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Call For Entries For Films By Female Filmmakers For New “GAZE” Series

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A new screening series is starting at Artists’ Television Access in San Francisco and they are looking for submissions. The new series, GAZE, will feature independent films by female filmmakers. GAZE promotes women’s artistic expression and creates dialogue related to the influence of this medium.

See their website for submission instructions: gazefilmseries.wordpress.com. All formats and lengths are accepted, and there is no submission fee. Please email gaze@atasite.org if you have any questions.

Special Sneak Peek Screening of Nadine Patterson’s “Tango Macbeth” Film This Thursday!

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Shakespeare can be hard to enjoy for some, which is why I appreciate when artists find new creative interpretations of the Shakespeare classics. In Nadine’s case, not only has she crafted a creative new story associated with Macbeth, but she’s also cast a diverse array of actors into the leading roles.

In Tango Macbeth, this director’s experience in dance, documentary and drama come together–and I’m excited to see the result!

The sneak preview screening this Thursday, March 22nd is open with an advance RSVP and helps raise money for the final production and distribution of the film. Please join Thursday at 7pm or 9pm (two screenings) at the Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine Street, Philadelphia. To RSVP and for more info visit www.tangomacbeth.com.

Task Force Addresses 42% Drop in “Independent Lens” Viewership In Past Year

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I was shocked, like many, to hear about the recent report by Current that viewership for Independent Lens had dropped 42% in the past year due to the scheduling change. That’s a significant shift!

As reported Tuesday, March 13 in Current, PBS viewership data for Independent Lens in October and November 2011 indicate a ratings decrease of about 42 percent compared to the same time period last year. With the change to Thursday nights, some stations have elected to move the series off their main channel. Other stations have shifted indie programming to a time slot that does not conflict with their designated local programming night. Among them are the nation’s two largest stations; Independent Lens now broadcasts at 11:00pm or 11:30 PM in both the New York and Los Angeles media markets.

A joint task force between staff from ITVS, POV and PBS has been created to address this issue and encourage more support for viewership of independent documentaries. To read the full article on the shift in programming scheduling and the task force click here.

Elephant in the Dark: Two Short Films On Muslim Identity Screen Thursday in Philly

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  Join fellow Temple MFA graduates Aggie Ebrahimi Bazaz and Ambarien Al Qadar for a screening of their short films this Thursday, March 15 at 6pm at the Penn Museum (3260 South Street).

In this new film series the Penn Museum Archives invites filmmakers who have extensively used archival film footage to present their films. Bazaz and Al Qadar have made short documentary films, Inheritance and Ghetto Girl (both 2011), which interweave historical images of Iran and India with personal mythologies to examine the influence of Islamic gender politics and geopolitics on lived, daily experience. The filmmakers comment on their works, and invite questions from the audience following the screening. Admission is free!

“My Tehran For Sale” Screens in Philly This Friday

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my tehranI’m excited for our next installment of our Kinowatt Film Series this Friday and to be supporting a strong first narrative feature film by a female director.

 

 

About the film:
Marzieh is a young female actress living in Tehran. The authorities ban her theatre work and, like all young people in Iran, she is forced to lead a secret life in order to express herself artistically. At an underground rave, she meets Iranian born Saman, now an Australian citizen, who offers her a way out of her country and the possibility of living without fear. Shot entirely on location in Tehran, MY TEHRAN FOR SALE tells the story of modern day Iranian youth struggling for cultural freedom. It brings to the screen never before seen images of modern urban Iran, and reveals how young Iranian people live behind closed doors. MY TEHRAN FOR SALE is the first Iranian/Australian feature film collaboration and is the directorial debut of contemporary poet Granaz Moussavi.

Friday March 2, 2012
Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street Philadelphia

The screening begins at 8:00pm. Tickets are $8 General Admission/$5 Student Admission. Purchase tickets in advance online at: brownpapertickets.com.

My Tehran For Sale is co-presented by the Global Film Initiative and is part of the Global Lens Collection. For more information visit www.globalfilm.org.

Media That Matters Film Festival Call For Submissions

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Arts Engine has announced their call for submissions for short film for their 12th Annual Media That Matters Film Festival. Submit your film for the chance to work with them in creating social change through film. If selected, your film will take become a part of Media That Matters™ — an international, multi-platform campaign streaming and playing to thousands of people at screenings across the globe. Media That Matters™ creates discussion guides and screening materials to promote conversation and encourage educators, activists and organizers alike to Take Action around these films. Final deadline is May 1st.

For guidelines and more information visit http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/submit.

“More Than a Month” Film Rethinks Black History Month–Free Screening in Philly Feb 21st

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Tomorrow, February 21st, More Than a Month will be screening for free at Community College of Philadelphia with the film’s director, Shukree Hassan Tilghman, in person. Philly360 gave a great shout out to the film, which I posted below. Hope to see you there!

 

Behind the Screen With Maori: More Than A Month

During the first week of February, FAAN Mail—a media literacy and activism project formed in Philadelphia—launched the Twitter hashtag #WishiLearnedinHS to call attention to the ethnic studies ban in Arizona. It was quite appropriate to launch the campaign in February, also known as Black History Month.

“Black history is American history,” says 29-year-old filmmaker Shukree Hassan Tilghman in his provocative new film, More Than A Month, which opens the dialogue about the idea of ethnic heritage observations. His documentary is an engaging chronicle of his cross-country journey to end the observance of the 87-year-old tradition.

The bold film investigates race and equality in a so-called post-racial America and asks the question, ‘Should Black History Month end?’ But, also explores why the history of African-Americans is observed as somehow separate from the history of the country. (i.e., how do you talk about President Washington’s Philadelphia home without talking about the slaves who worked for him?)

Tilghman starts his one-year odyssey in Washington, DC and travels to Lexington, VA, Philadelphia, PA, Cambridge, MA, Chicago, IL and four other cities. Along the way, he participates in a psychological study, interviews advertisers who market to African-Americans, and researched Black History Month’s founding father, Dr. Carter G. Woodson.

At its core, More Than A Month is ultimately about what it means to fight for one’s rightful place in the landscape of Americana, no matter how one’s family arrived on these shores.
The film will premiere on February 16 on WHYY. Watch the trailer here.
And, don’t miss the Philadelphia screening of More Than a Month with Shukree Hassan Tilghman:

February 21, 2012

6:30 p.m.

Community College of Philadelphia

1700 Spring Garden Avenue
To RSVP, click here.
Insider Tip: Download More Than A Mapp, a smartphone app based on the film that uses GPS to point users in the direction of the nearest African-American history locale. You can even add your own historical points to the map!

Apply for Reel Change: Managing Social Issue Film Campaigns

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Working Films and The Fledgling Fund, in collaboration with American University’s Center for Social Media, are bringing Reel Change: Managing Social Issue Film Campaigns to Washington D.C April 28-30, 2012. This interactive three-day workshop is designed to develop the skills required to be a community and audience engagement coordinator for social issue documentaries and cross-platform media projects. These positions support the development and day-to-day management of nontraditional distribution for film and online projects tied to on-the-ground efforts for social change.

Find out more and apply now! The deadline is March 9th.

After 27 Years And A Fight For Public Access, PhillyCAM TV Goes Live Wednesday!

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Want to talk about long term vision in community organizing? For over 15 years a dedicated group of folks led a campaign to put pressure on the City to release money that Comcast had allocated starting the 1980s for creating a public access station.

It was a long process that involved a far reaching coalition of organizations throughout the City, endless meetings and even a lawsuit against the City. True story.

The result was that in the fall of 2007, the City finally signed the articles of incorporation to create the non-profit to run public access. On October 23, 2009, Philadelphia Community Access Media, PhillyCAM for short, began providing Philadelphians the opportunity to produce and air their own non-commercial television programs on cable channels Comcast 66/966 and Verizon 29/30.

They started out of temporary space at the Painted Bride and moved into their new state of the art facility that was constructed at 699 Ranstead Street (between Chestnut and Market on 7th) in late 2011.

On Wednesday February 8th they will kick off their grand opening and first live studio broadcast with a visit from Mayor Nutter for an afternoon press conference and a party for the general public from 6-9pm. The live studio television broadcast will happen during the evening party.

Come be a part of this historic moment in Philadelphia and learn what PhillyCAM can offer you! Details available here.