Incredible Intl Documentaries Worth Supporting

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 06:57:41 GMT

I just found this incredible list of documentaries and movies from the International Documentary Association. Just the ideas and stories behind them are so inspiring and worth exploring deeper and if we support them in any way - by donating, watching and/or spreading the word - even better. Enjoy & share!

The Shift
	Director: Rochelle Marmorstein, Co-Directors: Christopher Allingham and Stanley Fisher Producer: Rochelle Marmorstein Website: theshiftmovie.com/index2.html
A massive worldwide phenomenon is in progress offering seeds of great hope for the future. Millions of individuals, organizations and corporations around the world are waking up and embracing a new outlook with an emphasis on their responsibility to contribute positively to our collective future. We are in the middle of the biggest social transformation in human history, The SHIFT. At this critical point, it is imperative we make the masses aware of this global movement quickly. This evolutionary phenomenon is broader and deeper than the most visible SHIFT, the environmental movement. It involves our very understanding of who we are as human beings, and our responsibility to the world and to life itself. THE SHIFT film raises awareness to the story of our roles in an evolutionary shift in our collective consciousness. As it chronicles the faces, the stories and leaders assisting in this social transformation, the film reveals its emergence & meaning.

A Finished Life: The Goodbye & No Regrets Tour
	Director: Barbara Green & Michelle Boyaner Producer: Barbara Green & Michelle Boyaner Website: www.greeniefilms.com/films/home.htm
"A Finished Life: The Goodbye & No Regrets Tour" is a feature-length documentary about Gregg Gour, a 48-year-old HIV positive gay man who is on the "Road Trip" of his life. Gregg has lived with HIV/AIDS for 24 years, and in July of 2004, after struggling with the side-effects for so long, he stopped taking the HIV/AIDS medications that were making him sicker than the disease itself. When Gregg was given six months to live in December of 2005 he gave away all his belongings, bought an RV, and decided to travel cross-country with his dog Cody, saying goodbye to family and friends in his "Goodbye & No Regrets Tour." Adding to the poignancy of his trip was the fact that Gregg intended to "hasten his death" before he would need to be hospitalized.

A Friend Indeed: The Bill Sackter Story
	Director: Lane Wyrick Website: www.BillSackter.com
"He was a little man who made coffee and played the harmonica - and that was enough!" Bill Sackter's life didn't start out extraordinary. As a child, he was abandoned by his family and spent 44 years locked in an institution. When he emerged, he could have easily been forgotten by society had it not been for unlikely friendships and Bill's incredibly positive embrace of life. His story gained international attention through the Emmy Award winning made-for-tv movie "Bill" starring Mickey Rooney. Now, through actual film & video footage and photographs of Bill himself, the real hero for people with disabilities will come to life in this riveting and uplifting feature-length documentary.

A Taxi Odyssey
	Director: Alexia Haidos Producer: Dylan Rush, Alexia Haidos and Executive Producer Nia Vardalos Website: www.ATaxiOdyssey.com
Can these taxi drivers be tamed? Find out in A Taxi Odyssey, the hilarious and insightful story about the infamous, independent, colorful and charming taxi drivers of Athens, Greece as they attend government mandated behavioral seminars to learn better manners. In their cabs, we visit modern Athens on the eve of the 2004 Olympics; experience the struggle to survive in the time of the Euro, feel the growing pains of a country changed forever by globalization, and follow these taxi drivers during charm school in this feature-length documentary which magically captures life in Greece through their eyes and their resilience in the face of change.

A Year in the Life: Healing Africa
	Director: David Hudacek Producer: Robbie Leppzer Website: www.healingafricafilm.org
"History is biography writ large." The same is true of health care. Many of the triumphs and advances in health care delivery in the developing world are intimately linked to those personalities making a difference. What are their motivations? This is a unique film essay exploring our responsibility to act in the face of suffering. The film is grounded in the reality of a health center and hospice in Africa, framed by interviews with philosophers, theologians, and leaders in public health.

All God's Children
	Director: Scott Solary & Luci Westphal Producer: Scott Solary & Luci Westphal Website: www.goodhardworkingpeople.com
"All God's Children" takes a personal look at the consequences of child abuse within the Protestant missionary community through the eyes of three former missionary families. While the parents were stationed in remote outposts throughout West Africa, the children were required to attend a missionary boarding school in Mamou, Guinea, run by their Church. Cut off from their parents and without any reliable means of communication, the children suffered extensive abuse at the hands of the all-missionary staff. It took the children decades to acknowledge the effects the abuses had on their lives. When they finally dared to speak out, their Church denied all allegations and refused to help. The children and their parents took action.

All’s Well and Fair
	Director: Luci Westphal Website: www.GoodHardWorkingPeople.com
All's Well and Fair gives a unique perspective on growth and identity, choice and consequence, through portraying three punk rock mothers and their five children. All's Well and Fair questions the stereotypes of "welfare moms" and alternative culture while examining the pitfalls of capitalism and living on the cusp of poverty. Do these women lead lives of integrity outside of the mainstream system or are they just feeding off the system? Did they have a choice? Through the unique approach of filming the women and their children twice over ten years, in 1996 and 2006, All's Well and Fair furthermore considers how much we all change as we grow up and how much we might stay the same.

Anna May Wong ~ Frosted Yellow Willows: Her Life, Times, and Legend
	Director: Elaine Mae Woo Website: www.anna-may-wong.com
Frosted Yellow Willows is the story of Anna May Wong, the first Asian-American film star. She appeared in over 60 films and her very name conjured the exotic scents of the orient and fantasies of faraway lands. Her body slinked and shimmied while her hands hypnotized her eager audiences. She sang and danced on stages throughout Europe and the United States, performed on radio programs, and starred in her own television series. This documentary film recalls her long career, in the context of the anti-Chinese bias of the time, and will introduce modern audiences to an artist who overcame cultural struggles and personal tragedies to pursue her dreams of Hollywood stardom.

Bad Blood: Hemophilia in the Age of AIDS
	Director: Marilyn Ness Producer: Marilyn Ness Website: www.necessaryfilms.com
BAD BLOOD details the anatomy of a medical disaster that unfolds in the earliest days of the AIDS epidemic when the cause of the disease was still unknown. The hardest hit victims were hemophiliacs, who became the "canaries in the mineshaft" warning the rest of the world that a new disease was in the nation's blood supply. In just seven years, 70% of hemophiliacs in the United States -- 10,000 victims -- would become infected with HIV. BAD BLOOD recounts the complex chain of events that led to the worst medically induced disaster of the 20th Century and considers the valuable lessons to be learned in the wake of this tragedy.

BIRTH: The Journey That Shapes Our Lives
	Director: Christopher Carson Producer: Christopher Carson Website: www.ReverieProductions.com
Birth is a rite of passage through which all human beings pass, but for many mothers the physical realities of labor and birth are confusing and frightening. Why do some women feel deeply empowered by their birth experiences and others feel stripped of their motherhood? Is it safer to give birth in a hospital or at home? Is an elective c-section safe for the mother? The baby? What options are currently available for mothers as to where and how they can labor and give birth? What is the best scientific evidence telling us about the way in which we treat childbirth? The answers might surprise you.

Boys and Men Healing From Child Sexual Abuse
	Director: Kathy Barbini Producer: Kathy Barbini & Simon Weinberg
"Boys and Men Healing" is a documentary portraying courageous male survivors of childhood sexual abuse and incest in the process of healing from the devastating effects of this insidious crime. By exploring their intimate lives, our documentary is a powerful witness to the possibilities and hope for victims, those speaking out and ending the cycle of self-abuse, crime, and a life of turmoil and shame. However arduous the healing process, "Boys and Men Healing" illustrates that males can overcome silence and social stigmas related to sexual abuse, while leading fulfilling lives. The documentary is also a bold voice revealing a secret epidemic effecting our families and communities.

Broken Promises
	Director: Melinda Janko Producer: Melinda Janko Website: www.brokenpromisesthemovie.com
A powerful reminder that the Indian Wars are far from over, Broken Promises, follows one woman's fight for justice for 500,000 American Indians. In this modern day, David vs. Goliath story, Elouise Cobell, a Blackfeet Indian, discovers fraud and corruption in Washington, DC and files the largest class action lawsuit ever filed against the federal government. Billions of dollars of royalty payments for some of the poorest people in America are unaccounted for in what many are calling the "Enron of the US government." Throughout the film we meet Indian beneficiaries who own oil rich land but live in abject poverty. We talk to Senators, government officials, lawyers, and whistle blowers to find out what went wrong and how one woman's lone voice in the wilderness is echoing a truth everyone needs to hear.

Burning Man: The Movie
	Director: Harrod Blank Website: www.harrodblank.com
Burning Man is the definitive American cultural phenomenon of the turn of the century. Defined by active participation, the festival has grown exponentially over its 20-year history, from a handful of spectators to well over 35,000 participants, each with their own sense of what it all means. In 1993, Harrod Blank perceived something revolutionary in the freedom and expression of Burning Man. He embarked upon an extensive inside look and has been at the festival, 16mm camera in hand, every year since. The film loosely follows Blank, as a participant/voyeur who participates with his art cars, and observes through his lens. The film will offer a cumulative look at the event and its growth, focusing on the array of artistic expression. The relationship between exhibitionism and voyeurism, seen so clearly at Burning Man, will be explored in depth. Mirroring the community spirit of the event, the film will be made up of the work and visions of many other photographers and filmmakers as well.

Children of War
	Director: Bryan Single Producer: Bryan Single and Farzad Karimi Website: childrenofwarfilm.com
Set in the East African country of Uganda, CHILDREN OF WAR chronicles the daily struggle towards rehabilitation and reconciliation by a group of recently escaped child soldiers of the Lord's Resistance Army, one of the world's longest running and most brutal guerilla militia's. To add perspective to the stories of these children, the film also follows the Chief Priest of the Lord's Resistance Army, as well as recipients of the Army's professsed healings and miracles, and victims of its atrocities. Together, these individuals illuminate the pitfalls, challenges, and triumphs of a war-sick society desperately attempting to transition from violence to peace.

Christa McAuliffe: Reach For The Stars
	Director: Renee Sotile & Mary Jo Godges Producer: Renee Sotile & Mary Jo Godges Website: www.TEACHER1986.com
Everyone knows how Christa McAuliffe's story ended. Now see how this pioneering woman lived. For the first time, the heroic teacher's family, friends, colleagues and even NASA speak candidly about the memories, the pain and events surrounding the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster that brought a nation to tears and tore a family apart.

Colorblind or Blinded by Color? The State of Black Equality in America
	Director: Erma Elzy-Jones Producer: Anthony Asadullah Samad, Erma Elzy-Jones & Pamela Bright-Moon Website: www.blackequality.com
Racism, as overt as it's been in the past, has been cleverly disguised in modern day America as colorblindness. Colorblind means one is free from racial prejudice or oblivious to one's color. Our feature length documentary examines the evolution of the race caste system in America by proving that segregationist Jim Crow laws, disguised in modern day terms as colorblindness or race neutrality, still hinders the progress of African Americans. With facts bearing out exaggeration, we prove that inequality and systematic racism still exists in the entire social fabric of America to include: education, the legal system, media and entertainment, in health, labor, housing and economics.

Crossed Lines
	Director: Jeff Reichert & Seth Resler Producer: Jeff Reichert & Seth Resler Website: www.OneEyedManFilms.com
Since the dawn of our democracy, politicians have manipulated the outcomes of elections through a technique that poses a threat not just to Democrats or Republicans, but to Democracy as a whole. In 2003, fifty-three Democratic Representatives fled Texas to prevent the redrawing of state district lines. Republicans not only dispatched state troopers, but also misled the Department of Homeland Security to enlist their help with the chase. It was the latest battle in a war that has raged between the political parties for decades, in which both have used race and redistricting to manipulate elections. One-Eyed Man Films offers Crossed Lines, the definitive feature-length theatrical documentary on the hidden history of our country's redistricting wars.

Cuba: Beyond the Cars and the Cigars
	Director: Carlos Alvarado Producer: Carlos Alvarado & Leonard Shields Website: www.cubabeyondthecars.org
"Cuba: Beyond the Cars and the Cigars" will shine a light on the Ballet and the arts in Cuba. This documentary-film is about the dreams, the dedication and the struggles of becoming a ballerina in Cuba. It will show how passionate these dancers are about their careers, how hard they work and the limited conditions in which they train, all to get a chance to one day dance for the National Ballet of Cuba and travel to the outside world. Photographer Carlos Alvarado has spent six years shooting the Ballet and the arts in Cuba, and aims to show the world a side of Cuba much too rarely seen.

Cult of Personality: The 2006 New Orleans Mayoral Election
	Director: Dave Schulz Producer: Melissa Tallerine Website: www.hotbuttonprods.com
The New Orleans mayoral election scheduled less than a year after Hurricane Katrina was a circus filled with unique characters, heated debates and groundbreaking politics. In the weeks before the election the city became a hot bed of political, social and economic debate. The stakes in this election were unbelievably high. The winner has the opportunity to direct the city's future. The lure of that power attracted nearly two-dozen candidates, civil rights leaders and national media attention. Amid the endless chatter a voice representing the history and the possibility of New Orleans was quietly rumbling. The voice of the voter took on new shapes The question is whose voice will be the loudest?

Dear Zachary: A Letter To A Son About His Father
	Director: Kurt Kuenne Website: www.dearzachary.com
On November 5, 2001, Dr. Andrew Bagby, 28 years young, was brutally murdered by his ex-girlfriend, Dr. Shirley Turner, who fled the U.S. for Canada. She then announced that she was pregnant with Andrew's son, whom she named Zachary. Andrew's parents, Kate and David Bagby, moved to Canada to seek custody of Zachary, and in order to gain access to him they were forced to stomach a civil relationship with Shirley. Despite warnings from the Bagby's and the United States that Shirley should be behind bars while awaiting extradition, Canada allowed her to walk free and have custody of Zachary -- and on the morning of August 18, 2003, Shirley drowned herself and the baby. Filmmaker Kurt Kuenne, a close childhood friend of Andrew Bagby, originally began compiling this film for Zachary, so that the boy could learn about his father when he was of age. It has now been transformed into a document of an unbelievable tragedy, and of Kate and David Bagby's heroic crusade to change the system so that this will never happen again.

Dislecksia: The Movie
	Director: Harvey Hubbell V Producer: Andrea Haas Hubbell, Eric Gardner, Jeremy Brecher, Yvonne Reelick Website: www.capturedtimeproductions.com
About one American in seven has some degree of dyslexia. It's a condition that makes it hard to learn to read the same way other people do. With some special techniques, taught or self-invented, most dyslexics can learn to function normally. A lot of dyslexics are brilliant, talented, and successful. In the comic documentary Dislecksia: The Movie, dyslexic director Harvey Hubbell V with assistance from dyslexic writer Jeremy Brecher and several dyslexic crew members - will present the latest scientific knowledge about dyslexia and the experiences of dyslexics. Viewers will come to know dyslexics and those who teach them and study them not just as statistics or talking heads, but as people. And they'll know a lot about dyslexia: its causes, its effects, and what can be done about it.

Divertissement: Everyday Dancers Stories
	Director: Ed Lippman Producer: Ed Lippman Website: www.everydaydancers.com
"Divertissement" is the story of a remarkable group of everyday people who came to the study of classical ballet late in life. Ranging in age from 40 - 61, these non-professional dancers trained for, then took part in, an adult only ballet intensive. Each had their own challenges to overcome. Each has a unique story of how they came to dance late in life, and how having the courage to do so changed their lives. For one year we followed a handful of dancers from all walks of life, from all across the country as they prepared for, then took part in, this grueling, week-long intensive. We continued to follow them afterward, witnessing the changes in their lives. By confronting social, emotional and physical obstacles, these remarkable individuals learned that it is never too late to pursue a dream.

Facing Sudan
	Director: Bruce David Janu Website: www.bellbookcamera.com/sudan1.html
A custodian. A housewife. A pediatrician. A grandmother. Seemingly ordinary individuals. Yet these individuals have a story to tell. It is the story of suffering and death. It is the story of refugees. It is the story of terrified villagers running for cover. Yet, at the same time, it is a story of strength, courage and hope. It is the story of Sudan. Over the last 20 years, millions have died in Sudan. A civil war devastated the South and currently a genocide is occurring in the western region of Darfur. Facing Sudan is the story of ordinary individuals, moved into action by the events in Sudan. Ordinary people can do extraordinary things, even in Sudan.

Fate of the Lhapa
	Director: Sarah C. Sifers Producer: Sarah C. Sifers
Fate of the Lhapa is a feature-length documentary about the last three Tibetan shamans living in a refugee camp in Nepal. With no other descendants to carry on their healing practices and a younger generation attending schools and modernizing, these "sucking doctors" are practicing an endangered tradition. Each lhapa requested that their story be filmed. Their fear was that the next heir might not appear until after their own deaths. Subsequently, with no lhapa alive to mentor the heirs, the documentary would be used to transmit their healing knowledge. Their tales of nomadic childhoods, shamanic callings and apprenticeships, cosmologies of disease and treatments, and of their flight from Tibet during the Chinese occupation in the late 1950s will be juxtaposed with images of present-day life in the camp, current healing practices and shared concerns of the future and the fate of their tradition. This is a touching portrayal of life in exile in a refugee camp in Nepal.

Feat
	Director: Deborah and Bradley Carr Producer: Deborah and Bradley Carr Website: www.featmovie.com
FEAT chronicles one man's coast-to-coast quest to run 63 marathons in 63 consecutive days, while pushing a jogging stroller. Endurance runner Timothy Borland seeks to raise awareness and research funds for kids battling a rare terminal disease whose own feet lack the strength to run. Ataxia-Telangiectasia or A-T combines the complexities of cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy and immune deficiencies. Most kids are in wheelchairs by age ten and few live beyond their teens. We'll reveal the mystery and progression of the disease through personal portraits of A-T families across the country. While the prognosis is grim, one man's inspirational journey revives hope for a cure or life prolonging treatment.

First Generation
	Director: Jaye J. Fenderson Producer: Jaye J. Fenderson and Adam Fenderson Website: www.firstgenerationfilm.com
FIRST GENERATION is a feature-length documentary chronicling the journey of four low-income students who are first in their family attempting to attend college. While education is the most likely means of rising into another socio-economic class, our system makes it extremely difficult to break out of the cycle of poverty. We'll interview our nation's top educational experts to hear their perspective on the problems of access, affordability and guidance facing these first generation students. We'll also take a look at the history of public education and how things have changed in recent years. The film will be a thought-provoking look into what has become a major rite of passage for young people in America: getting into college.

Five Sisters
	Director: Luci Westphal Website: www.GoodHardWorkingPeople.com
Five Sisters (working title) paints a portrait of five sisters, in their 70s and 80s. During their annual get-together shortly after the first of the sisters' husbands has passed away, the youngest sister is on a quest to learn from her older siblings about transition and aging. Moving and enlightening, Five Sisters is full of joy and grief and tackles a subject that is essential to all of us - how to live fully and gracefully and yet be realistic about getting older and eventually dying.

Flashback
	Director: Wendy Anson Producer: Wendy Anson
"Flashback" dramatically unspools the science behind the long-standing controversy over "recovered memory" of child sexual abuse. Exclusive footage brings the social history of the hard-fought conflict to life as world-class, renowned experts come together at key flashpoints over the years to passionately and eloquently spar over whether or not you can as Elizabeth Loftus challenges, "be raped every night for a 10 year period and then totally repress it until it comes out in therapy 20 years later". Dramatic, compelling evidence from emerging brain science and the moving, engrossing stories from victims of child sexual abuse and lost memory both punctuate the story of the evolving evidence and bring it to a logically convincing conclusion.

Got the facts on Milk?
	Director: Shira Lane Producer: Shira Lane, Executive Producer: Thomas Sells Website: www.unleashedproductions.com
Got the facts on Milk? a comical yet jolting feature documentary that questions the health benefits of milk and examines the dairy industry's advertised claims on milk. A hybrid Bible belt style road trip unwinds across America to uncover the compelling behind the scenes story of milk and ultimately meet with the USDA in Washington DC to get the real deal FACTS on milk. Peeking into milking farms, labeling fraud, hormones, obesity, diabetes, cancer, dairy funded experiments, food assistant programs and more. Also includes footage from pop culture, advertising, TV news, interviews and a live milk debate. "Got Milk", the most dominant marketing campaign of our time, uses little known facts about milk and celebrity endorsements to sell the beverage to consumers, as a move to reverse a 30-year decline in milk consumption. With milk allergies on the rise and 75% of the world's population unable to consume milk, who is at greater risk? Is it the milk drinker or the non-milk drinker.

Healed
	Director: Sam Karp Producer: Sam Karp Website: www.samkarp.net/healed.html
In 1989, Jim Klages - former cornet soloist of "The President's Own" United States Marine Band - was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, which prompted his early retirement. After years of declining health and unsuccessful medical treatments, Jim tried Gonstead chiropractic treatment, which has reduced symptoms since then. However, Jim was not the only one to suffer from MS. His wife and daughter were also deeply affected. Healed explores the toll that chronic illness takes on its victims and caregivers: medically, emotionally, and in Jim's case, musically. In sum, how healed are Jim and his family from this ordeal?

the trailer
and see it has some of my fav actors in it!

Michael Caine, Hugh Jackman & David Bowie! Yowzer!

Re: The Illusionist

http://trust22.gaia.com — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 18:01:18 GMT

I saw it too a great film... all his films are great (norton) ... you should watch the prestige is also a good film.

The Illusionist

http://ladybear.gaia.com — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 02:35:50 GMT

WOW!

We just watched The Illusionist.

What a beautifully creative movie. Gorgeous color, beautiful love story,
magical content, great villian, twist and turn.
IMHO, definately worth a viewing.

Edward Norton is incredible!

INKLINGS: Even The Bleak Gives Me Hope. . .

http://darshan.gaia.com — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 11:54:05 GMT

Recently, I wrote this essay about the films Pan's Labyrinth & Children of Men for the pod Camp Happiness. It's the first part in a thought cycle I am in the midst of working on.

Hope you'll enjoy, and of course I always love feedback!

–D.

Yesterday, I took in a double bill of what could have been a “blow your brains out” pair of films: Pan's Labyrinth and Children of Men. Both films are often brutal in their violence and shaking in their themes, and neither of them would feature what would commonly be called a “Hollywood Ending”. Each of the films in their own right would make filling cinematic meals, but taken in together you'll walk out feeling as if you have indulged in an extravagant filmic buffet, stuffed to the last notch on your belt with delicious substance.

This post is less a review of two of the year's finest films, as it is as the beginning of a thought cycle on hope, artistic quality and responsibility, and the direction which all artists I believe will eventually be heading. Furthermore, I am not likely to hit all of the notes that I wish to, because much of this is still percolating in my mind, but I will be returning here to finish my thoughts before too long.

Let it first be understood that Pan's Labyrinth is not a children's film. Perhaps fodder for every adult's inner child, but this is definitely one to call the babysitter for. It's a classic fairy tale set amidst the real life setting of Spain during Franco's era. The film's villain is a very real and sadistic officer who doles out pain with pleasure and ease. The heroes are the little girl who has come to live with her mother in the home of the facist officer, the head of the captain's house, and the family doctor who lends comfort and aid to the resistance fighters living in the forest.

To me, the real hero in this movie resides in the heart and mind of the film's Director, Guillermo Del Toro. A storyteller for certain, but one who has taken it upon himself to reframe the trappings of the fairy tale. In many ways, it is a very standard fantasy, except for the choices that Del Toro has made to set the fantasy amidst the dark fabric of the modern era. In many ways, he has chosen to tell a story not so much to succor the suffering child in all of us, but more to speak of truths needed to be expressed for the next era in human evolution.

Interestingly enough, there is a Judeo-Christian bent to the film which for this writer, in this day and age is not often a source of inspiration and light. However, I doubt that any fundamentalist or orthodox Christian will be able to sit lightly through this tale. For me, this again is a source of hope and inspiration as I am reminded of an Episcopalian priest who played a signigicant role in my life and was fond of the idea of “Comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.”

Del Toro deals unflinchingly with the ideas of violence, mercy, justice and how each have a hand in one another. He deals with the notions of blindness and zeal and how the loss of one's ability to question has direct correlation to one's ability to feel mercy for another. He also sets Christian mythology neatly aside Pagan mythology as a reminder to all of us of their kinship. After all just who is Pan? The Devil? Trickster, demi-god or angel? Or perhaps aspects of all of the above?

Pan's Labyrinth is an old story framed in a new language, and done so with the responsibility of a New Era Artist. Instead of creating a fairy tale which helps the viewer escape from the darkness of the world outside, Del Toro is like the storytelling father who says “Yes, the world is a dark and scary place, but together we can look at the world and no longer be afraid.”

The second of these two films, Children of Men, was even less “upbeat” than the first, but again, I had to walk out of the theatre carrying a loud note of hope, and the soothing note of Shanti, Shanti, Shanti…

Speaking only from the view of a cinematic aesthete, I will admit that the craft of filmmaking was nothing short of amazing. Between the camera work of Emmanuel Lubezki, the editing of both Director Alfonso Cuaron and Alex Rodriguez, I have Oscars in my eyes for all three of these filmmakers.

While set twenty years in the future, Children of Men feels closer to being set twenty minutes from now. The basic premise is in a future where humanity has lost its ability to procreate, society has deteriorated into a world where humanity has been shackled to a police state in the name of Homeland Security. In this state, immigrants are deported and tortured for the national benefit, suicide is wrapped in a beautiful pharmaceutical package, and ganja is still illegal. Children of Men is relevant, bleak and alarming. It's also far earlier than being timely. And yet, the fact that the film got made and is finding an audience gives one pause for hope.

Many films that I have seen this year have given me the sense of the growing voice that is coming out of hearts and minds around the world. It tells me that we are coming to an end of an era laden with preaching and divisiveness, the ideas of who is “right” and who is “wrong”, and instead taking up the cause of survival and evolution.

As this piece draws to a close, I have to take my hat off to Alfonso Cuaron who was key to both of these films being made. As a Producer on Pan and Director on Children he has been one of the central keys to the birth of these films. I can assure you that there is much to be optimistic about knowing that people like Cuaron and Del Toro are out there in just one medium of contemporary art.

There are so many more people like them out there. It's not just in the land of celebrity or the spotlight of just that single facet of the artistic community, but so many others in every facet of the emerging gem of humanity's Art. The more I look around me and consider the work and care of so many artists visible and invisible, famous and anonymous, I begin to feel a sense of ease. Ease not from feeling that “Everything's gonna be okay”, but in knowing that we will perservere through these dark times. I see this here at Zaadz, in Camp Happiness, her Author and Scribes, and in the hearts of those who have chosen to be here with their eyes set on a better way.

Do you begin to get the sense of why even in this era of darkness, I have such a strong sense of hope?

. . .And Future Movies! SCREENWRITER'S LOUNGE NOW OPEN!

http://darshan.gaia.com — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 09:17:46 GMT

As a resource to aspiring and working screenwriters, I have opened a new pod called the Screenwriter's Lounge. It's a place for anyone who has ever written or wants to write a screenplay to connect, learn from, and support one another.

Until Zaadz offers semi-private pods, the pod is private and by invitation. This is done to keep ideas under a little bit tighter wraps. Since screenplays and the material that inspire them are precious intellectual property, this helps ensure a greater level of security.

Drop me a private note at my profile or respond to this post, and I will extend a formal invitation to you.

Hope to see enthusiastic and passionate writers joining us soon!

Quotes from Films, Songs and leaders !!!

http://trust22.gaia.com — Mon, 25 Dec 2006 22:56:37 GMT

Here is a little compilation of famous quotes from films, songs & world leaders ENJOY THE RIDE !!! All that we are is the result of what we have thought. -Buddha. Evey Hammond: We are told to remember the idea, not the man, because a man can fail. He can be caught, he can be killed and forgotten, but 400 years later, an idea can still change the world. I've witnessed first hand the power of ideas, I've seen people kill in the name of them, and die defending them... but you cannot kiss an idea, cannot touch it, or hold it... ideas do not bleed, they do not feel pain, they do not love... And it is not an idea that I miss, it is a man... A man that made me remember the Fifth of November. A man that I will never forget. V for Vendetta Be the change you want to see in the world Gandhi Robert Langdon: Why is it divine or human? Can't human be divine? DaVinci Code "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams" - Eleanor Roosevelt “Hope sees the invisible, feels the untouchable and reaches the impossible” Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; None but ourselves can free our minds. - Bob Marley This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple;the philosophy is kindness. Dalai Lama V: Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof. So I ask my self if so many people are saying the same thing over and over and over again why are we not listening? Morpheus - Sooner or later you're going to realize just as I did that there's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path. The Matrix Mmm interesting …Ok so if there is a path who made it? Did we create the path? Do we have a choice? Life is destiny or do we create our own reality? "A way," implies a way that all the feet of people tread. "A path," is a recently opened path AND HAS NOT BEEN TRODDEN LONG BY MANY PEOPLE. Zohar Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought. Lord of the rings: Fellowship of the ring V: I, like God, do not play with dice and do not believe in coincidence. V for Vendetta Morpheus: All of our lives, we have fought this war. Tonight I believe we can end it. Tonight is not an accident. There are no accidents. We have not come here by chance. I do not believe in chance. When I see three objectives, three captains, three ships. I do not see coincidence, I see providence. I see purpose. I believe it our fate to be here. It is our destiny. I believe this night holds for each and every one of us, the very meaning of our lives. The Matrix Reloaded Bon Jovi Welcome to wherever you are This is your life; you made it this far Welcome, you got to believe That right here, right now You're exactly where you're supposed to be Welcome to wherever you are – Have a Nice Day Gandalf: A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to. Lord of the rings: Fellowship of the ring Forrest Gump: I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floatin' around accidental-like on a breeze. But I, I think maybe it's both. Weird now you are just confusing me … I don’t understand. You're an interesting species, an interesting mix. You're capable of such beautiful dreams and such horrible nightmares. You feel so lost, so cut off, so alone, only you're not. See, in all our searching, the only thing we've found that makes the emptiness bearable is each other. Contact Carmine Falcone: This is a world you'll never understand. And you always fear what you don't understand. Batman Begins Magneto: Are you a God-fearing man, Senator? That is such a strange phrase. I've always thought of God as a teacher; a bringer of light, wisdom, and understanding. You see, I think what you really fear is me. Me and my kind. The Brotherhood of Mutants. Oh, it's not so surprising really. Mankind has always feared what it doesn't understand. Well, don't fear God, Senator, and certainly don't fear me. Not any more. X-Men The Scarecrow: There is nothing to fear, but fear itself! Batman Begins Nightcrawler: You know, outside the circus, most people were afraid of me. But I didn't hate them. I pitied them. Do you know why? Because most people will never know anything beyond what they see with their own two eyes. X2 Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. . . . Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, to be gorgeous, talented, and fabulous. Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that others won't feel insecure around you. We are born to make manifest the glory of God within us. And as we let our light shine, we consciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others. Marianne wiliamson The Oracle: We can never see past the choices we don't understand. Neo: Are you saying I have to choose whether Trinity lives or dies? The Oracle: No, you've already made the choice. Now you have to understand it. The Matrix Reloaded Jor-El: Live as one of them, Kal-El, to discover where your strength and your power are needed. Always hold in your heart the pride of your special heritage. They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you... my only son. Superman Yoda: Remember, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware. Anger, fear, aggression. The dark side are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Luke... Luke... do not... do not underestimate the powers of the Emperor or suffer your father's fate you will. Luke, when gone am I... the last of the Jedi will you be. Luke, the Force runs strong in your family. Pass on what you have learned, Luke. There is... another... Sky... walker. Star Wars The Return of the Jedi Frodo: I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened. Lord of the rings The Oracle: you didn't come here to make the choice, you've already made it. You're here to try to understand *why* you made it. I thought you'd have figured that out by now. The Matrix Reloaded V: But again, if truth be told... if you are looking for the guilty, you need only look in the mirror. V for Vendetta "From a certain point onward there is no longer any turning back...That is the point that must be reached" - Kafka We may have all come on different ships, but we are in the same boat now. - Martin Luther King Jr Qui-Gon Jinn: Remember, concentrate on the moment. Feel, don't think. Trust your instincts. Star Wars – Phantom Menace V: This may be the most important moment of your life... commit to it. If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over? – John Wooden, Hall of Fame American Basketball Player and Coach You will never get this minute back again. Find the opportunity it's giving you and act on it. Rav Berg Tyler Durden: Hitting bottom isn't a weekend retreat. It's not a goddamn seminar. Stop trying to control everything and just let go! LET GO! Fight Club He was a martyr of peace but was the victim of hate. If people can't let go of the hatred of their enemies they risk sowing the seeds of hate among themselves. Bill Clinton Let go the past, let go the future, and let go what is in between, transcending the things of time. With your mind free in every direction, you will not return to birth and aging. Buddha People can be more forgiving than you can imagine. But you have to forgive yourself. Let go of what's bitter and move on. Bill Cosby Mouse - To deny our own impulses is to deny the very thing that makes us human. The Matrix Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. Dalai Lama The Architect: Denial is the most predictable of all human responses. The Matrix Reloaded The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge. Albert Einstein Prof. Charles Xavier: When an individual acquires great power, the use or misuse of that power is everything, will it be used for the greater good or will it be used for personal or destructive ends? Now this is a question we must all ask ourselves. why, because we are mutants. X MAN The Last Stand Oskar Schindler: Power is when we have every justification to kill, and we don't. Schindler’s list We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality. We should not make intellect our God. It has great power but very little compassion. Albert Einstein Poverty is a form of hell caused by man's blindness to God's unlimited good for him. You should be prosperous, well supplied and have abundance of good because it is your divine heritage. Your creator wants you that way. Catherine Ponder Gold medal is a wonderful thing. But if you are not enough with out it. You will never be enough with it. Cool runnings Oren Stambouli www.TRUST22.com -Believing in a dream is the first step to seeing it, and not the last one-

Quotes from Films, Songs and leaders !!!

http://trust22.gaia.com — Mon, 25 Dec 2006 22:55:37 GMT

Re: Screening Season 2006

http://s2.gaia.com — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 06:37:49 GMT

Here are a few more capsules:

Little Children
This is a artful allegory about modern life. Kate Winslet is terrific. Casting the narrator from “Frontline” to narrate this was genius. Has similar tone to American

DAYS OF GLORY (Indigènes)
This is an Algerian film about Algerian soldiers who went to France to fight in WWII. They were treated like dogs. This is a heartfelt film from people who had family members go through this hell. France would not pay pensions to these soldiers. The film is an attempt to change that.

Children of Men
20 years in the future chaos, terrorism, pollution, immigration problems abound. The metaphor is that suddenly women can’t have children. Michael Caine is especially fun to watch. Looks a bit like 28 days. The story is a weak cliché with Clive Owen has a quest to get from A to B. Plays like a videogame. Yawn.

Flight 93
Very exciting realistic depiction of 9/11. I didn’t want to see it because I thought it would be like a TV movie. I was pleasantly surprised. Nuanced, heartfelt, scary.

Superman returns
Another Superman movie (yawn)

Blood Diamond
Nice blend of action and message

Iwa Jima
Taken with “Flag of Our Fathers” this becomes an important war film. This is the Japanese POV of the Battle of Iwa Jima. A stark contrast to the American POV. The film continues to haunt well after the lights have come up.

Déjà vu
A fun Tony Scott action movie with a science fiction twist. Don’t look for depth. (Apparently everything is not predestined we have free will) Enjoy the ride.

Casino Royalle
Make James Bond more human. He slips up he makes mistakes he doesn’t always get the girl. I enjoyed the new James Bond tone.

Dreamgirls
How many movies get huge ovations after production numbers? This is a real crowd pleaser. How many Oscars?

The Good German
Brooding movie about Germany post WWII. Soderbergh dared compare this to Casablanca at the end. It didn’t have any of the heart.

Screening Season 2006

http://s2.gaia.com — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 05:03:23 GMT

http://s2.zaadz.com/blog/2006/11/screening_season

Movies

Babel
This film had so much potential. It follows 5 stories connected from a single action around the globe. It is great travelogue taking the viewer were they have never been before. The photography and the performances are fantastic. But ultimately the picture fails to tie 5 disparate stories together. They share the common thread of “miscommunication” but ultimately that is not a strong enough common theme
Borat
If you liked HBO’s Ali G show you will like Borat. It’s really funny. See it in a crowded theatre share the laffs.

Flag of Our Fathers
Detailed period art direction and subtle performances can’t help this confused story about World War II. I was lost in the flashbacks and points of view that constantly shifted. Perhaps if I had read the book I would have understood.

Inside Man
A fun action movie to watch. Spike Lee gives a tired genre some pizzazz.

Little Miss Sunshine
A really smart funny comedy. One of the best of the year.

Marie Antoinette
Paris Hilton in the 16th century. If you are interested in Marie Antoinette you will be better off watching the great PBS two night special.

Stranger Than Fiction
A dark comedy. Not to be confused with a Will Farrel movie. This movie explores a character barely living life. Just going through the motions. Watch him come to self-awareness and turn that around. A brilliant advertisement for free will.

Thank You For Smoking
A PR guy for a cigarette company is the hero as he talks people into the importance of smoking. Funny, but a tad slow.

The Prestige
Well paced, fun to watch. I liked it but felt let down at the end. Most of the people who saw it were not disappointed like me. Maybe I am too picky.

The Departed
Not as good as other Scorsese films but it is a good action. Very violent.

The King
Really bad independent film that could have had potential if it wasn’t so slow.

The Last King of Scotland
This is the story of Idi Amin’s rise to powers seen through the eyes of a young foreigner visiting Uganda. Excellent film.

The Queen
A look into the British Monarchy around the time Princess Di died. I enjoyed the inside view of power between the Queen and the Prime Minister.

Bobby & Stranger than Fiction

http://trust22.gaia.com — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 21:27:12 GMT

Just saw both movies and they are AMAZING ... both of them really good... Was very interestign to see how things are exactly the same then and now. If you liek good movies see this one... Stranger than fiction is one of the most original films I have seen in a loooong time... you must see this movie if you like a good film, with good acting and a lot of lessons and make you think oh one more thing very funny movie as well If you have time go and see both of them O.

Happy Feet & Penguins

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 13:34:13 GMT

If you liked the Movie The Penguins, you will like Happy Feet as well…It opens today.

Just visiting the web site will make you smile, laugh, dance & more…
Enjoy & move those Happy Feet! :)

Garden State... amazing

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 07:42:21 GMT

When I first watched this movie, it really changed my life. Zach Braff is an amazing writer and a hell of an actor. Just thought I would open a thread see what other peoples thoughts were on it.

THE PRESTIGE !!!

http://trust22.gaia.com — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 03:09:27 GMT

Any one here saw the movie? exelent movie, I would like to discuss but don't want to spoiled for the ones that didn't see it ...

Great Short Movies - Serious Fun & Inspiration :)

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 05:03:57 GMT

Aren't we blessed with all these amazing creations floating around in our digiverse?

From the self-exploring and spiritual to the enchanting and loving, from the transformationally inspirational to the seriously funny… Today I offer you a few wonderful short movies thanks to my friends Nic, Nicola, Herbie, Bilgi, Dan and Robin. Enjoy each & share your feelings, thoughts and/or laughter :)

2 great movies by a new friend of mine and a wonderful zaadzster Robin Rice:

Meditation movie

Robin Rice On Beauty and Healing 7 min
You can also visit Robin Rice's web site at BeWhoYouAre.com

Nicola says: ”Linda Ellis is a poet who wrote “The Dash”, a simply beautiful word song on the value of life. These 3 minutes may change the way you view life. If nothing else, the imagery is simply gorgeous…”

Enjoy the incredible Sand Art of IIana Yahav thanks to Bilgi. Just be in the moment as she creates these extraordinary sand phantasy art pieces in front of our very eyes… and another one for us to enjoy in wonder… The beauty of the stream of heART through sand…

Just imagine…

Angel: Merav Josef-Levi

There are more to enjoy where this came from...

A timeless and beautiful one - the Magic of Love on the classic song “That's Amore”

Have Serious fun with these very funny cats thanks to Herbie.

Last but not least the traditional Monday9am.tv produced by Nic Askew
'generation B' 3 m 46 s, starred Brian Chernett, www.chiefexecutive.com

What if generation B continues to 'grow' and to contribute?
What if generation B decides to shine bright?

Last but not least, a sobering and humbling view of our Miniature earth - just astonishing…
We know the statistics, but this visual makes all the difference in comprehension…
Thanks to Dan DeVille for posting this video

Enjoy, share and be inspired!
D a r i n a :)

Re: COSM The Movie Trailer & DVD

http://ladybear.gaia.com — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 03:20:51 GMT

WOW! Absolutely Gorgeous!

Thanks so much for the post, Darina! :-)

Big Hugs XOXO

COSM The Movie Trailer & DVD

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 20:44:06 GMT

Here comes the trailer of the long awaited "COSM The Movie" by Nick Krasnic aka Inspired Minds about the Visionary artist Alex Grey and the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (COSM) located in NYC.

If you’d like to post this video on your own site, blog or pod you can “grab” the code at: http://one.revver.com/watch/76737/format/flv/affiliate/29888

There is also a new site at: www.myspace.com/cosmthemovie

Enjoy, share and inspire as you do,
D a r i n a :)

This is the master- and soul-piece of Alex Grey "Cosmic Christ"

Re: Shortbus

http://ladybear.gaia.com — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 16:04:49 GMT

YOWZER!

i just watched the edited version on youtube....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntqE0wAur8Y

the unedited version is posted on a site listed at the above link.

LOL'd at the line, "it's like the 60's, but with less hope!"

Thanks for the heads up, Frank! ;-)

Shortbus

http://frankaustx.gaia.com — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 04:48:50 GMT

From the profane to the sacred and back again.... I just saw this movie tonight and what an experience.

This is the new movie from John Cameron Mitchell, who also created Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Probably not for everybody (the movie is not rated in the US as there is a lot of explicit sex), but I had a very deep spiritually-oriented reaction to this movie particularly at the end.

It is about sex and love and isolation and connection and willingness and protection.... And probably lots of other things as well, but I'm still processing my reactions. I know I will definitely want to see it again in the theatre so that I can see what I missed the first time.

I would love to hear what others think about this very intense, very interesting, and very profound film.

Frank

Gaia: Media & Technology - NEW MOVIES, OLD MOVIES

What IF WE - One Shift Movie ~ The Surprise Foundation & WE :)

Incredible Intl Documentaries Worth Supporting

Re: The Illusionist

The Illusionist

INKLINGS: Even The Bleak Gives Me Hope. . .

. . .And Future Movies! SCREENWRITER'S LOUNGE NOW OPEN!

Quotes from Films, Songs and leaders !!!

Quotes from Films, Songs and leaders !!!

Re: Screening Season 2006

Screening Season 2006

Bobby & Stranger than Fiction

Happy Feet & Penguins

Garden State... amazing

THE PRESTIGE !!!

Great Short Movies - Serious Fun & Inspiration :)

Re: COSM The Movie Trailer & DVD

COSM The Movie Trailer & DVD

Re: Shortbus

Shortbus