In the early 60's the Canadian Military allowed the US Military to saturate CFB Gagetown with a defoliant. Now known asAgent Orange. The reason for the testing was to help with defoliation in the Jungles of Vietnam. A number of Veterans and indeed some of their family members, had a high incidence of Cancers and other respiratory diseases. This caused our Government a class action suit to settle some claims. I wish this film had been made and released many years ago. Perhaps it may have opened some eyes in Ottawa. I received this email in different forms from a few Veterans so will allow you share it with me, and to give you the link to Preview a trailer of The Gagetown Movie. Veterans from the past as well as our current troops who will one day be Veterans need your support.
Hi Robby;
Thought I'd send this along to you to see if you want to put it on your blog. These guys have made a documentary on Gagetown AO (you probably already know this). In the email, they are asking for assistance in contacting the TO Film Festival so they can get their film accepted, I guess.
Subject: FW: THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO FINALLY GET THE GAGETOWN STORY INTO THE MAINSTREAM, PLEASE HELP US..........
Those who have been exposed to Agent Orange and other toxins in the Gagetown area; past, present and into the future need your assistance now.
From Kelly: We need to have a few thousand people do what Gregg asks and the only way this can be accomplished is if we each reach out to everyone we know and ask them to help us. Good luck.
Kelly
From: GageTown Movie [mailto:gagetownmovie@gmail.com] Subject: THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO FINALLY GET THE GAGETOWN STORY INTO THE MAINSTREAM, PLEASE HELP US..........
Hi everyone. If you've ever been in contact with us, I'm reaching out to you. Our small team from New York has come a long way since we first began
this project last March. Days and nights of pursuing the truth. I know I promised a good amount of you that we would make this a reality.
We are now preparing to submit our film to the Toronto International Film Festival for a June 5 deadline.
When I tell you that this film has changed our lives, I am sincere. I don't look at chemicals the same way. I don't look at cancer the same way either.
I had seen family members die from cancer, but I knew there was nothing I could do. I've now seen sickness and suffering on a mass scale,
which most likely could have been preventable. I know one of our hopes for the film will be that our audience will become affected like we have been.
I just watched what we have edited so far in full and I came away from it feeling secure in the fact that we will make people care about this.
We never claimed to be more than what we were..... concerned people, regardless of where we are from, who wouldn't sit idly by and watch this thing unfold without trying to make sense of it. Without trying to get people to stop and think about where we were all headed.
The issues we raise in this film are topics that we cannot shy away from, they must be addressed, for the sake of our future.
As I watch, I think of all the things that we somehow have put to the back of our minds..............
Are we all O.K. with the way we use chemicals? Because they're cheap? Convenient?
Do we have any idea what these compounds are doing to ourselves and our environment?
Are profit margins and economic efficiency more important than our survival?
Would you raise your children by the practices of risk management? Why do we make decisions based on it?
When does preventive medicine become the standard?
Why don't the regulators have our best interests in mind?
Have we lost our compassion as a society for those who are forever affected by a tragedy?
All these questions that must be answered if we have any chance of continue our progression as human beings.
That's the power of the medium..........of filmmaking............
To reach people by involving them in a unique and engaging experience.........
And that's why we need your support.
To give you an idea of our plan......we have secured our composer, a Los Angeles-based film scorer who has
been working with the famous Hans Zimmer (Gladiator, The Dark Knight) for the last few years,
as well as all of our post-production work at Finish Editorial/ Soundtrack in Boston . We have made every attempt
possible to give this film the tools it needs to reach the masses.
What we ask of all of you is to help us get into Toronto .
Without seeing the film, I know we can all agree that this story must reach the mainstream,
in Canada , the US , Europe , around the world.......
Toronto is the largest and most important film festival in North America as far as global exposure
and there is no other place where this film should premiere. It's a Canadian story and one that speaks
about the human existence.
AND THIS IS WHAT WE ASK........
Email us a letter stating your support for the film and why it needs to be accepted.
Tell them why this film has a place at the festival and why it can't be ignored.
The more noise we make, the less they can blow us off.
We want to convince them we can sellout any screening they give us.
Let them know that there will be strength of numbers behind the film.
WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE URGENCY, BUT WE NEED THEM FOR OUR SUBMISSION BY MONDAY.
And then after June 5,
BOMBARD THE TORONTO SUBMISSION OFFICE WITH EMAILS!!!!!!!
TELL THEM THAT the film GAGETOWN MUST BE ACCEPTED....... THE PUBLIC needs IT!
THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN AFFECTED MUST BE HEARD!
submissions@tiffg.ca
if emails don't work, call them.
416-967-7371
even fax them
416-967-3595
This is one time where your voice is guaranteed to make a difference!
I thank all of you for your warm welcomes into your homes and lives and for sharing your story with us.
And for those who we haven't had the pleasure of meeting, thank you for supporting our efforts.
Gregg de Domenico
Producer
GAGETOWN
gagetownmovie.com
Please remember today is Red Friday, Show your support for our troops in operations Land, Sea and Air.
Red Rally coming up 26 June in Charlottetown. Please try and show support our Guys and gals. Thankyou. Sneak hint Fathers day Pancake breakfast coming up. By the PEI Military Families Centre.
Nil Sine Labore
Robby
