I was about to file my next update on the progress of Rufus Rex, but some things transcend moviemaking, even for me…

Almost three years ago I got a letter from a 15-year-old girl named Anna Gurji who lived in the Republic of Georgia. She said that her father was a writer-director, her older sister was a director and that she herself had already appeared in a few films and commercials. Her constant, passionate dream was to become a professional actress and hopefully work in international productions. I wrote back and she stayed in touch, keeping me updated on her career progress. She landed more film roles and recently garnered serious acclaim for her performance in a Hungarian feature called Cinka Panna. In that film she plays the famous 18th-century gypsy primadonna whose “exceptionally interesting, colorful and emotionally strained life metaphorically points out the movie’s theme, which is the individual’s struggle for recognition and a place in the world.” That quote, which comes directly from the movie’s IMDb website entry, reminds me of Anna’s real-life role, not only as a young artist seeking “recognition and a place in the world,” but as a human being whose struggle just became more dire.

If you’ve seen the news this past week you know that the Republic of Georgia was invaded by Russian troops and is suffering from a horrific bombing campaign which has already claimed the lives of more than 2,000 people, most of them innocent Georgian citizens. Apartment buildings have been hit. Schools have been razed. Even hospitals have been obliterated. I won’t get into the politics here because if you’re interested you can find the backstory easily enough. (Here’s a YouTube link to a graphic BBC report: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZHfyL6DnyM.) But I will say that what the Russians are doing is unconscionable. Despite a unilateral ceasefire offer from the Georgian president, the bombs continue to fall and civilians continue to die. The Russians are using this conflict to inflict pain on a country on its border which is poised to join the EU. The strategy—to weaken Georgia and keep it off balance and unstable—is transparent, and so far American and European diplomatic overtures have fallen on deaf Russian ears.

My company, Vagabond Pictures, has cast Anna in the lead role in our new independent movie, Rufus Rex, a coming-of-age comedy about a lonely boy on the coast of Maine who falls in love with a beautiful foreign exchange student. But right now all of that is in jeopardy. Anna is at great risk, not only because of the bombs falling nearby and the possibility that her city will soon be cut off, but because she’s an actress who has achieved notoriety in her region and who wants to work abroad—and for those reasons could face further persecution should Georgia’s capital become occupied by the Russians.

Anna lives on the top floor of an apartment building. She and her family sleep in their outdoor clothing in case they need to flee. And all she really wants in life is to make movies. As usual, the people are the pawns in this senseless struggle. The people want to live in peace, the leaders want to grab land. It’s an old, tired story, and kids like Anna routinely have their dreams interrupted or shattered by greed and lack of compassion. In my opinion the only thing as egregious as stealing someone’s dream is taking away his life. In the Republic of Georgia, in the summer of 2008, the Russians are doing both with icy efficiency.