“First To Fall” Teaser from Rachel Beth Anderson on Vimeo.
FIRST TO FALL is an intimate story of friendship, sacrifice and the madness of war. It bears witness to the irreversible transformation of two friends, and the price they pay for their conviction.
Hamid and Tarek leave their lives as students in Canada and travel to Libya, their homeland, to join the fight to overthrow Mohamar Gaddafi. They pledge to make it to the frontline despite the fact that neither of them has ever picked up a weapon. A second hand video camera becomes Hamid’s ticket to the front where he documents battles to liberate Misrata, a city famous for the ferocity of its citizens. Hamid eventually earns a gun and becomes a full-fledged soldier with an AK-47 in one hand, and his video camera in the other. Meanwhile Tarek joins a training camp and eventually a katiba (freedom fighter battalion) in Misrata. In a battle to liberate Zawya, his hometown, Tarek’s life will change forever.
Filmmaker Rachel Beth Anderson bears witness to Tarek and Hamid’s incredible odyssey, as they navigate a brutal guerilla war to liberate Libya from forty years of tyranny. At times the footage is difficult to watch, the violence is shocking but the humanity, humor and camaraderie of these young men in war, shines through.
Stay tuned for information on the 2013 release.
Looking forward to seeing the finished piece Rachel
Kia Kaha.