[IMC] Press release for UCIMC: CHAMPAIGN NATIVE PUTS REFUGEES ON THE BIG SCREEN

[Nick Gooler]

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Hello,


I'm a native of Champaign, a graduate of the University of Illinois,

and a graduate student in the Documentary Film Program at Wake Forest
University. My colleagues and I have been making a film for the past year
and it is nearing the end of production.  It deals with refugee
resettlement work in North Carolina.  Please contact me if you are
interested in an interview, I would love to share more about the project.


Nick Gooler

www.theonewhobuilds.com

217-649-7992

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 18, 2012

CONTACT: Nick Gooler

ngooler at gmail.com

CHAMPAIGN NATIVE PUTS REFUGEES ON THE BIG SCREEN

WINSTON-SALEM - A new documentary directed by a Champaign native and
University of Illinois graduate exploring the efforts of refugee
resettlement workers in North Carolina is nearing the end of production.
 Roughly 8,000 of Greensboro, North Carolina’s citizens are refugees from
all over the world.  Each month, North Carolina African Services Coalition,
led by Dr. Omer Omer, works to resettle refugees in the Greensboro area,
helping them start a new chapter of their lives in America.  The efforts of
this team have been documented in the recently filmed half-hour documentary
THE ONE WHO BUILDS, directed by filmmakers Peter Carolla, Hillary Pierce,
and Nick Gooler, a Champaign native and University of Illinois alumnus.

The film focuses on Dr. Omer A. Omer, a professor at the University of
North Carolina at Greensboro and Executive Director of North Carolina
African Services Coalition who was forced to flee Sudan following the 1989
coup d'etat that put controversial Sudan president Omar Al Bashir in power.
 A TV news reporter at the time, Omer’s politics conflicted with that of
the new Islamist regime and, fearing imprisonment and torture, fled to the
UK and eventually the US.  Now more than twenty years later, Omer works
tirelessly to help those whose shoes he was once in.  He leads a diverse
team to do this work and is known as someone who does not let societal
boundaries such as race or religion get in the way of building
relationships.

“People are surprised to find out just how many of their neighbors are
refugees,” said co-director Nick Gooler.   “Even in a small town there can
be hundreds or even thousands of people who have fled to the U.S. looking
for a better life.” The film seeks to encourage people across the country
to discover more about their neighbors and volunteer in their local refugee
and immigrant communities. Roughly 10% of Champaign County’s population is
made up of refugees and immigrants.

THE ONE WHO BUILDS began shooting in September 2011 and wrapped production
this past June. Now in post-production, the filmmakers are launching a
Kickstarter campaign to raise finishing funds for things like sound
sweetening and color correction as well as an original score composed by
University of North Carolina School of the Arts Music Composition masters
student Drew Denton.

Filmmakers Peter Carolla, Nick Gooler and Hillary Pierce are third year MFA
students in Wake Forest University’s new Documentary Film Program.
 Collectively they’ve made several short films, worked in the film industry
on features and TV, collaborated on independent films in Rwanda, Chile and
Costa Rica and have worked and taught alongside documentary legends Albert
Maysles (GREY GARDENS) and Peter Gilbert (HOOP DREAMS). Nick Gooler
graduated from the University of Illinois in 2010 with a degree in Gender
and Women’s Studies.

The film is scheduled to be completed by October 2012 and a Greensboro
premiere will soon follow.  The filmmakers plan to submit to film festivals
in addition to launching a community screening initiative nationwide.  The
Kickstarter campaign runs from July 17th to August 17th.

Visit www.theonewhobuilds.com and www.facebook.com/theonewhobuilds for more
information. Follow on twitter @theonewhobuilds.

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