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Recently, I spent two days at the Communities for Public Education Reform (CPER) convening, an amazing gathering of grassroots education organizers and the foundations that support their work. I went to support the Reel Education filmmakers and others who were leading a panel discussion, "Moving Hearts and Minds: Connecting Filmmaking and Organizing." Because of their experience at the Reel Education convening in February, Ly Nguyen of CPER and Roberta Furger of PICO CA, organized the session. They pulled together a great team that included filmmakers, Roland Legiardi Laura of To Be Heard and Marcia Jarmel of Speaking in Tongues, as well as filmmaker Susan Zeig who made a powerful film about education organizing called A Community Concern. Marcia, Susan, and Roland spoke about the concrete impact their films have had so far. Check out this video to hear how Speaking in Tongues has already advanced multilingual education programs in a variety of school systems. The panel was rounded out with organizers and advocates who have also used film and video and even created it. Cesar Castrejon of Californians for Justice and Liz Guillen of Public Advocates spoke about the video that they and allied grassroots organizers in produced to get the word out about a lawsuit they filed against the state of California. The suits demands that the state revamp its school funding formula and make other changes to assure equitable access to quality education for all kids. Rosie Grant of the Paterson Education Fund also shared how their organization used A Community Concern and opened the eyes of the superintendent of Schools in Paterson, N.J. about the possibility of parents and communities having extensive power and influence over decisions made in the schools. Here’s a video of her sharing other ways their organization has used film recently. The response from the education organizers in the room to these stories was incredible. They were energized and wanted to know more about where they could access great films like these. Hello Reel Education… (more to come on that below). What I found most interesting was that while many folks in the room had produced their own short videos to advance campaigns, many had never hosted screenings or used clips of full length documentaries in their work. As someone who is engrossed in the work of using film on a daily basis it was a good reality check to know that for some organizers this is a new approach and that they might need direction and resources both on how to access films and how to set up successful events. Their feedback will definitely help to inform how we continue to roll out the Reel Education collaborative. We also put together a mini film festival at the CPER convening featuring trailers and clips from all seven of the Reel Education projects and A Community Concern. The room was packed with folks who enjoyed a late afternoon break from workshop sessions to watch these high energy and emotional trailers. When the lights came up, hands shot up from folks asking how they could access all of the films. It felt good to have confirmation in yet another setting of the power of bringing this cadre of films together as a tool to make change. In addition to the great responses to these films, just being at this conference was completely inspiring. I heard amazing speeches and presentations by leaders in the fight for educational justice. Here’s just a snippet of one by Pedro Noguera. On top of that I had great conversations with individual organizers and with the filmmakers about ways that we might collaborate to strategically position the Reel Education films and others as resources for communities to plug into their organizing efforts. I left incredibly energized about our work on Reel Education.

Growing up as a queer teenager in the South was very confusing and isolating. Often, I heard my parents refer to out of the ordinary members of our family as “black sheep.” A part of me always sided with the black sheep because a majority of the time I felt misunderstood. Fast forward 10 years later to present day when I am confident and proud of my identity. So much, in fact, that I started getting involved in LGBTQ activism and organized a night of film devoted to others who have been singled out as the black sheep… or pink sheep, rather. Working Films is proud to be a sponsor at this year’s Pink Sheep Film Festival, held this Friday, June 10th, during Wilmington’s Pride Week. The Pink Sheep Festival showcases LGBTQ-themed films ranging from documentaries to fairy tales. The featured films of the evening will be two half hour documentaries, Put This on The Map and Whistlin’ Dixie. In Put This on The Map, twenty-six teenagers tell their experience of being queer in the suburbs of Seattle in East King County. Whistlin’ Dixie shifts the scenary to the South as filmmaker Meredith Heil gives spotlight to the many amazing musicians who call the South their home. The film features many bands from our very own state of North Carolina. Watch the trailers below:

Story Leads to Action Sheffield Doc/Fest Venue: The Crucible Studio Friday, June 10, 10:00am Moderators: Working Films co-founders Robert West & Judith Helfand

Story Leads to Action makes the process of community engagement interactive and transparent. Join Working Films UK and Sheffield Doc/Fest as we craft the first steps in an interactive campaign for Marshall Curry's new film If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front. Award-winning Guardian journalist Paul Lewis, Greenpeace's Senior Climate Adviser Charlie Kronick, UK Uncut's Adam Ramsay and John Stewart (credited with stopping the third runway at Heathrow) and workshop audience members will explore innovative distribution and online strategies for this “compelling doc about radical environmentalism"[1].

While Curry’s film focuses on one activist's history with the US-based Earth Liberation Front, the narrative raises questions about UK activism unfolding now: How far is too far when it comes to campaigning for real world change? From the 'siege of Fortnum and Masons' to the exposure of environmentalist Mark Stone as an undercover police officer, British protests and the subsequent police response have garnered a huge amount of press. With an increasing number of people turning to direct action across a range of causes, the panel and audience will investigate links between these current trends and lessons drawn from the film.

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[1] Hollywood Reporter

At the Good Pitch NY last month, Brett Gaylor briefly discussed how the Mozilla Foundation is working to connect filmmakers and technologists. I followed up with him to see what that meant and he pointed me to the Web Made Movies project. According to the website, Web Made Movies is Mozilla’s open video lab where they’re “bringing filmmakers and hackers together to explore how modern browser technology can reshape moving images on the web". So what does this mean? It basically looks like a mash-up of many different online tools ranging from Google maps and Wikipedia to Twitter and Flickr. Different points in the video trigger new information into the widgets displayed alongside of it. Still confused? The best way to understand this new tool is to watch it in action.

Web Made Movies has created tools to allow anyone to create their own interactive videos. To learn more about the tools and their plans for 2011, visit: webmademovies.org.

Cinereach is accepting Letters of Inquiry (LOI) for its Summer 2011 Grant Cycle. The not-for-profit film foundation and production company supports feature-length nonfiction and fiction films that are at the intersection of engaging storytelling, visual artistry, and vital subject matter. Grant amounts can range from $5,000 – $50,000 per project and can be awarded to support any stage of production, including research and development, production and post-production. There are two grant cycles per year (Summer and Winter). Within each cycle between five and fifteen projects are selected to receive support. The LOI submission deadline is Thursday, June 9 at 11:59pm (EST), and full proposals will be requested from select applicants by August 1.  Visit Cinereach's How to Apply page to get started.

Monica & David by Alexandra Codina May 19th 7:30pm At 92Y Tribeca (New York, NY) Closing out the 2010-2011 season, Monica & David is the love story of two adults with Down syndrome, and the family who strives to support their needs. Full of humor, romance and everyday family drama, Monica and David want what every adult wants—an independent life. Winner of the Jury Award for Best Documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival, and an audience favorite at festivals around the world. Directed and produced by Monica’s cousin, first-time filmmaker, Alexandra Codina. After the screening, there will be a conversation with the filmmaker and a panel consisting of:

• Andraéa N. LaVant, Youth Development Specialist at National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth.
• Faye Ginsburg, David B. Kriser Professor of Anthropology; Director of Graduate Program in Culture and Media; Director, Center for Media, Culture & History; Co-Director, Center for Religion and Media
• Logan Levkoff, Ph.D, Sexologist, Sexuality Educator and Author

Don't forget to purchase your tickets from 92Y Tribeca before they sell out!

Monica & David by Alexandra Codina May 19th 7:30pm At 92Y Tribeca (New York, NY) Closing out the 2010-2011 season, Monica & David is the love story of two adults with Down syndrome, and the family who strives to support their needs. Full of humor, romance and everyday family drama, Monica and David want what every adult wants—an independent life. Winner of the Jury Award for Best Documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival, and an audience favorite at festivals around the world. Directed and produced by Monica’s cousin, first-time filmmaker, Alexandra Codina. After the screening, there will be a conversation with the filmmaker and a panel consisting of:

• Andraéa N. LaVant, Youth Development Specialist at National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth.
• Faye Ginsburg, David B. Kriser Professor of Anthropology; Director of Graduate Program in Culture and Media; Director, Center for Media, Culture & History; Co-Director, Center for Religion and Media
• Logan Levkoff, Ph.D, Sexologist, Sexuality Educator and Author

Don't forget to purchase your tickets from 92Y Tribeca before they sell out!

Did you know that over one million kids drop out of high school every year in the United States? When I heard that number I was floored. Thinking of one million young people who won’t finish school this year is overwhelming. The good news? There is creative work being done across the nation to make sure all students complete their secondary education. The folks at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting have just announced a bold, new initiative that brings together public media stations across the country, national non-profits like the America’s Promise Alliance, foundations - led by the Gates Foundation, celebrities, community based organizations and educators in a collaborative effort to make sure that every child in the Unites States graduates from high school. Last Tuesday, I eagerly tuned into a live stream of the American Graduate launch event, listening for ways it might intersect with Working Films’ own Reel Education project. Reel Education started with a convening held last February that brought together seven documentary film making teams with educators, non-profits and organizers to strategize about how their films can be used individually and collectively to transform education in the United States. Since then, we’ve been pursuing new ways to make sure their projects are embedded into the ongoing work of educators and activists that are closing the achievement gap, fighting for great arts education for all kids, making sure that high quality after school programming doesn’t get lost in budget cuts and - in general - working for educational equity and excellence. Both Reel Education and the American Graduate initiative are about using media resources to support the existing work of organizers and educators. I was excited to hear that the bulk of the work done through America Graduate will be community based. Through grants provided by the initiative, local public radio and television stations in 20 community hubs will partner with local organizations and schools to engage parents, students, teachers, and others in unique programs designed to lower the drop-out rate in their area. With Reel Education we are also looking to organizations who are leading the charge in the world of education to guide our ideas about how film and new media projects can be put to use. Organizations such as Teaching Tolerance, ASCD, PICO California, Teachers College, and the National Education Association are telling us exactly what kind of media they need and how they can put it to work. It takes a concentrated effort over the long haul to achieve change. During a panel conversation at the American Graduate launch event, Nashville Public Television President and CEO Beth Curley said, “We have been working on substantive, multi-year projects; rather than doing one documentary or one small project on something….” She went on to speak about how they will use their grant funding from CPB to expand their ongoing work related to new immigrants and multilingualism in several local schools. Her description echoes our approach with Reel Education and the other thematic work we’ve been doing lately. Social change doesn’t happen over night or with just one event or action; so the idea is to employ multiple pieces of media in service of education reformers in creative ways. That’s evident in the fact that the collection of films included in Reel Education includes documentaries that are completed and some that are still in production and slated for release in the next couple of years. With so many points of intersection with our Reel Education project I am energized and inspired by the launch of the American Graduate initiative. Congratulations to the folks at CPB, America’s Promise Alliance, the Gates Foundation and all of their allies on launching this amazing effort!