How Dan Eldon Still Inspires us Today–See his Story in The Journey is the Destination
Sometimes we encounter people who are so compassionate, driven and inspiring that we just can’t help but to be in awe of them and want to be around them. People so engaging and charismatic that you start to feel something spark in you that you haven’t before. Dan Eldon was one of those people.
Dan Eldon Photo provided by Amy Eldon
From an early age, Eldon used his visionary talents to create positive change while encouraging others to courageously share the world’s most important stories through innovative storytelling. He believed in contributing to those around him and when he was just a teen, he led a group of kids, which included Christopher Nolan (Director of Dark Knight, Dunkirk), Jeff Gettleman (NY Times Bureau Chief for East Aisa) and Elinor Tatum (Publisher of the Amsterdam News), across Africa to give $17,000 they raised to a refugee camp in Malawi in 1990.
By the time he was 21-years-old, he’d already traveled to 42 countries, had several meaningful adventures-like the one mentioned above, wrote a series of journals that would later have a global impact and shape many lives and he became the youngest staff photojournalist at Reuters.
Eldon was American and British, but living in Kenya with his family who relocated there for work. He went on assignment to Somalia to cover the turbulent events of the famine. As he attended a peace rally, US Marines made the fateful mistake of bombing what they thought was a council of warlords in Mogadishu.
The angry crowd turned on Eldon and his three fellow journalists as a result. They were and stoned and beaten to death. Eldon was just 22 when he died.
His younger sister Amy and his mother Kathy have since dedicated themselves to keeping his spirit alive. Not only did they launch Creative Visions, an organization that helps others use the power of media and the arts to make positive change in his honor, but they’ve written books that show his beautiful photos and detail more about his that fascinating life. And now a movie The Journey is the Destination, which is also the title of one of his books based off his journals, is about his story.
Dan and Amy Eldon
Photo provided by; Amy Eldon
Written by Academy Award® Nominee Jan Sardi (Shine, The Notebook) and acclaimed director/writer Bronwen Hughes (Stander, Forces of Nature), and produced by one of the producers of Academy Award® and Golden Globe nominated Hotel Rwanda, Martin Katz and Kweku Mandela (The Bang Bang Club, Madiba) the film stars Ben Schnetzer (Pride, The Book Thief, Warcraft), as Dan; Kelly Macdonald (Anna Karenina, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, No Country for Old Men) and Sam Hazeldine (Resurrection, The Monuments Men, The Raven) as Duff and O’Reilly, the journalists who become Dan’s guides to the world of war correspondence, Ella Purnell (Tarzan, Never Let Me Go, Maleficent), as Dan’s sister Amy and Maria Bello (Prisoners, A History of Violence), as his mother Kathy.
“Dan has been a legend for me for 17 years,” says Bello, who plays “My son’s father first gave me the book, The Journey is the Destination, because I was traveling all over the world as well, photographing and attempting to do collage – but nothing like Dan. When I saw it, I was inspired by his way of walking in the world.” The actress admits she sees similarities between herself, and Dan. “My sensibility in life leans towards Dan’s when he was younger. It’s about becoming, and it’s about the journey. And that’s what I try to instill in my child’s life.” Maria says playing Kathy was daunting to take on, because the two are good friends – and know the other so well. “To share this experience with Kathy has been everything…”
For Ben Schnetzer, who plays Dan, it was the realism that really drew him in. “In a lot of respects, truth is stranger than fiction and it’s more inspiring. You couldn’t make these things up. So, it’s difficult to not be constantly intrigued by the story, and the initiative and the will of someone so young and so curious. It’s been fuel for all of us,” he says.
Ben Schnetzer as Dan Eldon in The Journey is the Destination
Photo provided by Amy Eldon
Although he was so young, Eldon inspired so many including Oprah, who has featured his story on her show three times, Anderson Cooper, Christiane Amanpour and Hillary Clinton are all fans. In addition, TOMS Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie credits Dan with being one of the main inspirations for starting the globally acclaimed social enterprise.
Eldon set the standard high of how to live admirably, give back to others, love life and inspire future generations. He was a positive role model and example that people can look up to for years to come.
The Journey is the Destination is available to download to rent or buy on the following: