DAVID SKILLICORN (Director & Co-Producer) is a long time
award-winning filmmaker with a strong commitment to social issues and the
creation of compelling documentary programs. His company, Sunrise Media, specializes in unique film projects that seek to deepen
our experience of the world and our understanding of the human
condition.Through the years, Skillicorn has worked as a Director, Cinematographer, Producer, and Editor for most of the major cable and broadcast networks, filming documentaries in more than thirty countries across five continents. He has won numerous awards for his work, including multiple Emmy Awards and nominations, the UPI Journalism Award, a Gold Medal from the New York Film and Television Festival and two Iris Awards. Skillicorn's recent hour-long documentary "Let Each Light Shine", about a community of people with developmental disabilities, premiered at the Directors Guild of America in New York City and won a CINE Golden Eagle Award for outstanding documentary, as well as a Chris Award at the Columbus International Film and Video Festival.
Skillicorn has experienced many troubled and war torn areas of the world as part of his filmwork through the years. He's made films in Nicaraqua, Haiti, and in Nokorno-Karabach during the war between Armenia and Azerbiajian. In Nicaragua, he profiled one community as they struggled with reconciliation after a decade of brutal civil war between Sandanistas and Contras. "Nicaraqua" examined how it is that individuals, families and communities move past the trauma of war, when only months earlier neighbors, and in some cases family members, were trying to kill each other.
In Armenia, Skillicorn followed a team of international relief workers as they tried to deliver infant formula to young families caught in crosshairs of the war and cut off from supplies. Through it all, Skillicorn has seen first hand the impact war can have on veterans, families, and communities. He hopes Beyond the Wall will bring a deeper understanding of our own experiences with the aftermath of war, and help our current veterans and
their families better transition to productive and fulfilling lives.
DORRIN EXFORD (Co-Producer) shown here with her son, has been a teacher
and counselor for twenty years in public schools, and worked
extensively with adolescents and families in therapeutic and
educational settings. Currently, she is the Director of Learning and
Development at Yankee Candle Company in So. Deerfield, MA.Dorrin was married to a Vietnam Veteran, but after seventeen years of struggling with the impact of his PTSD on their family, the family collapsed. Her need to understand how his year in Vietnam eventually strangled the life out of their family, led her to a larger purpose. Perhaps this is a model for others? How does a family deal with war? Is it possible that others have used similar or different strategies to let go of their trauma and find inner peace?
Dorrin is currently working with the Veterans Education Project providing workshops and seminars for veterans and families, as a way to promote open dialog, understanding and healing. She also is a member of the VEP speakers group, offering a partner’s perspective on the impact of war on families. The outcome of this work and the knowledge gained from the film profile will be the basis of the companion “Discussion Guide” for Beyond the Wall.
