LATEST NEWS

What makes a movement, a leader, and a follower? This is for all of those trying to build ‘the movement'.

Thanks to Derek Sivers for this.

How do social issue documentary films do more than just raise awareness? Are you a documentary filmmaker looking for the formula to take your film to the next level? IMPACT is a new series of videos created by Working Films and The Fledgling Fund focused on building film campaigns that ignite social change. Assessing Impact: A Funder’s Perspective is the first video in our series. It features our partner The Fledgling Fund and gives you an insider’s look at how to assess the impact of a film, its distribution and related campaign. Founder Diana Barrett and Executive Director Shelia Leddy discuss the impact of Born into Brothels and Ghosts of Abu Ghraib. You'll get a close look at how these films supported the social change goals of their partner organizations and how they were tied to urgent actions. Diana and Sheila also lead you through their foundation's transformation into one of the leaders in the field of supporting creative media and audience engagement. For more information, go to https://www.workingfilms.org/impact and http://www.thefledglingfund.org/impact. You can also access more resources on all things audience engagement in our Resources section.

Including Samuel and the film’s campaign has big plans for 2010: a youth-driven inclusion campaign, international outreach, screenings across the country and more. But sometimes looking back is as exciting as looking forward. Filmmaker Dan Habib has shared a few spectacular highlights on the impact of Including Samuel that follow below.

20 TEENS & 48 HOURS First, twenty teenage leaders from across the country held Including Samuel viewing parties in their communities, then came together at Imagination Stage in Bethesda, MD on January 8-10, 2010. Their goal was to develop an advocacy campaign to build awareness and support for the full social and educational inclusion of people with disabilities. These teens created a powerful mission statement, developed two concepts for a national inclusion campaign, and created two prototype campaign videos -- all in less than 48 hours! The campaign is under wraps and will be launched this spring! See more information about the Summit and the teens who took part, plus hundreds of photos at the Youth Inclusion Voices Facebook page.

ON THE ROAD: 150+ SCREENINGS IN 27 STATES Dan has presented the film at more than 150 screenings in 27 states, as well as internationally. He has led discussions at film festivals, universities, high schools, national conferences, medical schools and theaters from New York City to San Francisco, Belgium to Montreal. The film has also screened at film festivals and events in more than a dozen countries, including Russia, Turkey, Greece, Belgium, India, England, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Scotland and Taiwan. Grants from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and the Endowment for Health enabled Dan to bring free screenings and discussions to ten New Hampshire school districts and to many of New Hampshire's pediatric medical practitioners and students. See the full list of screenings Dan has attended. Visit the Including Samuel Effect and the Facebook Group to read testimonials about the impact of the film on thousands of schools, organizations and families around the world.

Dan will present the film at the following upcoming events: •    New York, NY: Young Child Expo and Conference, April 10 •    Nashville, TN: Council for Exceptional Children Convention, April 22 •    Minot, ND: Pathfinders Conference, May 6 •    Washington, DC: VSA arts International Conference, June 11 837 BROADCASTS ON 347 STATIONS The film aired nationwide on PBS stations in the fall of 2009. The film was broadcast 837 times on 347 stations reaching 83% of the national market. The broadcasts, which had the potential to reach 240 million people, were underwitten by the National Inclusion Project and CVS Caremark All Kids Can. New Hampshire Public Television produced a half-hour segment on the impact of Including Samuel. Read the Including Samuel newsletter to learn more about the campaign’s recent successes.

Sophie Gore Browne from Chicken & Egg pictures joins us as a guest blogger

Chicken & Egg Pictures in partnership with Working Films hosted another STORY LEADS TO ACTION at 92YTribeca, with a screening of the documentary Good Fortune by filmmakers Landon Van Soest and Jeremy Levine. Set in Kenya, the documentary vividly calls into question the positive impact of international development organizations, from the housing reconstruction efforts of the UN in the slums of Kibera to a private agri-business in the swamp lands of Yala. The film raises issues about dead aid, and the politics of international development which often excludes the involvement of the very people these organizations are trying to help. The film has had a successful year on the festival circuit along with a notable P.O.V. broadcast, but the aim of the night was to put heads together with NY guest educators to hash out how this film could really make a difference where it is most needed; among students learning international development, aid organizations, the donor community, inter-governmental organizations like the UN/World Bank/IMF that promote foreign investment in developing countries. [caption id="attachment_942" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="From left to right: Landon Van Soest, Jeremy Levine, Eliza Licht, David Gerwin, Dr. Mojúbàobolú Olúfúnké Okome"][/caption]

Dr. Mojúbàobolú Olúfúnké Okome, Professor of Political Science; Eliza Licht, Director, Community Engagement and Education, P.O.V.; and David Gerwin, Associate Professor, Coordinator, Program in Social Studies, all provided varied personal insight on the content of the film and the purpose to which it could be most effectively used.

P.O.V. came away with ideas for compiling an education packet to be distributed with the film to various education institutions and both Professors spoke about how the film could be used in the class room. Beyond the guest speakers contributions to the conversation, filmmakers in the audience shared their views and ideas about ways to take this film beyond the film circuit. Audience members where encouraged to write their questions and ideas down, whilst the conversation was taking place, for the filmmakers to take home and transform into practical audience engagement strategies. Here are some of audience members’ suggestions: •    Show the film to large foundations to encourage them to support projects with local involvement. •    Include more statistics for the educational version. •    Give updates on what is happening with the stories now. •    Provide more info on different approaches to development like microlending. •    We also got lots of great suggestions for organizations to highlight for our educational guide and venues to screen the film. Thanks to all!

Sophie Gore Browne from Chicken & Egg pictures joins us as a guest blogger

Chicken & Egg Pictures in partnership with Working Films hosted another STORY LEADS TO ACTION at 92YTribeca, with a screening of the documentary Good Fortune by filmmakers Landon Van Soest and Jeremy Levine. Set in Kenya, the documentary vividly calls into question the positive impact of international development organizations, from the housing reconstruction efforts of the UN in the slums of Kibera to a private agri-business in the swamp lands of Yala. The film raises issues about dead aid, and the politics of international development which often excludes the involvement of the very people these organizations are trying to help. The film has had a successful year on the festival circuit along with a notable P.O.V. broadcast, but the aim of the night was to put heads together with NY guest educators to hash out how this film could really make a difference where it is most needed; among students learning international development, aid organizations, the donor community, inter-governmental organizations like the UN/World Bank/IMF that promote foreign investment in developing countries. [caption id="attachment_942" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="From left to right: Landon Van Soest, Jeremy Levine, Eliza Licht, David Gerwin, Dr. Mojúbàobolú Olúfúnké Okome"][/caption]

Dr. Mojúbàobolú Olúfúnké Okome, Professor of Political Science; Eliza Licht, Director, Community Engagement and Education, P.O.V.; and David Gerwin, Associate Professor, Coordinator, Program in Social Studies, all provided varied personal insight on the content of the film and the purpose to which it could be most effectively used.

P.O.V. came away with ideas for compiling an education packet to be distributed with the film to various education institutions and both Professors spoke about how the film could be used in the class room. Beyond the guest speakers contributions to the conversation, filmmakers in the audience shared their views and ideas about ways to take this film beyond the film circuit. Audience members where encouraged to write their questions and ideas down, whilst the conversation was taking place, for the filmmakers to take home and transform into practical audience engagement strategies. Here are some of audience members’ suggestions: •    Show the film to large foundations to encourage them to support projects with local involvement. •    Include more statistics for the educational version. •    Give updates on what is happening with the stories now. •    Provide more info on different approaches to development like microlending. •    We also got lots of great suggestions for organizations to highlight for our educational guide and venues to screen the film. Thanks to all!

A New Kind of Listening follows Chris Mueller-Medlicott, a young man with cerebral palsy who was mislabeled profoundly mentally disabled because he could not speak. Chris breaks through into stunning self-expression in this moving and inspiring film. The hour-long documentary, by Durham filmmaker Kenny Dalsheimer, takes viewers inside the creative work of the Community Inclusive Theater Group, the cast of which is made up of members with and without disabilities, as they create and perform an original stage piece. Together they prove that a small community arts project has the power to transform lives. A New Kind of Listening weaves together deep feelings, playfulness, vulnerability, and unexpected loss in a joyful, painful celebration of our connection to each other. The result is a groundbreaking film with the power to change beliefs about intelligence, disability and what it takes to be heard. UPCOMING SCREENINGS February 10th, 2010 @ 3:30pm Picture This... International Disability Film Festival Calgary, Alberta, Canada http://www.ptff.org February 23rd, 2010 @ 7:00pm Sustainable Film Series Fearington Barn in Fearington Village, Pittsboro, North Carolina Screening followed by panel discussion with local artists and advocates to focus on inclusive arts initiatives in Chatham Country. "Sustainable Cinema Series" is a film series featuring documentaries, narrative and independent films involving producers, directors, subjects and/or locations in North Carolina. Visit the Chatham Arts Website for more information. March 7th 2010 @ 7:00pm Jubilee! Community Church 46 Wall Street, Asheville, North Carolina, 28801 A workshop entitled Eyes to See/Ears to Hear: Connecting Authentically to People Living with Disabilities, will be led by Mark Medlin and Polly Medlicott. A donation of $10 is suggested. Register by contacting Polly (828) 775-6333 or polly.medlicott@gmail.com by noon of the workshop day. March 8th 2010 at 10:00 a.m Family Support Network of WNC 11 Vanderbilt Park Dr., Asheville, NC 28803 There will be a focus group meeting on community inclusive arts, with speaker Betsy Ludwig from Arts Access. All interested persons, including people with disabilities and their families, are invited to attend.

I was energized by the news last week that Christie Herring's work-in-progress The Campaign was just awarded a new grant from Chicken & Egg Pictures. All week I had been following the related so-called Prop 8 trial, Kristin M. Perry v. Arnold Schwarzenegger, through the Courage Campaign's Prop 8 trial tracker. Christie attended our MASS MoCA residency in 2009 when her film was in early development. The Campaign follows the daily efforts and emotional rollercoaster of the community of people working to stop Prop 8, the 2008 Constitutional Amendment to end gay marriage in California. The film offers extraordinary behind-the-scene access and compelling evidence that what unfolded in this California campaign was a focused and cynical push to eliminate the fundamental rights of a “despised” minority. As the trial heads into its third week in a U.S. District Court, Christie’s film and the story she is telling takes on new significance. The daily proceedings in the courtroom are astonishing; the plaintiffs case is that there is and was no bias against gays in this effort, a viewpoint which Christie’s film clearly undoes. As the defense began its case this week I asked Christie for her perceptions about this case, an update for her film and how folks can get involved and support her documentary. Here’s her response: Hey Robert, I also have been following the case by tweet and blog. It touches on so many issues that affect me and people I love - airing out the ugliness of homophobia (last week’s testimony included a "Yes on Prop 8” leader claiming that homosexuality has been linked to pedophilia), the trauma that the ex-gay movement inflicts on us and our loved ones, the long term effects of internalized homophobia, and the reality of our lukewarm political support. It's upsetting and infuriating. The court fight is focused on a national / federal approach to LGBT rights and specifically marriage equality. This is a departure from the state-by-state strategy that's been the focus of much of the movement thus far. The Campaign explores these strategies through Proposition 8, which has spanned both. In California, Proposition 8 stripped same gender couples of the right to marry, a fundamental right recognized and protected by the California Supreme Court just months before the 2004 election. By documenting the dedication and struggle inside the No On 8 campaign, my film makes clear how precious marriage equality is to LGBT families and how hard so many people fought to protect the equality and dignity that was ours for a just a moment. The Perry case will take this issue to the Federal Courts and eventually challenge the US Supreme Court to rule on the quality and validity of the families we form. The stakes are high, and there has been some disagreement among LGBT leaders about whether the Perry case is the right strategy and at the right time. But this is a disagreement about strategy, not values or direction. The common denominator is that marriage equality is precious and worth fighting for. Here is a rationale behind the state-by-state strategy, written by some folks at the Gill Foundation. Patrick Guerreriro was Campaign Manager for No on 8: "The Lesson of Danny and Marilyn." Here is the case for the Federal approach written by Robin McGeehee and Kip Williams, the two co-directors of the National Equality March in Washington (October 2009),: “Let’s Stop Talking about Failure and Go Win.” And then here are two interesting articles outlining how this case came about - it's political history: “CHALLENGING PROP 8: THE HIDDEN STORY: How Hollywood activists seized control of the fight for gay marriage” and also “A Risky Proposal: Is it too soon to petition the Supreme Court on gay marriage?” For me, I say hit them from every angle. I go back to the Martin Luther King, Jr. quote from his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” which I posted on the film's Facebook page: “Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability … We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right." Civil rights and social justice do not transform overnight. And every right we secure must be protected. No matter what happens, we will need to keep fighting together and moving forward. I hope one lesson from The Campaign is the knowledge that the work itself is transformative and empowering. We are excited about this new support from Chicken & Egg Pictures; folks can see some clips from the film on YouTube. Go to our Facebook page or our website to learn more. Onward! Christie

The North Carolina Black Film Festival (formerly known as the Cine Noir Festival of Black Film) is currently accepting entries for their film festival March 18-21, 2010 in Wilmington, NC. Deadline for submissions is January 31st 2010. In it's 9th year, the four day festival will showcase feature length films, documentaries, shorts and animations by African-American filmmakers. $500 prizes will be awarded in each category. Please visit their website for submission requirements.