“Beyond Belief”, American women’s journey to Afghanistan, Saturday

At 7:30 pm on Saturday August 9th, The Visionary Edge will host a screening of Beyond Belief, an award-winning documentary by Beth Murphy at the Johnson House Depot in Half Moon Bay.

When terrorists shattered their lives on 9/11, two women set off on an extraordinary journey to rebuild themselves and the lives of women half a world away.  Susan Retck and Patti Quigley are two ordinary soccer moms living in the affluent suburbs of Boston until tragedy strikes.  Rather than turning inwards, grief compels these women to focus on the country where the terrorists who took their husbands’ lives were trained: Afghanistan.

Over the course of two years, as they copes with loss and struggle to raise their families as single mothers, these extraordinary women dedicate themselves to empowering Afghan widows whose lives have been ravaged by decades of war, poverty and oppression – factors they consider to be the root causes of terrorism.  As Susan and Patti make the courageous journey from their comfortable neighborhoods to the most desperate Afghan villages, they discover a powerful bond with each other, an unlikely kinship with widows halfway around the world, and a profound way to move beyond tragedy.

From the ruins of the World Trade Center to those of Kabul and back, theirs is a journey of personal strength and international reconciliation, and a testament to the vision that peace can be forged . . . one woman at a time.

According to Beth Murphy, director of the film "What I could never have imagined is that as I was working on another film in Afghanistan, there were two women in my own backyard who were opening their eyes to the world in new profound ways after losing their husbands on September 11th.  Four years later I would return to Afghanistan with Susan Retik and Patti Quigley, whose loss gave them permission to shut out the world, but whose compassion forced them to have a leadership role in it."

"Susan and Patti’s mission is simple:  to make life better for Afghan women.  And so is their message:  hatred is the root of terrorism.  They aren’t naive enough – nor do they have enough hubris – to think they can stop terrorism in its tracks. But they do have enough optimism – and enough faith in humanity – to believe that the wart on terror cannot be fought with bombs and bullets."

Says Reba Vanderpool of The Visionary Edge, "Susan and Patti’s loss is heart-rending, but with courage and power, they have turned it into healing by helping empower Afghan women.  With their work, now visible to a large audience through the film, they are demonstrating the power of compassion as shared widowhood shatters class and cultural barriers."

Audio and video support for this event will be provided by Alex Moran of Spider Ranch Productions in Pescadero.

According to Reba Vanderpool of The Visionary Edge, ticket sales will benefit Beyond the 11th.org, Susan and Patti’s organization that supports Afghan women and children . Doors will open at 7:00pm, film begins at 7:30.  Advance tickets $10, door $15. Call 650-560-0200 for information and reservations. 

Located in Half Moon Bay, The Visionary Edge produces events to inform and inspire us all to create a wiser, sustainable and more compassionate world.
PRESS KIT:

http://www.principlepictures.com/beyondbelief/for_press.htm