Matthew VanDyke will speak on Oct. 24 at the showing of “Point and Shoot.”
Ridgewood Library’s film fest inspires action
OCTOBER 10, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2014, 12:31 AM
BY JODI WEINBERGER
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
It’s a personal connection that was the spark for Matthew VanDyke to leave a comfortable life in Baltimore and fight among the rebels in the Libyan Revolution.
VanDyke had been looking for a change of pace, and a sense of purpose, when he began his travels on a motorcycle through Africa and the Middle East with a plan to make an adventure film along the way. His transformation to freedom fighter came after striking up a friendship with other Libyan rebels who were preparing to fight against the authoritarian rule of Muammar Gaddafi.
The footage he captured, including six months of solitary confinement, was compiled by award-winning documentary filmmaker Marshall Curry into a moving story about a young man who leaves his life unsure of his path to someone who develops what VanDyke said is a “calling” to make a contribution and effect change in a foreign region.
When asked during an interview this week about what would make him put his life on the line for another country, VanDyke said it was a “very personal mission for me.”
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/arts-and-entertainment/movies/film-fest-celebrates-calls-to-action-1.1106500#sthash.gnyPBK5m.dpuf