Journalism Professor's Documentary to Be Released Nationally

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Orphan boys in Banda Aceh, Indonesia

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – After the Tsunami, a documentary by journalism professor and Emmy Award winner Larry Foley, will be released to PBS stations around the country through the National Educational Telecommunications Association Saturday, Feb. 21.

This 30-minute film tells the story of 75 Indonesian graduate students who came to the University of Arkansas, the Clinton School of Public Service and Texas A&M University on scholarships following the 2004 tsunami that killed 173,000 in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

“Much of the early relief following the disaster was dedicated to food, shelter and the necessities of everyday life,” Foley said. “While roads and houses were being rebuilt, these  students came to America to study and then return home to rebuild what could not be replaced with asphalt and brick and mortar.”

The documentary follows the students through graduation and back home, where they now work in the fields of education, agriculture, government and business.

“Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush championed this program designed to help restore the human capital in Aceh Provence,” said Skip Rutherford, dean of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. “This is an excellent film about an amazing achievement that shows what we can accomplish by working together.”

Foley received a 2014 Emmy nomination for Writer-Program/Program Feature for After the Tsunami and the Broadcast Education Association Award of Excellence from the Festival of Media Arts. It was screened at the Peace on Earth Film Festival in Chicago and several Arkansas festivals including the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, Little Rock Film Festival, Offshoot Film Festival, where it won Best Documentary, and Eureka Springs Indie Fest, where it won the Gold Award for Best Documentary.

The film has been broadcast in Arkansas on AETN, and now local PBS stations around the country will have the opportunity to download and broadcast this touching story from the National Educational Telecommunications Association satellite feed. Please contact your local station to request the recording and broadcast of this compelling documentary illustrating how these students went from a tragic situation to one that filled them with hope and restoration.