Pain is unpredictable and unavoidable, a customary part of life; an unpleasant sensation of physical and mental discomfort and emotional distress.
Peace is an evolution. From the ability to control destructive anger or thoughts of revenge to discovering a more hopeful, positive outlook amid struggle and uncertainty. Desiring peace is a choice that takes immense courage and strength.
While some people struggle to move beyond hurtful and bitter experiences, many others transform pain into peace. Finding peace isn’t the absence of pain and suffering; nor does it erase past experiences. Instead, it is an evolving state. Human beings have the extraordinary capability of turning negatives into positives, weakness into strength, fear into courage, ignorance into wisdom, and hate into love.
Our story begins with Rais Bhuiyan, who was gunned down by a white supremacist and left to die on a convenience store floor in Texas. As he lay there dying, he sought to make peace with his pain. He made a promise to dedicate his life to helping others through positive social impact. Sharing his story, and those similar to his own, he brings awareness and insight into what a difficult and rewarding process it is to forgive. We have the ability to learn from others’ mistakes, no matter how grave, and the impact on those who have suffered at the hands of another. Together, we can make peace with our pain.
Pain And Peace is a journey through shared stories of life altering pain, from both victims and victimizers. It’s an emotional look at our extraordinary ability to heal, remain resilient, and be hopeful as we find a new and meaningful beginning on the path to reconciliation and forgiveness.
Producing Team:
Rais Bhuiyan
After graduating from Sylhet Cadet College, a military School in Bangladesh, he joined the Bangladesh Air Force and was commissioned as a pilot officer following two and a half years of vigorous training. He received a BS in Aeronautics from the National University in Dhaka and completed numerous information technology courses in New York and Dallas where he continued his education, taking courses in computer system engineering programming, and database administration. In 2001, he was shot in the face by Mark Stroman, a white supremacist seeking vengeance for the 9/11 tragedy.
Bhuiyan responded to this by forgiving his attacker and attempting unsuccessfully to prevent his execution. He is now a peace activist, touring the globe giving talks about the regenerative power of forgiveness.
Mark Feijó
Over 30 years of experience working in feature films, television, visual effects and multimedia. Mark has worked on a variety of roles, throughout his career; primarily producing/writing, editing and cinematography. For that he has received several Emmys and Promax awards. He has worked in the distribution and production of several feature length documentaries, including the Academy Award nominated Speaking in Strings, Discovery channel’s B-17 Flying Legend, Keepers of the Frame, Rewind America, Shadow Nation, among many others.
His current projects include in a new type of genre, Six Days in Fallujah, which will blend documentary storytelling with video games. The project is to be released in 22/23.
Currently under production through World Without Hate documentary and reconciliation program.