Arts Engine
Encyclopedia
Arts Engine is unique in the independent media
world for its array of activities, including full production of award-winning documentaries
, the annual creation of a widely recognized social-issue film festival
and creation and maintenance of a virtual commons for filmmakers, activists, educators and student
s to share information. Arts Engine is also known for its staying power.
Arts Engine will premiere its eleventh annual Media That Matters Film Festival on October 27, 2011.
documentaries. These two engaged social activists developed the core values and beliefs that have informed all of the projects that make up Arts Engine’s powerful mission today. Eleven feature-length
documentaries have been created since 1997, winning prestigious awards, gaining national recognition, and, as was the case with the Emmy
-nominated film Deadline, reaching audiences in the millions. In 2000, during the height of the internet boom, Chevigny and Pimsleur were among the first to realize that social issue filmmaking was taking a dramatic turn. A new culture
was emerging that would entirely change the face of media from televised monologue
s to internet-driven dialogues. And electronically facilitated dialogue and distribution channels opened opportunities to build online communities where no community existed before.
Committed to breaking down traditional hierarchies
and status-markers, Arts Engine launched one of the few online commons for filmmakers and activists, called MediaRights.org, and created what is now the most comprehensive database
of social issue documentaries in the nation
, and possibly the world
, with over 7,400 films registered. The success of this site led to the creation of the Youth Media Distribution Initiative (YMDi.org). They also developed and launched the Media That Matters Film Festival, one of the first online
film festivals, and realized the incredible potential for online showcasing and distribution before many major festivals did. Now in its eleventh year, the festival reaches tens of thousands of people annually and hosts hundreds of internet pages
of information with “Take Action Links” on everything from AIDS
in Africa
, to water rights in Michigan
, to the youth vote
, LGBT
issues, and sustainability
. The ballast for this intense activism from the early beginnings in 1997 to today is the belief that exemplary visual storytelling
on social issues can make change
.
and in collaboration
with numerous companies and organizations. Big Mouth is best known for the Emmy-nominated film Deadline.
came out to his parents. He was asexual and was fine with it. And he was not alone. Studies show that 1% of the population is asexual. But in a society obsessed with sex, how do you deal with life as an outsider? Combining intimate interviews, verite footage, and animation with fearless humor and pop culture imagery, David and our four other characters grapple with this universal question and the outcomes might surprise you.
(A)sexual made its world premiere at the Frameline Film Festival
on June 18th, 2011.
. She emerged advocating forgiveness and reconciliation. In a country where ethnic violence has created seemingly irreparable rifts among Tutsi
s, Hutu
s and other Congolese, this remarkable woman is a vital voice in her beleaguered nation’s search for peace. Now, Rose is confronted with teaching one of her most recalcitrant students how to forgive — Nangabire, the daughter who remained behind. When war came to Rose’s village, she was separated from Nangabire, then just five years old. Rose managed to escape with nine of her ten children and was eventually resettled in Phoenix, Arizona. Over a decade later, mother and daughter are reunited in the US where they must face the past and build a new future.
Pushing the Elephant follows Rose and Nangabire over the course of a year as they make up for lost time. Rose struggles to find balance in her life as a mother of ten and a full-time advocate for refugees and peace. Her work takes her around the world from speaking at the White House to addressing the UNHCR in Geneva to convening a grassroots meeting of refugees in Burundi. Meanwhile Nangabire, now seventeen, must adapt to America and discover how she fits into the sprawling Mapendo family. As mother and daughter get to know one another, they must come to terms with a painful past, and define what it means to be a survivor, a woman, a refugee and an American.
Pushing the Elephant screened on PBS's award-winning series Independent Lens
in early 2011.
to life on the road during their US tour. Through interview
s and vérité footage, the film captures the realities of The Dishes’ life on the road and what it takes to endure the feat of holding it all together, a side of the brass tacks of rock rarely seen.
to the test at polling places across the country. Election Day follows a dozen of these citizens—from the plains of South Dakota
to the palm trees of southern Florida
-over the course of twenty-four hours. Uplifting yet troubling, their experiences offer rare insight into a hallowed American ritual
.
Election Day premiered at South by Southwest
Film Festival (SXSW) in 2007 and will be broadcast on public television in 2008.
village of Old Crow
a father and son are reunited after 20 years apart. Stanley Sr. is a hunter, a rugged man of the land steeped in Native Vuntut Gwitchin
traditions. Seattle-raised Stanley Jr., immerses himself in hip hop
and partying. As their worlds collide, this moving father-son journey becomes a larger exploration of the complex relationship between tradition
and modernity
; nature
and pop culture; addiction
and independence
; and the bigger quest
we all embark at some point—the need to know who we are and where we belong.
Arctic Son
was released on POV on August 21, 2007.
had been found innocent? That was exactly the question that Illinois
Governor George Ryan
faced in his final days in office. Deadline is a compelling look insider America’s prison
s, highlighting one man’s unlikely and historic actions against the system.
Deadline won the Thurgood Marshall Journalism Award and was nominated for an Emmy.
, how it is used in modern-day China
, and how it has been adapted in the United States. The film features rare footage of traditional medical practices in the People's Republic of China
and interviews of leading Chinese medical practitioners in the United States.
children of three different races, across three generations. It captures a baby's transition from natural parents to adoptive parents, and it delves into the complexity of racial identity for these children who are physically bonded to one race and emotionally bonded to another.
to reconnect with her brother, who has moved to a remote island there following his conversion to Christianity
. He has lived with his family there for ten years since dropping out of college to become a born again Christian, while Julia is a bisexual, Jewish New Yorker. The film is a funny and touching exploration of what it means to be a family
.
family contending with urban poverty. Robert is the only person in his family who has finished high school and college, an accomplishment that was supposed to give him access to the American dream
, but has alienated him from his family. His sisters Beti and Tati are struggling with drug addictions and his brother Danny is in and out of prison
, while the family subsists on his mother's welfare
checks and earnings from selling pasteles
and clothing on the street. What sustains the Gutierrezes is their support and love for one another.
and the son of civil rights
activist James Forman
. He has decided to follow in his father's footsteps and address issues of race as they manifest themselves today. The documentary gives viewers insight into Forman's work at the Public Defender Service and at an alternative high school for juvenile
ex-offenders, which he co-founded. It asks challenging questions about our prison system and the criminalization
of African American
juveniles.
, global warming
, fair trade
, gay rights, sustainable agriculture
and many other pressing social issues. During its highly successful six-year history, Media That Matters has presented films that have gone on to catalyze national legislation
, change corporate hiring practices, spur social action and inspire a new generation of filmmakers.
Past awards ceremonies have included presentations by Ira Glass
, Byron Hurt
, Tim Robbins
, Al Franken
, Chuck D
, Woody Harrelson
, Academy Award winner Barbara Kopple
, Arrested Development’s David Cross
, Reiko Aylesworth
of 24
and comedian Sam Seder
.
As with each previous year, these new Media That Matters films will stream online
at www.mediathatmattersfest.org starting in late 2011. The site
provides high quality video feeds, “take action links” and viewer forums
on the social issues
addressed in the films. The collection will embark on a tour of 100+ locations across the United States
and around the world
. With nationwide distribution through Netflix
, “do-it-yourself” screenings
all over the country, and a high impact outreach campaign
, Media That Matters is set to inspire hundreds of thousands of students, teachers
, filmmakers, social activists and just about anyone to take action.
for issue-oriented media
. Started initially as an online database
of social issue documentaries, MediaRights.org has been a catalyst for social change
, inspiring workshops, new educational materials and interactive screenings
for filmmakers, activists and educators
across the country. Currently MediaRights.org is the source for over 26,000 registered members and hosts more than 7,400 films in its online database. Moreover MediaRights.org has helped provide access to thousands of films that have through the years been used to encourage public
dialogue
and civic engagement
by activists throughout the country.
of consequence and promotes the use of independent media by advocates, educators
and the general public
. By fostering the production and use of independent film
, video and new media
, Arts Engine connects media makers and active audiences
in order to spur critical consideration of pressing social issues
.
The governing philosophy
of Arts Engine is that the work of independent media makers is crucial to the enrichment of society
and culture
. With the growing consolidation of media
worldwide, independent media makers face daunting obstacles in their efforts to introduce new perspectives into public
debate
. Advocates, educators
and the public have limited access to media
that illustrates a variety of points of view. In order to support the presence of diverse perspectives in our society
, Arts Engine is dedicated to forging vital links between media makers and the public
, and to realizing independent media
’s potential for broad social impact
.
Independent media
Independent media refers to any form of media, such as radio, television, newspapers or the Internet, that is free of influence by government or corporate interests. The term has varied applications...
world for its array of activities, including full production of award-winning documentaries
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
, the annual creation of a widely recognized social-issue film festival
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
and creation and maintenance of a virtual commons for filmmakers, activists, educators and student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s to share information. Arts Engine is also known for its staying power.
Arts Engine will premiere its eleventh annual Media That Matters Film Festival on October 27, 2011.
History
Arts Engine began under the leadership of co-founders Katy Chevigny and Julia Pimsleur in 1997 when they formed a partnership to create social issueSocial issues
Social issues are controversial issues which relate to people's personal lives and interactions. Social issues are distinguished from economic issues...
documentaries. These two engaged social activists developed the core values and beliefs that have informed all of the projects that make up Arts Engine’s powerful mission today. Eleven feature-length
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
documentaries have been created since 1997, winning prestigious awards, gaining national recognition, and, as was the case with the Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-nominated film Deadline, reaching audiences in the millions. In 2000, during the height of the internet boom, Chevigny and Pimsleur were among the first to realize that social issue filmmaking was taking a dramatic turn. A new culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
was emerging that would entirely change the face of media from televised monologue
Monologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
s to internet-driven dialogues. And electronically facilitated dialogue and distribution channels opened opportunities to build online communities where no community existed before.
Committed to breaking down traditional hierarchies
Hierarchy
A hierarchy is an arrangement of items in which the items are represented as being "above," "below," or "at the same level as" one another...
and status-markers, Arts Engine launched one of the few online commons for filmmakers and activists, called MediaRights.org, and created what is now the most comprehensive database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
of social issue documentaries in the nation
Nation
A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...
, and possibly the world
World
World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth....
, with over 7,400 films registered. The success of this site led to the creation of the Youth Media Distribution Initiative (YMDi.org). They also developed and launched the Media That Matters Film Festival, one of the first online
ONLINE
ONLINE is a magazine for information systems first published in 1977. The publisher Online, Inc. was founded the year before. In May 2002, Information Today, Inc. acquired the assets of Online Inc....
film festivals, and realized the incredible potential for online showcasing and distribution before many major festivals did. Now in its eleventh year, the festival reaches tens of thousands of people annually and hosts hundreds of internet pages
Web page
A web page or webpage is a document or information resource that is suitable for the World Wide Web and can be accessed through a web browser and displayed on a monitor or mobile device. This information is usually in HTML or XHTML format, and may provide navigation to other web pages via hypertext...
of information with “Take Action Links” on everything from AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, to water rights in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, to the youth vote
Youth vote
The youth vote is a political term used primarily in the United States to describe 18 to 29-year-olds and their voting habits.The term "Youth Vote" goes back to the 1930s, when low-income rural and urban young people in the United States were first mobilized to vote in blocs by the youth activism...
, LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
issues, and sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
. The ballast for this intense activism from the early beginnings in 1997 to today is the belief that exemplary visual storytelling
Storytelling
Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values...
on social issues can make change
Social change
Social change refers to an alteration in the social order of a society. It may refer to the notion of social progress or sociocultural evolution, the philosophical idea that society moves forward by dialectical or evolutionary means. It may refer to a paradigmatic change in the socio-economic...
.
Big Mouth Films
Big Mouth Films produces feature-length, social issue documentaries independentlyIndependent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
and in collaboration
Collaboration
Collaboration is working together to achieve a goal. It is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together to realize shared goals, — for example, an intriguing endeavor that is creative in nature—by sharing...
with numerous companies and organizations. Big Mouth is best known for the Emmy-nominated film Deadline.
(A)sexual (2011)
Facing a sex obsessed culture, a mountain of stereotypes and misconceptions, and a lack of social or scientific research, asexuals – people who experience no sexual attraction—struggle to claim their identity. (A)sexual follows the growth of a community that experiences no sexual attraction. In 2000, David JayDavid Jay
David Jay is an American asexual activist. Jay is the founder and webmaster of the Asexual Visibility and Education Network . While a student at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, Jay came out as asexual and launched AVEN's website...
came out to his parents. He was asexual and was fine with it. And he was not alone. Studies show that 1% of the population is asexual. But in a society obsessed with sex, how do you deal with life as an outsider? Combining intimate interviews, verite footage, and animation with fearless humor and pop culture imagery, David and our four other characters grapple with this universal question and the outcomes might surprise you.
(A)sexual made its world premiere at the Frameline Film Festival
Frameline Film Festival
Frameline is a nonprofit media arts organization that produces the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival, the oldest film festival devoted to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender programming currently in existence...
on June 18th, 2011.
Pushing the Elephant (2010)
In the late 1990s, Rose Mapendo lost her family and home to the violence that engulfed the Democratic Republic of the CongoDemocratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
. She emerged advocating forgiveness and reconciliation. In a country where ethnic violence has created seemingly irreparable rifts among Tutsi
Tutsi
The Tutsi , or Abatutsi, are an ethnic group in Central Africa. Historically they were often referred to as the Watussi or Watusi. They are the second largest caste in Rwanda and Burundi, the other two being the Hutu and the Twa ....
s, Hutu
Hutu
The Hutu , or Abahutu, are a Central African people, living mainly in Rwanda, Burundi, and eastern DR Congo.-Population statistics:The Hutu are the largest of the three peoples in Burundi and Rwanda; according to the United States Central Intelligence Agency, 84% of Rwandans and 85% of Burundians...
s and other Congolese, this remarkable woman is a vital voice in her beleaguered nation’s search for peace. Now, Rose is confronted with teaching one of her most recalcitrant students how to forgive — Nangabire, the daughter who remained behind. When war came to Rose’s village, she was separated from Nangabire, then just five years old. Rose managed to escape with nine of her ten children and was eventually resettled in Phoenix, Arizona. Over a decade later, mother and daughter are reunited in the US where they must face the past and build a new future.
Pushing the Elephant follows Rose and Nangabire over the course of a year as they make up for lost time. Rose struggles to find balance in her life as a mother of ten and a full-time advocate for refugees and peace. Her work takes her around the world from speaking at the White House to addressing the UNHCR in Geneva to convening a grassroots meeting of refugees in Burundi. Meanwhile Nangabire, now seventeen, must adapt to America and discover how she fits into the sprawling Mapendo family. As mother and daughter get to know one another, they must come to terms with a painful past, and define what it means to be a survivor, a woman, a refugee and an American.
Pushing the Elephant screened on PBS's award-winning series Independent Lens
Independent Lens
Airing weekly on PBS through ITVS, the Emmy Award-winning series Independent Lens introduces new drama and documentary films made by independent filmmakers. Past seasons of Independent Lens have been presented by hosts Angela Bassett, Don Cheadle, Susan Sarandon, Edie Falco, Terrence Howard, Maggie...
in early 2011.
The Dishes (in production)
This intimately revealing story takes the viewer from the band’s local haunts of ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to life on the road during their US tour. Through interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
s and vérité footage, the film captures the realities of The Dishes’ life on the road and what it takes to endure the feat of holding it all together, a side of the brass tacks of rock rarely seen.
Election Day (2007)
On November 2, 2004, millions of Americans put the world’s most famous democracyDemocracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
to the test at polling places across the country. Election Day follows a dozen of these citizens—from the plains of South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
to the palm trees of southern Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
-over the course of twenty-four hours. Uplifting yet troubling, their experiences offer rare insight into a hallowed American ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
.
Election Day premiered at South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
Film Festival (SXSW) in 2007 and will be broadcast on public television in 2008.
Arctic Son (2006)
In the tiny ArcticArctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
village of Old Crow
Old Crow, Yukon
-Population data:-External links:******, a National Film Board of Canada documentary...
a father and son are reunited after 20 years apart. Stanley Sr. is a hunter, a rugged man of the land steeped in Native Vuntut Gwitchin
Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation
The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation is a First Nation in the northern Yukon Territory in Canada. Its main population centre is Old Crow, Yukon. As the name indicates, the language originally spoken by the people is Gwichʼin language....
traditions. Seattle-raised Stanley Jr., immerses himself in hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
and partying. As their worlds collide, this moving father-son journey becomes a larger exploration of the complex relationship between tradition
Tradition
A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes , but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings...
and modernity
Modernity
Modernity typically refers to a post-traditional, post-medieval historical period, one marked by the move from feudalism toward capitalism, industrialization, secularization, rationalization, the nation-state and its constituent institutions and forms of surveillance...
; nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
and pop culture; addiction
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
and independence
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
; and the bigger quest
Quest
In mythology and literature, a quest, a journey towards a goal, serves as a plot device and as a symbol. Quests appear in the folklore of every nation and also figure prominently in non-national cultures. In literature, the objects of quests require great exertion on the part of the hero, and...
we all embark at some point—the need to know who we are and where we belong.
Arctic Son
Arctic Son
Arctic Son is a 2006 documentary film about a Gwich’in father and son reuniting after 25 years of separation. The two could not be more different: Stanley Njootli, Sr. is a hunter steeped in First Nations traditions. His son, Stanley, Jr., raised by his mother in Washington State, is immersed in...
was released on POV on August 21, 2007.
Deadline (2004)
What would you do if you discovered that thirteen people slated for executionCapital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
had been found innocent? That was exactly the question that Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
Governor George Ryan
George Ryan
George Homer Ryan, Sr. was the 39th Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1999 until 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. Ryan became nationally known when in 2000 he imposed a moratorium on executions and "raised the national debate on capital punishment"...
faced in his final days in office. Deadline is a compelling look insider America’s prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
s, highlighting one man’s unlikely and historic actions against the system.
Deadline won the Thurgood Marshall Journalism Award and was nominated for an Emmy.
Journey to the West (2001)
Journey to the West explores the origins of traditional Chinese medicineTraditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...
, how it is used in modern-day China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and how it has been adapted in the United States. The film features rare footage of traditional medical practices in the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and interviews of leading Chinese medical practitioners in the United States.
Outside Looking In (2001)
This film brings together the stories of three families with transracially adoptedAdoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
children of three different races, across three generations. It captures a baby's transition from natural parents to adoptive parents, and it delves into the complexity of racial identity for these children who are physically bonded to one race and emotionally bonded to another.
Brother Born Again (2000)
Julia Pimsleur travels to AlaskaAlaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to reconnect with her brother, who has moved to a remote island there following his conversion to Christianity
Conversion to Christianity
Conversion to Christianity is the religious conversion of a previously non-Christian person to some form of Christianity. It has been called the foundational experience of Christian life...
. He has lived with his family there for ten years since dropping out of college to become a born again Christian, while Julia is a bisexual, Jewish New Yorker. The film is a funny and touching exploration of what it means to be a family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
.
Nuyorican Dream (2000)
Nuyorican Dream is the story of a New York Puerto RicanNuyorican
Nuyorican is a portmanteau of the terms "New York" and "Puerto Rican" and refers to the members or culture of the Puerto Rican diaspora located in or around New York State especially the New York City metropolitan area, or of their descendants...
family contending with urban poverty. Robert is the only person in his family who has finished high school and college, an accomplishment that was supposed to give him access to the American dream
American Dream
The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States in which freedom includes a promise of the possibility of prosperity and success. In the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in 1931, "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each...
, but has alienated him from his family. His sisters Beti and Tati are struggling with drug addictions and his brother Danny is in and out of prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, while the family subsists on his mother's welfare
Welfare
Welfare refers to a broad discourse which may hold certain implications regarding the provision of a minimal level of wellbeing and social support for all citizens without the stigma of charity. This is termed "social solidarity"...
checks and earnings from selling pasteles
Pasteles
Pasteles are a traditional dish in several Latin American countries. In Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean coast of Colombia, and Panama, it is similar to a tamale. In Central American cuisine, it more closely resembles a British pasty or an Italian calzone.In...
and clothing on the street. What sustains the Gutierrezes is their support and love for one another.
Innocent Until Proven Guilty (1999)
James Forman, Jr. is a public defenderPublic defender
The term public defender is primarily used to refer to a criminal defense lawyer appointed to represent people charged with a crime but who cannot afford to hire an attorney in the United States and Brazil. The term is also applied to some ombudsman offices, for example in Jamaica, and is one way...
and the son of civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
activist James Forman
James Forman
James Forman was an American Civil Rights leader active in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the Black Panther Party, and the International Black Workers Congress...
. He has decided to follow in his father's footsteps and address issues of race as they manifest themselves today. The documentary gives viewers insight into Forman's work at the Public Defender Service and at an alternative high school for juvenile
Juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency is participation in illegal behavior by minors who fall under a statutory age limit. Most legal systems prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles, such as juvenile detention centers. There are a multitude of different theories on the causes of crime, most if not...
ex-offenders, which he co-founded. It asks challenging questions about our prison system and the criminalization
Criminalization
Criminalization or criminalisation, in criminology, is "the process by which behaviors and individuals are transformed into crime and criminals". Previously legal acts may be transformed into crimes by legislation or judicial decision...
of African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
juveniles.
Media That Matters Film Festival
Launching its eleventh year, the Media That Matters Film Festival is an interactive, yearlong celebration of short, high impact films on immigrationImmigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
, global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
, fair trade
Fair trade
Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards...
, gay rights, sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is the practice of farming using principles of ecology, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment...
and many other pressing social issues. During its highly successful six-year history, Media That Matters has presented films that have gone on to catalyze national legislation
Legislation
Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...
, change corporate hiring practices, spur social action and inspire a new generation of filmmakers.
Past awards ceremonies have included presentations by Ira Glass
Ira Glass
Ira Glass is an American public radio personality, and host and producer of the radio and television show This American Life.- Early life :...
, Byron Hurt
Byron Hurt
Byron Patrick Hurt is an American activist and documentary filmmaker.-Biography:Byron Hurt attended Northeastern University, where he played football as a quarterback, and founded God Bless the Child Productions before graduating with a degree in Journalism in 1993...
, Tim Robbins
Tim Robbins
Timothy Francis "Tim" Robbins is an American actor, screenwriter, director, producer, activist and musician. He is the former longtime partner of actress Susan Sarandon...
, Al Franken
Al Franken
Alan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party....
, Chuck D
Chuck D
Carlton Douglas Ridenhour , better known by his stage name, Chuck D, is an American rapper, author, and producer. He helped create politically and socially conscious rap music in the mid-1980s as the leader of the rap group Public Enemy.- Early life :Ridenhour was born in Queens, New York...
, Woody Harrelson
Woody Harrelson
Woodrow Tracy "Woody" Harrelson is an American actor.Harrelson's breakthrough role came in the television sitcom Cheers as bartender Woody Boyd...
, Academy Award winner Barbara Kopple
Barbara Kopple
Barbara Kopple is an American film director, primarily known for her work in documentary film.-Biography:She grew up in Scarsdale, New York, the daughter of a textile executive and studied psychology at Northeastern University, after which she worked with the Maysles Brothers.Kopple has won two...
, Arrested Development’s David Cross
David Cross
David Cross is an American actor, writer and stand-up comedian perhaps best known for his work on HBO's sketch comedy series Mr...
, Reiko Aylesworth
Reiko Aylesworth
Reiko M. Aylesworth is an American film, television and stage actress, best known for her role on the television series 24 as Michelle Dessler.-Life and career:...
of 24
24 (TV series)
24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
and comedian Sam Seder
Sam Seder
Samuel Lincoln "Sam" Seder is a comedian, writer, actor, film director, television producer-director, and talk radio host...
.
As with each previous year, these new Media That Matters films will stream online
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
at www.mediathatmattersfest.org starting in late 2011. The site
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
provides high quality video feeds, “take action links” and viewer forums
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
on the social issues
Social issues
Social issues are controversial issues which relate to people's personal lives and interactions. Social issues are distinguished from economic issues...
addressed in the films. The collection will embark on a tour of 100+ locations across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and around the world
World
World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth....
. With nationwide distribution through Netflix
Netflix
Netflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
, “do-it-yourself” screenings
Film screening
A film screening is the displaying of a motion picture or film, generally referring to a special showing as part of a film's production and release cycle...
all over the country, and a high impact outreach campaign
High impact philanthropy
High impact philanthropy is the practice of making charitable contributions with the intention of maximizing social good. The aim is to make the biggest difference possible given the amount of capital invested...
, Media That Matters is set to inspire hundreds of thousands of students, teachers
Teachers
Teachers may refer to:* Teachers, people who provide schooling for pupils and students* Teachers , one of the five Ascension Gift Ministries* Teachers , a British sitcom* Teachers Teachers may refer to:* Teachers, people who provide schooling for pupils and students* Teachers (ministry), one of the...
, filmmakers, social activists and just about anyone to take action.
MediaRights.org
MediaRights.org has become the nation’s most comprehensive resourceResource
A resource is a source or supply from which benefit is produced, typically of limited availability.Resource may also refer to:* Resource , substances or objects required by a biological organism for normal maintenance, growth, and reproduction...
for issue-oriented media
Media (communication)
In communications, media are the storage and transmission channels or tools used to store and deliver information or data...
. Started initially as an online database
Online database
An online database is a database accessible from a network, including from the Internet.It differs from a local database, held in an individual computer or its attached storage, such as a CD....
of social issue documentaries, MediaRights.org has been a catalyst for social change
Social change
Social change refers to an alteration in the social order of a society. It may refer to the notion of social progress or sociocultural evolution, the philosophical idea that society moves forward by dialectical or evolutionary means. It may refer to a paradigmatic change in the socio-economic...
, inspiring workshops, new educational materials and interactive screenings
Film screening
A film screening is the displaying of a motion picture or film, generally referring to a special showing as part of a film's production and release cycle...
for filmmakers, activists and educators
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
across the country. Currently MediaRights.org is the source for over 26,000 registered members and hosts more than 7,400 films in its online database. Moreover MediaRights.org has helped provide access to thousands of films that have through the years been used to encourage public
Public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
dialogue
Conversation
Conversation is a form of interactive, spontaneous communication between two or more people who are following rules of etiquette.Conversation analysis is a branch of sociology which studies the structure and organization of human interaction, with a more specific focus on conversational...
and civic engagement
Civic engagement
Civic engagement or civic participation has been defined as "Individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern."-Forms:...
by activists throughout the country.
Mission statement
Arts Engine, Inc. supports, produces, and distributes independent mediaIndependent media
Independent media refers to any form of media, such as radio, television, newspapers or the Internet, that is free of influence by government or corporate interests. The term has varied applications...
of consequence and promotes the use of independent media by advocates, educators
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and the general public
General Public
General Public were a band formed by The Beat vocalists, Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger, and which included former members of Dexy's Midnight Runners, The Specials and The Clash...
. By fostering the production and use of independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
, video and new media
New media
New media is a broad term in media studies that emerged in the latter part of the 20th century. For example, new media holds out a possibility of on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community...
, Arts Engine connects media makers and active audiences
Audiences
Audiences is an indie rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. They have self-released two live albums. Live at The Otterarium was self recorded and produced in their practice space. Live at Lincoln Hall was recorded live at Lincoln Hall Chicago and engineered by Flashpoint Academy graduate sound...
in order to spur critical consideration of pressing social issues
Social issues
Social issues are controversial issues which relate to people's personal lives and interactions. Social issues are distinguished from economic issues...
.
The governing philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
of Arts Engine is that the work of independent media makers is crucial to the enrichment of society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
. With the growing consolidation of media
Concentration of media ownership
Concentration of media ownership refers to a process whereby progressively fewer individuals or organizations control increasing shares of the mass media...
worldwide, independent media makers face daunting obstacles in their efforts to introduce new perspectives into public
Public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
debate
Debate
Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
. Advocates, educators
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and the public have limited access to media
Media (communication)
In communications, media are the storage and transmission channels or tools used to store and deliver information or data...
that illustrates a variety of points of view. In order to support the presence of diverse perspectives in our society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
, Arts Engine is dedicated to forging vital links between media makers and the public
Public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
, and to realizing independent media
Independent media
Independent media refers to any form of media, such as radio, television, newspapers or the Internet, that is free of influence by government or corporate interests. The term has varied applications...
’s potential for broad social impact
Social impact
In business and government policy, social impact refers to how the organization's actions affect the surrounding community.See also the psychological "Social impact theory". is also the name of a service provider to NGOs and international agencies....
.
External links
- http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/
- http://www.mediarights.org/
- http://www.artsengine.net/
- http://www.ymdi.org/
- http://www.deadlinethemovie.com/
- http://www.electiondaythemovie.com/
- http://www.bigmouthfilms.org/