I've just learned that Flags of Our Fathers actor Adam Beach will be on hand at a reception and awards ceremony celebrating the eighth annual Media That Matters Film Festival in New York City on Thursday, May 29th.
According to its website, the Media That Matters Film Festival "is the premier showcase for short films on the most important topics of the day. Local and global, online and in communities around the world, Media That Matters engages diverse audiences and inspires them to take action.
"From gay rights to global warming, the jury-selected collection represents the work of a diverse group of independent filmmakers, many of whom are under 21. The films are equally diverse in style and content, with documentaries, music videos, animations, experimental work and everything else in between. What all the films have in common is that they spark debate and action in 12 minutes or less."
Numerous shorts are available on their website, among them:
- Guerrilla News Network's CopWatch (right photo; "Fed up with police brutality, the organization 'Copwatch' decided to keep an eye on big brother. This short film shows how peaceful observation of police behavior can change the way a neighborhood and a police force deal with one another");
- Brian Schirber and Kirstin Nelson's Homecoming ("When coming out makes Ron a target for attack, he finds a school where respect and acceptance are taught alongside Math and English");
- Josh Holst's Esmeraldas: Petroleum and Poverty ("Esmeraldas documents the intense human suffering that occurred when a Texaco oil refinery exploded and destroyed an Afro-Ecuadorian community");
- Wes Kim's Vision Test ("Who would you feel most comfortable with as CEO of a Fortune 500 company? What begins as a routine eye exam turns into an examination of people's subconscious attitudes towards race, gender and power");
- Vance Malone's Permission (top photo; "[If you're gay,] whose permission would you need to get married to the person you love?").
For more information, visit the Media That Matters website.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST 40th Anniversary Screening
The Journal of Short Film – Spring 2008
The Paucity of Female Directors in Hollywood
Sundance Institute's 2008 Independent Producers Conference
British Cinema in the 1970s in THE GUARDIAN
L.A. CONFIDENTIAL: Great To Be Nominated
AMERICAN GANGSTER at THE STRADDLER
THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD Academy Screening
SHEPHERD OF THE NIGHT FLOCK Screening
2001 in 2008: A Cinematic Odyssey