Donny Paterson:
Bruce French:
Oscar Gubernati:
Alison Thompson:

After the 2004 tsunami, four independent volunteers arrive in Sri Lanka to help in any way they can. Alison Thompson (also director of the film) and boyfriend Oscar Gubermati come from New York City, and are joined en route by Bruce French, a chef from Telluride, Colorado. They meet like-minded Australian Donny Patterson in the airport, and convince him to join them on the road as they travel the ravaged coast, offering the most basic of relief aid. When this accidental group of devoted volunteers lands in Peraliya, a town all but demolished by the tsunami, they collectively decide to centralize their efforts and make a home base. What begins as a two-week journey spirals into a year of unrelenting heartbreak, but eventually emerges as a triumphant story about the rebirth of an impoverished town. The authenticity of the plotline is remark- ably compelling-the subjects of the film are as surprised by each turn of events as the audience. As word of their work begins to spread, more volunteers arrive from around the globe, willing to do just about anything to help. The Third Wave candidly documents the trials of this town: there are group dynamics to contend with, sickness and the unexpected whims of nature. But the staggering devastation that Thompson and crew capture on camera, interspersed with news footage from the international media, is a resounding reminder of the disparate notions of the tragedies we get a glimpse of in five- minute news clips, while the ruthless realities we could never imagine continue when the news crews move on.

---Emily Voorhees