Hey, everyone! We're entering the second month of post-production on Return to El Salvador with some exciting news. We've been in contact with a respected celebrity who is interested narrating the film. We don't want to tell you who it is just yet though until we start the recording process.

A good friend of ours has agreed to help meet some of our remaining production costs by matching any funds we receive up to $12,500. We're looking to you to help us meet this goal.

We here in Philadelphia are shocked and saddened to learn about the murder of French documentary filmmaker Christian Poveda. Poveda was found dead in his car in the rural area of Tonactepeque, about 10 miles outside of San Salvador. According to police, he was driving back from filming in the crowded ghetto area of La Campanera when he was ambushed and shot in the head.

Poveda's recent film, La Vida Loca, follows the violent Mara 18 gang, several members of which were killed or jailed during filming, according to an article in the Times Online. The Times reports:

Hi all,
   Just wanted to provide you an update regarding Marcelo Rivera and the violence against activists in Cabañas, El Salvador.  Our company - Jamie Moffett Media Design & Production, Inc. - is a signer on an important letter to the US State Department and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  I've posted it here for you to read and share.  Please spread the word, and continue to share our short film "The Mysterious Death of Marcelo Rivera".  Thanks so much for your continued support of independent film makers, journalists and rights advocates in the field - asking the questions we all want answers to.

If you have been moved by "The Mysterious Death of Marcelo Rivera" and the corresponding justice movement, please consider making a financial contribution to the project on Kickstarter.

We made this film without thought for profit to raise awareness of the injustice of corporate exploitation and Rivera's linked murder, but are looking to recover a small portion of the video's production cost. If you can pledge just $10 over the next 45 days, we'll send you a DVD copy of "The Mysterious Death of Marcelo Rivera," complete with special features.

Hey everybody!

We're pleased to announce that the first installment of "The Ordinary Radicals: Special Topics" is available to ship! Keep an eye on your mailbox; those of you who pre-ordered will be receiving your copies soon!

This chapter of "The Ordinary Radicals: Special Topics" explores the historical development of the new movement towards justice-centered faith. Shane Claiborne, Tony Campolo, Brian McLaren, and others offer perspectives on the witness of the early Church, the social context surrounding the rise of fundamentalism, the emergence of a new understanding of a social gospel, and the construction of a new cross-denominational vision of unity for today's church.

Becky Garrison references her interview with Jamie on Jim Wallace's God's Politics blog, offering insight on why people of faith should be concerned about recent murders and increasing violence in El Salvador.

Read her post here.

Becky Garrison - author and religious satirist featured in Jamie's first feature-length documentary The Ordinary Radicals - recently interviewed Jamie about his desire to film Return to El Salvador and the story surrounding "The Mysterious Death of Marcelo Rivera".

You can read the whole interview here: El Salvador's Newest Martyr?

Rabbi Lisa Goldstien met Marcelo Rivera in February of this year while leading a group of University of Michigan students on an Alternative Spring Break. In light of his death, she has shared this article with us:

Marcelo Rivera was murdered because someone wanted to silence him. That’s why I have to tell his story.

I met Marcelo in February of this year. I co-led an Alternative Spring Break through AJWS for the University of Michigan Hillel. We went to San Isidro, Cabanas, one of the poorest regions in El Salvador, to build latrines. Marcelo was our host. He was the founder and leader of ASIC (Asociacion Amigos de San Isidro), a local non-profit that focuses on community development.

Upside Down World, an online magazine about politics in Latin America, just published an article about the torture and murder of Marcelo Rivera, featuring our video and an interview with Jamie.

Read the article, which includes more in-depth information about the murder case and resulting justice movement, here: "El Salvador: The Mysterious Death of Marcelo Rivera"

The SHARE Foundation has picked up our cause for justice in the Marcelo Rivera murder case, and also calls for action against continuing death threats in the wake of Rivera's assassination directed towards other activists in the Department of Cabañas. Here is the text of their alert:

Please contact your Senators and Congressperson asking them to join an international campaign to pressure Salvadoran authorities to fully investigate the murder of anti-mining activist Marcelo Rivera and the death threats received by other community activists.