Patrick Fries of Arrowhead Films and Cherie Hart of UNDP

Houston, Texas, 23 April 2012— Austin’s Arrowhead Films United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) film Himalayan Meltdown won the prestigious Platinum Award in the broadcast documentary category last weekend at the 45th Annual Worldfest International Film Festival, the oldest independent film festival in the world.

The one-hour film directed by Patrick Fries examines the shrinking glaciers of the Himalayas and the effects they have on the lives and livelihoods of billions of people in Asia. The movie illustrates solutions, small and large, simple and technologically complex, for coping in a changing environment that can make the difference between survival and disappearance.

“Revealed: The Himalayan Meltdown” aired on Discovery Channel Asia last year, and was produced by UNDP and Arrowhead Films to examine the human development impact of the glacial ice melt on communities in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India and Nepal. It shows the plight of the affected countries and the ways they are adapting, adjusting and preparing for tomorrow’s inevitable changes in the Himalayan glaciers. “Himalayan Meltdown” was internationally broadcast on the Discovery Asia network and has been screened by the government of India, the U.S. State Department, and numerous other government, NGO and educational organizations.

“This film highlights the challenges faced by those exposed to the effects of the Himalayan glacial melt in building resilience to the impact of climate change, and the solutions they are pursuing at the local level”, said UNDP Administrator Helen Clark. “UNDP is honoured by the award and hopes the film will help stimulate a stronger international response to meeting the challenges of climate change and a stronger commitment to achieving sustainable development. The recognition the film is receiving is especially timely in the lead up to the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development in June.”

“We wanted to make this movie because the glacial ice melt in the Himalayas is already altering lives and could potentially affect billions of people,” said UNDP Communications Advisor for Asia Pacific and Himalayan Meltdown Executive Producer Cherie Hart, who accepted the award on behalf of UNDP. “The film shows the ingenuity and resourcefulness of communities that are struggling to survive.”

As part of the week-long film festival in Houston, the WorldFest competition includes the following categories: TV Production, Documentary, Corporate & Business Films, Student & Experimental, TV Commercials, Film & Video Production, Music Videos, New Media (Interactive & Web Sites) and unproduced Screenplays. Himalayan Meltdown won the highest award, the Platinum Prize, in the broadcast documentary category.

Arrowhead Films is an Austin production company owned by Patrick and Cheryl Fries who have been producing award-winning corporate, commercial and documentary projects for 18 years. The company’s current documentary project “When I Have Your Wounded” shares the history and ongoing life-saving legacy of military helicopter medical evacuation missions. It is being produced for the United States Army Medical Center for History and Heritage.

According to Himalayan Meltdown, developing countries are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, but are less able to afford to adapt to it. For them, the future is now – they must already adapt to the changing climate and prepare for an uncertain tomorrow.

The film offers examples of how countries and communities affected by the Himalayan glacier melt are responding to the problems. Technological advances from leading glaciologists, and experts at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, NASA and UNDP present insights into what research and applications are in progress and what still needs to be done for countries to address the Himalayan ice melt.

We’ll be sharing more of our work on this project soon. In the meantime…Texas Remembers.

A panel discussion will follow with Dr. Kerri-Ann Jones, U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State for Oceans & International Environmental & Scientific
Affairs (Moderator); Geoffrey R. Pyatt, Principal Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State for South & Central Asian Affairs; Dr. Ajay Chhibber,
United Nations Assistant Secretary General and UNDP Regional Director
for Asia & the Pacific; and Dr. Alton Byers, Director of Science &
Exploration, the Mountain Institute.

The melting of glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau and across the Himalayan
mountain range is among the greatest environmental security threats
facing Asia today, affecting communities across the Tibetan Plateau,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and China. Unprecedented variability
of water flow is altering agricultural growing seasons, regional food
security, livelihoods, and culture, without regard to national
boundaries. The film examines how the shrinking Himalayan glaciers and
rising sea levels are affecting people across Asia and compares
strategies developed and implemented by different countries. The Forum
will address the multitude of approaches under development as well as
the needs for regional cooperation and information-sharing.

Arrowhead Films is honored to tell the stories of America’s heroes, and to remember all who serve and have served far from home during the holiday season.

Implications of Global Climate Change Illustrated in Broadcast Documentary for Discovery Asia

The people of Asia face an uncertain future. Himalayan climate change is melting the mountains’ great glaciers. Forty percent of the world’s fresh water supply is slowly disappearing. Catastrophic flooding and unpredictable weather patterns downstream threaten entire villages. But from Nepal to the Tibetan Plateau… from Bhutan to India and the Bay of Bengal, the Asian people are answering the call. They are harnessing determination, spirituality, and science to adapt and survive in the face of a Himalayan meltdown. This one hour documentary feature was produced for Discovery Asia as part of its “Revealed” Series.

Arrowhead Films traveled to remote regions of India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh to capture unique stories of the ingenuity, hard work and  resourcefulness of local people on the frontlines of the Himalayan meltdown, including a man who has engineered human-created glaciers to capture meltwater for his people’s farms, and a high-altitude race against time to prevent a devastating glacial outburst flood (GLOF) in Bhutan.

Himalayan Meltdown is now on air in Asia.

See the first trailer for our documentary about the history and ongoing legacy of Army Helicopter Medical Evacuation, also known as “Dustoff.” These valiant four-person Dustoff crews fly unarmed into the most dangerous places on Earth to save any life that needs to be saved, friend or foe.  An onboard medic delivers essential first-line medical care as they speed the wounded and ailing to field hospitals day and night and in all weather conditions.  Even though they know that there are people out there who want to kill them, Dustoff soldiers will not rest “Until I Have Your Wounded.”

“Wild Texas Weather” is shown daily at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. Although presented on our website as a single video file, each of the boxed images is its own High Definition video that is projected on a screen inside the theater. Wild Texas Weather is just one of several films that the museum has contracted Arrowhead to produce.

Filmed on location in Mexico City by Arrowhead Films and produced and edited by United Nations Television in New York, this short documentary follows the story of two young women who are struggling to find a stable life amid the chaos of Mexico City’s inner city. They find hope thru a UN program that keeps them safe and off the streets. Produced by Gill Fickling.

Since then, we have had the privilege to document the stories of many other military veterans and families, and in that process, have met many, many people who make us so very proud to be Americans.  We owe them.

To all of our friends who live In the Shadow of the Blade, to all who served An Ocean Away, to all who brought A Touch of Home to the Combat Zone, and to all who serve today to Save a Life, thank you.  Happy Veteran’s Day.

Check out Austin NBC affiliate KXAN’s Jim Swift’s report on our new documentary.

Now 90 years old, helicopter medical evacuation “solo pilot” Hammett sat down with us to reflect on the pioneering MEDEVAC missions he and his fellows flew during the Korean War, forging the core Dustoff value: “If you get ‘em there fast where the aid men can do some work on him, you can most likely save a life.”  Hammett was the sole crew member of the helicopter – familiar to fans of the television series MASH – on which he could carry two wounded on the skids.  At times, he had to land to perform an emergency tracheotomy or change a spark plug.

A remarkable story from a remarkable man, and you’ll get to hear more of it when we finish the

Korean War Pilot William Hammett Interviewed for Dustoff Legacy Film

show!

Dustoff Medic Roger Adame Back Home with His Family

These soldiers and the families who are so happy to have them back represent many, many more who serve in the United States Army as helicopter medical evacuation personnel.  These four-person (two pilots, a crew chief and a flight medic) crews fly unarmed, often into “hot” landing areas, to save U.S. and NATO troops, local nationals, and even wounded enemy prisoners.  They provide an essential link in the Army Medical care continuum that is resulting in a greater than 90% survival rate for our fighting forces.

This is part of our “Dustoff Legacy” documentary, now in progress.  Our next shoot will be with Lieutenant General Eric Schoomaker, M.D., Ph.D. the Army Surgeon General.  And then, we’ll gather the Vietnam War heroes who served as “The Original Dustoff,” proving the mission’s life-saving capabilities.

Dustoff Wives Amanda Jarrett, Caitleyn Cater, Courtney Rogers Share the Military Spouse Perspective

Red Cross Donut Dollies Boost Morale for Troops. Photo courtesy Emily Strange for Arrowhead Films.

This February 2011 Vietnam Magazine article about the Red Cross “Donut Dollies” and their front-line role in the Vietnam War has generated quite a lot of discussion!   Arrowhead Films’ Cheryl Fries, director and co-writer of A Touch of Home: The Vietnam War’s Red Cross Girls, authored the article at the magazine’s invitation.

Himalayan Meltdown Subject Honored in India

Congratulations to Mr. Chhewang Norphel, Chief Project Officer, Leh Nutrition Project Housing Colony, aka “The Ice Man,” for being recognized by the United Nations Development Programme for his work to mitigate the effects of melting Himalayan glaciers.  The award was delivered at a New Delhi screening of “Himalayan Meltdown,” the documentary in which we featured Mr. Norphel for his innovative project to create “glaciers” that provide essential crop irrigation for his people.

“Himalayan Meltdown” has received widespread press attention in India, where it is being distributed to schools and universities across the nation as an educational tool to encourage proactive response to the challenges posed by the ice melt.  As the UNDP reports:

“The film illustrates solutions, small and large, simple and technologically complex, for coping with a changing environment that can make the difference between survival and disappearance. It features innovative fog-catching in Nepal, man-made glaciers in India, views of life in the changing plateaus of China, and pioneering UNDP climate change adaptation projects in Bhutan and Bangladesh.  Technological advances from leading glaciologists, experts at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and UNDP offer insights into what is in progress and what still needs to be done for countries to address the Himalayan ice melt.”