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June 29: Campus Progress, Washington, DC

Campus Progress, a project of the Center for American Progress, works to strengthen progressive voices on college and university campuses nationwide and empower new generations of progressive leaders. For the second year in a row, Campus Progress will be hosting the Washington, DC premiere of the sixth annual Media That Matters Film Festival. There will be a Q&A and panel discussion with festival filmmakers and me, Wendy Cohen. Campus Progress presents Washington, DC Premiere of the Sixth Annual Media That Matters Film Festival June 29, 2006 6:30-9:00 Center for American Progress 1333 H Street, NW 10th Floor Washington, DC 20005 FREE RSVP here.

Published on June 29, 2006

June 29: Media That Matters Film Festival at the Roxie hosted by BAVC, San Francisco

Festival partner BAVC (Bay Area Video Coalition) hosts the West Coast Premiere of the sixth annual Media That Matters Film Festival at the Roxie in San Francisco, CA: BAVC at the Roxie A series of brand new movies by local independent producers MEDIA THAT MATTERS FILM FESTIVAL Two screenings on the same night Thursday, June 29th 7pm and 9pm Roxie Cinema 3117 16th Street @ Valencia St. San Francisco, CA Tickets: $8 at the door/$7 BAVC members For more details, visit the Roxie Cinema site: www.roxie.com BAVC series information hotline: 415.558.2170

Published on June 29, 2006

June 23-25: Allied Media Conference, Bowling Green, OH

The 2006 Allied Media Conference from June 23 to June 25th will bring together some of the most innovative and visionary culture producers, media workers, artists and activists. Arts Engine is excited to join the AMC once again this year with a "Making The Most Of Your Event" workshop and the Ohio Premiere of the Sixth Annual Media That Matters Film Festival. Making the Most of Your Event: Outreach and Evaluation Tips presented by Wendy Cohen Sunday June 25 10:00-11:20 am A successful event is not just about numbers. How do you evaluate if your event made an imact? How can you ensure that attendees become engaged members of your community? The workshop facilitator will take you through the ropes of promotion, evaluation, outreach and long term community building. Sixth Annual Media That Matters Film Festival Screening Ohio Premiere Sunday June 25 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Read more about the conference sessions and screenings. See the entire schedule. Register today!

Published on June 23, 2006

Taking Soda Out of Schools

If you've watched Johanna Divine's Young Agrarians then you have been inspired by young people committed to sustainable agriculture and healthy food choices. Unfortunately, there are millions of other young Americans who eat junk that is neither good for their bodies or the environment in which they live. For many youth, healthy eating starts at home and continues at school where their food choices are often determined by the school's cafeteria and vending choices. One of the biggest problems has been vending machines stocked with junk food, soda and sugary drinks. And at the same time, the companies whose products are in these machines often have advertising deals with the schools to ensure that their products are pushed to students. All that is changing, according to recent article in the New York Times. As Marian Burros and Melanie Walker exlpain in "Bottlers Agree to a School Ban on Sweet Drinks": The country's top three soft-drink companies announced yesterday that beginning this fall they would start removing sweetened drinks like Coke, Pepsi and iced teas from school cafeterias and vending machines in response to the growing threat of lawsuits and state legislation. Under an agreement between beverage makers and health advocates, students in elementary school would be served only bottled water, low-fat and nonfat milk, and 100 percent fruit juice in servings no bigger than eight ounces. Serving sizes would increase to 10 ounces in middle school. In high school, low-calorie juice drinks, sports drinks and diet sodas would be permitted; serving sizes would be limited to 12 ounces. The agreement, which includes parochial and private schools contracts, is voluntary, and the beverage industry said its school sales would not be affected because it expected to replace sugary drinks with other ones. "This is a voluntary policy, but I think schools will want to follow it," said Susan K. Neely, president of the American Beverage Association. Still, about 35 million public school children would be affected by the agreement, which would apply to extended school functions like band practice but would not apply to events likely to be attended by parents, like evening plays or interscholastic sports. An additional 15 million students attend schools that operate under stricter regulations, where the guidelines would not apply. Good news for American youth, but the new policy does not go into full effect until the end of 2009 and a lot of work needs to be done between now and then to get young people on the right track. One organization that has been fighting to get soda out of schools is Parents' Action for Children. Their web animation Cola Conspiracy, exposes the truth about corporate alliances with school systems, and it will also make you laugh! Watch Young Agrarians Watch Cola Conspiracy Read "Bottlers Agree to a School Ban on Sweet Drinks" Take action!

Published on June 20, 2006

The Marine Who Saw Too Much

If you've watched All That I Can Be and No Child then you know about the challenges young Americans face in determining whether joining the US military is the right choice for them. While these films focus on recruitment and the experiences of young people before enlisting, Kathy Huang's Night Visions offers us a glimpse into the world of someone who has enlisted, gone to war, and returned changed and haunted from his experiences. A recent article on Alternet by Peter Laufer, "The Marine Who Saw Too Much," tells the story of Daniel and his decision to get a dishonorable discharge rather than return to Iraq: Rotated back to the States, Daniel hopped back into the Dodge and unwound. "Came back over stateside, happy to be back. Spent all my money and had a good time. Early in 2004 we was back in the desert. This time I went directly into Iraq." He found himself on an assault boat, patrolling for "insurgents." His unit saw action in the toughest neighborhoods throughout much of 2004, often beaching the boat and joining forces with land-based troops in hot spots like Fallujah. "Pretty scary, that's all I've got to say about that," Daniel says regarding Fallujah, his speech turning percussive. "You never know when it's your time to go. Explosions from mortars going off all around you. Shots fired. You try to keep your head up. Trust the guy next to you. That's about it." Fighting in the war flipped Daniel's political beliefs. "I came back very anti-Bush. I used to be a Republican before I joined the military. Not any more." His experiences on the ground, he says, convinced him he'd been lied to. The Iraqis "are a defeated people," he says, not a threat to America. "It's a third-world country. These people walk around with no shoes, nothing. These guys are working for a dollar a day. The military would pay the village people to come on base and build sandbags so that they can be more comfortable in their tents and pay them a dollar a day, and these guys will work making seven dollars a week just to feed their family." Watching the construction of permanent barracks on bases in Iraq convinced Daniel that the real goal of the war was control. "Iraq is the center of the Middle East. If you control the center, you control the whole Middle East. You control all the profits that you get from there," he says about the oil reserves. Back from leave, Daniel, who was awarded eight decorations for valor, was in for some surprises. "We go back to Camp Lejeune and we get a new CO [commanding officer] who's never been to Iraq, who doesn't have nearly as many ribbons as I do," says Daniel. "He goes, 'Get prepared to go back to Iraq in January!' This was October. We just got back. All of our jaws just dropped. He goes, 'But go home and have fun for about three weeks.'" As Daniel recounts this announcement of a third tour of duty in the Middle East in as many years, his stutter becomes much more pronounced. "I felt like a weight just got put on my chest. I couldn't breathe. Panic attacks. I can't believe this is going to happen. Everybody felt the same way. A couple of people didn't come back from leave. They decided to stay home." Daniel looked forward to going home to California, but he realized, "I couldn't enjoy my leave because I knew I was going straight back to that hellhole I just left. "They were trying to train us to go back," he continues. "We were well seasoned. We had to listen to these guys who had never been over there. We all thought, 'These dumb-asses are going to get us killed.' Some of these guys, they didn't know how to tie their shoes. They came back from recruiting duty wanting to get all gung ho. They were like, 'Yeah! We're going to go fight a war!' We had already been over there and seen what's happened." This veteran of some of the worst fighting in the Iraq War, now a lance corporal and faced with a third tour of duty in the war zone, asked to see a counselor of some type, "because my head was not right." Nothing happened. He told his first sergeant that he was a conscientious objector, and he says the sergeant responded: "Get those words out of your mouth right now." Daniel was trying everything he could think of to avoid shipping out to Iraq again, and couldn't see a way out. So he made a fateful decision. "I was pretty frustrated," he explains. "I wanted them to listen to me, so I decided to do something where I would stand out and get everybody's attention. I knew by doing this I would not have to go back to Iraq and harm any more people. I decided to take drugs that Friday, knowing I had a piss test on Monday. I did drugs. I did the urinalysis test on Monday. Went home for a Christmas break on Friday." Back on base after the holidays, Daniel was told he had "popped," failed the drug test. Daniel picked cocaine as his drug of choice, convinced that if he only smoked marijuana the Marines would just slap his hand and send him packing for Iraq. He says it was the first time he had used cocaine. "I knew that if I did that they would listen to me." He finally was awarded a meeting with the battalion's commanding officer and was told that as long as he trained a replacement radio operator, he would be discharged "in a timely manner." The day Daniel's unit shipped out to Iraq, the Marines put him on a four-day bus trip back to California, with an Other Than Honorable (OTH) discharge. "I felt really bad. I felt really bad." Other Marines in his unit failed to show up for Iraq duty, he says, and still others followed his example and used drugs in order to fail the mandatory drug test. "None of them wanted to go back, none of them did. But they did not know how to get out. I feel bad for all of them. Sometimes I wish I was with them because they were my family over there. But I have to do what I do for myself." Watch All That I Can Be Watch No Child Watch Night Visions Read the whole article: "The Marine Who Saw Too Much" Take action!

Published on June 20, 2006

Google Video Likes Us, They Really Do

Our friends at Google Video are giving props to Media That Matters this week. MTM is the highlighted video on the Google blog: Equality, human rights, and social justice are heavy concepts. Media That Matters corrals short documentary films that touch upon big topics and make you think. They've also singled out Asparagus! (A Stalk-umentary) as a Google Pick. Congrats stalk-umentarians!

Published on June 16, 2006

Locavores, Omnivores and Foodies, Oh My!

Food politics are sweeping the nation as activists, farmers, politicians, corporations and consumers are choosing sides and deciding what's for dinner (if I have it my way, not beef). Media That Matters films present a number of perspectives on the topic, and two recent articles in Time magazine contribute more food for thought... Michael Pollan presents "Six Rules for Eating Wisely":

• Don't eat anything your great-great-great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.
• Avoid foods containing high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
• Spend more, eat less.
• Pay no heed to nutritional science or the health claims on packages.
• Shop at the farmers' market.
• How you eat is as important as what you eat.

In "The Lure of the 100-Mile Diet", Margot Roosevelt, introduces us to "Locavores, self-styled concerned culinary adventurers, who took the pledge last month to eat nothing--or almost nothing--but sustenance drawn from within 100 miles of their home." The movement began last year when four San Francisco-- area foodies designated August 2005 as the first Eat Local Challenge and launched a website, Locavores.com They were inspired by the book Coming Home to Eat, ecologist Gary Paul Nabham's account of his yearlong effort to restrict himself to native foods near his Arizona home. Soon some 60 bloggers had joined the 100-mile diet, inaugurating their own website, EatLocalChallenge.com This year they upped the ante, moving the test to the less bounteous month of May. "With gas prices spiking, people are concerned about our dependence on petroleum," says Locavores co-founder Jessica Prentice. "Why import apples from New Zealand when we can grow them nearby?" Watch The Meatrix Watch Young Agrarians Watch World on Fire Watch The Luckiest Nut In The World Watch Water Warriors Watch Asparagus! (A Stalk-umentary) Read "Six Rules for Eating Wisely" Read "The Lure of the 100-Mile Diet" Take the Eat Local Challenge Become a Locavore

Published on June 15, 2006

Don’t Laugh at Peter Yarrow

Some of you may have been lucky enough to attend the fourth or fifth annual Media That Matters Film Festival Awards Ceremonies at HBO headquarters in NYC. If you were there, then you had the privilege of hearing folk legend Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary sing live in honor of films about youth bullying. At the MTM4 event, Peter sang "Don't Laugh at Me" upon presenting the Peace in Our Classrooms Award, sponsored by Frank Marshall, to Kristina Schoentag for her film, Laugh at the Fat Kid. And at the MTM5 Awards Ceremony, Peter sang "Puff the Magic Dragon" in honor of Homecoming. Yarrow and the whole PP&M crew have long been committed to social justice and to using music as a tool to inspire, unite and activate audiences. And tonight, the Songwriters Hall of Fame is honoring the band with its "Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award." As the article in the New York Times explains: The power in the words voiced by Peter, Paul & Mary was subtle but strong. The group, created as folk music was beginning to take off in the early 60s, helped to define the era of social upheaval. They were present at some of most defining moments of the boomer generation, including the March on Washington in 1963. Watch Laugh at the Fat Kid Watch Homecoming Read the article in the New York Times Sing along to "Don't Laugh at Me" Take action to stop bullying!

Published on June 15, 2006

Youth Power/Youth Media

You may have noticed that many Media That Matters films are produced by young people (some as young as 12!). MTM is about celebrating diverse, independent voices that are usually left out of mainstream, corporate media. As young people are by far the largest consumers of media (from TV to video games and everything in between), then arguably supporting and distributing youth-produced media is the best way to subvert the mainstream media paradigm, turning consumers into producers and reversing the stream of information. Here at Arts Engine, we believe that it is vital to promote youth media while avoiding marginalization. There are so many film festivals with a "youth track" or a "special youth screening." While there is a value in youth-specific outlets, we prefer to see "youth media" as "independent media" and to integrate and validate media made by talented young people. Our festival jury clearly agrees with this approach, having given the Jury Award for two years in a row to films made by young people (Slip of the Tongue, Battleground Minnesota). Youth media is about youth empowerment, and we are excited to see an explosion of youth activism growing in tandem with the growth of the youth media field. As a recent article in The Guardian, "Ignore Youth at Your Peril," explains: While young people's political actions are easy to disparage, they are increasingly hard to dismiss, not just in the US but globally. For whatever else these youngsters may have learned in class, they clearly know enough to bring governments to the negotiating table and wrest important concessions from them when they get there. The article provides a concise overview of various youth struggles around the globe and concludes that young people from France to Chile to the United States are activated and are making real change. While some young people pick up picket signs and others pick up cameras, all are entitled to have their voices heard and taken seriously. Watch MTM films by and about youth. Read "Ignore Youth at Your Peril" by Gary Younge. Join the Global Youth Action Network!

Published on June 15, 2006

NAMAC Salon on Fair Use

If you've watched Jacob Caggiano's Eyes on the Fair Use of the Prize, then you know what's at stake when filmmakers don't stand up for their fair use rights. You may also have some lingering questions about the concept of fair use and what it really means to filmmakers and people who use films to educate and activate audiences. Back in March 2006 the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture (NAMAC) hosted a free web-based forum on the topic called "Free Speech? Fair Use!" This 2-week online salon answered questions about copyright "fair use" and how media artists can utilize it as a tool, and directed individuals to key resources. Now NAMAC offers the complete salon to folks who may have missed the opportunity to participate. Read "Free Speech? Fair Use! Online Salon" Watch Eyes on the Fair Use of the Prize Take action!

Published on June 14, 2006

Take the Media That Matters Survey - Help Us, Help You!

Does Media That Matters matter to you? Share your feedback by taking the festival survey. Thanks!

Published on June 14, 2006

Media That Matters on Google Video

We're excited to announce that the complete Media That Matters video library is now streaming on Google Video. "Why?" you might ask, when the films are already streaming so beautifully on this very site. Well, Media That Matters is all about impact and the more people we can reach, the better. Google offers a new, much larger set of eyeballs, and we're hoping that some of these eyeballs might opt for Shakademic and Glenn Scott rapping in Battleground Minnesota, instead of Chinese guys lip-synching to the Backstreet Boys.

Published on June 12, 2006

Honorable Mentions for the Sixth Annual Media That Matters Film Festival

We received over 500 submissions for the sixth annual Media That Matters Film Festival and our esteemed jury had a hard time choosing only 16 official selections. Here is a list of films that receive an honorable mention this year. Congratulations! C: None of the Above Directed by Andrew Baxter, Daniel Downey Produced by Youth Sounds Factory Consent Directed by Jason Reitman Produced by Tate Film USA Educated Directed by Georgia Lee Produced by Jane Chen, Cherry Montejo, and Celine Rattray Emergency Contraception Directed by Scott Bradley Produced by Jonathan Stacks, Jonny Puppets & Co., Advocates for Youth Inch by Inch Directed and Produced by Ilana Friedman Lormen Directed by Julia Daschner Produced by Academy of Media Arts No Place Like Home Directed and Produced by Hanna Robbins Serving the System Directed and Produced by Jerry Henry Skin & Bone Directed by Bronwhyn Holmes Produced by Reel Works Teen Filmmaking Who Am I Directed and Produced by Kimberley Turner

Published on June 12, 2006

June 10, 11, 17 & 18: Human Rights Watch International Film Festival

Following the launch of our sixth annual Media That Matters Film Festival, we will be streaming our films at an installation as part of the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival. Join us to watch the films, meet Arts Engine staff and take action! Installation at Lincoln Center Saturday - Sunday, June 10/11/17/18 12-7pm Roy and Frieda Furman Gallery Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center 70 Lincoln Center Plaza New York, NY Human Rights Watch International Film Festival attendees watch Media That Matters Films in the Roy and Frieda Furman Gallery at Lincoln Center. Photo by the Meerkat Media Collective Bread screens at the installation. Photo by the Meerkat Media Collective

Published on June 10, 2006

Zarqawi Dead - War in Iraq Continues

Al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and seven of his cohorts were killed yesterday in Iraq. While responses in the Arab world are mixed as to whether Zarqawi was a villain or a martyr, even more up for debate is whether Zarqawi's killing by the US military will lead to a decrease or influx of violence in Iraq where as many as 42,646 civilians (according to Iraq Body Count) and 2,497 (according to GlobalSecurity.org) American soldiers have already lost their lives. Media That Matters offers audiences several films on the topic of war and its repercussions home and abroad. Watch, reflect and take action! Watch No Child Watch Night Visions Watch All That I Can Be Watch Day of Remembrance Watch Bush for Peace Watch Spring in Awe

Published on June 8, 2006

June 8: Media Literacy Conversation Series, Chelsea Art Museum, NYC

The Chelsea Art Museum is hosting the third annual Media Literacy Overseas Conversation Series. This conference promotes intercultural communication about the role of media and media literacy in the lives of children and youth and is taking place from June 5th to 10th, Media That Matters is thrilled to be participating and we will be screening two of our newest festival films, (Hate) Machine and Slip of the Tongue. Media That Matters @ Media Literacy Overseas Conversation Series Thursday June 8, 2006 4:30-5:30 pm Chelsea Art Museum 556 West 22nd Street New York, NY Read the entire conference program.

Published on June 8, 2006

Gay Marriage Amendment Rejected by Senate

Have you watched Public Interest's Permission? This short from MTM6 captures the (obvious to some) ridiculousness that characterizes the gay marriage debate in the United States, a country that claims freedom and equality for all, but which continues to deny rights to its citizens based on, among other things, their sexual orientation. Good news today -- the Senate once again rejected the Gay Marriage Amendment which, if passed, would define marriage as being between one man and one woman. The amendment-pushers would have needed a two-thirds vote, but instead lost 49-48. While this is good news for the LGBT community and our allies, the fact that 48 of our US Senators voted for this amendment is sad and disturbing, and clearly a lot more work needs to happen before all Americans can marry anyone they want. Watch Permission Get the full story from Forbes Take action!

Published on June 7, 2006

Media That Matters Flickr Stream

Check out photos of the Media That Matters Film Festival in action from us and from festival participants around the globe. Post comments, add tags and add your own photos to the Media That Matters pool at Flickr.com.

Published on June 5, 2006

CNN Reports on Rape in the Congo

Have you watched In Transit? This short from MTM6 captures the heartbreaking stories of Congolese rape victims whose health has been destroyed by repeated abuse and violence. A recent article on CNN.com explores the same topic and underscores how widespread and out of control the situation is: Mukengere, who attends to an average of 10 new cases a day, explains bed-by-bed the cruelty that has become the Congo. "Helene, over there, is 19 years old. She first came here five years ago after having been raped," he said. "We treated her and discharged her, and off she went back to her home village. Five years later, she's back after being attacked and sexually violated over and over again. This is pure madness." Equally troubling is that aid money designated for victims of sexual abuse here may run out at the end of June despite the relative success of this program, the only one of its kind in the region. "It's so tragic that the world can afford to sit back and let these atrocities continue like this," said aid worker Marie Walterzon of the Swedish Pentecostal Mission. "Possibly because it involves poor, voiceless Africans," she said. Sadly though, many of the people responsible for these rapes -- what is being described as the new weapon of war in a time of peace -- have yet to be arrested, tried or convicted. The peace process is too delicate at this stage, officials say. The peace process is too delicate. And at this hospital in the eastern Congo, the rooms are too full. Watch In Transit Read the full article Take action!

Published on June 5, 2006

Photos from the Sixth Annual Festival Media in Action Workshop

On the morning of June 1, 2006 the International Center for Tolerance Education in Dumbo, Brooklyn, hosted the Media in Action Workshop. Attended by festival filmmakers, educators, nonprofits and activists, the workshop offered an opportunity to explore meaningful outreach strategies for the festival films through creative partnerships. Festival filmmakers spoke about why they made their films and their goals for social impact. Special guests Peter Jaszi and Agnes Varnum from American University, filmmaker Shola Lynch and Robert West of Working Films discussed Fair Use and outreach strategies. Workshop attendees convened in small groups around the themes of sustainability, youth empowerment and media literacy to explore ways that the films can be incorporated into activist/nonprofit campaigns and educational efforts throughout the year. Photos by Shira Golding The International Center for Tolerance Education's Director of Education, Kathleen Freis, welcomed attendees to the space. Peter Jaszi, a lawyer based at American University, spoke about Fair Use and the Center for Social Media's Best Practices for Documentary Filmmakers document. Filmmaker Shola Lynch spoke about the challenges and successes of fundraising and outreach for her film, Chisholm '72. Shola was on the festival jury and was also a mentor for Kiri Davis's A Girl Like Me. The youth empowerment group included filmmakers of No Child and How Wal-Mart Came to Haslett as well as representatives from Educational Video Center, the School for Human Rights and the War Resisters League. The media literacy group included Phil Caron, Director of (Hate) Machine, Jacob Caggiano, Director of Eyes on the Fair Use of the Prize, Peter Jaszi of American University and David Moore of Participatory Culture.

Published on June 5, 2006

Photos from the Sixth Annual Festival Premiere

On May 31, 2006, the sixth annual Media That Matters Film Festival premiered at the IFC Center in New York City. Festival filmmakers traveled from around the country to attend the sold out screening. Audience members participated in a lively Q&A with filmmakers after the screening and took action on the issues at the festival outreach table. Photos by Shira Golding The sixth annual Media That Matters Film Festival premiered to a sold-out crowd at the IFC Center in Manhattan. The Friends of Arts Engine party took place at the IFC Center Caf� prior to the screening, attended by sponsors, partners, jurors and board members. Sam Seder and other celebrity endorsers of the festival were projected in the IFC Center lobby as the theatre filled to capacity. Arts Engine Executive Director introduced the films and welcomed the audience.

Published on June 5, 2006

Help the South Central Farmers!

Have you watched Recycle? This short from MTM6 captures a day in the life of Miguel Diaz, a homeless poet living in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Echo Park. Miguel maintains a community garden on the median of an L.A. street where he and other homeless people gather to turn in plastic and glass recyclables. Not far from where Miguel lives and works, another community nurtures a 14 acre organic farm that feeds 350 low income families. While the South Central Farmers have been cultivating their farm for 30 years, the city of L.A. sold the land to a developer for $5.1 million in 2003, and now the community faces eviction and bulldozing of the farm to make way for a warehouse. Now is the time to show your support for the community and prevent the destruction of an amazing community-based sustainable food system, Take action through the South Central Farmers website! Watch a short film about the farm. Read about the activism of Joan Baez and others who want to save the community farm. Watch Recycle

Published on June 4, 2006

Photos from the Sixth Annual Festival Awards Ceremony

The sixth annual Media That Matters Film Festival took place June 1, 2006 at HBO Headquarters in NYC. Filmmakers, sponsors, partners and friends came from all around the country to celebrate Media That Matters and to honor the incredible filmmakers for their work. June 2, 2006 - Download the Press Release (PDF, 80 KB) All photos by Pauline Shapiro. The crew from Youth Rights Media, Producer of Book 'Em: Undereducated, Overincarcerated. (left to right) Phil Caron, Director of (Hate) Machine, Miguel Salinas of Adobe Systems, Lisa Proctor of Utne magazine and Shira Golding, Director of Education & Outreach at Arts Engine. The Meerkat Media Collective, makers of How Wal-Mart Came to Haslett. Jacob Caggiano, Director of Eyes on the Fair Use of the Prize (left) with Peter Jaszi of American University. Peter presented the Fair Use Award supported by the Center for Social Media to Jacob for his film. Katy Chevigny, Executive Director of Arts Engine (left) with Cara Mertes of the Sundance Institute. Garance Burke, Co-Director of The Rules of the Game with the Ford Foundation's Orlando Bagwell. Bahman Naraghi and Shauna Spenley of Netflix. Netflix sponsored the War & Peace Award given to Kathy Huang, Director of Night Visions. (left to right) Wendy Cohen and Anayansi Diaz-Cortes of Arts Engine, Cynthia Carrion of MNN Youth Channel, Kristin Wernicke of Reel Works Teen Filmmaking, Mariela Rosario and Kim Hall of MNN Youth Channel. Legendary documentarian Albert Maysles presents the Global Justice Award, sponsored by Seventh Generation, to Marcelo Bukin, Director of Bread. Liz Miller, Director of Water Warriors, received the Environment Award sponsored by Loreto Bay Company. Filmmakers Kirsten Kelly and Anne de Mare with Nicole de Beaufort (center), who presented them with the Good Food Award supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for Asparagus! (A Stalk-umentary). Arts Engine's Kibra Yohannes, Director of Operations and Enrico Cullen, Director of Development & External Affairs. (left to right) Louis Abelman, Barbara Kopple, Nelson Walker III, Arlin Green and Paula Yudenfriend. Kopple, Green and Yudenfriend presented the Global Health Award, supported by the Daniel B. and Florence E. Green Foundation, to Abelman and Walker for their film, In Transit. (righ to left) Arts Engine's Board Member Thom Valentino presents the Community Discourse Award to Monica Lam and Garance Burke, for their film The Rules of the Game. US Congressman Jerrold Nadler presents the Women's Rights Award to Danielle Lurie, Director of In the Morning. Actor Terry Kinney from HBO's Oz presented the Criminal Justice Award to Youth Rights Media, Producer of Book 'Em: Undereducated, Overincarcerated. (right to left) Marshall Curry, Director of Street Fight presents the Knowledge is Power Award, supported by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Foundation to No Child filmmakers Glenn Scott, Chris "Shakademic" Johnson and Gabe Cheifetz. Actor Reiko Aylesworth of the hit show 24 presents the Jury Award to Karen Lum, Director of Slip of the Tongue. Poet Adriel Luis performs his piece Slip of the Tongue live for the Awards Ceremony audience. Legendary documentarian Albert Maysles with Arts Engine's Executive Director, Katy Chevigny. Maysles presented the Global Justice Award, sponsored by Seventh Generation, to Marcelo Bukin, Director of Bread. (left to right) Miguel Salinas of Adobe Systems with Arts Engine Executive Director Katy Chevigny, Actor Reiko Aylesworth of the hit show 24 and Jury Award Winner Karen Lum, Director of Slip of the Tongue. (right to left) Filmmaker Kiri Davis, Director of A Girl Like Me with Glenda Davis, one of the young women featured in her film, which won the Diversity Award supported by the Third Millennium Foundation. Marshall Curry, Director of Street Fight with Academy Award-winning documentarian Barbara Kopple. Curry presented the Knowledge is Power Award, supported by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Foundation to No Child and Kopple presented the Global Health Award, supported by the Daniel B. and Florence E. Green Foundation to In Transit. Anna Velasco of the Canadian Consulate with Canadian filmmaker Phil Caron, Director of (Hate) Machine, and Arts Engine's Wendy Cohen, another Canadian. (left to right) Shakademic and Glenn Scott of No Child strike a pose with filmmaker Karen Lum and poet Adriel Luis of Slip of the Tongue. CBS Early Show and People Magazine film critic Jess Cagle, kicked off the Awards Ceremony.

Published on June 2, 2006

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