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Victoria Barrett
Victoria Barrett is President of Shenandoah Films and has worked in the entertainment industry as a producer, director, writer and actor. Ms. Barrett currently has two full length documentaries playing on PBS stations throughout the United States. Journey of Faith, which she produced, directed and hosts, traces the history of early Christianity in Turkey. The film visits a dozen stunning locations throughout Turkey, from following in the footsteps of the Apostles in Antioch, to the basilicas of Byzantium. Ms. Barrett walks with shepherds still tending their flocks in the shadow of Mt. Ararat, traces the footsteps of St. Paul at his birthplace in Tarsus, then sails, as he did, from the Mediterranean to the Aegean onto Ephesus. Journey of Faith continues on through the centuries... the seven churches of Revelation, the conversion of Emperor Constantine -when Christianity becomes the religion of an empire... hot-air ballooning in Cappadocia …the building of Emperor Justinian's magnificent St. Sophia in Byzantium….the Crusades……to present day Istanbul. Ms. Barrett was recently honored with a special screening of Journey of Faith at the National Library and Archives of Canada in Ottawa in Jan. of 2012. Ms. Barrett also directed and produced the award-winning documentary film, Desperate Hours, which continues to air nationwide on PBS stations throughout the United States as well as Canada. This production, filmed in five countries, tells the little known story of Turkey’s rescue of thousands of Jews facing certain death during the Holocaust. Turkish diplomats put their lives at risk to save Jews being shipped to concentration camps, and as Germany began excluding Jews from university and professional positions, Turkey welcomed them. The film also explores how Archbishop Angelo Roncalli, Apostolic Delegate in Istanbul during the war, who later became Pope John XXIII, worked with future leaders of Israel in rescue. Pope John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council, which issued Nostra Aetate. Desperate Hours reveals these stories of Muslims, Christians and Jews co-operating in saving lives during the Holocaust. Desperate Hours premiered at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C and was the Grand Jury Winner and Audience Award Winner at the DC Independent Film Festival. Ms. Barrett was also recognized for Creative Excellence as Director of Desperate Hours at the International Film and Video Festival in CA. B’nai Birth Canada honored her with The Global Excellence in the Arts Award. Desperate Hours has also been broadcast in Europe and the Middle East, including Israel Channel One and CNN-Turk. The film has had many festival screenings as well as special screenings internationally. In 2011 Ms. Barrett was the speaker and screened Desperate Hours for International Holocaust Day of Remembrance at The United States Military Academy at West Point. For the U.S. Agency for International Development, Ms. Barrett produced and directed an educational series about the role of religion in developing countries and how it impacts US foreign assistance programs, especially in conflict areas. She is near completion on a documentary about the historical Colonial church, Mt. Zion, in the Shenandoah Valley. Projects in development include a full-length documentary on the Pentagon and 9-11, a story that has largely been overshadowed by media attention on other tragedies of that day, and The Guilt of the Innocent, a documentary on Pope John XXIII and his rescue of Jews during the Holocaust as well as his transformation of Catholic teachings towards Jews. As an actor, her films include starring roles in Russian Roulette, Three Kinds of Heat, America 2000 and Over the Brooklyn Bridge. She was a guest star on the hit television program Cheers and appeared in various stage productions. |