HARD TO believe
AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONTRIBUTE TO A SAFER WORLD YOUR SUPPORT IS NEEDED TO FUND A FUTURE FREE FROM MEDICAL GENOCIDE
This is the biggest crime against humanity in 75 years. Once the truth comes out in full it will rock the foundations of humanity. We have an opportunity to change history for the better.
2 Swoop Films WHY: THE CAUSE... A HIDDEN GENOCIDE
China has the world’s largest organ transplant industry, yet their population is culturally averse to donating their organs and no effective voluntary donor system exists.
So, prisoners have been killed to fuel China’s booming organ trade for decades.
Yet, millions in Chinese labor camps and prisons are prisoners of conscience. They are are all potential victims of organ harvesting and peaceful Falun Gong meditators have become the principal targets.
The latest evidence suggests over a million people have already been murdered for their organs.
4 Swoop Films THE CHALLENGE
State-sanctioned medical genocide has become a multi-billion dollar industry in China.
Chinese organs are now being sold to patients from around the world.
Awareness of the issue is still lacking and the true extent of the crime is unknown. The world needs to first understand the crime in order to know how to stop it.
5 Swoop Films THE FIRST STEP: TELLING THE STORY... THE FILM “Hard To Believe” has been released on PBS stations and DVD. Licenses are available for educational and semi-theatrical screenings. It is currently available on numerous digital platforms. 56 minUTES NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN
NOW SPANNING THE GLOBE IN 15 LANGUAGES: English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Korean, Czech, Croatian, Bulgarian, French, German, Norwegian, Hebrew, Polish & more to come. 7 It’s happened before: Governments killing their own citizens for their political or spiritual beliefs, But it’s never happened like this.
“Hard To Believe” is a serious investigation into one of the most horrifying medical crimes of our time: forced live organ harvesting from hundreds of thousands of Chinese prisoners of conscience, and the response—or lack of it—around the world.
One of the lessons, I The implications of the think, from “Hard To evidence provides a Believe” is that so many serious ethical challenge good people—so many to us all. It raises “of us—haven’t just been “ perhaps the hardest silent, we haven’t even question: ’What are we paid attention. I hope this going to do about it?’” film prompts a few more people to do so.” KEN STONE KAY RUBACEK Director, Producer Producer, SWOOP FILMS
8 Swoop Films HARD TO BELIEVE HEROES
Ethan Gutmann, the American Enver Tohti, the surgeon who human rights author who caused the death of a prisoner in conducted a 7-year investigation China by removing his vital organs into organ harvesting, nominated and went public with his remorse. for the Nobel Peace prize.
Dr. Jacob Lavee, a transplant David Matas, a crusading surgeon inspired by his Holocaust international human rights lawyer, survivor father to change the law author, and Nobel Peace prize and stop Israelis from complicity nominee who led the original in the crime of organ harvesting. investigation.
Falun Gong practitioner , the most targeted group survivors Matthew Robertson, an of prisoners of conscience in China, award-winning China reporter for who have taken the lead to capture The Epoch Times. the attention of a compassion- fatigued public in the West. 9 THE NEXT STEP: COMMUNITY ENgAgement...
10 Swoop Films OUTREACH CAMPAIGN
MORE THAN A MOVIE
The film is being well received and is an effective tool, yet real change happens beyond the screen.
The ”Hard To Believe” Outreach Campaign enables this—ensuring the right information makes it to the people who need it most.
Our global outreach team facilitates targeted screenings for governments, hospitals, colleges, conferences and public venues to generate discussion and audience engagement.
Through partnerships with key organizations, the campaign is beginning to inspire the medical profession and policy makers to take the necessary actions that will have a lasting effect in stopping this crime—permanently, forever and anywhere.
11 Swoop Films CORE OBJECTIVES
Through partnerships, post-screening audience engagement, media outreach, and online marketing, we are working to achieve the following core objectives for outreach and engagement as we secure additional funding:
1. PUBLIC EDUCATION: Goal: Online marketing campaign with a series of short informational videos to raise public awareness of the issue and encourage public support for legislative change.
2. ACADEMIA: Goal: A screening tour of U.S. colleges to raise awareness to students and faculty.
2. MEDICAL, NGO & GOVERNMENT: Goal: Partnerships with professional health, law and ethics organizations to educate their members and facilitate legislative change.
12 Swoop Films RESULTS SO FAR: ALREADY MAKING A DIFFERENCE... GLOBAL AWARENESS
VIEWERSHIP: Over 600 screenings have been held of ”Hard To Believe”, a great majority of which included post- screening discussions. ”Hard To Believe” has also been broadcast on 42% of PBS networks across the U.S. Through Taskovski Films, we have sold to Israeli, Polish, Latvian, and Portuguese television stations so far.
STRATEGIC ALLIANCES: We are now in partnership with the International Coalition to End Organ Pillaging in China (EOP) to reach relevant organizations internationally. EOP’s membership of academics and professionals has grown significantly as a result of screenings of "Hard To Believe".
MEDIA: The issue went viral on social media after the release of “Hard To Believe” on PBS TV. The New York Times reported on the issue—for the first time—and ran a series of three articles on the topic, prompting global media coverage. We have had sell out shows across Australia and New Zealand, including national media coverage about the issue on all major current affairs TV and radio programs.
UNDERSTANDING: A positive change in public perception of the Falun Gong community in the West. In post- screening interviews, we’ve noticed a significant trend of audience members who say they have seen Falun Gong protests on North American streets before and hadn’t paid attention to their plight, but that after watching ”Hard To Believe” they feel a responsibility to pay attention to this issue and find out more.
14 Swoop Films GOVT. HIGHLIGHTS
Official government screenings have been held at the U.S. State Capitol of California, Texas, NSW Parliament House (Australia) and Canadian Parliament (Ottawa).
Since the release of “Hard To Believe”, significant changes have happened in relation to the issue:
• H.Res 343. passed unanimously by the U.S. GOVERNMENT in 2016, calling for an investigation into the crime of organ harvesting of prisoners of conscience in China.
• The EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT unanimously passed a similar declaration.
• The AUSTRALIAN SENATE passed a motion calling for the prohibition of transplant tourism from Australia. The AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT called for a national inquiry into organ tourism & trafficking.
• A U.S. CONGRESSIONAL HEARING was held on the issue of organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience in China, inviting Ethan Gutmann—who featured in ”Hard To Believe”—as guest speaker.
15 Swoop Films MEDICAL HIGHLIGHTS
The film has featured at key INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL/ETHICS CONFERENCES, in partnership with David Matas (Nobel Peace Prize nominee and human rights lawyer featured in ”Hard To Believe”) as keynote speaker.
A large public screening to over 100 healthcare workers at the AMERICAN PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION’S (APHA) ANNUAL CONFERENCE, where it was one of three films featured at their Global Public Health Film Festival.
We are developing educational packets to be made available to 4 MILLION NURSES ACROSS AMERICA for annual training requirements on forced organ harvesting through the National Nurse Association. Nurses are required to undertake annual accredited courses in the three subjects of: Medical Ethics, Patient Safety, and Culture. The content in “Hard To Believe” can be readily packaged into courses in each of these subjects, thereby making it accessible to a large number of nurses, who are responsible for the care of patients pre and post organ transplantation and have requested access to information on the issue in a form that meets their educational requirements.
16 Swoop Films ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS
Incorporated as educational material in COLLEGES AND INSTITUTIONS ACROSS THE USA, AND AROUND THE WORLD.
Some colleges “Hard to Believe” has screened at include: PENN STATE, BOSTON, & STANFORD universities.
Our largest international screenings so far have been in SOUTH AMERICA at colleges and high schools, with over 600 ATTENDEES AT A TIME.
17 Swoop Films WHERE TO FROM HERE? THE DEMAND FOR GROWTH
18 Swoop Films CURRENT Goals
• Produce SHORT INFORMATIONAL VIDEOS as overviews and updates to the issue, suitable for initiating a global social media campaign.
• Create and disseminate 3 ACCREDITED EDUCATIONAL PACKETS for health professionals on Medical Ethics, Patient Safety, and Culture, using the content of the film.
• Organize 500 SCREENINGS of “Hard To Believe”, via advocates, supporters, partner organizations and a U.S. college tour, to further international awareness.
• Facilitate POST-SCREENING DISCUSSIONS to garner public support and introduce influencers to key partner organizations whom they can work with to better affect policy change.
• Target lawmakers and legislators internationally to encourage LAWS BANNING ORGAN TOURISM which forbids their respective citizens to receive organs from China.
TOGETHER WE CAN ACHIEVE THESE GOALS
19 Swoop Films JOIN THE PEACEFUL RESISTANCE & INVEST IN THE FUTURE
TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS CAN BE MADE AT: www.Hardtobelievemovie.com/CAMPAIGN
Donations to the Outreach Campaign are tax-deductible in the United States via the International Documentary Association (IDA) and Friends of Falun Gong—non-profit fiscal sponsors for the “Hard To Believe” Outreach Campaign.
20 Swoop Films THE REVIEWS: AN IMPACT WORTH GROWING
21 Swoop Films U.S. GOVERNMENT
U.S. RESOLUTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY CONDEMNING ORGAN HARVESTING IN CHINA
“Hard To Believe” investigated why a U.S. House Resolution on organ harvesting never came up for a vote.
However, after the official release of “Hard To Believe” and its broadcasts on PBS TV stations—together with the long term efforts of many advocates and investigators—H.Res.383 passed unanimously in the House of Representatives.
“Authorities in Chinese prisons targeting prisoners, because of their religious beliefs, and then making a profit by trafficking these victims’ organs. I cannot think of hardly anything that is more disgusting than that.” — Rep. ELIOT L. ENGEL (D-N.Y.)
“This legislation is an important step in bringing accountability and transparency, to maybe one of the great crimes of the 21st century: the 17-year effort to eliminate [the] Falun Gong practice from China” — Rep. CHRIS SMITH (R-N.J.)
22 Swoop Films MEDIA
“THE FIRST EVER FULL INSIGHT” — The LAD Bible
“Why the world has failed to act” — The Daily Beast
"EXTREMELY IMPORTANT for those involved in organ donation and transplantation, human rights, health care, ethics, and the law." — Journal of Bioethical Inquiry
“Delves into the truth” — Kicker Daily News
“HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, especially for public and college library DVD collections” — Library Bookwatch, Midwest Book Review
“The first sustained examination” — Daily Mail
“Highly recommended” — Video Librarian Magazine 23 Swoop Films MEDICAL
“Important, timely and deeply disturbing.” — DR. ARTHUR CAPLAN, PhD, Founding Director of the Division of Medical Ethics, NYU
“As a nurse this horrifies me, as a human this shames me.” — Attendee at the APHA Global Public Health Film Festival
“Compulsory viewing for anyone who is interested in the ethics of organ transplantation.” — Professor WENDY ROGERS, Ethicist, Australia
”The credentials of the interviewed experts is impeccable" — Journal of Bioethical Inquiry
“Tremendously powerful, tremendously powerful.” — DR. DAMON NOTO, MD
“It’s absolutely a vital concern.” — Nurse, NYC, USA
“That film has really opened my eyes.” — Nurse, Sydney, Australia
24 Swoop Films ACADEMIA
"An important film.” — Professor KATRINA A. BRAMSTEDT, PhD, Ethicist, Bond University, Australia
“My students were riveted to their seats until the end.” — LANCE F. HOWARD, PhD, Senior Lecturer of Geography, Clemson University
“Inspired me to get more involved in foreign and international affairs." — Student, Global Bioethics Initiative Summer School Program
"This is a very disturbing truth to which we were never exposed back in Mainland China." — Student from Brown University, Rhode Island, USA
“We must work together to raise awareness and put an end to this atrocity. It is essentially genocide, yet it has little to no media coverage.” — Student, Clemson University, South Carolina, USA
”These people deserve to be taken seriously. This is horrific.” — Honorary Professor PAUL MACNEILL, LLB, PhD, Sydney Medical School
25 Swoop Films INDUSTRY
30 FILM FESTIVALS: Winner of 14 Awards
Winner of Best Documentary Editing, Global Cinema Film Festival of Boston Winner of Best Documentary, Hoboken International Film Festival Winner Award of Excellence, International Film Festival for Peace, Inspiration & Equality Winner of Best Documentary, Brightside Tavern Film Festival Winner of Outstanding Achievement, Accolade Global Film Competition Humanitarian Winner of Outstanding Achievement, Global Film Awards Humanitarian Award Six Awards of Excellence, Accolade Global Film Competition in the categories of: Documentary Program / Social Change / Religion / Ethics / Health / Medicine Two Awards of Excellence, IndieFEST Global Film Award in the categories of: Liberation / Social Justice
26 Swoop Films PUBLIC
“A VERY POWERFUL FILM.”
“We have no excuse to turn a blind eye and do nothing.”
“It left me in a position where I really want to do something about this.”
“Information in a way that I could take it on without horror.”
“Shows the human side of what’s happening.”
“It really puts a face to it that an article wouldn’t be able to do.”
“I have seen the protestors on the street and I never really thought about it too much.”
“I intend to do everything that I can to make sure that people know about this.”
“Knowing is important.”
27 Swoop Films “Never again...to anyone”
I got just so emotional watching that film… We have all our sayings in Hebrew and I think the one that everyone knows is ”never again”, “ and when we say ”never again” that doesn’t mean ”never again” to Jews. That means ”never again” to anyone and it’s... It just feels so personal and it hurts so much knowing that the same thing that killed my great grandfather…is still happening to people.”
28 Swoop Films HISTORY FAVOURS THOSE WHO TAKE ACTION IN TIMES OF GREAT NEED
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TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS CAN BE MADE AT: www.Hardtobelievemovie.com/CAMPAIGN
29 Swoop Films Contact Us:
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30 Swoop Films