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What does it mean to lead men in war? What does it mean to come home - injured physically and psychologically - and build a life anew? Danfung Dennis’ Hell and Back Again is a cinematically revolutionary film that asks and answers these questions with a power and intimacy no previous film about the conflict in Afghanistan has been able to achieve. Working Films, with the presenting partners of Danfung Dennis and his team, The Fledgling Fund and Impact Partners, is developing an audience and community engagement campaign to take the film out of the sometimes-rarified realm of independent documentaries and embed this moving story directly in crucial new efforts to support veterans and to educate the general public about vets’ extraordinary service and their needs on returning home. Robert West, co-founder and executive director of Working Films, and Mallory Rusch, communications director for Mission Continues, one of the campaign partners, presented background on our efforts on a webinar for PBS stations hosted by the National Center for Media Engagement. Listen to the archived webinar here. Hell and Back Again will premiere on PBS’ five-time Emmy Award-winning series Independent Lens on May 24 at 10 PM, providing an excellent opportunity to reach millions of general audience viewers around the Memorial Day weekend.

The award-winning documentary SEMPER FI: ALWAYS FAITHFUL is coming to the UK. Working Films is partnering with the filmmakers on a targeted engagement campaign in NC and the US. YOU MUST SEE this story of one Marine’s determination to hold his Corps accountable. DOCHOUSE presents SEMPER FI: ALWAYS FAITHFUL Screening Date: March 8th, 2012 Time: 8:30pm Location: Prince Charles Cinema For tickets and more information: http://www.princecharlescinema.com/indexreview.php?display=1939 There will be a satellite SKYPE Q&A with the Directors after the film. ABOUT THE FILM: Retired Master Sergeant Jerry Ensminger devoted nearly 25 years to service in the US Marines, following the motto “Always Faithful” as a way of life. When his nine-year-old daughter died of a rare form of leukemia while living at the military base Camp Lejeune, a grief-stricken Ensminger took on a quest that would lead him to a shocking discovery. This courageous and impassioned exposé follows his mission to make the Marine Corps to live up to its own motto. Shortlisted for 2012 Academy Award for Best Documentary Winner- Best Documentary Editing- Tribeca Film Festival Winner- Special Founders Prize- Traverse City Film Festival Winner- Best Documentary & Audience Award - Woodstock Film Festival Winner-Best Documentary - San Diego Film Festival Visit our website: www.semperfialwaysfaithful.com “Shocking expose…strong, impassioned docu” -Variety “A riveting and often enraging documentary.”-Daily Beast “A profound tale that one man can make a difference in this world”- Filmmaker Magazine  

On February 10th, we organized a screening of Dirty Business in Chicago with The Environmental Justice Alliance of Greater Southeast Chicago and The Center for investigative Reporting. Director Peter Bull attended and hosted the Q&A after the film. Below is his recap of the event: I was invited out to Chicago's Southeast Side to do a Q&A after a screening of Dirty Business, hosted by a coalition of local environmental and faith groups who are trying to shut down two outmoded, badly-polluting old coal-fired power plants in the Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods and also put a stop to plans to build a coal gasification plant in the already heavily-polluted Southeast Side. There was a really impressive turnout for the film - especially on a cold and snowy night. A mix of 60 or so young and old, the audience and context couldn't have been a better 'fit' for the film. Screened in a converted old union hall in an industrial working class neighborhood where most of the manufacturing jobs have disappeared, residents here suffer above normal rates of asthma, heart disease and premature death attributable in large part to the coal plants' emissions and those of the vast BP refinery just next door across the Indiana state line. The air in this neighborhood has the distinction of containing Illinois' highest levels of toxic heavy metals, chromium and cadmium, as well as sulfates, which can trigger asthma attacks and increase the risk of heart disease. The Q & A session lasted a good 45 minutes with intelligent, provocative questions coming from engaged students, concerned parents and retirees alike. Particularly troubling to me was hearing reports of the claims being made on behalf of the proposed coal gasification plant. If the Sierra Club's figures are correct, the $3 billion Southside Chicago Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG) plant proposed by New York-based developer Leucadia National Corp. will potentially add some 6,100,000 tons of new carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution every year: 3,600,00 tons of the greenhouse gas created in the process wherein coal and petroleum coke from refinery waste is chemically gasified, creating 43.5 billion cubic feet/yr of SNG, which is then burned by end users (natural gas power plants, business and manufacturing and residences), creating over 2,500,00 tons of additional CO2. Leucadia, however, claims they will be capturing and sequestering 85% of the plant's carbon dioxide emissions. (In fact, Governor Pat Quinn signed a bill last July mandating that figure as a condition; failure will result in the company facing $20 million in fines.) I'm extremely skeptical about that figure - to my knowledge, no commercial facility has ever demonstrated that ability. (West Virginia's pilot 'clean coal' Mountaineer plant that stopped capturing CO2 recently because it was economically unfeasible was only capturing some 1% of its emissions.) Meanwhile, Leucadia has yet to obtain permission to add pollution to this crowded industrial area in Chicago, and has yet to locate a buyer for its carbon dioxide emissions. If plans for the gasification plant do go forward, though, the biggest impact on Southeast Side residents will come from the endless coal trains that will be feeding the plant. So-called 'clean coal' plants that employ carbon capture and storage technology are expected to need some 30% of the plant's energy to capture, or filter out, the CO2 gases - which means they will require some 30% more coal than a traditional power plant. That coal gets shipped in open cars and dumped in huge piles next to the tracks that crisscross this area adjoining the toxic Calumet River, which I was told then sends huge plumes of coal dust over the housing developments and elementary and junior high schools on the other side of the tracks whenever the wind picks up. In the afternoon before the screening I was given a sobering tour of the area by Tom Shepherd of the Southeast Environmental Task Force. He pointed out the huge piles of coal, now incongruously white with a coating of snow, and then pointed across the river to similar-looking piles of rock salt. The salt piles had tarps tightly fastened on top of them; the coal piles were open to the elements. If Leucadia gets approved, those piles are going to get a lot bigger - and so are Southeast Side residents' asthma and other respiratory disease statistics. Thanks to the groups who hosted the screening, and all best wishes for their efforts in aiding & educating their community: The Environmental Justice Alliance of Greater Southeast Chicago; the Southeast Environmental Task Force; Sierra Club; People for Community Recovery; New 10th Ward Community Service Organization; Centro Communitario Juan Diego; Eastside United Methodist Church; The Zone; the Illinois Environmental Council; and the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization.

On February 11 & 12, Working Films hosted a great weekend of events for our media campaign Reel Equality. Aimed at defeating the anti-gay NC amendment coming up for a vote this May, the campaign is touring 6 stellar documentary films on LGBT struggles to audiences around the state to inspire viewers -- our straight allies, our co-workers, members of our congregations, and those who care about the welfare of our vulnerable youth -- to VOTE NO. Being headquartered in Wilmington, NC, we were excited by the high energy and great turn out at one of the first of 100+ events we are hoping to book across the state. We kicked off the weekend with a fundraising dinner for Protect NC Families, the coalition of groups working hard to defeat the amendment. It was co-hosted by our own executive director Robert West as well as Judson (Jud) H. Gee of JHG Financial Advisors. It was a great evening attended by community leaders and local activists, including our NC House Representative, Susi Hamilton and City Councilman Kevin O'Grady. With Jud's sponsorship, we were able to raise funds for the effort as well as start a dialogue about how this amendment will harm ALL NC families. Later that evening at City Stage we screened two of the Reel Equality films, Cynthia Wade's Freeheld and Out in the Silence by Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer. The Oscar-winning short Freeheld tackles the issue of benefits extension to same-sex partners while the Emmy-winner Out in the Silence profiles the bullying faced by LGBT youth, both big issues when anti-gay constitutional amendments rear their ugly heads. Sunday night, we showed Thomas Allen Harris' Marriage Equality, a short film which connects the civil rights movement with the gay equality movement, and Gen Silent by Stu Maddux, a film about the struggles LGBT seniors are facing in this current society of discrimination. All of the screenings were well attended and we signed everyone up to join the fight and spread the word about the very real implications this amendment will have if passed. If you're in North Carolina or another state currently facing LGBT discrimination, go to reelequality.org to find out how to bring these stories to your town.

Working Films and The Fledgling Fund have just announced Reel Change 2012, the third in our annual series of workshops for audience and community engagement coordinators. This time we’re hosting in Washington D.C. in collaboration with the Center for Social Media at American University. The focus of the training is on designing and running successful media engagement campaigns – from honing the purpose and vision of the campaign, to approaching and solidifying relationships with non-profit organizational allies and brands; effective website and social media strategies to fundraising, tracking and evaluation. Our Deputy Director, Molly Murphy will lead the training with The Fledgling Fund’s Director of Programs and Communications, Emily Verellen. We will be joined by Angelica Das, Associate Director of the Center for Social Media and representatives of national organizations who have used media in to advance their efforts and can share an insiders perspective on building and maintaining effective partnerships, a key theme the training. Apply to Reel Change online before March 9^th.

Do you live in a community that has been impacted or likely to be by mountaintop removal, fracking, or a coal-fired power plant? Are you in a community where alternative energy solutions are being implemented? Or, have you already hosted one of the Reel Power films and would like to explore the related issues around coal, gas, climate change and renewable energy solutions with your community? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then the Reel Power Film Festival may be for you. Working Films is pleased to announce the launch of the Reel Power Film Festival and a Grassroots Mini-grant Opportunity. Reel Power is a collection of films that tell stories from the frontlines of our energy crisis and into our energy future and have the power to get your community talking and taking action. While anyone can host a Reel Power Film Festival, organizations and grassroots groups that are impacted by natural resource extraction, climate change or are tapping into renewable energy solutions are invited to apply for one of fourteen mini-grants to support their event. We’ll offer mini-grants to frontline groups that are interested in bringing two or more of the films to their community this Spring or Summer. These grants of $250 cash with $500 additional in-kind will cover screening fees and other resources needed to put on a stellar event (such as venue rental, get the word out materials, etc.). Two to four of these events will receive a higher level of in-kind support valued at an additional $2500. For more information on the Reel Power Film Festival, mini-grants and how to apply, please visit workingfilms.org/reelpowergrants. Contact Reel Power director Kristin Henry at khenry [at] workingfilms.org if you have additional questions along the way.  

Dirty Business is an impressive film that takes a hard look at the cycle of coal, and examines the PR campaign of clean coal and its subsequent consequences. The film also looks at the extent to which we could replace coal by increasing our energy efficiency by telling the stories of innovators who are pointing the way to an alternative energy future. Working Films, along with The Center for Investigative Reporting and The Environmental Justice Alliance of Greater Southeast Chicago, will host a free screening of the film that’s open to the public on Friday, February 10th at The Zone in Chicago, Illinois. This special screening will bring the community together to discuss the environmental consequences that are currently facing Chicago residents including the two old and dirty coal plants in Pilsen and Little Village and a proposed coal gasification plant for the already struggling Southeast side. These are some of the most polluted areas of Chicago, where residents suffer adverse health effects like asthma, heart disease and premature death. The good news is that the city is currently considering the passing of a resolution called The Chicago Clean Power Ordinance, which would require that the highly polluting Fisk and Crawford plants in Pilsen and Little Village either greatly reduce their pollution or shut down completely. Following Friday night’s screening will be a Q&A with the director of the film, Peter Bull, along with members of The Environmental Justice Alliance to explore the stories in the film and ideas and opportunities on how the audience can get involved to move Chicago beyond coal. If you are interested in bringing Dirty Business to your community, you can find out more on our site or contact Andy Myers at amyers [at] workingfilms.org.

Working Films is proud to announce the documentary projects selected for Reel Aging: Real Change, an initiative supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.  These eleven compelling documentary films and transmedia projects explore aging from varied perspectives and will be tied to the ongoing policy work and grassroots campaigns supporting older populations. The collaborative of Reel Aging projects was curated to include films that reflect the highest caliber of film-making, feature the most pressing issues facing older adults, and celebrate elders. These projects tell inspiring stories of active, engaged elders who are changing our culture’s typical perception of aging as well as stories that powerfully illuminate the personal and societal decisions most of us will face as we care for ourselves and our loved ones. Equally important, Reel Aging includes films focused on justice for often marginalized populations that are aging. Age of Champions (Director: Christopher Rufo) is the uplifting story of a group of athletes—a 100-year-old tennis champion, 86-year-old pole vaulter, octogenarian swimmers, and team of basketball grandmothers—all chasing gold at the National Senior Games. American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs (Director/Producer:  Grace Lee) tells the story a 96-year-old Chinese-American activist and philosopher inDetroit who has dedicated her life to creating the next American Revolution. What Grace means by revolution and her journey through a century’s worth of social movements tell an unexpected story of how one woman changed herself to change the world around her. Coming of Age in Aging America (Director: Christine Herbes-Sommers) is a multi-platform project that explores a social transformation unfolding across our - and other modern - societies. America is an aging society, and it's not just about old people. This phenomenon will change everything: how we approach education, work, health, housing, transportation, technology, medical care, and the economy. Communities for All Ages (Director: Yoruba Richen)  is a work in progress that will document  five diverse communities where older adults, teens, and young parents identify and take action on issues affecting multiple generations such as health, safety, life-long learning  and immigrant integration. The Genius of Marian (Director: Banker White) follows Pam White in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease as her son, the filmmaker, documents her struggles to hang on to a sense of self. The Graying of AIDS – Stories from an Aging Epidemic (Director/Co-Producer: Katja Heinemann) is a multi-media, multi-platform documentary project and integrated educational campaign centered on a series of digital video portraits that draw attention to a startling fact: By 2015, half of all Americans living with HIV will be over the age of fifty. Kings Point (Director/Producer: Sari Gilman) is a short documentary that portrays the complexities of life in a typical retirement community through the experiences of six of its residents, providing a bittersweet look at our ambivalent relationship with freedom, self-reliance, and community. Old People Driving (Director/Producer: Shaleece Haas) is a short documentary film chronicling the adventures of 96-year-old Milton and 99-year-old Herbert as they confront the end of their driving years. Parenting 102: The Sandwiched Generation Speaks Out (Director/Producer: Mary Katzke) explores issues common to families caught between caring for their elderly parents, their own younger children, and their careers. Prison Terminal (Director/Producer: Edgar A. Barens) is a feature-length documentary that breaks through the walls of one of America’s oldest maximum security prisons to tell the story of the final months in the life of a terminally ill, elderly prisoner and the hospice volunteers—they themselves prisoners—who care for him. The film provides a fascinating and often poignant account of how the hospice experience can profoundly touch even the forsaken lives of the incarcerated. Untitled Gay Retiree Documentary (Director: PJ Raval) traces a year in the lives of three LGBTQ seniors, and a lifetime of experiences, and confronts the realities of aging in the LGBTQ community. Reel Aging: Real Change will begin with a four-day residency for these media makers to be held from March 23 - 26, 2012 near Washington, D.C. On Tuesday, March 27, the media makers will present their projects to regional, national and global NGOs, funders, government agencies, activists, and policy makers – all leaders in the field of aging who have a track record of supporting the rights, respect and health of elders. Together they will explore the ways in which the documentary film and new media projects can be used to protect and enhance the rights of older adults and advance personal and policy changes that will improve their and our lives.