ABOUT THE FILM How does killing change the person who pulls the trigger? HIDDEN BATTLES, a feature-length documentary, is a dramatic and deeply personal film about the psychological impact of war on five soldiers. Representing a cross-section of nationalities, gender, class and race, these soldiers unveil intimate memories about the central act of combat—killing another human being. Consciously apolitical but deeply psychological, Hidden Battles examines the strength and struggles of men and women who have killed and how they create a life for themselves afterwards. HIDDEN BATTLES begins in the West Bank. Driving apprehensively through narrow streets, a voice narrates: "I hadn't killed before... I kept thinking: what am I going to do? Will I be able to pull the trigger?" The voice belongs to Zacharaiah, leader of the Al Asqa Martyrs Brigade, who at thirteen was shot four times and lost his family to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "Death and I are good friends," he admits calmly. The constant stress of being pursued as one of Israel's "most wanted" is all-consuming, and causes him to reconsider his involvement in the conflict. For soldiers there is no clean break between the past of war and the present. When Aaron, a former Marine, was deployed to Somalia in 1994 as a sniper, "the really cool summer camp he was in, playing soldier, came to a crashing halt." Aaron promised himself that he wouldn't kill anyone. But in the midst of constant gunfire, he came face to face with that promise. For years, Aaron kept his experiences to himself, while he was haunted by his memories. He moves from Massachusetts to Scotland with his family in hopes of escaping his past, only to find that he can't get away. A beautiful housekeeper in New York, Esmeralda also has a history few people know about: thirty-one years ago she made the choice to pick up a gun and join the Sandinista Revolution. Esmeralda returns to Nicaragua, where she faces her past as she revisits her fellow soldiers, the dilapidated school where she trained, and places where she fought. As she does this, repressed memories emerge. As much as she cannot accept having "murdered," she does realize: "in the moment, if I didn't kill them, they would kill me." Saar, a successful choreographer, was a Special Forces Officer in the Israeli Army. He returns to his training camp in Israel with an experiment in mind: to apply what he has learned from dance to training the elite unit. He talks at length about the cycle of brainwashing that makes it possible to see a human being as a mere target. But when he picks up a gun and fires, Saar is stunned by the visceral connection to the warrior still inside him. He comes to accept that having killed is a "fact" of his life. Yet, how do soldiers process such a "fact?" For decades George minimized the emotional impact of having killed in Vietnam. Nevertheless, he recalls that when he first killed, he was gripped by the feeling that he "did something ñ literally against God." George recognizes that killing has had a lasting impact, and resolves to do something about it. He works with young veterans, helping them express the psychological wounds of war through artistic outlets. Hidden Battles weaves together moments of reflection and realization from people who struggle with what it means to kill in all of its complexity. The film offers unique insight into internal conflicts that veterans around the world continue to face long after they have left the battlefield. More on the film THE CREW Victoria Mills Director/Producer Victoria Mills is an award winning documentary filmmaker as well as a full-time practicing psychoanalyst. Her first film, "Mothers and Daughters: Mirrors that Bind," traveled the festival circuit in 2002. In conjunction with the films, she leads workshops with universities, national women's organizations, and grass-roots community groups. As an analyst with 25 years experience, Victoria has worked extensively with people of different cultures who have experienced trauma, including those who suffered from the disaster of 9/11. She is also is a training analyst and on the faculty of National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis, and a member of The International Psychoanalytic Association, Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research, and supervises graduate and PhD students at several universities. Hayley Downs Producer Hayley Downs is a documentary filmmaker, producer and non-profit consultant. In addition to "Hidden Battles", she associate produced "Naturally Obsessed: the Making of a Scientist," a documentary by Richard and Carole Rifkind. Currently she is in production on "Swamp Cabbage: a Dark and Sweaty Documentary," a personal film about her eccentric Florida Cracker childhood with Co- Director/Producer, Julie Kahn. Her past films explore multigenerational Florida folk culture, and have shown at underground film festivals including New York, Chicago and San Francisco, as well as The Museum of Contemporary Art Miami and Art Basel. Her angst-filled teen journal was included in "Mortified: Real Words, Real People, Real Pathetic," published by Simon Spotlight Entertainment. She serves on the Junior Board of New York Cares and she lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband, Marlan and kitten Herman. Kathy Leichter Producer Kathy Leichter is a documentary film producer and director, fundraising and outreach consultant and media activist. Leichter is directing and producing ìHere Today,î a documentary which follows Kathyís quest to understand how living with her motherís mental illness and losing her to suicide have impacted her as a woman, artist and ultimately as a mother. Previous films include, ìPassing On,î the award-winning PBS documentary, ìA Dayís Work, a Dayís Pay,î and has previously produced ìSpit it Out,î and ìMothers and Daughters: Mirrors that Bind.î Leichter is the Project Director of The Workfare Media Initiative, a media activism project. For more information about Leichterís work please go to: www.twosunsmedia.com. Bryan Gunnar Cole Editor As a director, producer, and picture editor Bryan Gunnar Coleís work spans the full scope of media distribution and has been seen in theatres, festivals and television worldwide. His feature directorial debut, ìDay Zeroî starring Elijah Wood, Chris Klein and Jon Bernthal won international acclaim, and his feature documentary ìBoomtownî premiered on the PBS showcase POV series. His television credits include programs for National Geographic (ìSearch for the First Dog,î ìStreet Dogs,î ìCrowsî), Discovery (ìReturn to Penguin Cityî), and Showtime (ìUnfurledî). He is also a Union picture editor with both feature and television credits including the acclaimed documentaries ìAnother Road Home,î ìArctic Son,î and ìThe Sunshine;î A&Eís ìFirst 48,î PBS ìTexas Ranch House,î and Lifetime Channelís ìWomen Docs.î Bryan Gunnar Cole holds a BA in Film Studies from Yale University and an MFA in filmmaking from New York Universityís Tisch School of the Arts. Danae Elon Director of Photography Jerusalem-born Danae Elon graduated from NYU in 1995, recipient of the Kodak National Cinematography and Tisch Achievement in Cinematography Awards. Her first documentary ìNever Again Foreverî participated in over 20 international festivals, broadcast on Austrian TV and won awards at the San Francisco and Chicago festivals. Her second film, ìWild Mint,î screened internationally, and ìCutî was broadcast on Israeli TV, winning a cinematography award at the Jerusalem Film Festival. Danae's film, ìAnother Road Homeî won numerous awards, was released theatrically in the United States in April 2005 and screened at many international festivals. Her latest feature documentary film ìPartly Private,î premiered at Tribeca Film Festival and won Best New York Documentary. Assistant Producer Tina Flemmerer came to New York City from her native Germany in 2003 to study film. In May 2008 she received her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Film and Video Production from The City College of New York. Tina received awards for "Best Documentary" and "Best Documentary Editing" from the City College's Media and Communication Arts Department for her thesis project LESLIE DAY ñ CITY NATURALIST. In addition to serving as Assistant Producer on HIDDEN BATTLES, Tina is currently working on a documentary about a New York based Engineers Without Borders chapter and their work in bringing clean water to a health clinic in Matunda, Kenya. In the past Tina has worked on projects like ODD ONES OUT, a feature documentary directed by Dana McClure, about trans-gendered youth in New York City, and EVERYTHING TURNS, EVERYTHING REVOLVES, a documentary currently in production by the award winning independent media artist Dave Davidson, about the German Dadaist and avant-garde Filmmaker Hans Richter. Assistant Producer Samantha Silver recently graduated from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland with a degree in Social Anthropology. After relocating to New York, she decided to make the leap to documentary film to pursue her interest in the critical evaluation of human nature through creative media. In addition to Assistant Producing HIDDEN BATTLES, Samantha is currently working on a series of documentary shorts about NYC comedian Jess Wood, and the film component of a theatre piece entitled HEAR NYC which explores alienation in New York City through re-creating overheard conversations and big apple moments. Lila Yomtoob Producer of Marketing and Distribution/Sound Editor Lila Yomtoob is a producer specializing in marketing and development, a filmmaker, and former sound editor. Most recently she co-produced ìForeclosure,î starring Michael Imperioli. Her feature length directorial debut ìHigh Lifeî premiered at San Francisco Indie Fest in 2005, and she has made several shorts and viral videos that played in festivals and galleries across the country. As a sound editor, she worked on over 40 feature films, docs and TV shows, garnering an Emmy Award for sound editing HBOís ìBaghdad ER.î She has several projects in development. www.yomtoob.com. HIDDEN BATTLES ADVISORY BOARD HIDDEN BATTLES draws strength from a diverse and uniquely qualified Advisory Board. These individuals generously lend us their expertise in the areas of military affairs, history, psychiatry, activism and filmmaking. DR. CAROL GLUCK George Samson Professor of History Columbia University DR. ROBERT JAY LIFTON Lecturer in Psychiatry Harvard Medical School BOBBY MULLER Founder Vietnam Veterans of America and Veterans for America GRETA OLAFSDOTTIR Documentary Director Women, The Forgotten Face of War and The Brandon Teena Story COLONEL DANIEL SMITH Senior Fellow on Military Affairs Friends Committee on National Legislation WAYNE SMITH Senior Associate Unitarian Universalist Service Committee Copyright VSM Productions 85 Fifth Avenue, Suite 910 New York, New York 10003 info@hiddenbattles.com