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Sophie Gore Browne from Chicken & Egg pictures joins us as a guest blogger

Chicken & Egg Pictures in partnership with Working Films hosted another STORY LEADS TO ACTION at 92YTribeca, with a screening of the documentary Good Fortune by filmmakers Landon Van Soest and Jeremy Levine. Set in Kenya, the documentary vividly calls into question the positive impact of international development organizations, from the housing reconstruction efforts of the UN in the slums of Kibera to a private agri-business in the swamp lands of Yala. The film raises issues about dead aid, and the politics of international development which often excludes the involvement of the very people these organizations are trying to help. The film has had a successful year on the festival circuit along with a notable P.O.V. broadcast, but the aim of the night was to put heads together with NY guest educators to hash out how this film could really make a difference where it is most needed; among students learning international development, aid organizations, the donor community, inter-governmental organizations like the UN/World Bank/IMF that promote foreign investment in developing countries. [caption id="attachment_942" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="From left to right: Landon Van Soest, Jeremy Levine, Eliza Licht, David Gerwin, Dr. Mojúbàobolú Olúfúnké Okome"][/caption]

Dr. Mojúbàobolú Olúfúnké Okome, Professor of Political Science; Eliza Licht, Director, Community Engagement and Education, P.O.V.; and David Gerwin, Associate Professor, Coordinator, Program in Social Studies, all provided varied personal insight on the content of the film and the purpose to which it could be most effectively used.

P.O.V. came away with ideas for compiling an education packet to be distributed with the film to various education institutions and both Professors spoke about how the film could be used in the class room. Beyond the guest speakers contributions to the conversation, filmmakers in the audience shared their views and ideas about ways to take this film beyond the film circuit. Audience members where encouraged to write their questions and ideas down, whilst the conversation was taking place, for the filmmakers to take home and transform into practical audience engagement strategies. Here are some of audience members’ suggestions: •    Show the film to large foundations to encourage them to support projects with local involvement. •    Include more statistics for the educational version. •    Give updates on what is happening with the stories now. •    Provide more info on different approaches to development like microlending. •    We also got lots of great suggestions for organizations to highlight for our educational guide and venues to screen the film. Thanks to all!

A New Kind of Listening follows Chris Mueller-Medlicott, a young man with cerebral palsy who was mislabeled profoundly mentally disabled because he could not speak. Chris breaks through into stunning self-expression in this moving and inspiring film. The hour-long documentary, by Durham filmmaker Kenny Dalsheimer, takes viewers inside the creative work of the Community Inclusive Theater Group, the cast of which is made up of members with and without disabilities, as they create and perform an original stage piece. Together they prove that a small community arts project has the power to transform lives. A New Kind of Listening weaves together deep feelings, playfulness, vulnerability, and unexpected loss in a joyful, painful celebration of our connection to each other. The result is a groundbreaking film with the power to change beliefs about intelligence, disability and what it takes to be heard. UPCOMING SCREENINGS February 10th, 2010 @ 3:30pm Picture This... International Disability Film Festival Calgary, Alberta, Canada http://www.ptff.org February 23rd, 2010 @ 7:00pm Sustainable Film Series Fearington Barn in Fearington Village, Pittsboro, North Carolina Screening followed by panel discussion with local artists and advocates to focus on inclusive arts initiatives in Chatham Country. "Sustainable Cinema Series" is a film series featuring documentaries, narrative and independent films involving producers, directors, subjects and/or locations in North Carolina. Visit the Chatham Arts Website for more information. March 7th 2010 @ 7:00pm Jubilee! Community Church 46 Wall Street, Asheville, North Carolina, 28801 A workshop entitled Eyes to See/Ears to Hear: Connecting Authentically to People Living with Disabilities, will be led by Mark Medlin and Polly Medlicott. A donation of $10 is suggested. Register by contacting Polly (828) 775-6333 or [email protected] by noon of the workshop day. March 8th 2010 at 10:00 a.m Family Support Network of WNC 11 Vanderbilt Park Dr., Asheville, NC 28803 There will be a focus group meeting on community inclusive arts, with speaker Betsy Ludwig from Arts Access. All interested persons, including people with disabilities and their families, are invited to attend.

I was energized by the news last week that Christie Herring's work-in-progress The Campaign was just awarded a new grant from Chicken & Egg Pictures. All week I had been following the related so-called Prop 8 trial, Kristin M. Perry v. Arnold Schwarzenegger, through the Courage Campaign's Prop 8 trial tracker. Christie attended our MASS MoCA residency in 2009 when her film was in early development. The Campaign follows the daily efforts and emotional rollercoaster of the community of people working to stop Prop 8, the 2008 Constitutional Amendment to end gay marriage in California. The film offers extraordinary behind-the-scene access and compelling evidence that what unfolded in this California campaign was a focused and cynical push to eliminate the fundamental rights of a “despised” minority. As the trial heads into its third week in a U.S. District Court, Christie’s film and the story she is telling takes on new significance. The daily proceedings in the courtroom are astonishing; the plaintiffs case is that there is and was no bias against gays in this effort, a viewpoint which Christie’s film clearly undoes. As the defense began its case this week I asked Christie for her perceptions about this case, an update for her film and how folks can get involved and support her documentary. Here’s her response: Hey Robert, I also have been following the case by tweet and blog. It touches on so many issues that affect me and people I love - airing out the ugliness of homophobia (last week’s testimony included a "Yes on Prop 8” leader claiming that homosexuality has been linked to pedophilia), the trauma that the ex-gay movement inflicts on us and our loved ones, the long term effects of internalized homophobia, and the reality of our lukewarm political support. It's upsetting and infuriating. The court fight is focused on a national / federal approach to LGBT rights and specifically marriage equality. This is a departure from the state-by-state strategy that's been the focus of much of the movement thus far. The Campaign explores these strategies through Proposition 8, which has spanned both. In California, Proposition 8 stripped same gender couples of the right to marry, a fundamental right recognized and protected by the California Supreme Court just months before the 2004 election. By documenting the dedication and struggle inside the No On 8 campaign, my film makes clear how precious marriage equality is to LGBT families and how hard so many people fought to protect the equality and dignity that was ours for a just a moment. The Perry case will take this issue to the Federal Courts and eventually challenge the US Supreme Court to rule on the quality and validity of the families we form. The stakes are high, and there has been some disagreement among LGBT leaders about whether the Perry case is the right strategy and at the right time. But this is a disagreement about strategy, not values or direction. The common denominator is that marriage equality is precious and worth fighting for. Here is a rationale behind the state-by-state strategy, written by some folks at the Gill Foundation. Patrick Guerreriro was Campaign Manager for No on 8: "The Lesson of Danny and Marilyn." Here is the case for the Federal approach written by Robin McGeehee and Kip Williams, the two co-directors of the National Equality March in Washington (October 2009),: “Let’s Stop Talking about Failure and Go Win.” And then here are two interesting articles outlining how this case came about - it's political history: “CHALLENGING PROP 8: THE HIDDEN STORY: How Hollywood activists seized control of the fight for gay marriage” and also “A Risky Proposal: Is it too soon to petition the Supreme Court on gay marriage?” For me, I say hit them from every angle. I go back to the Martin Luther King, Jr. quote from his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” which I posted on the film's Facebook page: “Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability … We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right." Civil rights and social justice do not transform overnight. And every right we secure must be protected. No matter what happens, we will need to keep fighting together and moving forward. I hope one lesson from The Campaign is the knowledge that the work itself is transformative and empowering. We are excited about this new support from Chicken & Egg Pictures; folks can see some clips from the film on YouTube. Go to our Facebook page or our website to learn more. Onward! Christie

The North Carolina Black Film Festival (formerly known as the Cine Noir Festival of Black Film) is currently accepting entries for their film festival March 18-21, 2010 in Wilmington, NC. Deadline for submissions is January 31st 2010. In it's 9th year, the four day festival will showcase feature length films, documentaries, shorts and animations by African-American filmmakers. $500 prizes will be awarded in each category. Please visit their website for submission requirements.

The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is honoring Liz Garbus and Rory Kennedy with the 2010 Career Award.  Working Films extends our congratulations to these extraordinary filmmakers, we partnered with Rory and Liz on their highly successful Ghosts of Abu Ghraib and Coma audience engagement campaigns. This filmmaking team co-founded their production company Moxie Firecracker Films in 1998.  Together, they have produced and directed a wide range of work exploring social issues through the lives of everyday people, including examinations of the U.S. legal system, AIDS, violence, abuse, and human rights. Rory commented:

I was absolutely thrilled to learn that Liz and I had been chosen for the 2010 Career Award. It is such an honor to join past recipients such as Ken Burns, Barbara Kopple, and DA Pennebaker - filmmakers that I have admired for years. Full Frame is one of the premier documentary film festivals and I am so deeply honored to be receiving their lifetime achievement award.

You can read more about this award and the 2010 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival that will be held April 8-11, in Durham, N.C. at fullframefest.org.

[caption id="attachment_900" align="aligncenter" width="344" caption="Hollis Briggs, Valeria Hale, Denise Hale and Mildred Bethea. Photo by Ken Blevins (courtesy of the Wilmington StarNews)"][/caption]

Every year, Wilmington's Martin Luther King Jr. Parade marches down Castle Street, starting at the Working Films offices in the old firehouse on 5th Avenue. Each year,  our firehouse serves as the "green room" for the parade, with coffee and donuts for the organizers and volunteers. This year, parade organizer Hollis Briggs wants to use the parade to raise awareness of Bone Marrow Cancer and the pressing need for donors especially within minority communities. The Wilmington StarNews published a story today sharing the story of Denise Hale and her bone marrow transplant. (That’s the Working Films’ firehouse in the background of the photo.)

[caption id="attachment_900" align="aligncenter" width="344" caption="Hollis Briggs, Valeria Hale, Denise Hale and Mildred Bethea. Photo by Ken Blevins (courtesy of the Wilmington StarNews)"][/caption]

Every year, Wilmington's Martin Luther King Jr. Parade marches down Castle Street, starting at the Working Films offices in the old firehouse on 5th Avenue. Each year,  our firehouse serves as the "green room" for the parade, with coffee and donuts for the organizers and volunteers. This year, parade organizer Hollis Briggs wants to use the parade to raise awareness of Bone Marrow Cancer and the pressing need for donors especially within minority communities. The Wilmington StarNews published a story today sharing the story of Denise Hale and her bone marrow transplant. (That’s the Working Films’ firehouse in the background of the photo.)

"Barbershops have always been a place where people come not only to get a haircut – but to meet and converse about current events, politics, pop culture, music, sports, WOMEN, relationships and more." -    Quentin Walcott of Connect NYC We’ve been receiving a lot of inspiring updates from the filmmakers who participated in our Real Girls, Reel Change workshop last October. Jesse Epstein will be screening 2 films from her Body Typed project, Wet Dreams and False Images and 34x25x36, at the barbershop where it all began. Wet Dreams and False Images is about Dee Dee, owner of Fade2Famous, and the many girls plastered on the walls of his barbershop. After he learns that many of those girls are products of photo-retouching, his view of beauty changes. Saturday, January 30th 8:30pm at Fade2Famous (213 Greenpoint Avenue in Brooklyn) After the screening, there will be a discussion lead by Dee Dee (Fade2Famous) Daralee Vazquez (Dee Dee’s sister), Quentin Walcot (Connect NYC) and Raid. The goal is to invite both men and women to this discussion about body image and beauty standards. The event will be filmed and will serve as an example of ways films can be used outside of theaters and in the community. For more information, visit the Facebook event.