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Arkansas PBS and the Brent Renaud Foundation are hosting a free conversation with filmmakers Craig Renaud and Juan Arredondo on Saturday, Oct. 22, at 1 p.m., in the Arkansas PBS studios.
Craig and his brother Brent Renaud worked together for decades as the Renaud Brothers, telling humanistic verité stories from the world’s conflict zones and across America, covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the earthquake in Haiti, political turmoil in Egypt and Libya, the fight for Mosul, extremism in Africa, cartel violence in Mexico and the youth refugee crisis in Central America as well as homelessness in New Orleans and mental health challenges in a Chicago high school.
Their work has been honored by the Overseas Press Club, the Peabody, the International Documentary Association, the duPont Columbia and the Edward R. Murrow Awards. In 2019, Brent was named a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University.
The Renaud Brothers contributed hugely to the growth of film culture in Arkansas in founding and managing the Little Rock Film Festival.
On March 13, 2022, Brent Renaud was killed while reporting on the refugee crisis in Ukraine. Juan Arredondo, who was Brent’s reporting partner on the Ukraine assignment, was seriously injured on that day but survived.
Arredondo, an acclaimed Columbian American documentary filmmaker and photographer who has often worked alongside the Renaud brothers, has chronicled human rights violations and conflict in Columbia, Venezuela and Central America. He has been awarded a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard, a World Press Photo award, an Overseas Press Club Scholarship, and an International Committee of the Red Cross Humanitarian Visa D’Or award.
The Brent Renaud Foundation and Arkansas PBS are coming together to host the inaugural filmmaker event with the common goal of supporting the development of emerging filmmakers — a mission that was a significant priority for Brent throughout his life.
Craig Renaud and Juan Arredondo will share clips from Renaud Brothers documentaries during an intimate talkback with the audience. Student filmmakers at the high school, college and graduate level are especially encouraged to attend the free event for an opportunity to learn about the filmmakers' real-world experiences. The event is also open to a limited number of professional filmmakers and the general public.
Please reserve your seat by registering via Eventbrite at https://renaudfilm.eventbrite.com.
About the Brent Renaud Foundation
When Brent Renaud was killed in March 2022 while filming the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, close friends and family created the Brent Renaud Foundation to ensure that Brent’s life mission of truth-telling, storytelling, education, and mentorship continues. The Renaud Brothers' credo has long been that stories must be told with profound respect, humanity, and humility - and the foundation in Brent’s name was established to ensure that his legacy endures. The Brent Renaud Foundation is a nonprofit organization with the primary mission of providing mentorship for aspiring filmmakers, with the goal of building and supporting a community of storytellers.
About Arkansas PBS
Arkansas PBS, Arkansas’s only statewide public media network, empowers learners of all ages by educating, informing, entertaining and inspiring communities. Arkansas PBS serves as a daily and essential resource for Arkansans by creating, sharing, celebrating and driving conversation around Arkansas stories and classic, trusted PBS programs through multiple digital platforms, including livestreaming at myarpbs.org/watch, on-demand services and YouTube TV, and the distinct channels Arkansas PBS, Arkansas PBS Create, Arkansas PBS KIDS, Arkansas PBS WORLD and Arkansas PBS AIRS on SAP. Members with Arkansas PBS Passport have extended on-demand access to a rich library of public television programming. Arkansas PBS depends on the generosity of Arkansans and the State of Arkansas to continue offering quality programming. Additional information is available at myarkansaspbs.org. Arkansas PBS is broadcast on KETS (Little Rock), KEMV (Mountain View), KETG (Arkadelphia), KAFT (Fayetteville), KTEJ (Jonesboro), KETZ (El Dorado), KETS (Lee Mountain) and KETS (Forrest City).
At ACS, we believe that if we provide filmmakers an arena to exhibit their talents, and film enthusiasts a healthy diet of quality programming, we can inspire more Arkansans to make and watch more films. By supporting filmmakers, festivals, theaters and young people interested in filmmaking throughout the state, we hope to create statewide network, pool Arkansas’s resources and be an umbrella organization that feeds all things film. We believe a rising tide lifts all boats.
To be a filmmaker, we have to connect to create. A painter needs a brush, paint and a canvas. A director needs a writer, a cinematographer, a sound mixer, production designer, editor, actors, distributors, and an audience. We cannot do it alone. This art form forces one to collaborate and thus, creates jobs. Filmmaking is unique in the arts in this way. It takes an army.
