Wangari Maathai’s Message in Honor of MLK

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Kenyan Environmental Justice Leader Wangari Maathai, who is featured in the film Taking Root, offers a few words to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s message of community service.

Video produced by: Lisa Merton and Alan Dater

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Tags: community, community cinema, day of service, Independent Lens, martin luther king jr, mlk, Wangari Maathai

Use Films to Organize and Engage Your Community

Can a film change the world if everyone just sits on their sofas and watches it, and then goes to bed? OK, sure, films can change minds and inform, but at ITVS, our goal is to leverage great films to engage and activate communities. The whole idea is to create a conversation — from the local town hall to the halls of justice around the world.

If you work for a community organization, a non-profit, or dedicate your free energy to volunteer for a cause you feel passionately about, ITVS.org is an amazing and easy-to-use resource to help you to foster dialog and move the conversation forward.

There are many ways you can use our new website to access films that address the issues you’re interested in:

• Attend a Community Cinema or theatrical screening: Type in your zip code and find out when you can attend a screening in your area, often with spirited panel discussions and additional resources to delve into the subject presented.

• Search by topic: Right from our new front page, you can search our nearly 800 films to find the ones that speak directly to your cause.

• Drill down into our catalog: Narrow your search by region, genre, or television series to find the film that most accurately suits your needs.

And check out our new engagement section, where you can learn more about Community Cinema as well as our engagement campaigns that include discussion guides, printable posters and postcards, and more.

Dive in and let us help you get your community talking about the issues that matter where you live. And share your success stories with us!

Tags: community, engagement, non profit, volunteer