“Weaving Life” Documentary to Highlight Life of Dan Terry

Dan Terry, 64, was among 10 humanitarian aid workers assassinated in Afghanistan in August 2010, but his remarkable life cannot be defined by his brutal death.

Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) Visual and Communication Arts students, intrigued by Terry’s story of commitment and humility, will present a documentary, “Weaving Life,” that explores his life, work and tragic death, Friday, April 27 at 6 p.m. in the MainStage Theater in University Commons.

“Dan and his family spent 40 years devoted to the people, the culture, and the landscapes of Afghanistan,” said Paulette Moore, media arts and peacebuilding professor at EMU who oversaw the 16 students who worked on the documentary.

Glen Lapp, EMU’s distinguished service award recipient in 2011, and Brian Carderelli, a videographer and resident of Harrisonburg, were among the 10 workers who were killed along with Terry. The team was returning to Kabul from a medical relief trip to northern Afghanistan when they were ambushed.

Special guests at the Friday showing will include members of the Terry, Lapp and Carderelli families, as well as Jonathan Larson, an international aid worker and life-long friend of Dan Terry.

A talkback after the viewing, which is 57 minutes long, will provide opportunity for audience members to interact with the student producers and special guests.

The student production team spent the spring semester gathering video footage, photos and stories, as well as conducting interviews across the U.S.

The showing is free and open to the public.

This event is jointly hosted by the EMU Visual and Communication Arts department, EMU’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding and MennoMedia, also located in Harrisonburg.

MennoMedia, which produces documentaries through participation in the Electronic Programming Committee of the National Council of Churches, will prepare the student-produced video for airing on ABC stations in the fall.