STORY IDEA
BEST OF STATE WINNER 2004 — BEST VIDEO!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:May 26, 2004 A new film by Brian Patrick, Burying The Past – “Legacy of the Mountain Meadows Massacre,” is being released on DVD next week. DVDs can be purchased online at www.buryingthepast.com and include Behind The Scenes, Directors Commentary, Deleted Scenes, and more.
The film will be shown at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts in Salt Lake City on June 11th and 12th at 6p.m. & 8p.m. followed by a question and answer with Director/Producer Brian Patrick. DVD and VHS copies will be available for purchase at the screening.
Also, Brian Patrick will be at Ken Sanders Rare Books on June 5 at 6:00 pm for a video signing and a short presentation. VHS and DVDs will be available for purchase as well.
Winner of eight awards, including “Best of State Utah 2004” and the Broadcast Education Association’s King Foundation Award for “Best of Competition,” this compelling documentary breaks through decades of coverup and denial, and exposes the true story of one of the most horrific crimes in the history of the American West. On September 11, 1857, a wagon train of one hundred and twenty men, women and children bound for California were slaughtered, under a white flag, by Utah Mormons. This powerful story reveals the Mormon Church’s coverup of the massacre through the actual testimony of a young girl who survived, interviews with descendants of the victims, forensic anthropologists holding bullet-hole-riddled skulls accidentally unearthed at the site of the crime, and a funeral held 145 years later. Descendants of the massacre, haunted by the tragedy to this day, struggle to reconcile and find forgiveness. Director Brian Patrick states: “Burying The Past has taken me five years to complete. I came upon the idea when I saw an article in the Salt Lake Tribune about these age-old enemies who were attempting to forgive each other and heal their wounds and differences. With all of these warring factions in the world today and the cycle of vengeance they perpetuate, it was inspiring to me to see an attempt at reconciliation. It was the humanity of the story which I found in the descendants of the massacre that I was drawn to, and wanted to bring out. I think that the film shows how difficult it is for opposing cultural groups to come together. I also felt very strongly that this is a story that deserves to be told. Many people have never learned of this tragic event, and the film has had a very powerful effect on audiences. It is an event that has been kept out of history books, that is not taught to our children in schools, and yet it is the biggest massacre of Americans by other Americans before Oklahoma City. The truth of what happened has been obscured by those responsible, but the discovery of the victims remains, as well as an interview I found from a four year old girl who survived are hard evidence to deny. I tried to be as objective as possible and discover what lay at the core of the story. It was a difficult film to make, balancing between the Mormon Church and the State of Utah. A great deal of controversy still exists today, and some people would prefer that the massacre remain forgotten. In fact, when the ground-penetrating radar didn’t locate any bones, it was said that perhaps the massacre never even happened. I felt that the bones wanted to be discovered to tell their story, and as difficult as it proved to be, captured on film what struck me as the most powerful, documented evidence of what really happened at Mountain Meadows one hundred and forty seven years ago. I hope you will find the film’s story as fascinating as I have while making it. During this past year, the film has done very well, especially considering the intense level of competition these days. It has been in 13 film festivals and has picked up 8 awards, including the Broadcast Education Association’s “Best Documentary” and also winning their “Best of Festival-King Foundation Award”. This last week I received notification that it won the “Best of State-Utah 2004,” for Best Video. This last award is pretty amazing considering that the Utah State Government recognized the film despite its controversial subject matter. Yet, on another front, I still cannot seem to get the film broadcast locally by KUED. One can only guess why they have refused-it seems the subject matter is just too sensitive for them. The DVD production probably took me another 6-8 months to finish properly. I included lots of “Special Features” as people expect this nowadays from store bought DVD’s-like a “Behind the Scenes” documentary, also “Deleted Scenes” that I chose not to include in the final version, a “Director’s Commentary,” and finally “English Subtitles” for hearing impaired. I added all these features because I felt that the film’s content was historically important and I wanted to make this a DVD that would stand up to the test of time. This last year has been quite a journey with the film. I have traveled to and attended many, many film festivals and have been fortunate to show the film on several occasions to the descendants of the victims in Oklahoma and Arkansas. They really love the film, too, and it makes me feel like I really accomplished something when these people respond so emotionally to the film. And I think for these people, the film has given them a voice that has never been seen or heard before. It is one of the aspects of the film that I’m very proud of.”
HONORS & AWARDS”Best of State Utah 2004,” “BEA Best of Festival King Foundation Award” from the Broadcast Education Association, Broadcast Education Association’s “Best Documentary,” “Best of Festival” Berkeley Film Festival, “Chris Award” Columbus International Film Festival, “Accolade Award of Excellence” for Documentary Feature, “Accolade Award” for Narration, “Best Musical Score” Park City Film Music Festival. FESTIVALS”Best of State Competition,” “Broadcast Education Association Festival,” “Accolade Competition,” “Berkeley Film Festival,” “Columbus International Film Festival,” “Park City Film Music Festival,” “Park City Film Series,” “Denver International Film Festival,” “Arizona International Film Festival,” “Santa Fe Film Festival,” “Breckenridge Film Festival,” “Bare Bones Film Festival,” “Sedona International Film Festival,” “Athens International Film Festival.”
MEDIA CONTACTS:Brian Patrick, Director/Producer “Burying The Past”office:(801)581-6900cell: (801)554-8640fax: (801)585-7323brian.patrick@utah.eduwww.buryingthepast.com
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