Screening of 'After the Tsunami' to Be Part of International Education Week

The University of Arkansas will host a screening of After the Tsunami, a documentary by Emmy-winning journalism professor Larry Foley, as part of International Education Week. The screening will be at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 17, in the Ozark Hall 26 Honors Auditorium.

The 30-minute film tells the story of Indonesian graduate students who primarily attended Texas A&M and the University of Arkansas following the 2004 tsunami that killed 173,000 people in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. The students were beneficiaries of Bush-Clinton Fulbright Tsunami Relief Program Scholarships.

The relief program, which was intended to help restore the human capital in Aceh Provence, was championed by former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Much of the relief was dedicated to food, shelter and rebuilding infrastructure. However, program scholarships allowed 75 students to study outside of their home country so when they returned to Indonesia they could help rebuild what could not be replaced with brick and mortar.

Foley said the film is powerful, meaningful and possibly the most emotional of his career.

Daniel E. Ferritor, interim chancellor, will facilitate a discussion about the film and the relief program following the screening. He will be accompanied by current Indonesian scholars at the University of Arkansas. Ferritor served as the director of the Arkansas Bush-Clinton Fulbright scholarship program while he was vice president of academic affairs for the University of Arkansas System.

The screening is sponsored by the Office of Sponsored Student Programs, which is part of the Graduate School and International Education. A full list of International Education Week activities can be found at iew.uark.edu.