Award-Winning Documentary “To Touch The Soul”

Holds Its New York Screening Debut During The 11 Days Of Global Unity Worldwide Events (New York, N.Y. 09/04/08) “To Touch the Soul” a 70-minute, award-winning documentary about the experiences of artist educator and social activist, Carlos Silveira, and his California State University, Long Beach students who traveled to Cambodia to create art projects with impoverished children impacted by HIV/AIDS, will make its New York screening debut on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m., at the One Spirit Learning Alliance, 330 West 38th Street, Room 1500, New York, as part of the 11 Days of Global Unity events ( www.wetheworld.org/11days ). While the screening is free, there is a $10 suggested donation to help cover venue costs. Directed by Ryan Goble, with cinematography by Erin Henning and narration by Cassandra Hepburn, “To Touch the Soul” captures the emotional context as Carlos and the students bond with the children and discover the true meaning of kindness, selflessness and courage. It has been my dream from the moment I developed it to share this story with a New York audience during the 11 Days events said Teresa Hagen, producer and owner of Cut Loose Productions, who also served as the communications coordinator in 2004 for the first celebration of 11 Days of Global Unity. I truly believe that Dr. Silveira’s and his students work with Cambodian youth who are either infected with HIV/AIDS or have become orphans due to their parents dying from the disease (a population expected to grow to 108,700 over the next five years) captures the spirit of the growing worldwide movement to find common ground, renew mutual compassion and engage in social activism. Goble, who is making his feature film directorial debut, added, “I focused on capturing both the beauty that surrounds Cambodia and the tragedy that hides within. Our goal was to make the viewer feel like they were in Phnom Penh working with these kids. We chose to use the point of view of the Cal State Long Beach students because they had no idea what to expect when they arrived. They were native. That’s easy to relate to because the majority of the viewers have probably never worked with Cambodian children infected with H.I.V.” Featuring original music composed by Martin Herman, “To Touch the Soul” has so far won eight awards, including Best Documentary honors from the San Joaquin Film Festival in Stockton, Calif., and the Wild Rose Independent Film Festival in Des Moines, Iowa; and honorable mentions at the Myrtle Beach (S.C.) International and Byron Bay (Australia) Film Festivals. The documentary has also won a prestigious Best of Show Award as well as an Honorable Mention (motivational/inspirational category) from the Accolade Competition, which recognizes film, television and video professionals who demonstrate exceptional achievement in craft and creativity, and those who produce standout entertainment or contribute to profound social change. To learn more about “To Touch the Soul” visit http://www.totouchthesoul.com . The screening is sponsored by the One Spirit Learning Alliance ( www.onespiritinterfaith.org/ ), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational and spiritual organization established to support individual and organizational development; and We, The World ( http://www.wetheworld.org ), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes peace and environmental values and practices to the public through major events and the Internet. 11 Days, which begins on Sept. 11, is an annual worldwide promotion of peace and sustainability launched in 2004 by We, The World with more than 200 concerts, festivals, webcasts and other events, culminating on Sept. 21 with the U.N. International Day of Peace.