NASHVILLE, Tenn. – LifeWay Films and Deidox Films will release the film “Free Burma Rangers” as a two-night Fathom Event, Feb. 24-25, 2020. The film will premiere at the Justice Film Festival in New York on Nov. 16, 2019.
The documentary tells the true story of one American family that has dedicated their lives to training and leading dangerous rescue missions with people groups oppressed by war and terrorist attacks in Burma, Iraq and Syria.
David Eubank and the Free Burma Rangers are currently serving in northern Syria, putting their lives in danger every day to help evacuate displaced Syrian civilians. As of Nov. 1, Eubank and his team of volunteers have been able to rescue more than 200 wounded Syrians and provide relief supplies like food, water and blankets to more than 1,200 people who have fled from the fighting.
Directed by Brent Gudgel and Chris Sinclair, the film “Free Burma Rangers” follows Eubank, a former missionary kid who spent 10 years in the U.S. Special Forces. When his father, who was serving on the mission field in Thailand, called Eubank in 1993 to ask him to come and help the nation’s ethnic people caught in a civil war, Eubank knew God was calling him to go. He asked his then-girlfriend Karen to marry him and follow him on the adventure of a lifetime.
Eubank and Karen married and went to Burma in lieu of a typical honeymoon with one mission in mind: to free the oppressed and rescue victims.
Using his military experience, Eubank began training groups to go on rescue missions to help those in need, as well as provide medical clinics and children’s programs for survivors.
As the groups went on relief missions, running toward the height of conflict to provide aid to victims, more and more ethnic groups joined in. Soon, indigenous leaders asked Eubank to train teams for them. In 1997, the Eubanks founded the Free Burma Rangers.
More than two decades later, the Eubank family continues to serve the people of Burma. David and Karen have raised three children in Southeast Asia while continuing to provide humanitarian aid.
The Free Burma Rangers have trained more than 4,500 members.
For Eubank and his Rangers, it doesn’t matter which side of the war the injured come from; they help whoever is caught in the middle of violence and devastation.
“It’s all about loving people,” he said. “It’s saying, ‘Here is everything I have; it’s yours. How can we serve you?’ and giving them immediate medical care, all the food we can give, and to do it bravely and boldly, while becoming a family.”
In 2016, the Eubanks and a few of the Free Burma Rangers moved to northern Iraq to help deliver food and aid to people caught in the middle of the conflict with ISIS. At every step, he says he and his family look to God for direction on where to go, whom to help and how to serve.
The Free Burma Rangers have served more than 1.5 million displaced persons in the 24 years of their relief work. Their work continues to expand through the Middle East, most recently to Syria.
In addition to relief, the Eubank family says their mission is to share the love of Jesus Christ and help people be free from oppression.
“Everywhere, every person in the world has something good and wonderful we can love, learn from and build up,” said Eubank. “When we stand together in Christ and love others, we form the antidote to evil. That is the story I want to be told.”
“Free Burma Rangers” will premiere at the Justice Film Festival in New York on Nov. 16, 2019, before releasing in theaters across the nation on Feb. 24-25, 2020. To learn more about the film, visit https://fbrmovie.com.
About LifeWay Films
LifeWay Christian Resources is one of the world’s largest providers of Christian resources. LifeWay Films exists to empower churches and Christians to engage faith-based films as a tool for discipleship and growing their faith.
About Deidox Films
Deidox Films is a non-profit documentary production company creating content from a Christian perspective. Their documentaries serve churches and organizations around the globe.
Written by Baptist Press, the official news service of the Southern Baptist Convention.