Author: Nadine Graham

This one is going to be short and sweet because I know many brains are already on vacation!

Several bits of fantastic news as the summer approaches…

The Reframe Collection was one of 15 official honorees for a Webby Award, alongside organizations such as Kiva.org, so that was pretty exciting! You can read about that here:

http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current_honorees.php?media_id=96&category_id=47&season=13

Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy received an award for Best Documentary at the Talking Pictures Festival. It also recently played with the Sprout Film Festival. www.dianaandkathy.com I am in the process of finding partnering organizations to send letters of support for the upcoming October broadcast of the film so let me know if you have any ideas!

Mr. Conservative will be screening at the Hoboken International Film Festival on May 31 at noon at the Cedar Lane Cinemas in Teaneck, New Jersey. www.mrconservativemovie.com

The new film by Arthur Dong, Hollywood Chinese, will be airing on PBS American Masterworks TONIGHT at 9pm! He is also now releasing the film on DVD with a study guide so take a look at www.deepfocusproductions.com for more information!

I am headed to the American Library Association conference in July in Chicago and look forward to seeing my favorite media people there!

I am also starting to help a streaming-only service that focuses on Asian content. The plan is to launch next month so there is something to look forward to!

Thanks very much for your interest in independent film!

Welcome to lighter weather, but I probably should not speak too soon…

Last week I participated in roundtable discussions, on behalf of the Reframe Collection (www.reframecollection.org) surrounding the usage of media in university settings at the bi-annual conference for the Association of College and Research Librarians. It was a great informal setting where people really got to talk about what they are trying to do with media in educational environments, where they see things headed and the challenges they are facing.

Speaking of Reframe, two of my earlier films are now available online for streaming and in actual DVDs. I am working on a combo of 4 of my films altogether still. That should be happening at some point, but for now here is the link:

http://reframecollection.org/filmmakers/filmmaker?Id=1128

Continuing on the path of previous films, the lead actress from my last film, Loose Ends, is currently featured in a New York Times commercial! Congratulations to Dina!

NEW FILMS!!!

I am excited to be helping two more great films with outreach that I think many people will benefit from.

The first is Mr. Conservative – which is CC Goldwater’s exploration of her renowned grandfather Barry Goldwater’s personal and political history. If you have any interest in discussing political theory, history, elections, or anything related to American government, check out www.mrconservativemovie.com.

The second is Mardi Gras: Made in China which shows the connection between the infamous beads tossed at each other during parades and the factories in China who make them. You can check out more about this film by heading to http://www.carnivalesquefilms.com/Mardi_Gras.html

CURRENT EVENTS!!!

This month, on March 30, filmmaker Joanne Hershfeld and her daughter Gillian Fink are presenting at the Power of 3 Summit sponsored by the state of Louisiana. Check out their story by going to www.thegillianfilm.com

Next month, on April 18, Diana Braun and Kathy Conour will be presenting at the self-advocacy conference for the organization Advocating Change Together, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Check out their story by going to www.dianaandkathy.com

Freedom Machines (www.freedommachines.com) was featured in the newsletter for ANCOR – American Network for Community Options and Resources – www.ancor.org

Barbara Rick, the director of In Good Conscience, is screening her new film, Road to Ingwavuma, at Columbia University for its Forum on Global Health and Human Rights tomorrow, March 18. For more information on this film go to www.southafricamovie.com.

Many of you are aware that there is a lot of discussion/debate about the copyright laws surrounding Digital Rights Management. There are a pair of hearings – in Washington, D.C. and California – for which people can testify. Requests to testify must be submitted by April 3. Check out this link:

http://www.copyright.gov/1201/comment-forms/index.html