The legacy of Jonestown is the subject of a documentary film currently in production. After Jonestown will tell the stories of selected individuals and families associated with Jonestown, focusing on their lives since 1978. The filmmakers are aiming for national PBS broadcast and distribution via film festivals, hopefully coinciding with the 25th anniversary in 2003.
The film will ask questions such as, Where are survivors/relatives now, and how has the experience of Jonestown affected them over time? How do they grieve? What has happened with their political convictions and religious faith? What are their memories and dreams of Jonestown and its people, and how do they deal with them? What about their lives do they choose to reveal, to whom, and why? What questions of race define the story of Jonestown and its legacy? What issues remain unresolved?
The film’s producers are looking to speak with former Peoples Temple members, Jonestown survivors, family members and others directly associated with Jonestown. If you’d like to share your storyeven off-camera and just for backgroundplease call one of the producers today to set up a phone or in-person conversation. The producers invite all associated with Jonestown to call or write, and are especially interested in hearing from African Americans. They’re happy to provide more information and answer any questions you may have about the film.
Please contact producer Paul VanDeCarr at 415-355-1327 or producer Pam Harris 415-370-4169 (collect calls accepted). You can also e-mail them at AfterJonestown@yahoo.com. Their mailing address is P.O. Box 14056, San Francisco, CA 94104.
The crew also includes director of photography Rick Butler (whose credits include The Fillmore), sound recordist Wellington Jon Bowler (Paul Robeson: Here I Stand), and editor Kim Roberts (Daughter from Danang).
—Paul VanDeCarr