The
Political Film Society is a nonprofit corporation that exists to recognize Hollywood
filmsPolitical Cinema in the narrow sense of the term is a cinema which portrays current or historical events or social conditions in a partisan way in order to inform or to agitate the spectator...
' ability to raise awareness in political matters in the
worldWorld is a highly common name for the planet Earth, but it was originally used to mean the sum of human civilization living on it, specifically human experience, history, or the 'human condition' in general....
. Film makers (
directorsA film director, or filmmaker is a person who directs the making or production of a film. Some also consider a film producer to be a filmmaker....
) are the ones who are awarded by this organization. The Political Film Society awards directors as a way of encouraging the industry to make the public audience more aware of the political issues facing their world today.
The Political Film Society was founded in 1986 in Honolulu, HI.
The
Political Film Society is a nonprofit corporation that exists to recognize Hollywood
filmsPolitical Cinema in the narrow sense of the term is a cinema which portrays current or historical events or social conditions in a partisan way in order to inform or to agitate the spectator...
' ability to raise awareness in political matters in the
worldWorld is a highly common name for the planet Earth, but it was originally used to mean the sum of human civilization living on it, specifically human experience, history, or the 'human condition' in general....
. Film makers (
directorsA film director, or filmmaker is a person who directs the making or production of a film. Some also consider a film producer to be a filmmaker....
) are the ones who are awarded by this organization. The Political Film Society awards directors as a way of encouraging the industry to make the public audience more aware of the political issues facing their world today.
The Political Film Society was founded in 1986 in Honolulu, HI. It was originally an idea of the Hawaii Political Studies Association. The
headquartersHeadquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The corporate headquarters is the entity at the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
of the
societySociety or human society is the manner or condition in which the members of a community live together for their mutual benefit. By extension, society denotes the people of a region or country, sometimes even the world, taken as a whole....
were moved from Honolulu to Hollywood in 1998 after it became a nonprofit organization.
Leaders
Each year, at an annual meeting of members, three persons are elected to serve on the board of directors. The board, in turn, chooses the
Chief Executive OfficerA chief executive officer or chief executive is one of the highest-ranking corporate officers or administrators in charge of total management...
.
Michael HaasMichael Haas is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Hawaii and the Chairman of the International Academic Advisory Board of the University of Cambodia. He played a role in stopping the secret funding of the Khmer Rouge by the administration of President George H. W. Bush...
, who also serves on the board, has been the CEO of the Political Film Society since its inception. Other board members elected in 1998 are Stanley M. Castillo and Eric Dacumos.
Members
Members are selected by the board of directors. Those interested to become members must contact the society through
mailMail, or post, is a method for transmitting information and tangible objects, wherein written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal...
or email to join. Members in good standing are allowed to vote each year on the films up for the awards that the society hands out for the winners. There are around 200 members all over the world as of February 2008.
Awards
The Political Film Society awards movies each year with the
Political Film Society AwardsThe Political Film Society Awards are handed out each year by the Political Film Society. Each year, films that best promote political consciousness are selected in four categories; democracy, exposé, human rights, and peace. In addition, the Society can give special awards...
. These awards are given out to movies in five categories:
Political Film Society Award for DemocracyThe Political Film Society Award for democracy is given out each year to a film that promotes, educates, and raises the awareness level of the public in the specific areas of democracy and freedom. This award has been handed out by the Society since 1988...
,
Political Film Society Award for ExposéThe Political Film Society Award for exposé is given out each year to a film that has an investigative depth into a subject matter and often exposes surprising information on the subject. This award has been handed out by the Society since 1988...
,
Political Film Society Award for Human RightsThe Political Film Society Award for human rights is given out each year to a film that deals with struggle for human rights in both fictional and non-fictional stories. This award has been handed out by the Society since 1987...
, Political Film Society Award for Peace, and the Special Award. The awards are nicknamed The Stanley Awards after Stanley M. Castillo, an original member of the Political Film Society's
board of directorsA board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. The body sometimes has a different name, such as board of trustees, board of governors, board of managers, or executive board...
who died in 1998 due to
cancerCancer is a class of diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled growth , invasion , and sometimes metastasis...
.