| Leland, NC
A Glimpse of the Congo: Filmmaker Evan Vetter Tells a Story
By Linda Thomas
Published Summer 2008
Evan Vetter of Leland is one of those documentary filmmakers. He fell in love with films, art and theater at an early age. Evan was encouraged in his creative efforts by a father in the computer field and a stay-at-home mom and aided and abetted by younger siblings. As a child, he was particularly impressed by the movie Braveheart, directed by Mel Gibson. Evan remembers, “The movie made me feel like I wanted to run out and join William Wallace’s Scottish warriors in their fight for independence…
It was then that I recognized the power of film to affect people’s lives.”
UNC-Wilmington’s new film studies program captured his attention, and he graduated in 2002 with degrees in Communications Studies and History, with the intention of becoming the next great documentary filmmaker. Of course, life happened and he met and married the love of his life, Jenny, in 2004. Finding housing more affordable in Leland than Wilmington, Jenny and Evan have settled into married life in a nice quiet neighborhood at Birch Creek. The price, lifestyle and convenience to Wilmington are big plusses for the young couple.
Graduating to adult responsibilities marked a big turning point in Evan’s life, followed shortly by becoming involved in a big way with the Port City Community Church (PC3) as its Director of E*Media. That title is an immediate tip-off that this is not your grandmother’s church! PC3 is a very modern church geared to young people and families who grew up in the MTV generation, and it presents traditional beliefs in a new way for their vibrant and growing young membership.
The high energy music and pulsing beat that starts each week’s service is followed by a creative, MTV-style video introducing a message theme that will be carried through for several weeks. This is where Evan’s talents as a filmmaker come into play. Under his lens and imagination a recent project on the pursuit of wisdom and understanding in Proverbs 3:13 became a car chase through the streets of Wilmington, with visuals, commentary and quick changes of pace designed to capture one’s attention like a really good TV commercial might.
Evan sums up his philosophy of filmmaking this way, “The story is everything… I want to tell good stories, not just rely on technical wizardry.”
In addition to producing multimedia programs for PC3, Evan uses his skills in graphics and web design for the church and will be busier than ever when they move into their new multi-million dollar facility this summer.
Evan’s most memorable project to date is an online video project produced by PC3. Found at www.congocast.org, it follows the story of Robin Tabbiner and Wendy Merritt, two young women from Wilmington who decided to live and serve for one year in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They partnered with the group Answering the Call to serve women and girls victimized by sexual violence in this small war-torn African nation. Evan interviewed and filmed Wendy and Robin in the three months before they left the United States, through all their preparations and encounters with the State Department’s warnings to avoid the area.
In August 2006 the women made the journey, taking a video camera with them to record their experiences as they happened. In June 2007 Evan traveled to the Congo to record more video and then started making the footage into a documentary film. Fired up by his experiences and the depth of the suffering he witnessed, Evan posted the preview podcast in July 2007, with additional episodes added over the next few months.
The podcast format involves people in a very contemporary way, showing the process the women went through to make a difference in a world with so many problems, where it’s hard to know how or where to start.
Evan comments, “It’s not so easy to brush off once you’ve experienced the challenges firsthand. I wanted to show people Wendy and Robin’s determination to make a difference in the midst of their day-to-day struggles in a place so alien to our American culture. Life isn’t easy there for anyone, including the aid workers.”
Through the documentary podcasts, Evan spotlighted the way that the women cultivated relationships with the local community by living among them, and then helped develop what would be of the most help. One project was to take food and the word of the Lord to a local prison where prisoners rely on outside family for the basics to sustain life behind walls. When Robin and Wendy left the Congo, a local woman stepped in to continue the mission, an ideal transition for the project.
Evan’s long-range plans call for re-editing the individual episodes into a full-length documentary. In the meantime, Evan continues to develop episodes and encourage support through donations (see sidebar) and the Maombi Mission, organized prayer for those in the Congo and especially for those at Panzi Hospital.
Summing up some of his experiences, Evan says, “If I had the power to solve one problem in the world, it would be to eliminate pride. When you really think about it, pride is at the center of so many bad situations and conflicts in this world. Faith is a big part of my life and something I’m always trying to understand. I want to bring others into that journey to God. I can do that by using my talents to tell a good story in a compelling way.”
Balancing out this serious commitment is a somewhat surprising side of Evan Vetter. One of his favorite film genres is romantic comedies, films like Notting Hill, My Best Friend’s Wedding and When Harry Met Sally are among his “faves.” As for his heroes, they all share similar traits. He admires his father for his “incredible integrity” and his grandfather for his strength of character and sheer fortitude. Evan also feels fortunate to find another role model in Pastor Mike Ashcraft of PC3, whom he admires for his own brand of uncompromising integrity.
For the college student who wrote out a very lofty goal stating “I want to make a feature film by age 28,” the journey is underway. He’s already making his mark locally while building
a life of faith, family and friends. Perhaps he’ll ease up on his timeframe, but there are lots more good films to come from this young man who loves to use film to tell a good story.
Learn more about The Congo at www.Congocast.org.
