Humans for Film!

Movements beyond movies.

As I often do, here is a list of ways to support current socially conscious film endeavors! The diversity of stories that still need to be told through film is vast and projects like the ones below could use the support they deserve!

1. Sarah Jacobson was a bad ass female filmmaker who studied under George Kuchar, making her signature edgy but thoughtful films with no excuses. I have seen some of her work, not a ton, but I have seen a lot of the work from the recipients of her memorial Film Grant and every single one of them is carrying on the heartful, dark, DIY spirit that Jacobson seemed to embody. Donations into this fund are being accepted until Friday June 20th through Indiegogo. If, like me, you look to film in order to see the world from a different perspective and push artistic boundaries please give! Or, apply for the grant next year to help keep her spirit alive!

2. This one is a personal/highly local one but I would be stupid not to ask....I currently live in a tiny, tiny town in Southern Vermont that, drawing me to it like a moth to flame, has the largest film screen in the state! Every Wednesday for $5 a classic movie is screened for the community in the fully restored Bellows Falls Opera House. Seeing a little girl sing along to Mary Poppins, watching a group of eyes-covered adults experience The Shining for the first time, even having some firsts of my own (WTF Sean Connery Bond!?) are the reasons that I continue to promote film: sharing stories through art to bring us closer to each other in the world beyond the screen. The series is subsidized by the town but attendance has been low lately so a friend of mine (with a little help from me) have started a campaign to keep it going (<---CLICK ME!). Even if you aren't one of the 3,000 people living in my little Vermont village, fostering creativity through the legacy of cinema is a cause definitely worth supporting...you never know, maybe we have the next Lars Von Trier among us?

3. And speaking of sharing stories to foster an understanding....the Human Rights Watch Film Festival is underway in NYC (ending June 22nd)! HRW is an independent organization that researches, documents, exposes and aids in issues regarding abuses of people worldwide. As their website describes: "Through our Human Rights Watch Film Festival we bear witness to human rights violations and create a forum for courageous individuals on both sides of the lens to empower audiences with the knowledge that personal commitment can make a difference. The film festival brings to life human rights abuses through storytelling in a way that challenges each individual to empathize and demand justice for all people."  This humanitarian fest features an incredible line up of films that perfectly balance artistry with issue, even offering a traveling version of their program in order to have the widest impact possible. Igniting action through the flicker of the film projector? Exactly!