Although he first pursued a career in law, Michael Perlman knew that there was more to his life.
He had dabbled in writing as a reporter for the <I>Jewish Standard</I> newspaper, but that wasn’t totally fulfilling. He tried his hand in writing screenplays. Again, it was interesting, but it wasn’t what truly motivated him.
"With law, I enjoy doing it, because I feel like I’m doing good things for people," said Perlman, who has been a Weehawken resident since 1995 and currently has a business there. "I get a sense of satisfaction with it, but I needed a sense of focus outside the law."
Perlman, a native of Englewood, N.J., said that he was always fascinated with non-fiction material, like biographies and documentaries.
"I always loved a good story about a real person," Perlman said. "I found people’s lives to be very interesting, as long it’s based on real people, real factual events. Anything, books, films, documentaries, based on true stories, always appealed to me."
A few years ago, Perlman’s close friend, war photojournalist Ron Haviv, had just returned from covering a major war in Yugoslavia.
"I could see how covering the war affected Ron mentally and physically," Perlman said. "He was shot at. He was dodging bombs. He had close calls with shells. I saw what this guy had been through and he opened up to me and talked about his experiences. He never did before. But this time, he did. He spent five years in the Balkans. He was in Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan. He exposes the truth. I was so intrigued by it all."
Haviv came up with a book of his experiences, a photo log and journal called "Blood and Honey," with some of the graphic and intense photos he took while covering wars. Perlman helped Haviv with putting the book together.
"It was the first time Ron’s pictures from Sarajevo were ever shown," Perlman said. "When it was first released, I wanted to see the reaction of other journalists, so I went with Ron. He introduced me to a group of war journalists and that’s how it all started for me."
Project grew
Perlman decided to interview some of the journalists to whom he was introduced. He filmed the interviews as they talked about their experiences covering the war.
"I was very moved by their stories," Perlman said. "I was moved by the risks they take to document the atrocities of war and report the facts. In the back of my mind, I felt that I had enough material to make a documentary. I just wanted to see how it would all evolve."
The result was a full-length documentary entitled "Eyes of the World," which Perlman began filming in the summer of 2001 and finished editing, with the help of film editor James Brophy, earlier this year.
The film has been shown in several venues, like the Angelica Theater in New York, the American Film Institute/Discovery Channel Festival in Washington, the Margaret Meade Festival in Ridgewood, N.J., and last Friday night, the Tribeca Grand Hotel in lower Manhattan.
"I thought the showing went quite well," said Perlman, who had no clue about filmmaking before beginning this project. "Because of the snow, we thought that maybe we should cancel it. But the show must go on. It was well-attended and well-received."
Reviewers speak
The film received positive reviews.
Laurence Lerman, who writes for the video business section for the trade magazine, Variety Group, wrote: "With intensity, passion and intelligence, ‘Eyes of the World’ reveals the physical and psychological price paid by war journalists who document unspeakable horror and the human capacity to endure."
Perlman and Brophy had to cut down some 15 hours of interviews to the 52 minutes that were featured in the film, so there was a lot of work to be done.
"I needed a lot of help," Perlman said. "It became a labor of love. But I felt it was an important piece. I felt it was important to show how they were able to do what they did. I think that the United States, as the world’s only superpower, has an obligation to act if it can prevent a catastrophe from occurring or can stop mass killings."
Added Perlman, "All it takes for evil to persevere is for good people to do nothing. My reasons for action are both humanitarian and for national security, because failed states can be breeding grounds for terrorists. In Bosnia and Rwanda, many observers believe that the U.S. could have prevented a lot of the killings if it chose to act."
Was before 9/11
It was ironic that Perlman conducted the interviews for the film before the 9/11 tragedy.
"I think 9/11 brought things front and center that Americans never thought about before," Perlman said. "We’ve had issues to deal with for the first time, like fear and living a normal life, issues that people in Yugoslavia have been dealing with for more than 10 years. We also focus on what happens when the fear turns to hatred."
Journalists save lives
Added Perlman, "The images in Bosnia documented by Ron and other war journalists and the condemnation of United States’ failure to act previously, prompted the US to lead NATO into action in Kosovo that many believe saved thousands of lives. This was also an example of the U.S. military acting to save Muslim civilians, which should be emphasized in a time when some believe U.S. actions are focused against Muslims."
Perlman said that it was important to point out that the United States turned a blind eye to the influx of Iranian fundamentalists and Afghan fighters into Bosnia.
"We failed to learn the lesson that your enemy’s enemy is not your friend, because they can turn around and come after you," Perlman said. "As was the case with U.S. supported Afghani fighters when they fought the Soviets and U.S. support for Saddam Hussein in the Iran-Iraq war."
Other projects
Perlman’s desire to become a documentary filmmaker has carried on to several other projects.
His next film, entitled "63 Years Like Yesterday," features the lives of an elderly couple, 89-year-old Alan Brothers and his 87-year-old wife, Dorothy, who Perlman said "were great examples of love, wisdom and knowledge."
"They also happen to be my grandparents," Perlman said. "It was amazing to me to see so much love between the two of them. I’m really proud of them. They were the perfect example of a happy, long relationship."
Unfortunately, Perlman’s grandmother passed away six months after he finished shooting.
"So this is her legacy," Perlman said.
For now, Perlman keeps showing "Eyes of the World" at film festivals and hopes that a distributor takes interest.
"I’m just happy that it’s being shown," Perlman said. "I’m still pushing ahead. We’re in discussions with distributors and it keeps getting screened, so the interest is there. No question, the audience for documentaries like this has grown considerably. People want to see real stories. There’s a consciousness like never before."