Sara Nesson is an independent documentary filmmaker whose directorial debut, POSTER GIRL was recently acquired by HBO (airing in March 2011). 

Sara learned to crawl under her father’s Steenbeck as he hovered above, splicing film. As a young adult, the father/daughter duo teamed up to walk, hike, bushwhack, dodge bears and navigate raging rivers while making socio-environmental films. It was backwoods mentoring, one could say. They traveled together across Eastern Europe, Japan and Siberia, Such rugged experiences laid the groundwork to explore her passion to engage in life through filmmaking.

Sara began working with Iraq War Veterans for her current project, IRAQ PAPER SCISSORS when she stepped into the Green Door Studio in Burlington, VT in 2007. Inside, a group of young Iraq War vets were cutting up their military uniforms – turning them into paper, books, and fantastic works of art. It is called the Combat Paper Project.

The veterans made a lasting impression: never before had she met such young men and women who were willing to talk so openly about their experiences at war and their struggles with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The veterans use their skills to bring healing and community to other veterans across the U.S. They pass on the lessons of how they achieve inner peace - while building a broader culture of understanding among those who have suffered trauma.

For the past three years, Sara has documented this unique process.  Her film, IRAQ PAPER SCISSORS takes us into the lives of five Iraq War veterans who struggle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and confirm that their dreams and talents lay beyond machine guns and combat.

Sara is in the process of trying to raise $23,000 to finish IRAQ PAPER SCISSORS. She is almost there and with your help, she can get this film made!

www.portrayalfilms.com

Portrayal Films is based in Brooklyn, NY