Angels in the Dust is a story of hope and healing in the face of a staggering crisis. AIDS is leaving entire South African villages decimated and thousands of children orphaned, with no adults to raise them. The inspiring story of Marion Cloete, a university-trained therapist who— with her husband and three daughters— fearlessly walked away from a privileged life in a wealthy Johannesburg suburb to build Botshabelo, an extraordinary village and school that provides shelter, food, and education to more than 550 South African children.

Please  come and support this very important film about the AIDS  epidemic  that is ravaging South Africa.  I co-composed the score with the  South African vocal sensation Simphiwe Dana, who was flown directly  from Johannesburg to LA to work with me on this score.  It has only  been in two film festivals yet has won major awards from both  (Audience, Special Jury).  Both troubling and inspirational, Angels  is a documentary you don't want to miss.  My wife and I will attend the 7:20p screening at the Laemmle's Music Hall in Beverly Hills tonight.  The director, Louise Hogarth, will be available after for Q&A.  Come join us!  Sorry for the late invite, we just got in from Peru.


Starting Sept. 28 - Oct. 5, 2007
Los Angeles
Laemmle’s Music Hall
9036 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
310.274.6869
Fri, Mon-Thu: 5:00, 7:20 & 9:55
Sat & Sun: 12:00, 2:20, 5:00, 7:20 & 9:55.
Q&As: Fri (28th)/Sat (29th) following the 7:20 pm show. Sun (30th) following the 2:20 pm show.

Also, in Berkeley, San Francisco and Seattle.

Starting Oct. 5 - Oct. 12, 2007
Boston, Washington D.C, Philadelphia
Starting Oct. 19 - Oct. 24, 2007
Portland
Starting Nov. 02 - Nov. 09, 2007
Dallas
Starting Nov. 02 - Nov. 09, 2007
Atlanta

Angels has been extended an extra week because of popular demand.
Extended dates: Sept. 21 - Sept. 27
New York City

All information is on the Dream Outloud Website.

See the Trailer.

Alicia Witt (“Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Upside of Anger")is the spokesperson for the film and the orphanage.  See her introduction to the film.



Reviews:
LA Weekly
LA Times
New York Times
Bay Area Reporter

ANGELS IN THE DUST, the documentary about the Bothshabelo orphanage in South Africa won it's second award in it's second film festival.

Seattle International Film Festival
Best Documentary Special Jury Prize

Here are a few reviews:

Seattle Times

Arts & Entertainment

The Stranger

Thompson on Hollywood Indies

ANGELS IN THE DUST will screen Thursday, June 14th at 7p and Saturday, June 16 at 1:30p at the Seattle Film Festival.

A wealthy Johannesburg family abandons their comfortable existence and spends their life savings to establish an orphanage in a village where 50% of the population is HIV-positive. This powerful documentary celebrates how children who are surrounded by death and tragedy can be instilled with strength and hope for a better tomorrow.



Director Louise Hogarth is scheduled to attend both screenings.

DIRECTOR: Louise Hogarth
Producer: James Egan, Louise Hogarth
Editor: Melinda Briana Epler, May Rigler, Johanna Demetrakos
Screenwriter: Louise Hogarth
Cinematographer: May Rigler
Music: Simphiwe Dana, Joseph Julián González

Participant Website

It has been a great week for Simple Music Productions. First of all,

STEAL A PENCIL FOR ME, the true story of a love triangle set in a concentration camp during the holocaust, won the "Best of the Fest" Audience Award at the Sonoma Valley Film Festival in California.



and

ANGELS IN THE DUST, a documentary about the Bothshabelo orphanage in South Africa, won the Audience Award at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina.




Also, The documentary I scored, LALO GUERRERO: THE ORIGINAL CHICANO, was nominated for a 2007 Alma Award.

A very important documentary that I worked on will have it's premier this weekend at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina, Friday, April 13th at the Civic Center One at 12:15p.

Angels in the Dust
USA — 2007, 96 min.
Directed by Louise Hogarth. Produced by James Egan, Louise Hogarth. A Participant Production.

In the dusty outskirts of a deeply divided nation, the Bothshabelo orphanage offers sanctuary to hundreds of South Africans in need. Con and Marion Cloete traded in a cushy upper class lifestyle in Johannesburg to found a village and school that would provide shelter, care, and guidance for children, teenagers and adults marginalized by race, class, sexual assault and the effects of the prevailing AIDS epidemic. A visual intervention that aims to help put an end to the crisis of infant rape in South Africa, this film constructs a powerful account of the human potential for compassion, commitment, and sacrifice and gives voice to the children healing in the arms of a new kind of family. SW

Program — New Docs: Films in Competition
World Premiere
Q&A following screening

To get an idea what this documentary is about, check out the trailer here.

I co-composed the score with the very talented and multi-award winning jazz vocalist diva from Johannesberg, South Africa, Simphiwe Dana. In December of 2006, the producer of ANGELS, James Egan, brought her to Los Angeles in what was her very first trip to the United States. She spent 10 days working here in my studio, recording her vocal magic to picture. Her compositional technique is like something I've never seen before - she basically sits in the vocal booth, chooses a tempo and begins to layer her voice one on top of the other. What is amazing about this is that she keeps the harmonic and rhythmic structure (which is almost always very complex) completely in her head. She always seems to know where she is in the composition and layers her harmonies and polyrhythms as if she were singing "row, row, row your boat". It was an amazing thing to watch.


Simphewi and me

I also worked with Ntombikhona Dlamini (who sang on the original Broadway cast of The LION KING) and Eric McKain, who is currently touring with THE LION KING. Also from Senegal, Ibraham Ba and Amadou Fall (pictured below) who played the African Kora, a sort-of harp-like gourd instrument.