Crosses in the Sand Are Focus of Festival Film Short

Brooks Student Film on Arlington West Accepted to Ojai Film Festival

(PRWEB) September 24, 2005 -- On the first Sunday of November 2003, 340 wooden crosses were carefully placed on the beach near Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara. They symbolized the dead U.S. military personnel killed in Iraq.    Since then, the number of American soldiers killed in Iraq has increased to nearly 2,000. So have the number of crosses erected on the quiet beach every Sunday morning by a group of volunteers organized through Veterans for Peace, Chapter 54.

This movement of remembrance has been dubbed 'Arlington West, in reference to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. It captured the attention and hearts of a small band of visual journalists -- Brooks Smothers, Tom Turner and Steve McGee -- who are students at Brooks Institute of Photography. In a scant 4.5 minute film, which has been accepted into the Ojai Film Festival, they have captured the poignancy, pride, anger and frustration that are behind this effort. Their work is called 'Arlington West: Tribute to Honor. According to film producer Smothers, the goal is to use powerful imagery to bring a local perspective to a global issue.

The short focuses on the work of contractor Steve Sherrill who was one of the first coordinators of Arlington West. Depicted is Sherrills own challenge of creating the crosses. Initially, his concern was to make them strong and now he races to keep up with the numbers needed. Hauntingly, the film shows Sherrill putting the final nail in one cross and saying, There we have it...one new solider."

The film, which cost less than $200 to produce, was one of 450 works submitted to be considered for the festivals 51 slots, and one of only 10 films selected to be produced by students. The Ojai Film Festival takes place October 20-Octoer 23, and the schedule of showings is yet to be announced. You can preview Smothers film by visiting his website, www.brookssmothers.com

Brooks Institute of Photography was founded in 1945 and is currently celebrating its 60th anniversary of providing visionary education. Part of the Career Education Corporation (CEC) network of schools, Brooks Institute offers a Master of Science degree program in Photography; Bachelor of Arts degree programs in Professional Photography, Film & Video Production, Visual Communication and Visual Journalism; an Associate of Arts degree program in Visual Journalism, and diploma programs in Professional Photography and Film & Video Production.

Today, Brooks has more than 2000 students enrolled, from more than 20 nations. Graduates from Brooks have gone on to work for distinguished organizations including National Geographic, Smithsonian, the Los Angeles Times and other national media outlets, Hallmark Publishing, Cousteau Society, HBO, Kodak and literally scores of other leaders in visual media fields. For more information about Brooks Institute of Photography, go to www.brooks.edu or call the school at 888-304-3456.

(4.5 min. film can be viewed at http://www.brookssmothers.com/)

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