Never Give Up

What is a movie if there is no audience to watch it? Is it still a movie? 

Over 22 years in the making...this is a story of never giving up. River Phoenix was just as thoughtful in life as he was passionate and committed to the roles he portrayed. He was mindful of people and their connection to each other. But, that thoughtfulness did not just end there. His love and respect for Indigenous people brought up another issue which included a much broader picture, the environment. 

This is how I got involved. Years ago, I wrote a post about the subject of Downwinders, a term used to describe the people affected by the harmful levels of radiation due to the mining of uranium or the nuclear bomb Nevada Test Site. The term started with the Navajo uranium miners becoming sick and now has extended to include those exposed to contamination of the soil and water surrounding these dangerous abandoned mines. 

In the film Dark Blood, Phoenix's character storyline encompasses this very subject. 

A sound designer from the Netherlands named Harold Jalving contacted me inquiring into some of the details of the Downwinders article, and through that, began to tell me about the film crusade he was currently on. I found his story to be absolutely compelling and wanted to help with the journey in any way that I could. 

While this account of past events has a somber beginning, leading with memories of the untimely death of River Phoenix, its' ending doesn't have to be all gloomy and starless too. With your help, there is hope at the end of a dark tunnel. 

Like the page on Facebook, or share the story and show your support at these links to the Indiegogo and YouTube video pages. 

The Facebook page: (https://www.facebook.com/Never-Give-Up-George-Sluizers-Battle-for-Dark-Blood-790050457722508/timeline/)

Indiegogo link: (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/never-give-up--118#/)

YouTube video channel link: (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo0BbAnaQqYlR9ZlGIq9hRw)

For more about the film Dark Blood, you can read a review by Variety on their website: (https://variety.com/2012/film/reviews/dark-blood-1117948612/)

Downwinders

Half of the crew and eight people in the cast of the movie, The Conqueror, starring John Wayne, died of cancers that some people claim were a direct result of being exposed to radiation after the A-bomb tests held at the now infamous, Nevada Test Site.

A popular newspaper column that carries the motto, "Fighting ignorance since 1973 (it's taking longer than we thought)", written by Cecil Adams is called, “The Straight Dope”. This question-and-answer column, which is also available online, gets syndicated in both the United States and Canada. The author takes on questions from the general public surrounding a variety of subjects such as history and science, even reaching out to superstitions and urban legends. Mr. Adams often boasts to being able to answer any and all questions. In the article from 1984, Did John Wayne die of cancer caused by a radioactive movie set? a reader inquires about an incident regarding John Wayne, cancer, and a Nevada A-bomb test. The following is the actual question posed in the original article,

“My girlfriend says that half of the film crew and eight of the cast of the movie The Conqueror starring John Wayne died of cancer after an A-bomb test in Nevada. It can't be the truth — that many people — can it?” (Adams 1980)

However, there is nuance hidden in between the lines of that question posed by the reader which must be carefully examined, or there might be an impulse to draw connections based on assumption, rather than evidence.