RATS & BULLIES - an Official Selection of the 4th ANNUAL THUNDERBIRD INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

RATS & BULLIES: The Dawn-Marie Wesley Story will be shown at the THUNDERBIRD INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL in Cedar City, Utah on Friday, June 4th, 2004 at 3:00 PM.

(PRWEB) April 19, 2004 --The Fourth Annual Thunderbird International Film Festival held in Southern Utah (from June 2-June 6, 2004) will spotlight the Feature Length Documentary, RATS & BULLIES: The Dawn-Marie Wesley Story.

The Thunderbird International Film Festival, showcases films by Independent Filmmakers that are family friendly, with allowances for cultural differences.

RATS & BULLIES will act as a centerpiece for the Festival with a presentation set for Friday, June 4th, at 3:00PM. After the showing of the Film, there will be a Question and Answer Session with Roberta McMillan & Ray Buffer, who are the Co-Directors, Co-Writers, and Co-Executive Producers of this groundbreaking Film.

RATS & BULLIES tells the tragic and poignant story of a girl from British Columbia, Canada, named Dawn-Marie Wesley, who at the age of 14, committed suicide, using the family dogs leash to hang herself in her bedroom, after being systematically bullied and threatened by three juvenile girls from her school.

In her suicide note, Dawn-Marie named her three tormentors, which sparked a police investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The incident led to national outrage, and after the investigation, a landmark precedent setting court case occurred, where the three girls were made to stand trial for their bullying actions.

The groundbreaking Film RATS & BULLIES, explores the incidents which led to the tragedy, the grief of those left behind, and the legal precedent setting court cases which followed, as well as the film hopes to offer possible solutions to this type of bullying behavior.

Discover the world of female relational aggression, teen bullying, and the painful consequences of harassment and suicide in this important, moving, and powerful film. The Film's official website is www.RatsandBullies.com

The Film also explores Restorative Justice, as a Native Sentencing Circle was used in one of the bully's sentencing.

The incident garnered international news media attention, and was discussed on the Oprah Winfrey Show, the John Walsh Show, as well as other international news media which covered the extraordinary court cases.

RATS & BULLIES contains exclusive and emotional interviews with those involved in the incident, including Dawn-Marie's mother Cindy Wesley; Dawn-Marie's brother DJ Wesley, who until now has never spoken publicly about his sister's suicide, and how he was the first person to discover his sister's death, and how the loss has affected him. The Film also features exclusive interviews with the Judge who presided over two of the female bullies' trial; as well as one of the bullies herself, who shares her story and talks of her remorse for her actions.     Also featured is NY Times Best-selling author of the book, "Queen Bees and Wannabes," Rosalind Wiseman, who is also the cofounder and President of the Empower Program in Washington, D.C., an organization whose mission is to teach kids, parents, and educators that bullying and violence is not a rite of passage.

The Thunderbird International Film Festival takes place on the campus of Southern Utah University in beautiful Cedar City, Utah.

Those wishing to attend the showing on June 4, 2004, are encouraged to reserve tickets early as seating for RATS & BULLIES is likely to sell out.

Tickets may be purchased locally at businesses including Groovacious, Across the Board Games, Iron County Visitor's Center and the SUU Communications Dept. For more information on the Thunderbird International Film Festival contact (435)586-7861 or visit the festivals website at http://www.thunderbirdfilmfestival.suu.edu