FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 3, 2009
CONTACT:
Meg Fullwood
214-740-9377
mfullwood@kera.org
THE ROOTS OF WAR...THE ROAD TO PEACE AIRS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17 ON KERA-TV
DALLAS/FORT WORTH: The Roots of War… the Road to Peace takes a look at the complexity of the events leading up to 9/11. Through interviews with experts, scholars and eye witnesses, the 90-minute documentary examines the impact of radical Islam on the world stage. The Roots of War … the Road to Peace airs at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 17 on KERA-TV.
Shot on location in Baghdad, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, and the U.S., the documentary examines the historic conflicts in the Middle East and the role of the United States leading up to 9/11. From interviews with the man on the street to government officials, the documentary strives to achieve balance by presenting multiple perspectives.
“Our goal was to get beyond the sound bites and offer a historic perspective of the events leading up to 9/11,” says Niki McCuistion, executive producer and director of the documentary. “We wanted to take a look at the social, geo-political and economic costs of terrorism and investigate the seeds of the conflict between the great civilizations and religions of the world.”
Within hours of their arrival in Baghdad in 2004, Niki and Dennis McCuistion encountered a suicide bombing which took out several city blocks. Their unexpected immersion in terrorism and encounters with everyday citizens emphasized the complexity of the story they came to cover.
The team conducted over 300 hours of interviews in eight countries over seven years in producing the documentary. “The more questions we asked concerning the roots of the conflict,” says Dennis McCuistion, “the more we learned that the tensions will last for many years to come.”
The Roots of War… the Road to Peace was funded by a grant from the Hatton W. Sumners Foundation Inc. for the Study and Teaching of the Science of Self- Government.
ABOUT THE TEAM:
The Roots production team includes Niki McCuistion, executive producer/director and co-interviewer, Dennis McCuistion, narrator and co-interviewer and Phil Smith, lead camera and co-editor. Niki and Dennis McCuistion are co-producers of McCuiston, an issues-oriented television program that focuses on business, social, economic and governmental concerns and challenges. The program is produced and distributed nationally through public television and cable channels. McCuiston has aired on KERA-TV since 1990. Additional information about the documentary is available at www.therootsofwar.com
