Local filmmakers investigate '3 Cups of Tea' charity scandal

Local filmmakers investigate '3 Cups of Tea' charity scandal

(Courtesy of Skyline Ventures Productions, All Rights Reserved)


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SALT LAKE CITY — When allegations were first made against Greg Mortenson, local filmmaker Jennifer Jordan was confounded.

She and her husband had first met Mortenson, the author of the best-selling book "Three Cups of Tea," while they were traveling through Pakistan in 2000. He had helped them navigate the northwest areas of the country and became a friend, so she was troubled when she saw the "60 Minutes" segment in 2011 that alleged Mortenson had mismanaged his nonprofit that builds schools, the Central Asia Institute.

The man portrayed in the broadcast wasn't the man Jordan knew, so she was prompted to investigate whether Mortenson had somehow gone off course or whether "60 Minutes" had failed in its reporting. The result of the investigation is the documentary "3000 Cups of Tea: The Mission and Madness of Greg Mortenson," which Jordan is directing with her husband, cinematographer Jeff Rhoads.

“For me as a filmmaker and for me as a storyteller, this really is about the children on the ground in Pakistan and Afghanistan,” she said. “Regardless of an American media scandal, regardless of whether every receipt was filed in every single proper Excel spreadsheet, there are real people and real children and real villagers on the ground every day risking their lives for an education.”

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Donations to the nonprofit dropped 80 percent after the "60 Minutes" segment aired, Jordan said. The broadcast included allegations that Mortenson greatly exaggerated or made up some of the stories shared in his books, that some of the schools CAI claimed it had built didn't even exist, and that the institute mismanaged donated funds.

It also alleged that Mortenson fabricated the story at the beginning of his book "Three Cups of Tea," which describes how he got lost on a hike home from the mountain K2 and promised a village child he would return to build a school — a promise that sparked the creation of the CAI.

“It’s a beautiful story and it's a lie,” author Jon Krakauer told "60 Minutes."

Jordan and her husband are still investigating, but she said so far the interviews and traveling they have done to research the CAI have confirmed for them that the "60 Minutes" report erred in serious ways. Her concerns about the broadcast include the fact that "60 Minutes" did not travel to Korphe, the village Mortenson stopped in when he got lost, to talk to the people there before making the report.

JEFF SHOWING SCHOOLCHILDREN HIS FOOTAGE IN A CAI SCHOOL 
OUTSIDE OF KABUL, AFGHANISTAN, 2013
JEFF SHOWING SCHOOLCHILDREN HIS FOOTAGE IN A CAI SCHOOL OUTSIDE OF KABUL, AFGHANISTAN, 2013 (Photo: Courtesy of Skyline Ventures Productions, All Rights Reserved)

“I truly believe that our American media need to do a better job in its fact-checking before it goes to press and goes to broadcast,” Jordan said.

The pair traveled to Pakistan, their third trip to the country, to do research on the ground for the documentary. They have completed most of the filming and interviews for the project.

Traveling to the remote valleys at the foothills of the Himalayas is difficult, but Jordan said it was a joy to be able to return.

“It is an unspeakably beautiful part of the world, and the people of Pakistan and of Baltistan, the area we were in, are some of the most hospitable, warm and generous people that I’ve ever met in my life," she said.

The people in the village of Korphe remembered Mortenson's visit from 20 years earlier, Jordan said. She said Mortenson himself would be the first to say he wasn't perfect in running the CAI, but that he has still been able to create real opportunities for children to receive an eduction.

The name of the documentary, "3000 Cups of Tea," was inspired by Jordan's observations of Mortenson while she was traveling with him for the film. As they spent time together, she realized the success of his efforts to build schools has really been the result of his ability to connect with the people in that area on a personal level. The titular number was her arbitrary estimate of how many cups of tea it took to make his projects a reality, although she said she probably underestimated the real number by a factor of 10.

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“When you spend any time with (Mortenson) you just see that on a real up-close and personal level of how he thrives in literally sitting in the dirt and drinking tea with these locals, rather than sitting in the board meeting with his starched shirt and tie,” Jordan said.

She hopes the documentary will provide a second chance for people to think about the those who have been affected by the controversy.

“I think that Americans lose sight of the reality of the mission in the headline 'gotcha' aspect of the allegations against him,” she said. “I think it is important to take a step back from that flash of scandal and say there are real human beings involved here and what’s going to happen to them with an 80 percent reduction in donations. I would just really have people take a look at the work on the ground that is being done, regardless of whether every 't' was crossed or 'i' dotted correctly.”

GREG WITH THREE OF HIS 1993 K2 PORTERS AND THE SON OF KORPHE 
VILLAGE LEADER, HAJI ALI, KHAPLU, PAKISTAN, 2013
GREG WITH THREE OF HIS 1993 K2 PORTERS AND THE SON OF KORPHE VILLAGE LEADER, HAJI ALI, KHAPLU, PAKISTAN, 2013 (Photo: Courtesy of Skyline Ventures Productions, All Rights Reserved)

"3000 Cups of Tea" is the first documentary Jordan has directed. One of the couple's previous works, the documentary "Women of K2" for National Geographic, won awards at five film festivals.

She and her husband have been paying out of pocket for their new film so far because they felt they needed to do their initial research under the radar.

“It’s in parts exhilarating and in parts terrifying because you really put yourself out there financially, reputationally, professionally,” she said. “We are risking everything with this and that’s a very different place to be.”

Contributions* to support the finishing costs of the film's production can be made on its website.


*KSL.com has not verified the accuracy of the information provided with respect to the account nor does KSL.com assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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