Posts Tagged ‘Pariah’

07/26/2010

»  Cinereach Grantee Updates

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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.

06/30/2009

»  Vote for Cinereach Grant Recipient “Pariah” on Netflix!

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When forced to choose between the fragile cohesion of her middle-class family and loyalty to her best friend, a Bronx teenager juggles conflicting identities and risks friendship, heartbreak, and family in a desperate search for sexual expression.

When forced to choose between the fragile cohesion of her middle-class family and loyalty to her best friend, a Bronx teenager juggles conflicting identities and risks friendship, heartbreak, and family in a desperate search for sexual expression.

Please vote for Cinereach Grant Recipient PARIAH, a film by Dee Rees & Nekisa Cooper, in the Netflix Find Your Voice Film Competition.

Netflix and Film Independent are looking for the next great independent filmmaker. Ten filmmakers were chosen from thousands of applicants from around the country to submit a short video for public vote. Five finalists will be determined by the total number of stars their submission receives.

PARIAH is a semi-finalist in the competition, and we need your help to move PARIAH into the final round. The winning filmmaker will receive a $150,000 cash production grant plus resources and other production services for a total prize value of more than $350,000!

Voting ends July 5th, so please vote now!

02/20/2009

»  Cinereach Announces Winter 2009 Grant Recipients

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After a remarkable increase in grant applications, we are proud to announce our Winter 2009 Grantees! It was a tough call for our committee members, who carefully considered over 200 letters of inquiry from 51 different countries. Out of the 23 projects invited to submit proposals, ten were selected as exemplifying the Cinereach ethos. We were very impressed by their high visual artistry, engaging stories and unique perspectives and will look forward to keeping you posted as they progress.

Our 2009 Winter Cycle grantees include:

BLOOD FEUD (working title)
Dir. Joshua Marston | USA/Albania | Narrative
A feature-length narrative film which explores the institution of blood feuds and its effect on a family in modern Albania as seen through the eyes of a 17-year-old boy and his younger sister.

HABIBI RASAK KHARBAN (Darling, Something’s Wrong with Your Head)
Dir. Susan Youssef | Palestine | Narrative
A dramatic digital feature that tells the story of a forbidden love in Gaza, and is the modern re-telling of the famous ancient Arabo-Islamic romance “Majnun Layla.”

KUICHI
Dir. Maiko Endo | USA/Japan | Narrative
On the island of Okinawa, 11-year old Kuichi is a biracial boy growing up in a town built by the US military. Like the town itself, Kuichi is trapped between cultures and identities. As he searches for an outlet for his deep spirituality, Kuichi encounters the mythical forces of nature and the history behind the creation of a place not quite American yet not Japanese.

MARMATO
Dir. Mark Grieco | USA/Colombia | Documentary
The film intimately reveals the lives of peasant miners in the historic gold-mining town of Marmato, Colombia as a Canadian multinational mining company plans a total takeover. Through exclusive access to the families affected and activists fighting for their rights, the film will provide insight into the direct effects of how resources are sought, removed, and at what cost to the people and the environment.

PARIAH
Dir. Dee Rees | USA | Narrative
When forced to choose between the fragile cohesion of her middle-class family and loyalty to her best friend, a Bronx teenager juggles conflicting identities and risks friendship, heartbreak, and family in a desperate search for sexual expression.

THE PATRON SAINTS
Dir. Brian Cassidy, Melanie Shatzky | USA/Canada | Documentary
A disquieting and at times surrealistic exploration of an assisted living facility. Bound by first-hand ruminations of Jim, the nursing home’s youngest—and recently disabled—resident, the film is a revealing portrait of the changing nature of bodies and minds.

UNTITLED PROJECT
Dir. Alistair Banks Griffin | USA | Narrative
A new project from Visit Films: When Jack’s mother turns up dead at the edge of a field near their rural home, he and his brother set out on an arduous journey to fulfill her last wish.

UNTITLED RAMIN BAHRANI WESTERN PROJECT
Dir. Ramin Bahrani | USA | Narrative
A new project from the writer and director of Goodbye Solo, Chop Shop and Man Push Cart.

WATCHERS OF THE SKY
Dir. Edet Belzberg | USA/Chad/Rwanda/The Netherlands | Documentary
Traversing time and continents to explore genocide and the world’s response, the film interweaves the lives of four exceptional visionaries while setting out to uncover the story of Raphael Lemkin, one of the greatest humanitarians of the twentieth century.

ROOFTOP FILMS 2009 SUMMER SERIES
Mark Rosenberg | USA
Rooftop Films engages large audiences with innovative, entertaining, socially-aware films by hosting screenings in unique locations pertinent to the films’ subject matter, covering issues relevant to the local communities’ diverse audiences. Rooftop Films’ 13th annual Summer Series will present 44 nights of film screenings to approximately 25,000 audience members in spectacular outdoor locations throughout New York City.