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Darfur Now filmmaker talks about the risks he took to get the word out about the genocide that is still going on there.

The documentary Darfur Now features six individuals committed to ending the worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st century, the genocide happening as we speak in Darfur, Sudan.

Written and directed by Ted Braun, the film explores the conflict through such first-hand experiences of activists Don Cheadle and George Clooney who travel the world to pressure government officials and world leaders to act. Locally a farmer is forced to flee his Darfur village home to a refugee camp. Braun says he never felt completely safe while filming there and was constantly watched.

“I was in Darfur and it is a dangerous place. Darfur is a war zone. Civil war is raging there people as you’ve seen in the film are armed and you’re aware that you’re in physical danger a lot but eventually you get used to it. The thing that was most challenging that we faced there was dealing with surveillance. There were six different groups all keeping track of us all filing reports and on a regular basis we’d get summoned into to account for ourselves. At no time did we finally get shut down but we faced danger and surveillance on a regular basis.”

Ted got unprecedented cooperation in Sudan meeting secretly with rebels and gaining exclusive access to the Sudanese Liberation Army controlled territory in the Jebel Marra region.

“I was meeting with rebels in pitch black on the top of the mountains of the Jebel Marra in at 108 degrees at six thousand feet We went all over the world to find these people We were looking for courageous people; we needed courageous people to be in the film both to give us the access that we wanted to and also to get the word across Many of the people who I spoke to in Darfur would only speak with me on conditions of anonymity in total darkness because they were afraid that their stories would cost them their lives The two characters who are in the film were willing to take the consequences to share their story.”

Darfur Now opening November 2nd received a standing ovation when it was presented to the United Nations namely the special advisor secretary general to the prevention of genocide. Ted hopes the film will inspire people to action but you can also visit participate.net to learn more about how you can help.