Honoring Robert West at Full Frame Film Festival

As you may know, this past fall, Robert West, Working Films’ cofounder and executive director for the past thirteen years, was diagnosed with GBM, a fatal brain cancer. Robert has embraced this news with grace, love and courage. On Sunday, The Southern Documentary Fund, The Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, Chicken & Egg … Continued

Reel Power Film Festival Review

Our core effort for Reel Power 2012 was the Reel Power Film Festival (RPFF) – a series of targeted grassroots screenings and events to build solidarity among frontline communities and push for renewable energy alternatives. The films in the series offer new points of entry for difficult conversations about changes that need to be made … Continued

Here Now – Diagnosed with fatal cancer, ex-film exec savors each day

By Si Cantwell [email protected] Published: Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 2:55 a.m. Last Modified: Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 2:55 a.m. WINDY POINT | These days, Robert West enjoys sitting in the sun at his cottage across the Intracoastal Waterway from Holden Beach. He watches finches at the bird feeder, delights in spotting deer in … Continued

Moving Picture (Lumina News)

by Shannon Rae Gentry Wednesday February 6, 2013 Issues of global importance, race, gender, as well as economic and environmental justice have all been addressed by Working Films, an independent media organization focused on “linking nonfiction film to cutting edge activism.” Founded in 2000 by Robert West and Judith Helfand, Working Films began in West’s … Continued

Working Films Leadership Transition

Co-founder Robert West announces he is stepping down Working Films is a nationally and internationally recognized nonprofit organization leveraging the power of story-driven, non-fiction film and media to catalyze social change for equity and justice. Founded in 2000 by Robert West and Judith Helfand, Working Films has raised the bar for “outreach” and impact with … Continued

Reel Economy Filmmaker Launches Corporate Accountability App

Timed to the February 4th PBS Independent Lens rebroadcast of his award-winning documentary As Goes Janesville, Brad Lichtenstein is launching BizVizz, the first mobile iPhone app to make corporate behavior transparent. Just snap a picture of a brand’s logo and a simple graphic screen instantly displays essential facts about America’s largest corporations. Do they pay … Continued

Reaching Tough-to-Reach Kids

by Dan Habib, Filmmaker in Residence Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire The shooting in Newtown, Connecticut caused shock and grief across this country that lingers – as it should – into this new year. We may never know what caused Adam Lanza to take those horrific actions. What is possible to … Continued

How to Raise Funds for Your Socially Engaged Project

Stephanie Bleyer, a long time friend of Working Films, is an outreach and engagement campaign manager for films such as American Promise, God Loves Uganda, and Escape Fire (Sundance 2012). Stephanie has written a two-part blog post on how to effectively and efficiently raise funds for socially engaged projects. By covering topics from finding your … Continued

Reel Films at Sundance!

The line up for the 2013 Sundance Film Festival has been announced and we are so excited to see filmmakers that we’ve worked with on this list! Congratulations to the teams behind American Promise, Citizen Koch and God Loves Uganda. American Promise follows two African-American boys from middle class families as they navigate their way … Continued

Who Cares About Kelsey? Summit

Two million young people in the United States that have emotional or behavioral disabilities.  60% of those students are likely to drop out of school. African American students over 3 1⁄2 times more likely to be suspended or expelled than their White peers. These are sobering facts, but there is good news. Many people and … Continued