http://www.mediarights.org/film/ en jeff.roy@live.com Copyright 2011 2011-12-05T16:58:06+00:00 http://www.mediarights.org/film/Rites_of_Passage/ http://www.mediarights.org/film/Rites_of_Passage/#When:16:58:06Z Rites of Passage is a documentary film project following a week in the life of Maya (Mohammad) Jafer, a Muslim 42-year old from India, who underwent sex reassignment surgery in Bangkok on February 10, 2011. The film is currently in two parts. Part 1 (now a complete short film) documents everything up to Maya’s surgery. It has already debuted at the Los Angeles Transgender Film Festival, where it received Audience Choice - Best Short, and screened at the Williamsburg Independent Film Festival. Part 2 (in development) documents Maya’s difficult recovery process and reintegration into society. Family & Society, Gay/Lesbian, Gay/Lesbian Health, Transgender, Gender/Women, Equal Opportunities, Health/Health Advocacy, Mental Health, Human Rights, International, Asia, Middle East, Religious Freedom, Youth, Identity 2011-12-05T16:58:06+00:00 http://www.mediarights.org/film/The_Wounded_Dove_Peace_Warriors_trailer/ http://www.mediarights.org/film/The_Wounded_Dove_Peace_Warriors_trailer/#When:21:34:03Z Since the dawn of the 20th Century, peace has been rare and elusive, a wounded dove struggling to take flight.Even in the darkest moments, the spirit of peace has been kept alive by men and women who committed themselves to the belief that human beings can co-exist without resorting to violence. The WOUNDED DOVE will be a 5 X 1 hour television series that documents and celebrates the struggle of these brave peacemakers. Human Rights, International, Africa, Canada, Central America, Europe, Middle East, South America, U.S./Foreign Relations, Media, Politics/Government, Peace/War, Religious Freedom 2011-07-22T21:34:03+00:00 http://www.mediarights.org/film/The_DAY_remembered/ http://www.mediarights.org/film/The_DAY_remembered/#When:10:33:47Z In their own words, watch the captivating and compelling stories of US Marines injured in battle and hear their personal stories of recovery and triumph in the face of adversity. Politics/Government, Peace/War 2011-06-13T10:33:47+00:00 http://www.mediarights.org/film/We_Remember_Raines/ http://www.mediarights.org/film/We_Remember_Raines/#When:15:26:48Z “We Remember Raines” is a documentary about the legacy and history of William M Raines High School. A few of the key figures interviewed in the documentary include Raines’ longest tenured principal and former Duval County Public School Schools Board Member Jimmy Johnson; State Representative Mia Jones, a 1986 alumnus; current athletic director of Raines and an early alumnus, Doug White; longtime guidance chairperson, Deborah Norman, and current Duval County School Board Member Betty Seabrook Burney, who is a 1974 graduate of the institution. According to director Emanuel Washington, “It is imperative for the Raines Vikings to tell this story.  The film will go in depth on why the Vikings of school number ‘165’ have so much pride and how we will survive the challenges of this generation.” Family & Society, Racial Justice, African-American, Youth, Educational reform 2011-04-17T15:26:48+00:00 http://www.mediarights.org/film/In_their_hands/ http://www.mediarights.org/film/In_their_hands/#When:14:52:28Z In Their Hands follows the psychotherapies of people whose lives are all but broken by acts of extreme violence. As they slowly regain the confidence to speak, they are brought to face the unthinkable inhumane past. To curb the pain, to stay clear from insanity and protect their loved ones from the rage that lies deep within, to be understood, and to be recognized are the goals they pursue. In the process, the torturer resurfaces, only this time his true nature is revealed. He is just another human being who has been methodically shaped into a persecutor by a deliberately destructive political system.  In many ways, these therapies are a political therapy for us all. Criminal Justice, Police Brutality, Prisoner Rights, Health/Health Advocacy, Mental Health, Human Rights, Immigration, Immigration Laws, Migrant Workers, International, Africa, Europe, Middle East, Politics/Government 2011-04-09T14:52:28+00:00 http://www.mediarights.org/film/A_Community_Concern/ http://www.mediarights.org/film/A_Community_Concern/#When:12:44:33Z A film giving visibility to the power of organizing as a way to improve urban public schools. Across the United States, graduation rates in most urban districts still remain between 50 and 60 percent. A Community Concern is a documentary about people who refuse to accept the system’s failures and are working for change. Their spirit, passion and commitment shows that when organizers, parents, youth and educators work together, they are successful. It brings together stories of people facing different challenges, but share similar goals. Family & Society, Racial Justice, Racial Discrimination, Youth, Educational reform 2011-04-01T12:44:33+00:00 http://www.mediarights.org/film/IRAQ_WAR,_LOVE,_GOD_&_MADNESS/ http://www.mediarights.org/film/IRAQ_WAR,_LOVE,_GOD_&_MADNESS/#When:08:58:20Z Truth is stranger than fiction as we soon realize when we are voyeuristically led on a personal journey into Iraq.  Film director Mohamed Al-Daradji and his crew attempt to shoot a film encircled by war and senseless violence. It is 2007; upon returning to Iraq to premiere his debut feature film, Mohamed summons the courage to look back over the last three turbulent years of his life as he pieces together the jigsaw of his experiences of filming in a war zone. Back in 2004, undaunted by the volatile political & military dangers and heartbreaking chaos, Mohamed returns to Baghdad, where he fled years previously. The Iraq he once knew is no longer; he experiences the gritty aftermath of 35 years of dictatorship, 3 wars and the wake of occupation. Finding the once vibrant streets now consumed by unemployment, poverty and madness, he strives to fulfill his dream and make his film in the country he loves. Challenged physically and emotionally by unimaginable circumstances and danger at every camera angle, with no money, just hope, the camera rolls on a world unraveling around him. A spectrum of society, previously sidelined by images of war, are introduced to the audience: a young child sings for Saddam, a father grieves for his hanged son, a young actor thinks back on his time in prison, whilst a troubled friend becomes lost in madness. This film is crucial to our understanding of a nation at war.  As Mohamed explores his country, we see the real Iraqi people and their spirit to survive as never before. Struggling against persecution, imprisonment, injuries, terrorist attacks and the American army, Iraq is determined to survive. This is Iraq’s story; this is the people’s story. Human Rights, International, Middle East, Media, Fair Representation, Politics/Government, Peace/War 2011-04-01T08:58:20+00:00 http://www.mediarights.org/film/What_On_Earth_–_Inside_the_Crop_Circle_Mystery/ http://www.mediarights.org/film/What_On_Earth_–_Inside_the_Crop_Circle_Mystery/#When:14:37:20Z Take a ride with filmmaker Suzanne Taylor as she engages a fascinating subculture of artists, educators, geometers, philosophers, and farmers, enthralled by the mystery of crop circles. For twenty years, Taylor has been part of a lively international community that gathers in England every summer to study and document circle developments. “WHAT ON EARTH?” tracks her interactions with these “croppies,” as they go circle chasing, pore over circle analysis, and share why they keep coming back for more. Environment, Agriculture, Environmental Preservation, Sustainable Agriculture, International, Europe, U.S./Foreign Relations, Religious Freedom 2011-03-24T14:37:20+00:00 http://www.mediarights.org/film/after_stonewall1/ http://www.mediarights.org/film/after_stonewall1/#When:17:30:03Z A sequel of sorts to the 1985 documentary Before Stonewall, After Stonewall focuses on the development of the homosexual community after the riots that sparked their own rights movement in 1969.  This 1999 film covers hopeful benchmarks such as the disco era and the growth of San Francisco as a hub for gay individuals.  But serious fare is more prominently covered, such as Anita Bryant’s move to repeal anti-discrimination legislation, Matthew Shepard’s murder, and the AIDS epidemic.    Criminal Justice, Juvenile Justice, Gay/Lesbian, Gay/Lesbian Discrimination, Gay/Lesbian Hate Crimes, Gay/Lesbian Marriage, Gender/Women, Violence against women, Health/Health Advocacy, AIDS, Death & Dying, Human Rights, Youth, Identity 2011-03-11T17:30:03+00:00 http://www.mediarights.org/film/before_stonewall1/ http://www.mediarights.org/film/before_stonewall1/#When:17:04:02Z On June 28th, 1969, patrons at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village rioted in response to an attempted raid by police.  The bar, notorious for its homosexual patrons, became a symbol of the gay rights movement that was sparked just after the event.  Before Stonewall focuses on the gay community before this turning point, a time during which homosexuals were forced to live their lives in silence.  The documentary uses a mixture of movie clips, archival footage, and individual interviews, highlighting secret tactics like the Handkerchief Code and publications such as One Magazine and The Ladder.  Gay/Lesbian, Gay/Lesbian Discrimination, Gender/Women, Equal Opportunities, Sexual Harrassment, Human Rights, Politics/Government, Peace/War, Racial Justice, Racial Discrimination, Racial Hate Crimes 2011-03-11T17:04:02+00:00