Movie • 1 hr 8 min 32 sec • News, History
Completed December 2014
After a summer of endless and tragic violence in their hometown of Chicago, a group of friends comprised of poets, playwrights, hip-hop artists, photographers, filmmakers & journalists were heartbroken and enraged by news that Mike Brown had been killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri. They banded together to launch the #LetUsBreathe initiative to bring donations of supplies to protesters whose peaceful demands are being met with police aggression.This is documentation of real stories to combat the one-sided media.
Black Lives Matter Music VideoMusic Video • 3 min 55 sec • Musical, Music, History
Completed February 2015
On the heals of the indictment of a NYPD officer in the stairwell death of Akai Gurley, R&B artist and actress, Lovely Hoffman, releases the music video, 'Black Lives Matter.' The song and video is a powerful anthem that bridges the current day struggle of the value of black life with the historical Civil Rights movement.
With soulful vocals accompanied by powerful lyrics, Hoffman skillfully arranges a chant of the old Negro spiritual 'Oh Freedom' throughout the chorus in order to evoke the emotion of the Civil Rights movement with the sentiments of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The Black Lives Matter music video incorporates footage of national and international Black Lives Matter protests, alongside images of the victims who have lost their lives at the hands of police. Also, interwoven within the video are subtle but intimate clips that capture Hoffman during the recording process.
Television • 26 min • Documentary
Completed December 2014
+27 Social Innovators of South Africa tracks community-minded entrepreneurs who are empowering the nation’s youth. Jarrel Mathebula is the Co-Founder of Indigenous Dance Academy a self-sustaining organisation that gives township dancers from Tembisa the chance to earn money doing what they love.
A Good NightMovie • 1 min 51 sec • Drama
Completed February 2015
A Good Night is a micro documentary about Mark and Lava who spent one holiday giving out gifts to the homeless community in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The Big Give ProjectMovie • 47 min 28 sec • Drama
Completed May 2014
This documentary follows the journey of a group of high school basketball coaches who decide to make a radical difference where it's needed: The inner city schools of Calgary. On their journey, the coaches and the players realize that this movement is much bigger than just basketball, it's about changing lives.
Made For Video • 10 min 57 sec • Biography
Completed August 2014
With big dreams to become a journalist and a pilot, two children from the slum must find a way to pursue their education in order to achieve their goals. The YCCM (Young County Change-Makers) is an organization in the Nyalenda Slum in Kisumu, Kenya, that provides support and guidance to help youth reach their full potential
School ZoneMade For Video • 12 min • Drama
Completed February 2015
12 year old Jared and Yasmin wait in silence outside the principal's office, while on the other side of the door, their parents' arguments escalate on their behalf. Differences get sorted out in the school zone.
Finding the Gold WithinMovie • 1 hr 32 min • Drama
Completed September 2014
Six young Black men from Akron, Ohio, enter college, determined to redefine society's images and low expectations. Despite their confidence, the stark reality of being away from home brings a series of crises.
Well trained in critical and metaphorical thinking, and unusually articulate about their inner lives, each of the protagonists guides us to his core. Since sixth grade, they have been part of the innovative mentoring program 'Alchemy, Inc.' that uses mythological stories, drumming and writing. In the twice-yearly reunion workshops, everyone speaks of his trials and his triumphs with authenticity, intelligence, honesty and heart.
In turns quiet, thoughtful and exuberant, the six protagonists grow before our eyes, whether navigating racial provocations, or seeking support with new friends, estranged fathers and wise grandmothers.
Movie • 5 min • Family, Drama, News
Completed December 2015
In America, Black males are criminalized based on appearance and are often labeled as violent, vicious and inhuman. This short film highlights stereotypical images to challenge the stigmas surrounding Black men in our society.
Inside PeaceMovie • 1 hr 16 min 50 sec • Documentary, Family, Drama, Crime
Completed January 2015
Three criminal offenders marked by generations of violence, addiction and poor social conditions attend the Peace Class in a Texas prison, where they struggle to discover their humanity, improve their outlook on life, and rebuild their lives from the inside out.
Even The WallsMovie • 27 min 26 sec • News, History, Biography
Completed December 2014
Even the Walls documents the unique connectedness of a public-housing development on the eve of its destruction.
For more than 70 years, Yesler Terrace has been home to thousands of Seattle's low-income residents and international refugees. Conceived as the nation's first racially-integrated, public-housing development, Yesler now stands on the edge of a new social experiment: mixed-income, mixed-use housing. In 2014, the Seattle Housing Authority began selling off pieces of the 30-acre property to being the transition.
This 27-minute documentary film takes you on an intimate journey inside the homes and memories of nine Yesler Terrace residents. Through interviews and cinematic portraits Even the Walls transcends the immediate question of relocation, and instead honors the history of Yesler's residents and their neighborhood before they are lost.
Movie • 1 hr 26 min • Documentary, Drama, Music, History
Completed February 2015
When Nelson Mandela was finally released from prison, South African musician and music therapist Sharon Katz joined with singer/educator Nonhlanhla Wanda to bring together 500 courageous Black and White youth and form a multiracial choir that would break through Apartheid’s barriers. Threatened with bombs and thwarted at every turn, they prevailed and railroaded across the country aboard The Peace Train.
Singing their way into the hearts, minds and soul of a divided nation in the midst of a civil war, they promoted a peaceful transition to democracy and went on to become Mandela’s face of the new nation.
When Voices Meet documents the trials, tribulations and triumphs of those musician activists and young choir members. They performed together for seven years; never lost touch with one another; and then reunited 20 years later to tell their stories and reflect upon The Peace Train’s impact on South Africa today. It’s an inspiring global story of hope and determination despite tremendous obstacles.
Movie • 4 hr 2 sec • Drama
Completed May 2014
INTROSPECTIVE tells the story of a young girls daily confrontation with the brutal reality of the environment that surrounds her. She must navigate through social ills that affect women in her community such as domestic violence, rape culture, and slandering; as she strives to become better than her surroundings
I Am EmmanuelMovie • 19 min 40 sec • Family, Drama
Completed January 2014
Emmanuel is determined not to let the past define his future. After fleeing from war-torn Sudan with his family, he finds the chance to start a new life in Australia offers many opportunities, and equally, many challenges
From the SkyMovie • 17 min 55 sec • Drama, War
Completed March 2014
A peaceful father and troubled son struggle to cope with the effect of drone warfare in their region of the Middle East.
Homaro Cantu Feature Documentary PromoTelevision • 9 min 38 sec • Biography
Completed September 2014
World renowned chef and inventor Homaro Cantu dazzles diners with his molecular gastronomy approach to cooking at his Chicago restaurant, Moto.
The Chikukwa ProjectMade For Video • 52 min 19 sec • Family
Completed November 2013
A feel good film out of Africa. See how 7,000 Shona Africans moved from malnutrition to abundance. Using sustainable farming including permaculture methods they have turned their lives around.
Movie • 7 min 25 sec • Family, Drama
Completed February 2014
Irene is eight and she just woke up from a horrible dream
In the Shadow of EbolaMovie • 26 min 32 sec • Family, War, News
Completed March 2015
'In the Shadow of Ebola' is an intimate story of a family and a nation torn apart by the Ebola outbreak. We follow a Liberian student and his family living divided between the United States and Liberia, who open our eyes to the ripple effects the outbreak is having on Liberians living through this crisis. Caught in an invisible war that is painfully reminiscent of the chaos and confusion they lived through during a fourteen-year civil war, a family and a people find the compassion and inner resolve to combat the virus's spread.
TB UnmaskedMovie • 25 min 19 sec • Documentary, News
Completed November 2014
On the front lines of the global tuberculosis (TB) epidemic, healthcare workers are dying to help. Uvi caught drug-resistant TB as a medical student in South Africa but was lucky to survive - now he's a doctor treating TB in kids. Susheela was the first nurse in India to die of extensively drug-resistant TB - her story became a catalyst for change. Shelly started an organization to provide TB care in the most challenging conditions in India. Vivian treats New York's immigrant community and fights the stigma of the disease. Tom contracted TB while working as a doctor during an outbreak in New York - now he heads the US government's response to infectious diseases. All are fighting TB, all put themselves at risk on a daily basis while caring for others, all deserve to be protected. These are their stories.
H2O for HopeMade For Video • 13 min 55 sec • Documentary
Completed August 2015
Clean water is the foundation of life, and its absence is at the root of most global health and poverty-related problems worldwide. H2O for Hope explores the need of clean water projects in communities like Khwisero, Kenya, where one borehole well and composting latrine can lead to enhanced education, gender equality, family health, medical improvements, community involvement and long-term prosperity. However, the short film doesn't overlook the challenges that foreign aid workers face and the importance of working hand-in-hand with local leaders to engage in effective and sustainable projects.
Made For Video • 5 min 46 sec • Drama, News, Biography
Completed February 2015
Norma's Story is a true tale of change.
It documents the effects of climate change on the environment , culture and food security of the Vuntut Gwitchin people of the Northern Yukon as seen through the eyes of Norma Kassi.
Movie • 1 hr 30 min 37 sec • Documentary, Drama, Mystery, History
Completed March 2015
'Stink!' is a first-person story about one father's absurd journey to find out what kinds of chemicals are hidden in a pair of his kid's pajamas - and why no one will tell him what they are.
From the halls of Congress to the aisles of your localsupermarket, director Jon Whelan confronts the secret culture of cheap and toxic chemicals that permeate our everyday products.
Made For Video • 2 min 2 sec • Documentary, Crime, News
Completed May 2015
A short film about police shootings across America.
Movie • 56 min 59 sec • Drama, News
Completed May 2015
A Cincinnati public school fights to break the cycle of poverty in its Urban Appalachian neighborhood, where senior Raven Gribbins aims to become the first in her troubled family to graduate and go to college. When Principal Craig Hockenberry's job is threatened, it becomes clear it's a make-or-break year for both of them.
Boulevard 168Made For Video • 10 min 30 sec • Drama, News
Completed November 2014
After a judgment issued by the Dominican government denationalizing thousands of Haitian-Dominicans, many Dominican-Americans face the same faith in New York City.
TomgirlMovie • 13 min 40 sec • Documentary
Completed February 2015
Girls play with dolls and boys love sports, right? This film takes a look at what happens when those stereotypes are called into question.
Jake, a lovable gender non-conforming seven year- old, invites us into his world to explore the transforming power that love and support can have when young children are accepted for who they really are.
Movie • 1 hr 23 min 11 sec • Drama, Crime, Biography
Completed November 2014
Direct from the frontlines of America's locked down racial system, follow three men over seven years inside one California prison. Their stories expose--and honor--the human drama at its core, revealing the institutional nature of racial hierarchies, and the hope and hidden risks of transformative change.
