SPECIAL EVENT: London Premiere – Media Matters Film Festival
The Frontline Club is delighted to be hosting the premiere of this year’s Media That Matters Film Festival showcasing inspirational short films from young independent filmmakers.
This is the tenth year that Media That Matters has brought together a collection of 12 short films – each under 12 minutes – aimed at engaging diverse audiences and inspiring action.
Co-presented with Shooting People and Working Films the jury-selected collection of films look at a broad range of human rights and social justice issues from the experience of transgender youth to health care in the US, the tyranny of the beauty industry, racial prejudice and the experiences of Guantanamo Bay detainees.
The event marks the launch of a year-round programme of screenings, debates and action in response to the 12 minute films. The Media That Matters collection will be available online (http://www.
Films being showcased on the night:
DENIED
USA |12:00| Documentary
Directed & Produced by Julie Winokur
Simultaneously battling cancer and abandonment by her
insurance company, one woman fights for her right to
health care.
JURY AWARD
I’M JUST ANNEKE
Canada & USA |11:14| Documentary
Directed & Produced by Jonathan Skurnik
With the support of family and friends, a 12-year-old
experiences the onset of puberty in the fluid space
between genders.
CHANGEMAKER AWARD
I AM SEAN BELL
USA |10:36| Documentary
Directed & Produced by Stacey Muhammad
Young boys reflect on the Sean Bell tragedy, speaking out
about their fears and hopes as they approach manhood in
a city where the lives of young black men are often cut
short.
SPEAKING OUT AWARD
NO ONE BOTHERED
UK & Canada |7:54| Documentary
Directed by Josephine Boxwell, Produced by Laurie
Nicholls
Meet Claire and Darren, and take a tour of the streets
they used to call home and the daily ridicule they
encountered.
EMPOWERMENT AWARD
SHADES OF THE BORDER
DR, Haiti, & USA |12:00| Documentary
Directed & Produced by Patrick Smith
One island, two countries, many skin colors. A history of
racial prejudice divides the island of Hispaniola.
RACIAL DIALOGUE AWARD
MY HOTNESS IS PASTED ON YEY!
USA |5:37| Experimental, Puppetry
Directed & Produced by Gus Andrews
What do audiences want—naked truth or flawless
beauty? Puppets Weena and Erna expose the trade
secrets of an industry chasing after perfection.
FAIR USE AWARD
DAY JOB
USA |6:36| Documentary
Directed & Produced by Sara Hopman
Day laborers voice their grievances and reflect on the
challenges they face as they bide their time in parking
lots, hoping that work is around the corner.
ECONOMIC JUSTICE AWARD
THE LAST TOWN
China & USA |7:26| Documentary
Directed & Produced by Yan Chun Su
What if your hometown ceased to exist? Take one last
look at a 2000-year old town before it is flooded by
China’s Three Gorges Dam project.
SUSTAINING TRADITIONS AWARD
JUSTICE DENIED: VOICES FROM
GUANTANAMO
UK & USA |9:30| Documentary
Directed by Joel Engardio, Produced by Joel Engardio &
Ateqah Khaki
Wrongfully imprisoned and later released, Guantanamo
detainees recount their stories as they move on with their
lives and chart a course for healing.
GLOBAL JUSTICE AWARD
AQUAFINITO
USA |8:18| Documentary
Directed & Produced by Annalise Littman
Why do consumers ignore our most “green” source of
drinking water—the tap? A simple taste test yields eye-
opening results.
YOUTH SUSTAINABILITY AWARD
UNINSURED IN THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA
USA |5:17| Documentary
Directed & Produced by Katie Falkenberg
In one of the most impoverished and uninsured areas in
the U.S., the inhabitants of the Mississippi Delta grapple
daily with an impossible dilemma: do they put food on
the table or life-saving medicine in the cabinet?
HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD
LESSONS FROM A TAILOR
USA |8:23| Documentary
Directed by Galen Summer, Produced by Caitlin
Dourmashkin
Entrepreneur Martin Greenfield’s infectious passion and
hopeful perspective bring his community and his
employees more than just jobs.
PERSPECTIVES AWARD
Co-presented by:
Working Films: linking non-fiction film to cutting-edge activism
www.workingfilms.org
Working Films leverages the power of storytelling through documentary film to advance struggles for environmental justice, human and civil rights. With offices in the U.S. and London, we offer consultation, strategic planning for alternative distribution, website and social media development, and complete campaign management services to ensure the content of nonfiction media truly meets the intention for change.
