Once Upon a Mountain
By: Julie Beem Once Upon a Mountain is a great title for this documentary, which is so full of the ethereal beauty of Jasper Mountain. Heck, the children even get to live in a castle. The dormitory building was designed to look like a castle, at the children’s request. And as Jasper Mountain’s director, Dr. […]
The Dark Matter of Love
By: Julie Beem Just like an integral ballroom dance, the dance of attachment between a parent and their newly adopted child is both difficult to do and so beautiful to watch. In this film we get the rare opportunity to meet a family prior to their adoption, as they prepare to bring home three children […]
My Name is Faith
By: Julie Beem Brave is the only way to describe this film. My first brush with this bravery was in New Orleans over two years ago, where I met Tif Junker, Faith’s mom and attended a film festival where My Name is Faith was one of the featured contestants. Although the audience was small in […]
THE BOARDER: BRINGING TRAUMA TO LIFE
By: D Craig Peterson A film can be powerful – especially in giving victims a voice. Think Precious or Schindler’s List. But could a 100-minute dramatization show the challenges of parenting severely unattached children? The answer is yes. In 2012, Jane Ryan – a long-time parent of children from hard places and a clinician – […]