Opeka
In my first few years of practicing law in NYC, I volunteered to work on appellate death penalty litigation. I was idealistic and thought I could make a difference. I soon witnessed first-hand the advanced breakdown in our criminal justice system. It was an awakening, in a way, as to the power police and prosecutors have to bend the law away from justice (a power, sadly, that has expanded over time). As I grew less interested in practicing law and more interested in social justice issues, I made the leap to learn filmmaking. I have always loved film and all genres of film. But my personal heroes were, and still are, the courageous documentarians – Gibney, Moore, Poitras and others – who put it all on the line to make a difference by speaking truth through film. I wanted to try to do that too.
I invested an intense few years learning everything I could about filmmaking, from how to operate a cinema camera to editing and distribution and everything in between (and, of course, I am still learning). I sucked all the information I could from seasoned filmmakers who were incredibly generous with their time and encouragement. And I started a production company – Sohei Productions – to be the vehicle for our efforts. The Sohei were Buddhist monk warriors in feudal Japan, and I thought it would be a perfect name (although tricky to pronounce – “So-hey”) to represent our mission, conveying the idea that compassion for the marginalized is not enough when warrior-like action is also needed.
A significant part of our mission is to make quality feature films that will play best on the big screen, recognizing that, outside of film festivals, our films would be seen by most on a large smart tv. We want great cinematography and music that will wrap strong character stories and the issues being explored in engaging imagery and sound.
Our first feature film, “MADAGASIKARA”, which has a tag line “The Real Madagascar”, is an effort to bring stories from one of the poorest countries on the planet to the West. We finished that film in mid 2018 and won over 20 awards in the film festival circuit in 2018-19. The film is now available through Amazon Prime and many streaming services.
“OPEKA” is our second feature. I met Father Pedro Opeka in Madagascar while filming in late 2014. He is perhaps the most fascinating person I have ever met, and his passionate commitment to justice for the poorest of the poor is inspiring and contagious. I soon realized I had to make a film about his life and his extraordinary journey. When I was a young lawyer, I witnessed the use of unprincipled power by government officials to bend the law away from justice. In Pedro Opeka, I saw the immense and unrelenting power of one humanitarian to stand up to governments to protect the most vulnerable and, in his words, “make justice the basis of all our actions.”
In 2020, his story is even more important for the world to see, and we thank the 20th Anniversary Edition of the Beverly Hills Film Festival for launching our efforts. When the film received the BHFF Golden Palm Award this year, we started receiving communications from around the world, including offers to assist Father Pedro. This exceptional award is a prime catalyst for our outreach efforts, and we will forever be grateful.
A note from Cam Cowan
