Tag Archives: obama

This Weekend on Indies Showcase, Revisit Two Towns of Jasper

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Veteran ITVS filmmaker Marco Williams has a history of creating films that examine race relations between white and black Americans. Williams provided BTB with some background to his and Whitney Dow’s documentary Two Towns of Jasper, streaming free from September 17 – 19 on ITVS’s Indies Showcase.

On September 21, 2011 Lawrence Russell Brewer, one of the three white men convicted for the racially motivated murder of James Byrd Junior, a black man, in Jasper Texas, will be executed.  The chaining and dragging of James Byrd behind a pick-up truck formed the basis of Two Towns of Jasper, the film that Whitney Dow and I made.
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FOCUS ON: Kim Snyder, Director of Welcome to Shelbyville

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By Melody Morgan

FOCUS ON is a regular interview series profiling independent filmmakers and their projects. Up this week is Kim Snyder, whose documentary Welcome to Shelbyville, aired last week on Independent Lens. The documentary is currently streaming free online at PBS.org.

Why did you originally want to become a filmmaker and has that reason changed?

I love film. I’ve always enjoyed storytelling and I felt a compelling drive to express myself in this format.  My entire family was in the arts, and my father is an artist, which also greatly informed me.  With documentary, I’ve observed and experienced the power of the genre to ignite social change, and motivate people to participate in civic dialogue — and that is very rewarding for me.
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Interview: Kim Snyder on Welcome to Shelbyville

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Filmmaker Kim Snyder visited ITVS last year to discuss her documentary Welcome to Shelbyville — which airs Tuesday night on Independent Lens. Set on the eve of the 2008 election, the film examines the town of Shelbyville as it grapples with issues of immigration and patriotism.

Indie Lens, ITVS & PBS NewsHour Host Chat on Bhutto Doc & Women’s Leadership

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On Wednesday, at 2PM ET / 11AM PT, ITVS, Independent Lens, and PBS NewsHour will co-present a live chat on the Independent Lens documentary Bhutto and women’s leadership.

On Monday, ITVS President Sally Jo Fifer announced the launch of Women and Girls Lead — a new public media initiative designed to educate audiences in support of women and girl’s leadership and development around the world. The documentary Bhutto is the first film connected to the multiyear initiative.
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Revisiting a Defining Image on President’s Day

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Doc offers story behind America’s stoic dollar bill image



On several occasions in 1796, George Washington visited the home of artist Gilbert Stuart to sit for what is considered one of the most famous portraits ever created — Washington’s stoic image on the one dollar bill.

First Face: The Buck Starts Here, airing this month on Public Television (check local listings) looks at the circumstances leading to the creation of this portrait, how it defined the president and, ultimately, its contemporary value as a symbol of America.

Enjoy some additional footage from the film after the jump.

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The Egyptian Uprising in Context

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ITVS FILMS AND RESOURCES HELP PLACE CURRENT EVENTS INTO HISTORICAL CONTEXT

ITVS has a history of working with international filmmakers as well as community organizers, educators, and activists to trace the evolution of democracy movements worldwide. Find useful content and resources that will bring the current situation in Egypt into historical context, on our new page Egypt & Democracy.

Please Vote (For Me)

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Time is running out to exercise your democratic right to vote in this year’s midterm election. For those in need of some electoral inspiration, take a look at the 2007 ITVS International-funded documentary Please Vote for Me.

The fim, directed by Weijun Chen, follows students in an elementary school in China as they campaign for class monitor. If an 8-year-old can toil along the gritty campaign trail, surely you can mark up a ballot!

Enjoy this video feature on Please Vote for Me from today’s New York Times:

P.O.V. Explores America Post 9/11

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The Oath, by filmmaker Laura Poitras, airs Tuesday night on P.O.V.

Tuesday night on P.O.V., tune into The Oath, the second installment in a trilogy about America post-9/11. The first film, My Country, My Country, documented the U.S. occupation of Iraq from the perspective of an Iraqi family. The third film will focus on domestic surveillance.

Filmed in Yemen, The Oath is a family drama about two men whose fateful encounter in 1996 set them on a journey that would lead to Osama bin Laden, 9/11, Guantanamo Bay Prison, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Filmmaker Laura Poitras tells the story of Abu Jandal, bin Laden’s former bodyguard, and Salim Hamda, a prisoner at Guantanamo and the first man to face the controversial military tribunals.  The film begins as Hamdan is set to face war crimes charges at Gitmo, and as Jandal is a free man, driving a taxi in Yemen.

Check out the trailer below and watch The Oath Tuesday night on P.OV. (check local listings.)