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Generation PRX: Amplifying Youth Voices
By Johanna (Jones) Franzel “Slip of the Tongue speaks of ridiculous societal standards and how we lose ourselves when we…
Posted on September 13

Engaging, Exploring and Expanding Youth Media: NAMAC’s Youth Media Leadership Institute
By Cynthia Carrion, Outreach Coordinator, Manhattan Neighborhood Network's Youth Channel On April 27th, I joined 19 delegates from across the…
Posted on August 22

Children’s PressLine Asks Young Filmmakers About Media That Matters
by Matthew Kunihro and Antonina Zielinska of Children’s PressLine Children’s PressLine (CPL) is a Manhattan-based youth media organization that provides children from ages 8 to 18 with hands-on experience in oral journalism and peer advocacy. On May 27th, 2005 two CPL journalists attended MediaRights’ “Media In Action Coalition Building Workshop” at the International Center for Tolerance Education in Dumbo, Brooklyn. CPL’s Antonina Zielinska (age 16) and Matthew Kunihro (age 10) joined the daylong networking event to talk with young filmmakers about their craft and to interview some of the youth attendees. Here is what some of the participants had to say:  Filmmakers, activists, educators and youth explored ways in which to incorporate film into campaigns for social change at the Media in Action Coalition-Building Workshop on May 27th at the International Center for Tolerance Education in Dumbo. Joseph Lawler, 20, Co-Producer of All That I Can Be, winner of the the fifth annual Media That Matters Film Festival’s Economic Justice Award: “It’s good to be young. A lot of people think they won’t get respect ‘cause they’re too young, but a lot of people want to understand what young people go through. I started making videos when I was 16 or 17. My parents were happy to see I was doing something good instead of wasting my time. A couple of my films have inspired people to take action. One example is All That I Can Be, which is about the military targeting youth. Two people at the Educational Video Center were thinking about joining the military, and after seeing the video, they decided not to.” Antonio Abreu, 21, Co-Producer of All That I Can Be: “Just watching movies inspired me to make movies. The one thing I don’t like is that all youth-produced tapes are called ‘youth-produced tapes.’ I would have preferred not to be called a ‘youth filmmaker’ but just a ‘filmmaker.’ All That I Can Be is for anyone who wants to know the side of the story that is not being told by the military. Just recently, it was shown in Vermont. There are five small towns that viewed our tape and then were going to vote to see if the Vermont National Guard was going to Iraq. The fact that they used the film to justify their voting lets me know we’re doing the right thing and that our tape is going to be used for positive things.” (left to right) Filmmakers Joseph Lawler, Yana Rafailova and Antonio Abreu at the fifth annual Media That Matters Film Festival Awards Ceremony on May 26th, 2005 at HBO in Manhattan. Their film, All That I Can Be, takes on the issue of military recruitmant. Sara Reichel, 17, filmmaker, activist and workshop participant: “Youth videos definitely can make a difference. Some of the strongest ones I’ve seen were from sixth graders. I mean, people are really starting to listen to youth media. Watching people’s reactions is one of the best parts about making movies. It’s always been my favorite part. I was really excited when I made my first movie with the Global Action Project, a youth media arts organization that has different programs in schools. Its facilitators work with youth to make videos about social issues. We’re working on one now about the prison system.” Christopher “Shakademic” Johnson, 18, Co-Writer and Host of Battleground Minnesota, winner of the fifth annual Media That Matters Film Festival Jury Award sponsored by Netflix: “We (at Phillips Communication TeleVision) make public access television shows that air in the Twin City area. Battleground Minnesota is focused on Minnesota politics but it describes politics in general. You can show the video anywhere to anybody because politicians are the same everywhere—they just have different points of view about issues. We would like our video to reach people, and we will try our best to make a change to as many places as possible.” Glenn Scott, 19, Co-Writer of Battleground Minnesota: “Our movie is about Minnesota politics and the 2004 election. It was a great experience for me. We interviewed important politicians like former U.S. Vice-President Walter Mondale, and we were trying to get teens turning 18 to vote. That is why we named the video after a swing state. A lot of urban Minnesota was known as a battleground state—they didn’t vote a lot, so we decided to make sure they voted, no matter who they voted for. Voting matters to both urban communities and suburban communities.” (left to right) Tim Robbins with hip-hop activists Chris “Shakademic” Johnson and Glenn Scott at the festival Awards Ceremony. Chris and Glenn use music to get young voters to the polls. John Cooney, 18, Producer and Director of Neglected Sky, winner of the fifth annual Media That Matters Film Festival Environment Award sponsored by Loreto Bay Company: “I was in a class [at UC-Davis] that talked about global issues, and one of the issues was global warming and climate change. I really started to think about how we all can make a difference. Neglected Sky took about two months to make, about three to four hours a day. I made it animated for a reason—I wanted to catch younger kids. I also wanted to make it so adults can watch in and enjoy it.  I think I’m making some difference. I received an email from a 16-year-old who said, ‘I knew nothing about global warming, and I knew nothing about climate change, but now I know so much from your small movie.’ When I started, my movies were just awful. My first movie was made two years ago, and it was four seconds long. People give up so easily ‘cause they think they can’t make it, but I stuck in there, and now I’m just so pleased with my work. You’ve got to hold onto your dreams.” Following the Media In Action Coalition Building Workshop, reporter Antonina was asked by some of her CPL colleagues to shares her thoughts about the festival and the importance of youth advocacy: CPL: Why did you volunteer to cover the Media That Matters Film Festival? Antonina: I was very excited to have a serious press experience. Recently, I set a personal goal to convince people that teenagers are not clueless and dumb but are serious and have a lot to offer the community. I knew I would be able to meet other teens that had a similar passion. John Cooney’s animated short Neglected Sky inspires people of all ages to take action to stop global warming. What was your opinion of the filmmakers? They were very serious—but friendly. I think they are very dedicated to their work, and they give it all they’ve got. They believe in themselves, which is important if you want somebody to take you seriously. It is obvious that this is not the end of these people’s careers—they will go on and do great things. They are people who refuse to let their age stop them from giving the public their view of the “truth” and, because they are relatively new to their work, their ideas have not yet been corrupted. Do you think your age prohibits people from answering your questions seriously? Before this festival, I thought my age was a major obstacle. However, I realized I could use my age to my benefit. As one of my interviewees said, people will take you more seriously when they find out that you are young and trying to make a difference. The atmosphere at the festival proved this to me. People took my reporter, Matthew, and me seriously. Young people must have a voice. We have a lot of good and important ideas that can help improve our world. So, listen to us. Children’s PressLine articles appear in a bi-weekly column in New York City’s Amsterdam News and recently received an award from the National Newspaper Publishers Association.
Posted on July 18

Outreach Journal: Praying with Lior
By Devorah Shubowitz A “disabled” child’s prayers inspired a film; his impact on his community inspired a campaign for social…
Posted on July 18

Screening Causes Controversy in Crawfordsville, IN
by Tami Fairweather The Vanity Theater in Crawfordsville, Indiana recently hosted a screening of the thirrd and fourth annual Media that Matters Film Festivals on May 6th and 13th, 2005 respectively. And these events really got people talking. Maintaining a small community theatre can be financially daunting. This particular theatre was struggling to survive on the revenue generated from 6 dramatical productions a season. They are barely managing to cover basic operational expenses, including electricity and telephone service.  That’s when the Board of Directors began pursuing alternative revenue sources, film being one of them. Through small and generous grants from the Bank One Foundation, Crawfordsville Mainstreet Association and Wabash College, the theatre purchased a 9x12 foot screen, a digital projector, and a DVD player in order to begin a downtown movie night.  The May screenings of the third and fourth Media That Matters Film Festivals sparked community debate about local values. Performance rights were obtained from various film distributors and screenings included a variety of old movies, contemporary films and art films. Board member Frank Cicela communicated that the intention was to “bring films to the community that wouldn’t be seen in traditional commercial theaters.” This new venture brought Cicela to The Film Connection, an organization that makes DVDs available to groups for free rental for community screenings. Their online list of DVDs included the Media That Matters Film Festivals and their site indicated that the films could be used for screenings. When Cicela contacted MediaRights he learned that the films on the festival DVD are distributed under a Creative Commons non-commercial non-derivative license—the festival can be screened publicly without paying a licensing fee to MediaRights as long as tickets to the event are free. Screening arrangements were made and press releases were sent out. Prior to the first screening date, a long time community resident submitted an op-ed piece to the local paper opposing the Media that Matters Screening: “The listing of the 32 film shorts and a brief description of each shows an extremely politically correct, Third World bias.  Deriding everything from President George W. Bush to the eating of meat, this presentation seems to fly in the face of Montgomery County values.” Follow-up editorial pieces from other community members included comments such as: “The intent of the Sugar Creek Players has never been to offend anyone but rather to encourage discussion and dialogue by presenting diverse opinions. Its recent film festival was one such [event].”* “I am impressed the Sugar Creek Players have brought an opportunity to stretch us beyond ourselves.”** “I have been a resident of this county for more than 15 years. I find that no one set of values can accurately define the culture and people of Montgomery County. The people of this county are actually a diverse lot. Those of conservative philosophy live along side those who are more liberal in thought. The mutual respect and civility among our citizens who have differing views is commendable.”*** Cicela shared that Media that Matters was the first film festival that the theatre has offered the community since they began showing films. All told, 50+ patrons showed up for the screenings.  Departing audience members were grateful and appreciated that the festival was brought to the community and hoped that other similar events could be hosted in the future. Cicela also shared that the theatre is looking for a film distributor with whom the theater can work with on an ongoing basis to help curate future film screenings.  Cicela added that in his opinion, “the arts should not only entertain but enlighten—there is nothing wrong with shifting the perspective through which people perceive the world.”  Read the entire Op-Ed pieces: *“Opposes ‘The Media That Matters’ event” **“Grateful film festival shown here” ***“Grateful for county’s diversity, values” Want to screen Media That Matters in your community? Contact Wendy Cohen.
Posted on June 14

Screening Media That Matters in Ghana, Africa
by Kimberly Jane Fuller I am crammed onto an African-style sofa with eight Ghanaian teenagers. We are silent, glued to…
Posted on June 14

Outreach Journal II: Caravan
By Sara Nolan It has been a big year for Caravan (working title) and for Roma. Since our last journal…
Posted on May 11

Outreach Journal: POPaganda: Guerrilla Style DIY Distribution
By Pedro Carvajal POPaganda: The Art & Crimes of Ron English is a feature length documentary about the culture-jamming and…
Posted on May 11

The NYC Grassroots Media Conference: Coming Together For a More Democratic Media
By Jennifer Nedbalsky On April 9th and 10th, hundreds of students, activists, media makers, community workers and artists will come…
Posted on April 05

Outreach Journal II: The Deadline Audience Initiative
By Angela Tucker On July 30, 2004 Big Mouth Films’ Deadline was broadcast on NBC as a special two-hour Dateline.…
Posted on April 04

Dhar90
Dahr Jamail is an independent journalist who has spent over 8 months reporting from occupied Iraq. His reporting is a…
Posted on March 24

Report from Sundance 2005: Documentaries in Action
By Harriette Yahr Strong Storytelling Takes the Lead Documentaries have experienced a shift into the limelight in recent years at…
Posted on February 15

Taking Films to New Audiences: Meet the Distributors
By Wendy Cohen From the first moments of filming to the final cut, completing an independent film is inevitably coupled…
Posted on February 09

Report from the IFP Market: Trials of Darryl Hunt, In the Wake of the Flood, Made in L.A.
By Harriette Yahr The Call for Entries for the 27th Annual IFP Market is underway, and the deadline for Documentary…
Posted on January 04

Battleground Minnesota: Hip Hop, Politics and the Generational Divide
By Miyuki Jokiranta “What are you going to accomplish by being involved?” Shakademic, host of the youth-produced video Battleground Minnesota,…
Posted on January 03

Untold Stories: Creative Consequences of the Rights Clearance Culture for Documentary Filmmakers
Courtesy of the Center for Social Media By Pat Aufderheide and Peter Jaszi Executive Summary This study explores the implications of the rights clearance process on documentary filmmaking, and makes recommendations to lower costs, reduce frustration, and promote creativity. It focuses on the creative experience of independent, professional documentary filmmakers. Findings Rights clearance costs are high, and have escalated dramatically in the last two decades. Gatekeepers, such as distributors and insurers, enforce rigid and high-bar rights clearance expectations. The rights clearance process is arduous and frustrating, especially around movies and music. Rights clearance problems force filmmakers to make changes that adversely affect—and limit the public’s access to—their work, and the result is significant change in documentary practice. Filmmakers, while sometimes seeing themselves as hostages of the “clearance culture,” also are creators of it. Filmmakers nonetheless exercise fair use, and imagine a more rational rights environment. Recommendations Make the most of fair use: • Develop and disseminate models of “best practices” ; • Establish one or more “legal resource centers” to support filmmakers. Facilitate the clearance process: • Establish a non-profit rights clearinghouse; • Work for legislation on orphan works. Build greater awareness of filmmakers’ use rights: • Facilitate filmmaker access to sound pre-production legal advice; • Develop learning materials -to provide a balanced general account of intellectual property, for filmmakers and film students; • Educate gatekeepers about creators’ use rights. Concept of Study This study explores the implications of the current terms of rights acquisition on the creative process of documentary filmmaking, and makes recommendations to lower costs, reduce frustration, and promote creativity. It focuses on the creative experience of independent documentary filmmakers who work primarily within a broadcast environment (sometimes with a theatrical “window”). Independent documentary filmmakers were selected because their work regularly requires them to interact with a wide variety of rights holders, from archives for photographs and stock footage to performers to other filmmakers. This is especially clear when it is a historical documentary or one that comments on commercial popular culture, but it is an issue for most documentary filmmakers, no matter what the subject matter. When a trademark appears on a baseball cap, or a subject happens to be watching television, or a radio in the background plays a popular song, or a subject sings “Happy Birthday,” rights clearance becomes a professional and creative challenge. Independent documentary filmmakers are particularly appropriate subjects because they typically develop projects with autonomy, generating new topics and approaches, and sell or lease them to broadcasters or cablecasters to get them seen. They are responsible for doing rights clearance. Generally, however, they do not have much choice about what to clear. Their insurers, television programmers, and theatrical distributors usually set rigid and high-bar requirements for rights clearance. Without a detailed record of rights clearance, for example, they cannot get errors and omissions insurance, without which a broadcaster or cablecaster will not show the work. Programmers, insurers and distributors are primarily concerned about legal risk to lawsuit, however frivolous, and have a much lower investment than the filmmaker in the creative effect on the work. Methodology Using contacts developed through business networks and via festival catalogs, student and faculty interviewers in the School of Communication and Washington College of Law at American University interviewed 45 documentary filmmakers. Researchers selected the people in charge of making creative decisions, primarily directors but also including some editors and producers. (Some filmmakers play multiple roles.) Using a questionnaire as a guide to discussion (text available on website), the interviewers explored three areas: • Problems in rights acquisition of completed projects; • Rights problems that resulted in stalled or incomplete projects; • Rights permissions and experience with unauthorized or inappropriate use of her or his own work. Filmmaker interviews were summarized by researchers and reviewed by the filmmakers, and then analyzed by the co-principal investigators, Patricia Aufderheide and Peter Jaszi.
Posted on December 10

Outreach Journal: Born Into Brothels the Film Seeds Kids with Cameras the Organization
By Lina Srivastava, Executive Director, Kids with Cameras The theatrical release of the film Born into Brothels (ThinkFilm) on December…
Posted on November 22

Call It Democracy: Continuing the Debate After November 2nd
An interview with Producer Dan Efram By Shira Golding Matt Kohn’s Call it Democracy is one of many documentaries making…
Posted on October 25

Timely Outreach: Films to See Before You Vote
by Peter Broderick, Founder of Films to See Before You Vote Political films are now being used more effectively than ever before. From Fahrenheit 9/11 and The Corporation to Uncovered and Outfoxed, they are being utilized by national organizations, grassroots groups, and individuals to inform, inspire, and organize. Films to See Before You Vote connects audiences to timely political documentaries and features. FilmsToSeeBeforeYouVote.org was launched to provide easy access to the latest political films and promote their use as tools to catalyze action before November 2nd. Individuals have been hosting screening parties in living rooms around the country. During the crucial days to come, there will be Films To See Before You Vote screenings on campuses across the U.S.,  and we are co-sponsoring Films To See Before You Vote film tours in Ohio, Florida, and other key states. A New Era for Political Films Governments have often used propaganda films to reinforce an official ideology. Passionate independent filmmakers have regularly challenged the party line and tried to change the way people see the world. Activists have been utilizing documentaries and features as organizing tools for years. 2004 has marked the beginning of a new era in the use of political films. During a year in which dissatisfaction with mainstream media coverage of the elections is widespread, voters have unprecedented access to timely political films that contain vital information and analysis thanks to five important developments: Filmmakers have produced a new wave of political films on a wide range of topics and issues. However hard they worked to make the films, they are working even harder to get them seen as widely as possible. More political films are being shown in theatres than ever before. The enormous success of Fahrenheit 9/11 ($119 million in the U.S. so far) and the strong response to a number of other films such as Control Room and The Corporation has broadened the possibilities for theatrical distribution of political films. Robert Greenwald, working with MoveOn.org, pioneered a wildly successful new house party model. Uncovered and Outfoxed were each launched at thousands of house parties across the country, and both have sold over 100,000 copies online. More timely political films are available on home video than ever before. Still playing in theaters, Uncovered, Outfoxed, and Fahrenheit 9/11 are already for sale on DVD. Control Room will be released on October 26. Films to See Before You Vote is organizing screenings around the country before the Presidential elections.  The Internet has given citizens greater access to political films and political filmmakers greater access to citizens. Utilizing FilmsToSeeBeforeYouVote.org, anyone can connect to the best new political films, find out if they are playing in a local theater or order them on DVD and receive them in a few days. Organizing a Screening Party House parties have demonstrated how effectively films can be used to bring people together, stimulate discussion, and foster further action. An organization with a national membership and mailing list can chose a film to be screened across the country on one date, coordinate house parties and participants by zip code, and arrange for the filmmaker to speak to them all simultaneously via Internet hookup. In addition to house parties that are centrally coordinated nationally, it is also possible to organize ad hoc screening parties locally. There are two models –- the home screening party where people meet in a home or another location with a TV and DVD player, and the theatrical screening party where people go to watch a film together in a local theater and then have a post-screening discussion in a restaurant or home. Visit our site for steps for organizing a screening party. Films Tours in Key States Taking place now are Films To See Before You Vote Tours of Ohio, Florida, and other key states. We are working with Chris Wangro, Jim Browne, and Nicole Heidbreder (who successfully pulled off the ambitious Imagine Festival of Arts, Issues and Ideas) to get our “festival-in-a-box” to groups and individuals who arrange screenings and discussions in community centers, libraries, retirement homes, living rooms and on campuses. The free kit consists of political features and shorts on DVD along with discussion guides. Anyone interested in organizing screenings in a key state can sign up. On Campus Films To See Before You Vote is also coordinating screening parties on campuses across the country. Any student or faculty member can host an event during which political films and television programs will be watched and discussed. Sign up to host a campus event. The Corporation is one of many political documentaries highlighted on the Films to See Before You Vote Web site. Strategies The Films To See Before You Vote Web site was launched on September 2. We had little time and very few resources. Rather than depending on mainstream media coverage, we focused on individuals to spread the word through forwarding emails. We did targeted outreach to groups that could help us create awareness through email blasts, newsletters and magazines, and their Web sites. We continued to gain momentum throughout September and October, with 13,000 unique visitors in September and 12,000 unique visitors in the first two weeks of October. At the same time, we continued to improve and expand the site, giving people reasons to return. We just added a discussion area to make it more interactive. We also developed new programs and found new partners to team up with. Never before have there been more political films available to voters or more ways to use them to inform, inspire, and organize. For the first time in U.S. history, such films could help decide the Presidential election.
Posted on October 22

Outreach Journal: Finding a Way for Soldier’s Pay
by Juan Carlos Zaldívar (90 Miles, Soldier’s Pay) It all started with a phone call from my good friend and…
Posted on October 01

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