In February 2014, a storm water pipe below a massive Duke Energy coal ash impoundment failed, spilling 39,000 tons of coal ash into North Carolina’s Dan River. With the Dan River coal ash spill fresh on the minds of North Carolinians, and as controversy grew around Duke Energy’s ties to the NC Governor and state regulators, clean water had become a top concern of residents across the state. In quick response, Working Films initiated partnerships with leading state and national organizations to put together a program that could answer questions about coal…
Today organizations across North Carolina are launching Coal Ash Stories, a statewide screening tour featuring four short documentary films focused on coal ash, related public health concerns, and policy. Winston Salem Thursday, June 12, 7pm Old Salem Single Brothers Workshop 10 West Academy Street Winston-Salem, NC 27101 Hosted by: Sierra Club Foothills Group Belews Creek Tuesday June 17th, 7pm Pine Hall Ruritan Club 1555 Pine Hall Rd Pine Hall, NC 27042 Hosted by: Appalachian Voices Durham Tuesday, June 17th, 7pm Motorco 723 Rigsbee Ave, Durham, NC 27701 Hosted by: NC WARN, Sierra Club Headwaters Group,…
It has been a year since our co-founder Robert West passed away. We’re honoring him this week by posting tributes to him from his friends, family, and colleagues. Today we’ve shared the words of Reggie Shuford, Robert’s friend and the Working Films board chair, and Robert’s niece, Emily West. If you feel inspired to share your own memories of Robert after reading, please post in the comments here or on our Facebook page. For Robert West By Emily West Thank you for letting me speak about Robert today. I am…
This Friday, June 6th, 2014 will mark a year since our co-founder Robert West passed away. All this week we will be posting tributes to him from his friends, family, and colleagues. Today we are sharing the remarks given by Robert’s dear friends Betsy Bilger and Tom Warshauer at his memorial service held last June at the Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington, NC. Re-reading these remembrances brought smiles to our faces, and we’ve spent the morning in the office telling stories about our dynamic friend and colleague. We hope that…
Imagine being afraid to drink your water, take a bath, fish, or farm. These are the fears facing communities near the Duke Energy coal ash spill and in areas around other coal-fired power plants in North Carolina. You’re invited to Coal Ash Stories, an event featuring four short films focused on coal ash, public health concerns, related policy, and ways that communities are responding. Events are taking place in Wilmington, Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, Belews Creek, Winston Salem, Charlotte, and Asheville. Come learn about the issues, talk with community members, and find out…
Working Films, the NC-NAACP, and state and local organizations from around North Carolina are partnering to present MORAL MOVIES – a four month series of award-winning films to jumpstart community dialogue and action on social, economic, and environmental issues relevant to the state. The series of free screenings will kick off with American Teacher, a documentary that follows the lives and careers of four teachers and offers an opportunity to spotlight teacher pay and public education in North Carolina, which recently dropped to 46th nationally in rankings of teacher salaries.…
With extreme energy disasters like the West Virginia chemical leak and the exploding tar sands trains fresh on people’s minds, many of us are searching for ways to ensure the safety and health of our communities. The national television broadcast of Come Hell or High Water: The Battle for Turkey Creek on April 29th offers an opportunity for you to spark discussion and action among your friends and neighbors about how to forge a sustainable and just future. Come Hell or High Water tells the story of a Gulf Coast…
Working Films is excited to be a Community Partner of the Center for Media & Social Impact (CMSI)’s 10th Annual Media That Matters Conference in Washington, DC February 6 -7, 2014. Media That Matters is an annual symposium presented by the Center for Media & Social Impact at American University. It is designed for established and aspiring filmmakers, nonprofit communication leaders, funders, and students who want to learn and share cutting-edge practices to make their media matter. The conference opens Thursday February 6th with workshops on fair use of copyrighted…
Since 1999, Working Films has harnessed the humanity, power and vision of nonfiction filmmaking to educate viewers and mobilize communities for positive social change — at home, on the street, and in the halls where public policy gets made. We’re asking you to give today to support Working Films’ unique approach to making “stories lead to action.” 2013 has been a year of transition. In June we tragically lost Robert West, our beloved co-founder and executive director, to brain cancer. Although deeply saddened, we renewed our commitment to carry out…
Working Films brought Reel Power to Power Shift, the largest national youth climate conference, which took place in Pittsburgh, PA this year. Wearing his Peaceful Uprising t-shirt, Josh Fox gave a keynote address on Friday night where he told the crowd, “There can be no democracy until we have freedom from fossil fuels.” The audience couldn’t agree more. Check out Josh’s keynote online (with the Reel Power trailer starting at 46 minutes), where he makes the interconnectedness of the issues clear and calls everyone to find their role in the…
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