Posts Tagged ‘A Small Act’

07/26/2010

»  Cinereach Grantee Updates

» Comments: 0

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

As Cinereach nears its 5th year of existence, more and more of the films we’ve supported are gathering momentum, crossing the finish-line and getting out into the world. Below are recent highlights from some of our grantees’ journeys.

A Small Act by Jennifer Arnold & Patti Lee

A Small Act by Jennifer Arnold & Patti Lee

A Small Act by Jennifer Arnold & Patti Lee, 2009 Grantee
Since its Sundance premiere, A Small Act has inspired over $300,000 (and climbing) in donations for featured Kenyan charity the Hilde Back Education Fund. A Small Act also received the Adrienne Shelly Excellence in Filmmaking Award and Audience Award for Best Feature at the Nantucket Film Festival. After festival screenings at HotDocs, OutFest and more, A Small Act recently premiered on HBO and is currently available on demand.

Aqui Y Alli (Here and There) by Antonio Mendez Esparza, 2010 Grantee
Aqui Y Alli (Here and There), currently in development, participated in the Sundance Institute’s 2010 June Screenwriters Lab.

Circumstance by Maryam Keshavarz, 2009 Grantee
Circumstance was awarded a Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grant by the San Francisco Film Society, to be used towards post-production.

Donor 150 by Jerry Rothwell, 2010 Grantee
Donor 150, in production, was awarded the support of the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund and the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program.

Entre Nos by Paola Mendoza & Gloria La Morte

Entre Nos by Paola Mendoza & Gloria La Morte

Entre Nos by Paola Mendoza & Gloria LaMorte, 2008 Grantee
Entre Nos was released theatrically by IndiePix in May and is now available on both cable VOD and on DVD.

Girl Model by David Redmon & Ashley Sabin, 2009 Grantee
Girl Model, now in post-production, was selected to receive support from the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program in June.

Gasland by Josh Fox, 2009 Sundance Reach Fund Grantee
Following its premiere at Sundance and other festival screenings, Gasland premiered on HBO this summer, and can be seen on demand. Through community and online outreach, Gasland has galvanized viewers to protest the practice of hydraulic fracturing and its environmental impact. A screening tour in August and September, presented by Rooftop Films and the Fledgling Fund, will bring the film to more audiences.

Habibi Rasak Kharban by Susan Youssef, 2009 Grantee
Habibi Rasak Kharban, now in post-production, participated in IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs for Narratives. Additionally, Youssef was profiled in Filmmaker Magazine’s annual “25 New Faces” in filmmaking talent.

Look, Stranger by Arielle Javitch, 2009 Grantee
Javitch was profiled in Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces” in filmmaking talent as Look, Stranger undergoes post-production.

Pariah by Dee Rees

Pariah by Dee Rees

Pariah by Dee Rees, 2009 & 2010 Grantee
Pariah participated in IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs for Narratives and is currently in post-production.

Project Kashmir by Senain Kheshgi & Geeta Patel, 2006 Grantee
Project Kashmir made its broadcast premiere in May on PBS’ Independent Lens series.

Pushing the Elephant by Beth Davenport & Elizabeth Mandel, 2008 Grantee
Pushing the Elephant made its world premiere at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, followed by a special presentation at The Global Health 2010 Conference. The film is also included in the International Documentary Association’s 2010 DocuWeeks showcase and will be shown in New York and Los Angeles theaters in August. The film will be broadcast on Independent Lens in March 2011, during a series on women’s empowerment. Leading up to that date, there will be a series of screenings and events with select partners to reach audiences who are concerned about the issues presented in the film.

Summer Pasture

Summer Pasture by Lynn True, Nelson Walker III & Tsering Perlo

Summer Pasture by Lynn True, Nelson Walker III & Tsering Perlo, 2008 Grantee
Summer Pasture made its world premiere at the Full Frame Film Festival, where it received the Inspiration Award Honorable Mention. It has since been a selection of the Nantucket Film Festival and others, and it will have its international premiere at the Locarno Film Festival, as a part of the Critics Week showcase. The film is also included in the International Documentary Association’s 2010 DocuWeeks showcase, to be shown in New York and Los Angeles theaters in August.

The Mosuo Sisters by Marlo Poras & Yu Ying Wu Chou, 2009 Grantee
Recently The Mosuo Sisters, in production, was awarded the support of the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund and the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program, as well as a production grant from the LEF Foundation.

Two Gates of Sleep by Alistair Banks Griffin, 2009 Grantee
Two Gates of Sleep had its world premiere at Cannes, as part of the Director’s Fortnight showcase.

What Tomorrow Brings by Beth Murphy, 2010 Grantee
What Tomorrow Brings was awarded a production grant by the LEF Foundation.

Untitled Gay Retiree Documentary by PJ Raval, 2009 Grantee
Untitled Gay Retiree Documentary was awarded a production grant by the LEF Foundation.

07/02/2010

»  ENVISION: Addressing Global Issues through Documentaries, Saturday, July 10

» Comments: 0

Tags: , , ,

Courtesy of IFP:

envision

For the second year IFP is collaborating with the United Nation’s Department of Public Information to present ENVISION – a forum uniting the filmmaking community, civil society organizations, activists, journalists, public policy makers, NGOs, and the general public in the shared goal of envisioning a better world for all and achieving impact through media.

The Spotlight Focus in 2010 from the UN’s Millennium Development Goals is the goal of universal education. Screenings of Cinereach grantee Jennifer Arnold’s A Small Act (HBO Documentaries), and Davis Guggenheim’s Waiting for Superman (Paramount Vantage), will be accompanied by discussions on challenges to achieving education globally, the impact of individual action and philanthropy, and current issues around the U.S. education crisis.

To purchase tickets and for details on the program, to be held Saturday, July 10 at the Times Center, click here. Tickets are $25 (a $10 discount) if you use code IFPENV.

06/30/2010

»  The Difference A Film Makes: A Small Act Leads to Big Giving

» Comments: 2

Tags: , , ,

A Small Act, by Cinereach grantees Jennifer Arnold and Patti Lee, is a great addition to the ongoing debate on whether documentaries in support of a cause make an impact. Set against recent violence and turmoil in Kenya, and framed by the challenges Kenyan children face in their pursuit of an education, the story at the heart of A Small Act illustrates the positive repercussions of individual action.

The film is no doubt increasing awareness of the issues it depicts, but it has also inspired many viewers to follow in the footsteps of the film’s protagonists. The Hilde Back Education Fund (HBEF), the organization whose work funding school tuition is featured in the film, has received over $340,000 in donations since the film’s premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival (including funds from audience members who wrote checks and handed them to the filmmakers immediately following screenings and other sources). All the contributions made to the project will have meaningful impact, as the HBEF will now be able to offer its support to more students, over a larger number of years.

From L to R: Director Jennifer Arnold and the subjects of A Small Act, Chris Mburu, Hilde Back and Jane Wanjiru Muigai

From L to R: Director Jennifer Arnold and the subjects of A Small Act, Chris Mburu, Hilde Back and Jane Wanjiru Muigai

We look forward to seeing what other actions the film will inspire with its upcoming HBO premiere, July 12th. HBO has created a partnership with Network for Good. Their link leads to over 1.8 million causes and foundations that can use support, including the Hilde Back Education Fund, and local programs looking for volunteers.

On July 10th in NYC, A Small Act will be featured in Envision 2010. This annual forum, presented by IFP and the United Nations’ Department of Public Information, addresses global issues through the lens of documentary films. This year’s Envision looks at solutions to education crises, and a panel following the screening of A Small Act will explore how the film’s story could be translated onto a larger scale throughout Africa and the world. This panel will include Chris Mburu, the main subject of A Small Act and the founder of the HBEF.

01/22/2010

»  Cinereach Grantee “A Small Act” Making World Premiere at Sundance

» Comments: 0

Tags: , , , , ,

Chris Mburu and Hilde Back in a scene from "A Small Act"

Chris Mburu and Hilde Back in a scene from "A Small Act"

Congratulations to Cinereach grant recipient A Small Act directed by Jennifer Arnold, which will be making its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival as part of the U.S. Documentary Competition!

The film’s Sundance screening times are as follows:

Friday, January 22nd at 12 pm (Park City)

Saturday, January 23rd at 3 pm (Park City)

Sunday, January 24th at 12 pm (Sundance Resort)

Thursday, January 28th at 9 pm (Park City)

Friday, January 29th at 8:30 am (Park City)

Saturday, January 30th at 12:45 pm (Salt Lake City)

For additional Sundance screening information as well as a glimpse at the film’s trailer, click here. A Small Act’s director Jennifer Arnold was recently profiled by indieWire. Check out the full article here.

12/16/2009

»  Cinereach Grantees Awarded Sundance Doc Funding; ‘Reach Fund’ Grants Awarded

» Comments: 0

Tags: , , , , , ,

Sundance Logo

The Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program today announced the recipients of its Fall 2009 Grants. Among them are two Cinereach grantees, both selected to receive support for the Production/Post category:

Jennifer Arnold
A Small Act / U.S.A.
A young Kenyan’s life is changed dramatically when his education is sponsored by a Swedish stranger.

Elizabeth Mandel and Beth Davenport
Rose and Nangabire / U.S.A.
Rose Mapendo lost her family and home to the ethnic violence that engulfed the Democratic Republic of Congo, yet she emerged from the suffering advocating peace and reconciliation. But after helping numerous survivors to recover and rebuild their lives, there is one person Rose must still teach to forgive – her daughter Nangabire.

Additionally, the first three recipients of the Sundance Reach Fund were announced. This new category is part of the Cinereach Project at the Sundance Institute. The Sundance Reach Fund provides emergency discretionary grants and support for risk-taking features and documentaries that evoke global cultural exchange and social impact. The recipients are:

Michael Brown
25 to Life / U.S.A.
After 25 years of secrecy, William Brawner is finally ready to tell the world that he’s HIV-Positive.

Josh Fox
Gasland / U.S.A.
The largest domestic natural gas drilling boom in history has swept across the United States, which uses a Halliburton-developed drilling technology called “fracking.” But is fracking safe? When filmmaker Josh Fox is asked to lease his land for drilling, he embarks on a cross-country odyssey uncovering a trail of secrets, lies and contamination.

Blair Doroshwalther
The Fire This Time / U.S.A.
Seven young African American lesbians were attacked in the West Village of NYC in 2006. They defended themselves and were sent to prison.

Read about all 23 projects selected to receive Sundance Documentary Program support here.

12/02/2009

»  Cinereach grant recipient “A Small Act” World premiere at 2010 Sundance Film Festival!

» Comments: 0

Tags: , , ,

A Small Act

A Small Act

A huge congratulations to Cinereach grant recipient A Small Act, a documentary film by Jennifer Arnold and Patti Lee! The film will have its World premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival in January.

    Events

    Archives

    • ▼2012
    • ▶2011
    • ▶2010
    • ▶2009
    • ▶2008
    • ▶2007