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).
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.
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.”
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 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).
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!
Five summers ago, I arrived in the Wilmington firehouse for my first day of work as a summer intern at Working Films. Three days later, I got appendicitis and was rushed into surgery. And one week ago, I watched Good Fortune, a feature documentary I produced and edited, air on POV on PBS. All of these events feel connected to me, I’m just not sure how exactly.
Perhaps it’s the surreal feeling to it all—arriving to work the first day confused to find a firehouse in place of a standard office building, being rapidly wheeled across the ER by a bunch of strange nurses with strong Carolinian accents, and watching, after five years of blood, sweat, and tears, your film beam out to millions of people.
I worked with director Landon Van Soest to tell the stories of Jackson and Silva, two Kenyans whose lives are being destroyed by massive, international development projects. We followed them as they, along with their friends and neighbors, banned together to fight back to protect their community. It was empowering to see their fight, and we felt their stories served as a cautionary tale against imposing aid on a community. So it was an amazing feeling to know that their stories were being watched across the country last Tuesday.
But POV was involved in more than the broadcast. They worked with us to develop discussion guides, community screenings, and an interactive and ridiculously in-depth website. The site features updates on the film, videos exploring positive alternatives to development (made possible by our friends at the Fledgling Fund), an interactive map showcasing similar examples around the world, and more information about foreign aid and Kenya. But perhaps the feature I’m most excited about are the responses to the film by development experts. My favorite was from Erica Hagen of Map Kibera, who showed the film to a group of youths in Kibera. She describes their response this way: “They said ‘This is the truth. This is what it is like to live in Kibera. This is the kind of thing that happens to us. Someone comes by and marks our house with a red X, or cuts our power line, or tells us a new scheme has just been passed and it’s time for us to fall in line.’”
This was the most gratifying thing we could have read as filmmakers. We are continuing our work with the film and hope to bring it back to the communities in East Africa. We are also finishing a companion film, The Captain, about a polygamous family on the Kenyan shores of Lake Victoria that a presents holistic view of modern poverty by exploring the family’s relationship with the poverty, health, and environmental conservation.
And we hope the POV broadcast and our campaign beyond will help advocate for a rethinking of aid and development. Change needs to come from the grassroots; when it is imposed on a community, things often don’t turn out as they are planned.
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.
Whew, just back from Washington DC and the Good Pitch @ Silverdocs, where it was hot hot hot – both inside the Performing Arts Center with an amazing lineup of films and responses from funders, NGOs, and strategists, and outside, where the temp hovered around 99. Jess Search, of C4 BRITDOC, set up a time lapse camera to capture the day:
The Media That Matters Film Festival showcases inspirational short films from young independent filmmakers. This is the tenth year that Media That Matters has brought together a collection of 12 short films – each under 12 minutes – aimed at engaging diverse audiences and inspiring action.
Working Films co-founder and executive director, Robert West, will be hosting the Media That Matters UK premiere event with UK staff member Sarah Mosses. The jury-selected collection of films look at a broad range of human rights and social justice issues from the experience of transgender youth to health care in the US, the tyranny of the beauty industry, racial prejudice and the experiences of Guantanamo Bay detainees. A highlight will be a conversation with Omar Deghayes, who is featured in the final film of the evening, Justice Denied: Voices from Guantanamo.
This event marks the launch of a year-round programme of screenings, debates and actions in response to the films. The Media That Matters collection will be available on their website.
For further details and booking please visit the Frontline Club. It’s likely to be a sold out event, so early booking is advised!
DENIED
USA |12:00| Documentary
Directed & Produced by Julie Winokur
Simultaneously battling cancer and abandonment by her insurance company, one woman fights for her right to health care.
JURY AWARD
I’M JUST ANNEKE
Canada & USA |11:14| Documentary
Directed & Produced by Jonathan Skurnik
With the support of family and friends, a 12-year-old experiences the onset of puberty in the fluid space between genders.
CHANGEMAKER AWARD
I AM SEAN BELL
USA |10:36| Documentary
Directed & Produced by Stacey Muhammad
Young boys reflect on the Sean Bell tragedy, speaking out about their fears and hopes as they approach manhood in a city where the lives of young black men are often cut short.
SPEAKING OUT AWARD
NO ONE BOTHERED
UK & Canada |7:54| Documentary
Directed by Josephine Boxwell, Produced by Laurie Nicholls Meet Claire and Darren, and take a tour of the streets they used to call home and the daily ridicule they encountered.
EMPOWERMENT AWARD
SHADES OF THE BORDER
DR, Haiti, & USA |12:00| Documentary
Directed & Produced by Patrick Smith
One island, two countries, many skin colors. A history of racial prejudice divides the island of Hispaniola.
RACIAL DIALOGUE AWARD
MY HOTNESS IS PASTED ON YEY!
USA |5:37| Experimental, Puppetry
Directed & Produced by Gus Andrews
What do audiences want-naked truth or flawless beauty? Puppets Weena and Erna expose the trade secrets of an industry chasing after perfection.
FAIR USE AWARD
DAY JOB
USA |6:36| Documentary
Directed & Produced by Sara Hopman
Day laborers voice their grievances and reflect on the challenges they face as they bide their time in parking lots, hoping that work is around the corner.
ECONOMIC JUSTICE AWARD
THE LAST TOWN
China & USA |7:26| Documentary
Directed & Produced by Yan Chun Su
What if your hometown ceased to exist? Take one last look at a 2000-year old town before it is flooded by China’s Three Gorges Dam project.
SUSTAINING TRADITIONS AWARD
AQUAFINITO
USA |8:18| Documentary
Directed & Produced by Annalise Littman
Why do consumers ignore our most “green” source of drinking water-the tap? A simple taste test yields eye- opening results.
YOUTH SUSTAINABILITY AWARD
UNINSURED IN THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA
USA |5:17| Documentary
Directed & Produced by Katie Falkenberg
In one of the most impoverished and uninsured areas in the U.S., the inhabitants of the Mississippi Delta grapple daily with an impossible dilemma: do they put food on the table or life-saving medicine in the cabinet?
HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD
LESSONS FROM A TAILOR
USA |8:23| Documentary
Directed by Galen Summer, Produced by Caitlin Dourmashkin Entrepreneur Martin Greenfield’s infectious passion and hopeful perspective bring his community and his employees more than just jobs.
PERSPECTIVES AWARD
JUSTICE DENIED: VOICES FROM
GUANTANAMO
UK & USA |9:30| Documentary
Directed by Joel Engardio, Produced by Joel Engardio & Ateqah Khaki Wrongfully imprisoned and later released, Guantanamo detainees recount their stories as they move on with their lives and chart a course for healing.
GLOBAL JUSTICE AWARD
Natalie Difford of Chicken & Egg Pictures and Emily Verellen of the Fledgling Fund have been catching some of the excitement on their blogs, Facebook and Twitter pages.
In this video, Emily asks Lora Smith, the Appalachian Regional Coordinator for the fantastic film, Deep Down, what sustains her activism.
Last month, Working Films and Chicken & Egg Pictures hosted a screening of Nancy Schwartzman’s film The Line, for our Story Leads to Action series at 92YTribeca. After the screening, the audience discussed how the film could be used in high schools, college freshman orientation programs, sexual violence prevention programs and law school and criminal justice education.
On the panel were:
- Nancy Schwartzman (Director)
- Michelle J. Anderson (Dean and Professor of Law at CUNY School of Law)
- Neil Irvin (Executive Director, Men Can Stop Rape)
- Don McPherson (former NFL football player; current sports announcer and activist)
- Meghan O’Conner (NYC Alliance Against Sexual Assault)
On her blog, Nancy gives a breakdown of the key points that each panelist spoke on.
Also, check out what Jessica at “The Love That is Strong” had to say about the screening along with their thoughts on the larger discussion of sexual violence awareness and consent.
