Working Films - Linking Non-Fiction Film with Cutting Edge Activism : Mississippi Conference

Mississippi Conference

Reel Justice: A Film Conference on Police Brutality & Violence Against Women
Presented by Working Films and Fathers Active in Their Hoods

March 27-28, 2009
Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, MS
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View the schedule

Partner Organizations
• ACLU of Mississippi
• Children's Defense Fund
• Community Aid & Development of Jackson, MS
• Fathers Active In Their Hoods, Inc.
• Malcolm X Grassroots Movement
• NAACP of Mississippi
• Southern Poverty Law Center
• Tougaloo College Family Life Center
• Tougaloo College, Student Government Association
• Working Films

Speakers

• Nsombi Lambright – Director, MS ACLU
• Byron Hurt - filmmaker - Hip Hop Beyond Beats & Rhymes, activist, author
• M1 of Dead Prez - artist, activist, Hip Hop Congress - national spokesperson
• Chokwe Lumumba - civil rights attorney, National Conference of Black Lawyers
• Wendy Shenefelt – Children’s Defense Fund
• Layla Fitzgerald – Children’s Defense Fund
• MS. Youth Justice Project
• Chuck Patterson – Yard Boy Entertainment
• Brothas Keepa - artist, activist
• Nappi By Nature - artists, activists
• Kamikaze - artist, activist
• Skipp Coon - artist, activist
• 5th Child - artist, activist
• Cassio Sharif Batteast - activist, Fathers Active in Their Hoods
• Mikea Kambui- activist, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement
• Clarice M. Bailey – Transition Coach, Andrus Family Fund
• Derrick Johnson - Director, Mississippi NAACP

Films by Category

Police Violence in Communities: Violence in the Community

Every Mother's Son, (53 minutes)
Directors/ Producers: Kelly Anderson, Tami Gold

A portrait of three women who have paid the ultimate price for the aggressive, "zero tolerance" policing practices that swept through American cities during the 1990's - each lost an unarmed child at the hands of the law. Dealing with the repercussions of their children's deaths upon their lives, they come together and learn how to organize within their communities and speak out about the need to rethink and reform policing.

Bullets In The Hood: A Bed Stuy Story (short film)
Directors/ Producers: Terrence Fisher, DCTV

Produced and directed by New York City teenagers Daniel Howard and Terrence Fisher, as a response to the eleven friends they had lost between them due to gun violence. The film took a tragic turn during its production when Terrence experienced the horrific consequences of losing another friend, his best friend, to gun violence--only this time the shooter was a New York City housing policeman. Terrence's "retaliation" was to capture the events of the tense days and weeks afterwards through the lens of his camera.

Banished (84 minutes)
Director/ Producer: Marco Williams

A hundred years ago, in communities across the U.S., white residents forced thousands of black families to flee their homes. Even a century later, these towns remain almost entirely white. Banished tells the story of three of these communities and their black descendants, who return to learn their shocking histories.

Greensboro: Closer to the Truth (83 minutes)
Director/ Producer: Adam Zucker

Examines the events of November 3,1979 in Greensboro, NC. On this day, members of the Communist Workers Party were holding a Death to the Klan rally, when Klansmen and Nazis emerged from a caravan of cars, unloaded an arsenal of guns and began firing. Five people were killed in what became known as the Greensboro Massacre.

Long Night’s Journey Into Day (94 minutes)
Directors/ Producers: Deborah Hoffmann, Frances Reid

Tells four stories of Apartheid in South Africa, as seen through the eyes of the Truth and Reconciliation commission. White soldiers who have killed ANC activists, black activists who have killed whites in political attacks: can there be forgiveness when the full truth comes out?

If 5-0 Shoots (short film)
Producer / Director: Byron Hurt
A tribute to Sean Bell, who was murdered in 2006 in a hail of 51 bullets on the eve of his wedding.

Sexist Culture & Media: Violence in Society

HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes (55 minutes)
Producer / Director: Byron Hurt

A riveting documentary that examines representations of gender roles in hip-hop and rap music through the lens of filmmaker Byron Hurt, a former college quarterback turned activist. Conceived as a "loving critique" from a self-proclaimed "hip-hop head," Hurt examines issues of masculinity, sexism, violence and homophobia in today's hip-hop culture.

"Hey...Shorty" (short film)
Directors/ Producers: Ashley Lewis, Sala Cyril

A youth-produced documentary focuses on women of color's experiences with street harassment and men of color's ideas about and intentions behind the behavior. It exposes the frequency with which street harassment occurs, dispels myths about who it happens to and why, and examines the root causes of why men feel it is their right to approach women, in ways both friendly and violent, in public spaces. Young women share stories of bottles being thrown at them, older men grabbing their hand, and other examples of how street harassment creates a hostile environment for women that perpetuates a culture of violence and the fear of men. Men show off their 'holla' skills, give advice to women on how to respond to their advances, and are challenged to think about street harassment in a new light, one that resonates with them in a profound way.

Rape & Domestic Violence: Violence in the Home

No! The Rape Documentary (94 minutes)
Directors/ Producers: Aishah Shahidah Simmons

Produced over a period of eleven years, seven of which were full time, by Aishah Shahidah Simmons, an incest and rape survivor, this groundbreaking feature length documentary features riveting testimonials from Black women rape survivor stories who defy victimization.

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	Home » Reel Justice Mississippi Conference Reel Justice: A Film Conference on Police Brutality & Violence Against Women Presented by Working Films and Fathers Active in Their Hoods March 27-28, 2009 Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, MS RSVP to this event View the schedule Partner Organizations • ACLU of Mississippi • Children's Defense Fund • Community Aid & Development of Jackson, MS • Fathers Active In Their Hoods, Inc. • Malcolm X Grassroots Movement • NAACP of Mississippi • Southern Poverty Law Center • Tougaloo College Family Life Center • Tougaloo College, Student Government Association • Working Films Speakers • Nsombi Lambright – Director, MS ACLU • Byron Hurt - filmmaker - Hip Hop Beyond Beats & Rhymes, activist, author • M1 of Dead Prez - artist, activist, Hip Hop Congress - national spokesperson • Chokwe Lumumba - civil rights attorney, National Conference of Black Lawyers • Wendy Shenefelt – Children’s Defense Fund • Layla Fitzgerald – Children’s Defense Fund • MS. Youth Justice Project • Chuck Patterson – Yard Boy Entertainment • Brothas Keepa - artist, activist • Nappi By Nature - artists, activists • Kamikaze - artist, activist • Skipp Coon - artist, activist • 5th Child - artist, activist • Cassio Sharif Batteast - activist, Fathers Active in Their Hoods • Mikea Kambui- activist, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement • Clarice M. Bailey – Transition Coach, Andrus Family Fund • Derrick Johnson - Director, Mississippi NAACP Films by Category Police Violence in Communities: Violence in the Community *Every Mother's Son, (53 minutes) Directors/ Producers: Kelly Anderson, Tami Gold A portrait of three women who have paid the ultimate price for the aggressive, "zero tolerance" policing practices that swept through American cities during the 1990's - each lost an unarmed child at the hands of the law. Dealing with the repercussions of their children's deaths upon their lives, they come together and learn how to organize within their communities and speak out about the need to rethink and reform policing. Bullets In The Hood: A Bed Stuy Story* (short film) Directors/ Producers: Terrence Fisher, DCTV Produced and directed by New York City teenagers Daniel Howard and Terrence Fisher, as a response to the eleven friends they had lost between them due to gun violence. The film took a tragic turn during its production when Terrence experienced the horrific consequences of losing another friend, his best friend, to gun violence--only this time the shooter was a New York City housing policeman. Terrence's "retaliation" was to capture the events of the tense days and weeks afterwards through the lens of his camera. Banished (84 minutes) Director/ Producer: Marco Williams A hundred years ago, in communities across the U.S., white residents forced thousands of black families to flee their homes. Even a century later, these towns remain almost entirely white. Banished tells the story of three of these communities and their black descendants, who return to learn their shocking histories. Greensboro: Closer to the Truth (83 minutes) Director/ Producer: Adam Zucker Examines the events of November 3,1979 in Greensboro, NC. On this day, members of the Communist Workers Party were holding a Death to the Klan rally, when Klansmen and Nazis emerged from a caravan of cars, unloaded an arsenal of guns and began firing. Five people were killed in what became known as the Greensboro Massacre. Long Night’s Journey Into Day (94 minutes) Directors/ Producers: Deborah Hoffmann, Frances Reid Tells four stories of Apartheid in South Africa, as seen through the eyes of the Truth and Reconciliation commission. White soldiers who have killed ANC activists, black activists who have killed whites in political attacks: can there be forgiveness when the full truth comes out? *If 5-0 Shoots* (short film) Producer / Director: Byron Hurt A tribute to Sean Bell, who was murdered in 2006 in a hail of 51 bullets on the eve of his wedding. Sexist Culture & Media: Violence in Society *HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes* (55 minutes) Producer / Director: Byron Hurt A riveting documentary that examines representations of gender roles in hip-hop and rap music through the lens of filmmaker Byron Hurt, a former college quarterback turned activist. Conceived as a "loving critique" from a self-proclaimed "hip-hop head," Hurt examines issues of masculinity, sexism, violence and homophobia in today's hip-hop culture. *"Hey...Shorty"* (short film) Directors/ Producers: Ashley Lewis, Sala Cyril A youth-produced documentary focuses on women of color's experiences with street harassment and men of color's ideas about and intentions behind the behavior. It exposes the frequency with which street harassment occurs, dispels myths about who it happens to and why, and examines the root causes of why men feel it is their right to approach women, in ways both friendly and violent, in public spaces. Young women share stories of bottles being thrown at them, older men grabbing their hand, and other examples of how street harassment creates a hostile environment for women that perpetuates a culture of violence and the fear of men. Men show off their 'holla' skills, give advice to women on how to respond to their advances, and are challenged to think about street harassment in a new light, one that resonates with them in a profound way. Rape & Domestic Violence: Violence in the Home *No! The Rape Documentary* (94 minutes) Directors/ Producers: Aishah Shahidah Simmons Produced over a period of eleven years, seven of which were full time, by Aishah Shahidah Simmons, an incest and rape survivor, this groundbreaking feature length documentary features riveting testimonials from Black women rape survivor stories who defy victimization. Downloads Poster Palm Card Tell a Friend Reel Justice Reel Justice Film Conference Mississippi Conference New York Conference California Conference PAST PROJECTS READ OUR BLOG! Find films by Subject: