http://www.mediarights.org/film/ Copyright 2009 Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:12:36 -0500 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.2 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Crips and Bloods: Made in America offers a message of hope and a cautionary tale of redemption aimed at saving the lives of a new generation of kids, not just in South LA but anywhere in the world where gang violence exists. Narrated by Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker and produced by NBA superstar Baron Davis, the film blends gripping archival footage and photos with in-depth interviews of current and former gang members, educators, historians, family members and experts. Renowned filmmaker Stacy Peralta (Dogtown and Z Boys, Riding Giants) examines the story of South Los Angeles and the gangs that inhabit it. Peralta brings his trademark dynamic visual style and story-telling ability to this often-ignored chapter of America's history. Hard-hitting, yet ultimately hopeful, Crips and Bloods: Made In America not only documents the emergence of the Bloods and the Crips and their growth beyond the borders of South Central, but also offers insight as to how this ongoing tragedy might be resolved.]]> http://www.mediarights.org/film/crips_and_bloods_made_in_america.php http://www.mediarights.org/film/crips_and_bloods_made_in_america.php Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:12:36 -0500 Miya of the Quiet Strength is a one hour documentary about the life of Miya Rodolfo-Sioson, the lone survivor of the November 1, 1991 University of Iowa shooting. Following her injury, Miya became a quadriplegic, but her disability has not prevented this determined woman from helping others. The film portrays Miya’s life as an activist, following her as she overcomes many challenges and fights for the rights of others she sees as less fortunate than herself.]]> http://www.mediarights.org/film/miya_of_the_quiet_strength.php http://www.mediarights.org/film/miya_of_the_quiet_strength.php Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:12:05 -0500 The Chaos of Serenity revolves the theme of the coming of new age and a new world, that really occurs every few centuries. My film was an attempt to describe the effects of curiosity and discovery on the future, how they can change the world. The film was completed in a little under a week, my first film for a film class at the local community college. It turned out well for what it is and a lot of people were able to participate. I used the opportunity to help out some struggling students and give passionate students some more hands-on involvement. All in all, it was a rather exciting experience and I am grateful for all the help I got. I tried to mold the movie around like a Twilight Zone theme, where a Black and White world is trying to discover what a curious device does? They struggle throughout the duration to decipher its origin and figure out how to turn it on. However, a brilliant scientist sees the true effect of the device, but is it too late? In the end, the device allows the Black and White world to now see Color, the truth behind the world in its true form, in its true colors!]]> http://www.mediarights.org/film/the_chaos_of_serenity.php http://www.mediarights.org/film/the_chaos_of_serenity.php Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:10:56 -0500 This film explores the nuances of modern witchcraft. By focusing on two practicing witches, the film delves deep into a supernatural world misrepresented by the media and distorted by urban legend and folklore. The film essentially seeks to dispel myths about this taboo religion by familiarizing the viewer with the truths about Wicca. http://www.mediarights.org/film/magick_all_around.php http://www.mediarights.org/film/magick_all_around.php Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:08:40 -0500 A light dinner table conversation between friends takes an ugly turn when Salih, a young African American man, informs Bertha of his call to duty in Iraq. Acting as a social critique of contemporary issues, the film revolves around a heated political debate calling into question the nature of change itself. http://www.mediarights.org/film/esther_raped.php http://www.mediarights.org/film/esther_raped.php Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:07:43 -0500 Salute is the box office hit of 2008 in Australia which tells the story of Peter Norman, Tommie Smith and John Carlos during the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games Black power protest. The films director is Peter Norman's nephew. This was the first time in history that all three men sat in the same room to discuss what really happened and not what people think happened.]]> http://www.mediarights.org/film/salute.php http://www.mediarights.org/film/salute.php Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:02:49 -0500 This powerful documentary challenges the claims of the nuclear industry and government that "no one died" as a result of the core meltdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear facility in Pennsylvania. It utilizes the testimony of area residents and scientific findings to reveal that deaths, especially from cancer and birth defects in children, have been widespread since the 1979 accident. Indeed, it notes that Three Mile Island's owner has been quietly settling numerous damage cases brought by persons seriously impacted by the accident. http://www.mediarights.org/film/threemile_island_revisited.php http://www.mediarights.org/film/threemile_island_revisited.php Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:56:21 -0500 Isle of Flowers (Portuguese: Ilha das Flores) is a 1989 Brazilian short film by Jorge Furtado. It tracks the path of a tomato from garden to dump with the help of a monotone voiceover and a collection of bizarre images. While a very humorous film, the message it delivers about how human beings treat each other is anything but such. The director himself has stated that the film was inspired by the works of Kurt Vonnegut and Alain Resnais, among others. (Description provided by Wikipedia)]]> http://www.mediarights.org/film/ilha_das_flores_isle_of_flowers.php http://www.mediarights.org/film/ilha_das_flores_isle_of_flowers.php Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:58:46 -0500 Crime, drugs, HIV/AIDS, poor education, inferiority complex, low expectation, poverty, corruption, poor health, and underdevelopment plagues people of African decent globally – Why? 500 years later from the onset of Slavery and subsequent Colonialism, Africans are still struggling for basic freedom–Why? Filmed in five continents, 500 Years Later examines the collective atrocities that uprooted Africans from their culture and homeland. 500 Years Later is a timeless compelling journey, infused with the spirit and music of liberation that chronicles the struggle of a people who have fought and continue to fight for the most essential human right – freedom. http://www.mediarights.org/film/500_years_later.php http://www.mediarights.org/film/500_years_later.php Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:14:23 -0500 The film chronicles the 2002 defeat, and 2004 reelection, of Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney to the U.S. House of Representatives; it also discusses issues surrounding alleged voter disenfranchisement and the use of voting machines in both the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections. http://www.mediarights.org/film/american_blackout.php http://www.mediarights.org/film/american_blackout.php Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:01:21 -0500 Classified X examines the treatment of black characters throughout the history of American cinema. With candor and wit, Melvin Van Peebles explores the institutionalization of racism in Hollywood.]]> http://www.mediarights.org/film/classified_x.php http://www.mediarights.org/film/classified_x.php Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:57:34 -0500 A documentary profiling journalist and radio pioneer Jean Dominique. Director, Jonathan Demme first became intrigued by Dominique in 1991 when he undertook a series of informal video interviews. He returned to his subject many times over the next decade, sometimes in Haiti and sometimes during extended periods when Dominique was in the U.S., a political exile from his homeland. When Demme began his documentary, he certainly couldn’t have planned for its end--the assassination of Dominique outside his Port au Prince radio station in 2000. As The Agronomist makes clear, it was a blatantly political crime and one that remains unsolved. The title refers to Dominique’s original vocation helping farmers in the rural communities of Haiti. He came from the upper classes, but continued his battles in representing his country’s poor and dispossessed even as his career path changed to professional broadcaster. http://www.mediarights.org/film/the_agronomist.php http://www.mediarights.org/film/the_agronomist.php Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:53:42 -0500 The Black Candle is a landmark, vibrant documentary that uses Kwanzaa as a vehicle to explore and celebrate the African-American experience. Narrated by world renowned poet Maya Angelou and directed by award-winning author and filmmaker M.K. Asante, Jr., The Black Candle is an extraordinary, inspirational story about the struggle and triumph of African-American family, community, and culture. Filmed across the United States, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean, The Black Candle is a timely illumination on why the seven principles of Kwanzaa (unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith) are so important to African-Americans today. The first feature film on Kwanzaa, The Black Candle traces the holiday’s growth out of the Black Power Movement in the 1960s to its present-day reality as a global, pan-African holiday embraced by over 40 million celebrants. With vivid cinematography and an all star cast that features the best and brightest from the hip-hop and the civil rights generations, The Black Candle is more than a film about a holiday: it’s a celebration of a people!]]> http://www.mediarights.org/film/the_black_candle_a_kwanzaa_celebration.php http://www.mediarights.org/film/the_black_candle_a_kwanzaa_celebration.php Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:45:55 -0500 Whisper Leigh questions the notions of the strong and hard socially constructed and widely accepted definitions and characteristics of what it means to be male or female as it reveals the slippage of identity that can occur in defining gender.]]> http://www.mediarights.org/film/whisper_leigh.php http://www.mediarights.org/film/whisper_leigh.php Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:33:08 -0500 One World Everybody Eats is a documentary that is currently in development by Alice Elliott, director of Welcome Change Productions. We want to raise awareness of Ms. Cerreta's efforts and the success of the One World Cafe so that she can realize her dream of seeing a community kitchen open in every city in the world.]]> http://www.mediarights.org/film/one_world_everybody_eats.php http://www.mediarights.org/film/one_world_everybody_eats.php Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:11:37 -0500