Update

June 23, 2010
What follows is a brief review by The Council of Hemispheric Affairs of Don North’s documentary, as well as his assessment of the first year of Mauricio Funes’ presidency. Read the review.

March 24, 2010 marks the 30th anniversary of Archbishop Romero’s assassination. Read Don North’s column on the event and it’s current implications.

Synopsis

In 1983, war correspondent Don North went behind the guerilla lines in El Salvador to spend two months in Guazapa, one of the bloodiest battlegrounds of the civil war. Out of that experience came the revealing documentary “Guazapa: Yesterday’s Enemies” which shows the world the real civilian costs of that conflict.

Twenty six years later, North returned to Guazapa to find survivors of that conflict and how their lives have been since then. Using a mixture of old and new footage, Yesterday’s Enemies documents El Salvador’s post-war problems of soaring crime, massive migration and a fragile economy. The film highlights Salvadoran hopes for change and shows how the candidate of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) — the post-war political party of the guerillas — won the election for president in March 2009.

“Guazapa: Yesterday’s Enemies” is a 65-minute examination of the courage, resilience and humanity of the Salvadoran people in the aftermath of war. It is available for broadcast in English and Spanish, and for private purchase on DVD.

“Yesterday’s Enemies” touches the human spirit in its recollection of the terrible times of the past, the courage of those who fought against fear and fascism and it’s practical hope for a better future.”

$24.95 Free Shipping

About Don North

Don North has a long history of venturing into conflict zones. He was a cameraman and correspondent for ABC and NBC News during Vietnam. In 1973 he was based in Cairo and covered the advance of Israeli forces in the Golan and Suez.

He won a Gold Medal at the New York Film Festival in 1976 for a film he directed titled "Time of the Jackals: The Carlos Connection." Mr. North covered the Afghan war against Soviet occupation and during the Gulf War was a media advisor to Prince Khalid Bin Sultan, commander of the joint forces during Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. In 1993, he covered the Bosnian conflict for the Arab news magazine Al Wasat. He trained TV journalists for UNESCO in Bosnia and Romania, and for the U.S. Agency for International Development in Egypt.

Mr. North directed aerial footage in Yemen for the 2000 movie "Rules of Engagement," and during the Iraq War was embedded with the 101st Airborne. He went on to become an advisor and staff trainer for the U.S.-funded Iraq Media Network.

Most recently, Mr. North has worked on documentaries about Iraq, Vietnam., El Salvador and Burma, and has worked as a trainer for Voice of America in Vietnam, Indonesia, Montenegro and Serbia. Mr. North is vice-president of Military Reporters & Editors.

In August 2009 the National Press Club presented Don's new documentary on the history of war in El Salvador "Guazapa: Yesterday's Enemies" Don has recently completed his book "Morton of the Star: Inappropriate Conduct. Canada's luckless war correspondent. It documents Paul Morton's parachute jump behind German lines to join the Italian Partisans and British secret S.O.E. and why he was the only allied journalist dis-acredited in WW II.