This episode finds Elisabeth Gasparka in conversation with Milwaukee filmmaker Chris James Thompson, of Good Credit Productions. Chris’s second full length feature film, We Are Not Ghouls, will be released February 28th on video on demand (Itunes, Roku).
The film is about US Air Force JAG Attorney Yvonne Bradley, who volunteered to defend Binyam Mohamed, a man who was facing a death penalty case at Guantanamo Bay in 2005. Believing the detainees at Guantanamo were ‘the worst of the worst’ in the war on terror, Yvonne's world was turned upside down as she arrived in Cuba and began to untangle an unimaginable case. Spending the next 4 years battling to uncover the truth, Yvonne's is a captivating story of taking responsibility in the face of corruption at the highest levels of power, and the dangers of choosing to stand up for what you believe in. We Are Not Ghouls is based on the book ‘The Guantanamo Lawyers: Inside a Prison Outside the Law”, edited by Jonathan Hafetz & Mark P. Denbeaux, published by NYU Press. The film won the audience choice award at SXSW in 2022.
Years ago, a chance discovery of American Movie at a Blockbuster in Eau Claire led to two revelations for Thompson: that you could make a movie in Wisconsin, and that you could study film in Wisconsin. The disovery inspired him to apply to and enroll at UWM’s Experimental Film Program. In the conversation, he reflects on why he has chosen to remain in Milwaukee since graduation; while cities like LA and NY have established commercial film industries, Thompson sees that such models make filmmakers into specialists and tradespeople. In Milwaukee, independent filmmakers have more freedom to pursue their own visions.
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Thompson has been working on We Are Not Ghouls for over nine years. After a Jordanian immigrant classmate of his was detained held in the Milwaukee jail, he was inspired to read the book in which Yvonne Bradley’s essay was published. Making the film gave him the opportunity to process what happened to his friend, and also gave Bradley a platform to tell her story.
During the conversation, Thompson opens up about the surprising meaning behind the title of the film. When asked what he hopes audiences take away from the film, he echoes a message that Yvonne Bradley shared with an audience at a screening: the hope that viewers can find a sense of empowerment to act as a hero within their own lives, in ways big and small, to help others.
In his next phase, Thompson hopes to give back and help support emergent filmmakers make inroads to realizing their own ambitions and dreams. At the close of the show, in a podcast first, Thompson chooses to cede his imaginary arts leader power to and praise an invaluable local art champion.
Follow Good Credit Productions and We Are Not Ghouls on Instagram.
