@speakupproductions@gmail.comMore info:whatmattersmovie.com

Short synopsis:

What Matters? is a feature length documentary about three friends, two idealistic activists and one skeptic, attempting to live in extreme poverty (on $1.25 a day) across 3 continents. The adventure takes a devastating turn when two of them survive a deadly plane crash in Africa, and all three must fight to finish what they started.

Technical info:

87 minutes, Color, StereoExhibition Format: Blu Ray, DCP

Production Format: HDV 1080 24pEnglish, USA, 2011

“A trio of friends — including a "God will provide" Christian fundamentalist and a "f*** that shit" atheist — set out, Africa-bound, from St. Louis…Along the way they meet with scholars, activists and pastors who provide some sociological context before they finally live among the people themselves: walking feces-strewn streets, eating dirt, partaking in ebullient church services and experiencing a horrifying event that shakes the project to its core. It's a call to action, and one that viewers will want to answer.”

-Kristie McClanahan, “The Riverfront Times”

Director’s statement:

As with most documentaries, nothing happened as planned with this film. I originally imagined that I would take Rob, the skeptic, over to Africa and film how the reality of struggling Africans would break his heart and cause him to ‘Give A Damn?’ In the end, the film’s storyline was flipped upside down, literally and figuratively through a deadly plane crash, causing the film to have so much more depth than originally imagined.

I had deeper personal reasons that made me want to make this film: more than just raising awareness about poverty, more than seeing Rob’s heart change, bigger than going on an adventure or making my first feature length film. For me, it was about tasting the joy that I saw in people living in dire circumstances, to experience some level of suffering that would break through my numb exterior and draw me closer to God. In the end, I ended up almost dying, losing 45 pounds, and missing out on the adventure I had dreamed about for so long. Instead of me rescuing Rob, he literally rescued me from a burning plane. The story I was writing, was nothing like the story that ended up unfolding and the film is all the better for it.

Despite the ridiculous twists and turns of the film, it still ends up accomplishing our goal of making a funny, adventurous and compelling film about the ability young people have to make a difference in the extreme poverty and injustice in this world. What makes the film truly special is that it takes an honest, straightforward approach to extreme poverty that appeals to both the activist and the apathetic. Our overall goal “to connect those who need something to live for with those who just need something to live” is accomplished every time we show the film. I don’t think a director could ask for much more than that.

-Dan ParrisDirector/Producer /Co-Editor/Subject

The Filmmaker s & S ubjects

Dan Parris (Director/Producer/Co-Editor/Subject), owner of Speak Up Productions LLC, is the filmmaker/activist/goofball whose lingering questions after returning from Africa serve as the fuel for the film What Matters? Dan has a B.A. in Film Production from Biola University and is currently pursuing the dream he has had for nearly a decade, to make feature

films that will have ground-breaking impact in the world.  Rob Lehr (Assistant Producer/Subject) An offensive, yet delightful filmmaker and friend whose passions include hunting, poetry, and sharing his views no matter how you may feel about them. He has a degree in Business from Missouri State University, and currently resides in Springfield, MO. Rob’s ability to be open and raw as the skeptic of the journey provides much of the drama and comedic relief of the film.

David Peterka (Assistant Producer/Subject) is an experienced activist and traveler with unbreakable optimism. He has his degree in Intercultural and Urban Missions and is developing his own non-profit, ‘When the Saints’, whose goal is defending, rescuing and maintaining the rights of the weak, poor and oppressed, focusing on victims of

sexual exploitation and trafficking in Malawi.

“A profoundly moving documentary about three young men setting out to gain a better understanding of poverty and learning even greater lessons about life, about faith and about themselves.”

-Richard Propes, “The Independent Critic

Full credit s

Produced & Directed byDan Parris

Assistant ProducersDavid Peterka

Rob Lehr

Associate ProducersJonathon White

Mark Hallett

EditorsDan Parris

Mark Hallett

Music byIan Perry

Principle PhotographyRob Lehr

Dan ParrisDavid PeterkaTIm PeterkaMark Hallett

Camera OperatorsRicky NorrisKyle Stryker

Josiah BultemaFelicia Heykoop

Jack Njorge

Audio MixChris IrwinBen Carr

Additional Audio MixersMike MattinaMark Hallett

Rainbow Sound

VO RecordingTone Cellar

Assistant EditorDavid Peterka

Motion GraphicsMark HallettJason Smart

2nd Assistant ProducersFelicia Heykoop

Tim Peterka

Creative Marketing DirectorKyle Montgomery

Graphic DesignJohn Choura

Julie VanMaterKatherine Miller

Bill CoverKristen Huyett

Web DesignJohn Choura

Kevin BrackettFirst Light Marketing

RedPearDoug ParrisMark Hallett

Business ManagerDoug Parris

Legal AssistanceJeff Fine

Erin ShockleeBryan CaveJay Kanzler

PR ConsultantsKellee SikesJenna BartloTom RuwitchMarket Volt

Accountant AdvisorsKathleen Levy

Carolyn Thomas& Associates

Fiscal SponsorshipFractured Atlas

ReachPerformed by Mars ill

Written by Greg Owens & Dust

Press:The film has been featured in over 100 media outlets and has had numerous stories in the St. Louis market on FOX Ch.2, KSDK Ch.5, KMOV Ch.4 , The Post- Dispatch, West Magazine, NPR, KTRS 550, KMOX Total Information, The Beacon, and more. These are a few of our reviews and news stories.

As the wealthiest nation in the world, it_s difficult to define exactly what our role as individuals to the poorest nations in the world should be. To a great extent, this is a decision that has to be made by the individual. Keep this thought in your mind while watching GIVE A DAMN? Native Saint Louisan Dan Parris did while making the film, the title of which is a question, not a statement.

Parris, an average guy with what might be called an average devotion to his faith, made a decision to experience poverty and hunger, so that he could better understand exactly what his place can and potentially should be in the fight against the epidemic. However, as any wise person would do, he decided not to take on this adventure alone.

Dan enlists his friend Rob Lehr, a former minister who has lost his faith and become a rather pessimistic and angry atheist. Rob is reluctant, bitter about the very idea of considering he is somehow responsible for the lives of impoverished people in a country far from his own, but he

chooses to join Dan anyway, if nothing else, for the first-hand experience of seeing true poverty for himself.

Dan is grateful for Rob_s participation, but needs a spiritual companion. He approaches his friend David Peterka, a devout Christian and a free-spirited wild card. David could be described as the unknown Christian member of the JACKASS films that_s high on life and open to just about anything adventurous. Immediately, it becomes apparent that Rob and David would not always see eye to eye, adding an additional layer of depth to the story.

And, so the journey begins. Dan, along with Rob and David, his own personal devil and angel on his shoulders, begin in Saint Louis and set out to hitchhike across the Unites States, Europe, and finally end up in Kenya, all on only $1.25 per day for food, lodging and transportation. Needless-to-say, this plan is not without its inevitable hiccups. Relative to the entire experience, their time in the United States is a cakewalk, compared to their time in Africa.

Let_s jump ahead a bit, progressing in the film to roughly the halfway point. This is when things get serious, and the story becomes truly compelling. Up to this point, we_ve been primarily focused on the physical journey, but when Dan and Rob barely survive a deadly plane crash in the African slums, the film splits into two parallel stories. Dan sustains injuries serious enough that force him to return to the United States, creating a secondary story arc, as David and another friend continue on their quest to live on $1.25 a day in Africa. This is where the heart and soul of the film emerges, grabs hold of the viewer and makes its most significant impact.

The cast and crew are literally one and the same, in true indie fashion, giving the story a very personal touch. While the film is technically still a work in progress at the time of this screening, it doesn_t feel incomplete. The story is well structured, just non-linear enough to add anticipation and lock in the viewer_s interest. The beginning of the film does feel a bit more like a television documentary series, but this quickly subsides. The only thing I can honestly pick out, as needing improvement in the film, are select areas where the audio could be tweaked, but the film is otherwise extremely satisfying.

Of course GIVE A DAMN? has visually emotional footage. How could it not contain some imagery, given the subject matter? One of the things the film has working in it_s favor is Parris_ conscious decision not to approach the project in a preachy fashion. Viewing the film never feels like a sermon, never feels like a non-profit infomercial, but more importantly throws varying points-of-view out into the open for the viewer to collect, sort, analyze and use for making their own decision. Yes, there are moments when God and religion take on a slightly more prevalent role, but rarely in such a direct and matter-of-fact fashion that may turn portions of the audience off. In this way, the film succeeds not only in promoting their cause, but also in calling out those who claim to support the cause.

When considering the scale of the experiment, taken on by three guys with virtually no budget and even less understanding of what they_re getting into, GIVE A DAMN? is a tremendous accomplishment. As harsh as this may sound on the surface, I believe the tragic plane crash may have actually been a blessing in disguise, despite the loss of two lives in the process. I do not wish to put words in the mouths of the filmmakers, but I can imagine they would agree with this statement, on some level. I know the film will have a lasting impression on my own outlook on the world. I hope you too will take the time to see the film, and ask yourself if you GIVE A DAMN?

SLFS 2011 Review: GIVE A DAMN? | We Are Movie Geeks http://wearemoviegeeks.com/2011/08/slfs-2011-review-give-a-damn/