Greg Reitman: Director’s Statement for Rooted in Peace

Greg Reitman meditating

As a teenager, I lived in the first gulf war in Israel and that one experience changed my life. When I returned to college, I was unaware of the affects of PTSD. Later that year, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Hokkaido University and during that time visited the Hiroshima Peace memorial. It was at that moment, where I suddenly realized the impact of war and the destructive power of war. Completely in denial, when I returned home to Amherst, I woke in tears wanting to heal the world. I created the Giving Tree: ROOTED in PEACE.

Film is an instrument of change. By allowing the viewer to share my personal story, the experience becomes as profound as the journey itself. In our new awareness film, ROOTED in PEACE, goes beyond the normal boundaries of filmmaking and uses the personal story as a vehicle for change combined with a collective of peace, environmental and heath activists to raise awareness of the issue of our interconnectedness to the planet and the stakes that lie ahead.

With this project, I want to tackle the most important problem the world has ever faced, that war serves no purpose, whether personal, environmental or political. As Ghandi states, “You must be the change you see in the world“ As a collective species we need to understand that change begins within oneself. By combining a personal and compelling film and a groundbreaking activation campaign, we want to create a social movement for change.

Sundance Audience Award Winner Greg Reitman