LATEST NEWS

Reel Power, a new collaboration of films on energy and natural resource extraction developed from our Reel Engagement residency, will be part of Appalachia Rising, a mass mobilization calling for the end of mountaintop removal mining to be held in Washington, DC, on September 25-27, 2010. We will co-host a resource booth with a number of other remarkable filmmakers, participate in a media workshop on Saturday, and host a Working Films workshop on how to use the collection of Reel Power films to engage communities in ways that lead audiences to action. Participants at Appalachia Rising will also be some of the first to be able to get Dirty Business: "Clean Coal" and the Battle for Our Energy Future early. This is one of the films in the collaboration for which we are coordinating the audience engagement campaign. Stay tuned for some exciting updates. We hope to see you there.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="(Photo by Robbie Gemmel)"][/caption] Are you interested in developing skills to effectively manage film campaigns on social justice issues? If so, you should apply to our latest Reel Engagement workshop, Managing Social Issue Film Campaigns, which we designed with the Fledgling Fund. This 4 day hands-on workshop is designed for individuals who are interested in developing the skills necessary to be Engagement Coordinators; designing and managing creative and impactful audience and community engagement campaigns for independent social issue documentary films or media projects. Read more and apply now! Deadline is October 22, 2010

Working Films, in collaboration with The Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation and Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program, is delighted to announce the second edition of the London Good Pitch UK. The Good Pitch UK will take place at the spectacular Royal Institution of Great Britain on September 10th. The event is made possible by the generous support of Amnesty International, The Co-operative, Edelman, PUMA.Creative, and The Wellcome Trust. Working Films is providing early campaign development for the accepted films; a number of the filmmakers attended our Films for Good workshop in July, co-presented with C4 BRITDOC. The selected filmmakers continue the high standard set by all Good Pitch presentations, and include Jennifer Arnold (A Small Act), Penny Woolcock (On the Streets), Hugh Hartford (Ping Pong), Elinyisia Mosha (Anatomy of Poverty), David Sington (The Flaw), Rachel Seifert (Not on the Label), Heather Leach (Dancing With Hugo Boss) and Amir Amirani (We are Many). More on the 8 projects: A Small Act Dir. Jennifer Arnold A Kenyan boy’s life is dramatically changed when his education is sponsored by a Swedish stranger. Years later, Chris Mburu founds his own scholarship program to replicate the kindness he once received. But, a wave of violence tears through Kenya and threatens the potential impact of Chris’ fund. On the Streets Dir. Penny Woolcock On the Streets is an observational documentary about homeless people shot over eight months. Rough sleepers, from Paul with two degrees in pure maths to Jean, Ken and Andy gradually reveal that their problem is not lack of housing. The film shows the camaraderie of the streets and the loneliness of being indoors with no support structure. Ping Pong Dir. Hugh Hartford Pensioners from across the planet compete in the World over 80s Table Tennis Championships in Inner Mongolia. From retirement, care homes, mental and physical health to death and loneliness; 9 characters from 4 continents, with 807 years of experience between them; guide us through the life affirming world of veterans athletics. Anatomy of Poverty (working title) Dir. Elinyisia Mosha Anatomy of Poverty follows several characters in order to explore the impact and progress of foreign direct investment on Tanzania over the last ten years since massive privatization measures were enacted. The Flaw Dir. David Sington What was the fundamental cause of the great American financial meltdown of 2007/8, an event whose consequences will continue to be felt all over the world for years, perhaps decades, to come? The Flaw delves into the history of American capitalism to provide a definitive and surprising answer with radical implications for society. Not On the Label Dir. Rachel Seifert The story of the cocaine trade and the war against it - a war that cannot be won and whose victims are the poor, the powerless and the dispossessed. Western governments should change their policies and western consumers should give up consumption: the real cost is not on the label. Dancing with Hugo Boss Dir. Heather Leach Dancing with Hugo Boss is a feature documentary that will take a personal look at the importance of life, love and mortality. This life affirming film raises issues about coping with cancer, family relationships, avoiding depression and a desire to line dance in a pair of Hugo Boss boots! We Are Many Dir. Amir Amirani The story of the biggest peace march in history. On 15 February 2003, in over 800 cities around the world, 30 million people protested against the planned invasion of Iraq. In telling this remarkable story, We Are Many will harness the passion and political energy of this phenomenal movement as a force for good.

What would it be like if you put your children in a school where the teacher spoke a foreign language? Speaking in Tongues follows the experience of 4 kids in language immersion grade schools. Come watch this award winning film and support Californians Together, a statewide coalition of parents, teachers, education advocates and civil rights groups committed to securing equal access to quality education for all children. $4 from each ticket sold will be donated to their "Seal of Biliteracy" campaign. September 12th 3:00pm – 5:00pm @ Aero Theatre (1328 Montana Avenue) Santa Monica, CA Directions: http://bit.ly/buxwiC Please share this exciting event with your networks. Special invited guests include: the filmmakers, community leaders, policymakers and more advocates from organizations at the forefront of multilingual education. Limited tickets available, so purchase yours now: http://bit.ly/amfISs Spread the word on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=136889176352301&ref=mf

From a pool of over 70 films, eight filmmaker teams attended our Films for Good workshop, 23 – 25 July, in Islington, London. Designed by Channel 4 BRITDOC and Working Films UK, the workshop took first steps in developing effective strategic community and audience engagement campaigns for the films, supported by non-traditional distribution strategies. Sarah Mosses, of our team in London, developed some early plans for each film’s campaign with a suggested range of potential partners – including leading NGOs and some corporate brands. We had a mixture of projects from development stage, right through to completion and we emphasized peer learning and active group discussion. Presenters this year included Jess Search (C4 BRITDOC Foundation) and James Franklin (Pixeco) on social networks and online presence, Christo Hird (Dartmouth Films) on the success of End of the Line, Sarah Cropley (Wellcome Trust) on their funding priorities, including tips for applicants, Claire Ebrey (The Co-Operative) on their support for films in communities and David Alberts (What on Earth is Going on?) discussing how brands are getting in on the action. In an evaluation of the weekend, 15 filmmaker team members responded: 13 gave us the highest rating for “overall impression” of the workshop, 2 team members gave us next highest rating. Comments included: “Thank you so much. It was a great weekend, a great initiative and very helpful for any filmmaker. The speakers and facilitators were top class!” “Thanks for a brilliant couple of days in London. It was a real eye opener.” “Thank you for a fantastic workshop at the weekend, I have to say I left feeling totally re-energized and a little wiped, good combo.” Dancing With Hugo Boss from heather leach on Vimeo. Heather Leach’s project Dancing with Hugo Boss explored the real emotions of living with cancer and was supported by an ambitious engagement platform called ‘Sideways’, which will bring in stories from other cancer patients and teach them to use film as a means of therapeutic expression. Amir Amirani’s We Are Many amazed the room with the ambition to seek out all 30 million people who marched against Iraq in 2003. (When we asked folks in the room, “did you march?”, almost all hands went up, from sites around the globe.) Using social media platforms Amir is already sourcing photo’s, videos and personal stories from around the world to include in the final film. We Are Many from Amir Amirani on Vimeo. We will be tracking these projects as they progress and hope to see some of the ideas put into action over the next few months. Most of the teams have already reached out to new organizations following our suggestion; we know they are on a pathway to success and authentic impact.

There is a debate heating up in Kansas about the proposed expansion of the Holcomb Station coal-fired power plant. Proponents of Sunflower Electric Power's plant expansion cite the need to meet the growing load requirement in the region. Opponents argue that Kansas has the nation's second-best wind resource and that in the long run, renewable energy can meet energy requirements at lower cost to rate payers and to the environment. The Kansas Department of Health & Environment's (KDHE) has hosted three public hearings this week to listen to the voices of Kansans. The public commenting remains open through August 15th (unless it is extended). Working Films will host two special screenings of the Center for Investigative Reporting’s documentary Dirty Business: “Clean Coal” and the Battle for Our Energy Future in Lawrence and Wichita. The film will play on Monday, August 9th at 7pm Lawrence Arts Center and is co-hosted by Films For Action.  It will then play in Wichita on Wednesday, August 11th at 7pm at the Murdock Theatre. Both screenings are free and open to the public. Dirty Business actually covered the Elk River Wind Project in Kansas, where Pete Ferrell is one of four landowners leasing the land for the wind mills. He will be part of the post-screening discussions. Also part of the Q&A afterwards includes Scott Allegrucci of The Great Plains Alliance for Clean Energy (GPACE) and Stephanie Cole of Sierra Club Kansas. The discussion will include ideas on how the audience can submit their comments to KDHE before the commenting period is closed on August 15th. The KDHE public commenting process is likely to be the last opportunity to have your voice heard regarding the proposed coal plant and perhaps the best opportunity to influence the state’s – and the nation’s – energy policy. Is your community having a similar debate? Dirty Business will be available for house parties and community screenings in September. Stay tuned!

It’s Wednesday evening after another steamy day on the NC coast, with the temperature still close to 100. I have just poured a crisp, cool glass of white wine, and am scanning the Internet, waiting to hear about Judge Walker’s decision on Prop 8, and the fight to repeal the ban of gay marriages in CA. My cell rings, it’s my (straight) friend Liz, “Hey! We won! I just heard on NPR! They overturned Prop 8.” Wow. While not unexpected, suddenly I am short of breath. Imagine the impact: this decision supports every couple’s right to express their love and commitment. Over the rest of the evening (and one more glass of wine) I explored the Internet, and wanted to share three steps you could take now as this case heads to the US Circuit Court of Appeals. 1) Be proud. Read Judge Walker’s ruling: 136 pages of carefully reasoned, critical rationale for overturning the ban. The US Constitution is alive and robust throughout this document. 2) Read analysis of the decision and watch some excellent news videos from Prop 8 Trial Tracker. 3) Go to Christie Herring’s facebook page for The Campaign, a film in development supported in part by Working Films that shares – with startling insider access, the daily emotional roller coaster of the folks who worked to defeat Prop 8 in the voting booth. They lost that fight. It suddenly looks like the film might have a happier ending. As an out gay man, living in the American South for over 40 years, this decision is intensely personal for me and for thousands of gays and lesbians like me. In his findings, Judge Walker states: In the absence of a rational basis, what remains of proponents’ case is an inference, amply supported by evidence in the record, that Proposition 8 was premised on the belief that same-sex couples simply are not as good as opposite-sex couples. Whether that belief is based on moral disapproval of homosexuality, animus towards gays and lesbians or simply a belief hat a relationship between a man and a woman is inherently better than a relationship between two men or two women, this belief is not a proper basis on which to legislate. In other words, you can’t legislate hate. Suddenly, the universe has tilted a bit in our direction, and for the first time, we are free to imagine a future and a life that fully embraces all the potential for intimacy and happiness with a partner. My faith in the founding principles of this country has just been reclaimed a bit; I am heartened and excited about the possibility of winning this battle, all the way to the Supreme Court. It is, without question, a profound moment in American jurisprudence. But it is also intensely personal.

From a pool of over 60 films, we narrowed the finalists down to eight powerful stories told by committed filmmakers, all attending our Films for Good workshop this weekend, 3 - 25 July, in Islington, London. We designed this workshop with the Channel 4 BRITDOC team to create effective strategic community and audience engagement campaigns for social issue documentaries accepted into the program. We've already developed some ideas for each film’s campaign with a suggested range of potential partners - including leading NGOs as well as some corporate brand partners. Last year, filmmakers said the workshop was "inspirational!", "thrilling" and, most importantly perhaps, "pragmatic". Presenters this year include Jess Search (C4 BRITDOC), Christo Hird (Dartmouth Films), Sarah Cropley (Wellcome Trust), Claire Ebrey (The Co-Operative) and others. Attendance is by invitation only, but watch out for a report out on the week, and the high profile release of each of the films involved. Participating projects include: Planeat Dir. Shelley Lee Davies PLANEAT tells the story of the scientists, farmers and chefs tackling one of the greatest problems of our age, our love affair with meat and dairy. Through an extraordinary personal and mouthwatering culinary journey we discover why it’s bad for our health, the environment, and our planet’s future, and what a balanced diet actually means. Dancing with Hugo Boss Dir. Heather Leach Dancing with Hugo Boss’ is an intensely personal feature documentary that looks at the importance of life, love and mortality. This life affirming film raises issues about coping with cancer, family relationships and a desire to line dance in a pair of Hugo Boss boots! Ping Pong Dir. Hugh Hartford Elders from across the planet compete in the “World over 80s Table Tennis Championships” in Inner Mongolia. 8 characters from 4 continents guide us through the life affirming world of athletics for the over 80 crowd. The Flaw Dir. David Sington What caused the great American financial meltdown of 2007, an event whose consequences will continue to be felt all over the world for years, perhaps decades, to come? The Flaw delves into the history of American capitalism to provide a definitive - and surprising - answer. Calvet Dir. Dominic Allan Jean Marc Calvet has a dark and violent past. Now a successful artist, he must find the son he abandoned in France 12 years ago at the age of six. We Are Many Dir. Amir Amirani Only a few days after 9/11, a small group of peace activists met in London to discuss the potential repercussions of the attack in NY. Little did they know, one small meeting would later grow into a global protest against the planned invasion of Iraq, 30 million strong -- the biggest peace march in human history. Through the first hand testimony of the key figures involved, we will unveil the drama, and magnitude of the events that led up to this historic day, and why its lack of an impact was so troubling. Save us from Saviours Dir. Kat Mansoor They don’t want to be saved. They don’t need rehabilitation. They need rights. This film will follow the campaign of VAMP, an amazing group of Indian sex workers, as they fight for their right to be treated as human beings, and for an end to social stigma. Not on the Label Dir. Rachel Seifert In Mexico, the war on drug trafficking has left over 13,500 dead, with Ciudad Juarez currently having the highest murder rate in the world. This film looks deep behind the motives of the coca growers, Latin politicians and the doctors who have witnessed the negative impact the drug trade has had on people in their communities.