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Since the events of September 11, 2001, entrepreneur Omar Amanat has been engaged in an ambitious project. His mission is to use the power of mass media to provoke thought and inspire social change. Mr. Amanat, the founder of Tradescape Corporation and one of Wall Street’s Top Ten Most Influential Technologists according to Fortune Magazine, is the executive producer of The Devil Came on Horseback, an important new documentary about the genocide taking place in the Darfur region of Sudan. The film takes its title from the translation of Janjaweed, the name of the militia group whose attacks on western Sudan have led to mass civilian death and displacement. Various estimates place the death toll in Darfur at 200,000 to 400,000 or more, with as many as 2.5 million refugees. Janjaweed means “devil on horseback.” The Devil Came on Horseback is based on a book of the same title by Brian Steidle and Gretchen Steidle Wallace. Mr. Steidle is a former U.S. Marine Captain who became a U.S. representative to the African Union after completing his military service. During a 6-month assignment as an A.U. military observer in Darfur, he took nearly 1,000 photographs in regions of the conflict that were inaccessible to journalists. When the photos were published in The New York Times, the U.S. State Department asked Mr. Steidle to stop their circulation. The film version of The Devil Came on Horseback was written and directed by Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg. It has been exceptionally well-received by critics, who have called the documentary "beautifully made" (Chicago Tribune), "exceptionally powerful" (San Francisco Chronicle) and a film that "demands to be seen as soon as possible and by as many viewers as possible" (The New York Times). For more information, please visit www.OmarAmanat.com. |
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