The Devil Came on Horseback On DVD

THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK exposes the tragedy taking place in Darfur as seen through the eyes of an American witness who has since returned to the US to take action to stop it. Using the exclusive photographs and first hand testimony of former U.S. Marine Captain Brian Steidle, THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK takes the viewer on an emotionally charged journey into the heart of Darfur, Sudan, where an Arab run government is systematically executing a plan to rid the province of it’s black African citizens. As an official military observer, Steidle had access to parts of the country that no journalist could penetrate. He was unprepared for what he would witness and experience, including being fired upon, taken hostage, and being unable to intervene to save the lives of young children. Ultimately frustrated by the inaction of the international community, Steidle resigned and returned to the US to expose the images and stories of lives systematically destroyed.

This is a film that came upon us quickly and urgently. We first met Brian Steidle in the early spring of 2005, just as we were in the midst of finishing our film “The Trials of Darryl Hunt.” We had heard about Darfur, but like many Americans, only vaguely. The news that emerged was often buried deep inside the international section of a handful of US newspapers. But we had seen Nicholas Kristof’s groundbreaking series of Op-Eds on Darfur in the New York Times, in particular his series about “The American Witness” which marked the first time photographs were included on those pages. These were photos taken by a former Marine who had been an African Union monitor in Darfur. They were haunting and unforgettable. We met Brian through his sister Gretchen, who had become a passionate advocate for the victims and women refugees of Darfur. Together they were in the beginning stages of mounting an international journey to get the word out about what Brian had seen. They were meeting with US political leaders and soon to embark on a trip to the UK where Brian had been invited to show his photographs in a special meeting of members of Parliament. We felt that Brian was just halfway through a journey that began in Sudan’s Nuba mountains, and only just beginning to come to grips with what he had witnessed. For us as filmmakers, it was a perfect opportunity. As the tragedies unfolded over the past decades in Sudan, from the North South civil war that resulted in thousands of young refugees, Annie and Ricki had watched for a means of telling an evolving story about the corruption and conflicts in Africa which seemed repeatedly to politically marginalize these countries. Rwanda was another recent horror, and such a marked international failure, that it was incredible to watch it happen again, but in agonizing slow motion. What was truly happening on the ground in Darfur, what were the causes? And what was keeping the world from intervening? In spring 2005, we began to collaborate with Brian, who still seemed shell shocked by what he had experienced in Darfur. We began with nothing more than Brian’s personal story of what he witnessed, and his collection of exclusive photographs, smuggled out of Sudan in a risky move to leave with what would prove to be damning evidence that implicated the Sudanese government in what was happening in Darfur. He, like us, seemed to be struggling with what to do next, and what could make a difference. We started by filming Brian’s return to Africa, to the refugee camps in Chad, and when he made the decision to start talking to people all around the world about his story, we followed. We were curious to see how Brian would change, from a Marine raised in a tradition of duty and respect, to an ardent educator, passionate about intervention, who was driven by the nightmares of his time in Sudan.

The fact that Brian was American offered a unique perspective on the crisis, and that he was “just a guy” who went to do a job and found himself in the worst place imaginable, gave us hope that a wide audience would connect with Bria n and his experience – and be compelled to become educated and involved in what continues to unfold in Darfur. We also came to see this film as the darkest type of political thriller, and it was all too real. We are thankful to the humanitarian agencies and individuals who offered their footage to us, and to all those who shared their perspectives, political insight and testimonies. The biggest risks of all in making a film like this are borne by those who assisted us on the ground in Darfur and Chad. Our translator who accompanied and aided Brian and the team in the refugee camps in Chad was arrested (and later released) shortly after Brian returned back to the states. Most importantly, every Darfurian who shared their story with us on camera is at risk of Sudanese governmental reprisal. We are profoundly grateful for their willingness to bear witness, and we hope this film will help to end the violence and bring protection to those still on the ground in Darfur and Chad.