He never really wanted to be a hero
On March 16, 1968, an 18-year-old gunner presented himself with US Army pilot Hugh Thompson Jr. against their own people and thereby prevent an even greater massacre than is currently underway in My Lai, Vietnam.
The My Lai massacre, with over 500 deaths, went around the world like no other. To this day, it is considered a «turning point» in that it raised awareness of the atrocities of war and led to a more critical attitude towards military interventions. In this exciting film we gain new insights and get close to an extraordinary person who follows his conscience with courage and empathy and whose life is far too short: Larry Colburn.
August 2011: Larry Colburn comes to Germany with his wife Lisa and son Connor. On this summer day he is supposed to meet the supposed son of a Vietnamese woman, whom he had in mind at the time and whose image he still cannot get rid of to this day. Larry thinks about her every day. The woman he sees from the helicopter that day runs away. Pilot Thompson flies close. Larry tells her that they just need to fill up for a moment and then come back and take her away and bring her to safety. When they return shortly afterwards, it is too late: she is lying dead in the grass, shot in the head, the so-called «crown shot» at close range. The photo of her later goes around the world. The supposed son of this woman, who is now in… Germany is alive, sitting next to him, Larry can barely hold back his tears.
My project is special because ...
Everyone who takes part in one is encouraged to support this film want to take part in a high-quality cinema documentary about a socially relevant subject, want to contribute to an important and personal film production that cannot be seen on television or in social media channels. Not to be expected with state film funding. In keeping with developments on the topic of «War and Peace», we would like to use this film to show young and older viewers that there are hardly any «truths» in war, but conscientious resistance can ensure more peace and more hope. Perhaps, at best, this film will be seen as a call to follow one’s own conscience. If financing is successful, we will finish RESISTANCE (approx. 90 minutes) this year and bring it to cinemas in 2025.
This is what I need backing for.
This film tells the story of how a young person joins the army out of conviction and then finds out that he will become an accomplice in a massacre if he does not immediately take up arms against his own soldiers and prevent further killing of innocent civilians. This requires a lot of courage and courage, which Larry Colburn, the helicopter crew Hugh Thompson and Glen Andreotta in My Lai muster. They all pay a high price: Glen Andreotta dies weeks later, Hugh Thompson and Larry Colburn have to live for decades with having been witnesses in a lying court case against the guilty, being denounced as «traitors» and being persecuted. Was the resistance worth it ? Wasn’t the price too high? Hardly: Only resistance can change circumstances! The film is intended to help raise awareness of the atrocities of war and to emphasize the importance of compassion and humanity in difficult situations. By supporting this documentary about Larry’s memories can be preserved and made available to posterity.
The support is used for: preparation of archive material, reshoots, translation, editing, post-production
