Author: rachel

The Providence Community Library system (http://www.provcomlib.org) in Providence, RI. is seeking loans or donations (preferred!) of 16mm films for an upcoming and ongoing film series. Primarily interested in feature-length pictures, especially if in good condition, but would love to hear about any ol’ films currently taking up space in your closets, back rooms, basements, storage units, etc. I can pick up and haul them out of your library in the nearby RI / MA / CT area, and can work out shipping arrangements if they’re coming from a distance! We’ll give them a good home and make them available to the people here who want to see them! Also will consider 8mm and 35mm (or any other odd format).

Please get in touch with Dave Dvorchak at ddvorchak@provcomlib.org with questions and titles you’d like to get rid of!

Event just scheduled:

I’m going to be attending this conference on health and wellness for women with disabilities October 17 & 18 and if you or any of your faculty are in the northern Virginia/DC area I would love to see you there:

http://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/disabilities-conference/index.aspx

News:

Monica & David will be screening during the Association of University Centers on Disability’s annual conference November 6-9, taking place at the Hyatt in Crystal City, VA. The filmmaker will be in attendance and the screening is scheduled for November 8 at 1:30pm – www.monicaanddavid.com

I have not seen this film yet – and I hope I can get someone on this list to watch it and tell me their thoughts – but an interesting film called Lives Worth Living, chronicling the disability rights movement, is scheduled to air on the PBS Series Independent Lens on Thursday, October 27 at 10pm. Somebody watch it and get back to me!

New release:

Directed by award-winning filmmaker Kavery Kaul, Back Walking Forward focuses on one young man’s struggle to relearn life skills after brain injury. It captures one family’s search for a “new normal” as they become caregivers-for-life. ABC-TV’s Bob Woodruff, the survivor of a brain injury from the Iraq war, calls Back Walking Forward “an amazing and absorbing documentary”. The Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives News notes, “Kaul’s film is important because it gives brain injury a face.” For more information visit www.backwalkingforward.com

Though I’m not one to watch or look at materials surrounding 9/11, this internet archive is quite impressive, and most likely useful for people who do need this content:

http://blog.archive.org/2011/08/24/understanding-911/

And finally, I just find this a really interesting article…

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/movies/2011/09/using-movies-to-debate-sign-language/

I wrote a couple of articles about educational distribution for IndieWire’s Hope For Film blog. These are mostly geared towards encouraging filmmakers to think beyond the standard theatrical and home video markets but I would also suggest sending them over to your film departments to hand out to students:

The first is how to begin the educational adventure:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/tedhope/archives/guest_post_rachel_gordon_tapping_into_educational_distribution/#

The second are examples of making a difference using media in education:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/tedhope/archives/guest_post_rachel_gordon_tapping_into_educational_distribution_part_2/

A third article is in development about online and streaming media usage in the educational environment. It will include highlights from the College of Direct Support, AsiaPacificFilms.com and American Council for the Blind.

Working Title is being used to through a U.S. Department of State library program to help appreciate the living circumstances of being a fine artist. A recent user explained: “Importantly, this film goes a long way in making ‘artists’ analyze what that title means for themselves and it inspires the confidence to boldly accept and embrace who they are. I saw my students absolutely captivated by WORKING TITLE and it served as a great discussion starter.” — Edwin M. E. Smith, Bermuda College (http://www.workingtitle.tv)

The Collector of Bedford Street won Best Story at the BOSI International Film Festival in Belgrade! (www.welcomechange.org)

Meanwhile, the trip to Uzbekistan that director Alice Elliott and self-advocate Diana Braun (www.dianaandkathy.com) took continues to have an impact as the local disability movement enthusiastically explained:

http://istiqbol.blogspot.com/2011/04/meeting-with-hero-of-unique-documentary.html

Possible Future Utilities?

A startup company called Orson is looking to create a new website/software service for filmmakers that will focus on booking services like theater rentals and VOD outlets by themselves. However, they want filmmakers feedback in the process to make sure to cater to what filmmakers find important. If you’re interested in adding your 2 cents (as I can never stop myself from doing), you’ll find a survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/filmmakers

For those of you looking at both open source media and new developments in interactive production, a new program is in development called Zeega: “an open-source HTML5 platform for creating interactive documentaries”. It is in alpha. You can sign up for updates. Here is a story from the Harvard Gazette: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/06/from-a-to-zeega/