VOA慢速英语2014 American Filmmaker 'Point and Shoot' in Libya

 

American Filmmaker 'Point and Shoot' in Libya

The story sounds like a work of fiction: A young American filmmaker takes to the road on a motorcycle. He and his video camera travel around the Arab world. He ends up fighting with Libyan rebels opposed to Moammar Gadhafi.

This series of events may sound unreal. But it is a true story and the subject of an unusual documentary, called “Point and Shoot.”

The story began a few years ago when Matthew Van Dyke¹ was living at home with his mother in the American state of Maryland. At the time, the young man was in his middle 20s.

In an effort to jumpstart his life, he bought a motorcycle and decided² to drive it through the Arab world. He also decided to take pictures of everything he did – with the hope of making an adventure-travel movie.

Matthew Van Dyke had plenty of memorable³ experiences on his trip. His fear of dirt and insects was always being tested. When he first saw a squat⁴ toilet-hole, he did not understand what it was. So he instead used a shower -- a place for washing up. Eating from a communal⁵ bowl with Libyan friends also was a problem. His motorcycle got stuck in sand and broke down.

The young American was arrested and detained in several countries. In Kabul, a street mob beat him up. In Iraq, American soldiers taught him how to shoot automatic weapons – his first experience with a gun.

Matthew Van Dyke says the friends he made on his trip were among the best he had ever known. He remembers making friends in Libya in 2008.

But then the Arab Spring came.

Political unrest in Tunisia spread to other countries. So when the Libyan revolution began, he left his mother and his girlfriend, and returned to Libya.

“When the revolution started, I was in contact with those friends over the Internet and by phone, and they told me what was happening, the friends and familieis of theirs. And I realized that this was a place I cared about and people I cared about, and I couldn’t just sit at home and do nothing while this was happening to them.”

Matthew Van Dyke met up with a Libyan named Nouri and other rebels. But a short time later, the American was injured and taken prisoner. He spent nearly six months in a prison under the control of forces loyal to then Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. He thought he might be there forever – if he was not executed. After a jail break freed him, he had only one thought:

“Of course, I was going to go back to the frontline. When I came to Libya I told the men I was with I would stay until Libya was free, and my mother raised me to honor my commitments, so I was going to stay. I wasn’t going to leave before any other prisoners of war in the country were released. I wasn’t going to leave until we achieved victory.”

Carrying a gun in one hand, and his camera in the other, he continued to film his experiences and those of other fighters. The rebels used their cell phones to upload images to Facebook. It was the first war documented in real time by combatants in battle.  

“My primary responsibility as a fighter was to the gun, not to the camera, but when there were lulls⁶ in the fighting or opportunities to also film, I did that on the side so the guys could one day show their kids how they defeated Gadhafi, and to document history, and just out of habit of setting up a camera while I’m doing something to film it for later.”

When the Libyan revolution ended, Matthew VanDyke returned to the United States. He then sought out director Marshall Curry⁷ to make the film “Point and Shoot”.  But it was more than just a simple adventure-travel film.

Point and Shoot won the top documentary prize this year at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival. Matthew Van Dyke also made a short film called “Not Anymore” about the Syrian conflict. He has set aside filmmaking for now, and become active for groups fighting both Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Islamic State militants⁸.

“I’m taking everything I learned over the years on the road and in all the countries and in Libya especially and finding new and creative ways to apply it mostly in the fight against ISIS now.”

But his travels are continuing. As Point and Shoot opens in U.S. theaters, Matthew Van Dyke is planning his next Middle East trip. He plans to go to Iraq in December, in part to present $15,000 he raised for humanitarian⁹ aid for Kurds there.  

Words in this Story

jumpstart - v. to give new energy to (something)

squat – n. a position in which your knees are bent¹⁰ and your body lowered so that you are close to your heels or sitting on your heels

communal – adj. shared or used by members of a group or community

combatant- n. a person, group, or country that fights in a war or battle

humanitarian - n. a person who works to make other people’s lives better 

1 dyke   

n.堤，水坝，排水沟

参考例句：

• If one sheep leap over the dyke,all the rest will follow.一只羊跳过沟，其余的羊也跟着跳。
• One ant-hole may cause the collapse of a thousand-li dyke.千里长堤，溃于蚁穴。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

4 squat   

v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的

参考例句：

• For this exercise you need to get into a squat.在这次练习中你需要蹲下来。
• He is a squat man.他是一个矮胖的男人。

5 communal   

adj.公有的，公共的，公社的，公社制的

参考例句：

• There was a communal toilet on the landing for the four flats.在楼梯平台上有一处公共卫生间供4套公寓使用。
• The toilets and other communal facilities were in a shocking state.厕所及其他公共设施的状况极其糟糕。

6 lulls   

n.间歇期（lull的复数形式）vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• It puts our children to sleep and lulls us into a calm, dreamlike state. 摇晃能让孩子进入梦乡，也能将我们引人一种平静的、梦幻般的心境。 来自互联网
• There were also comedy acts, impromptu skits, and DJ music to fill the lulls between acts. 也有充满在行为之间的间歇的喜剧行为，即兴之作若干，和DJ音乐。 来自互联网

7 curry   

n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革

参考例句：

• Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
• Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。

8 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

9 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

10 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。