Hi All -

I can use some help on what is hopefully a fun topic.

I have been creating a new company in Hollywood to deliver entertainment (feature films only for now) that is aligned with the vision/mission of the Skoll Foundation.

The vision of this new company is to unleash the power of media to create and deliver material that will educate and empower people to eliminate the dangers of an imbalanced world of haves and have-nots.

Some films that I think do this admirably are:

To Kill a Mockingbird Gandhi Schindler's List John Q White Man's Burden The Power of One Changing Lanes Bonfire of the Vanities Malcolm X Stand and Deliver Trading Places Outbreak The Grapes of Wrath Proof of Life Traffic Three Kings 8 Mile Amistad Finding Forrester

But I certainly haven't seen every movie that is out there and I am sure there are some gems that I am missing. Can anyone make any recommendations of other films that might fit the bill?

best, Jeff

Keely Stevenson - Nov 5, 2003 7:39 pm (#1 Total: 136)
Royal Bafokeng Economic Board


Hi Jeff,
Thanks for posting such a fun topic.

Checkout Best Inspiration- http://www.bestinspiration.com/movies.php3

Some good friends at Katalysis shared this rec with me, and I fell in love with it: http://movies.go.com/movies/R/rabbitprooffence_2002/

RABBIT-PROOF Fence -- featuring the Golden Globe-nominated score by Peter Gabriel -– is a powerful true story of hope and survival and has been met with international acclaim. At a time when it was Australian government policy to train aboriginal children as domestic workers and integrate them into white society, young Molly Craig decides to lead her little sister and cousin in a daring escape from their internment camp. Molly and the girls, part of what would become known as Australia's "Stolen Generations," must then elude the authorities on a dangerous 1,500-mile adventure along the rabbit-proof fence that bisects the continent and will lead them home. As shown by this outstanding motion picture, their universally touching plight and unparalleled courage are a beautiful testament to the undying strength of the human spirit!

Attachments:

rabbitprooffences_2002.jpg (9 KB)

sista_sista - Nov 5, 2003 7:53 pm (#2 Total: 136)


Radio has been called the "feel good movie of the year" http://www.hollywood.com/movies/reviews/movie/1730796

The Shawshank Redemption
Braveheart
Life is Beautiful
Tupac Shakur - Thug Angel (The Life of an Outlaw) Finding Nemo (on sale at Target as of today!)

Any movie mavens out there seen these? How many thumbs up?

I'm still hoping that Shaolin Soccer will come out in this century-- it will certainly inspire laughter if nothing else: http://miramax.com/shaolin_soccer/index.html

qthai - Nov 5, 2003 10:09 pm (#3 Total: 136)

There are so many great movies out there. One that should definitely be included is Les Mesirables and how about Forest Gump. Just some of my favorites.

Anne Perlman - Nov 6, 2003 9:44 am (#4 Total: 136)


"Music of the Heart", about Roberta Gauspari teaching violin in East Harlem, and "Mr. Holland's Opus" are both on my list.

Elizabeth Kennedy - Nov 6, 2003 9:51 am (#5 Total: 136)
Consultant


The Pianist and The Station Agent fit the bill for me.

cmosso - Nov 6, 2003 10:33 am (#6 Total: 136)
Community Foundation Silicon Valley

An old one and a new one: Seven Samurai and Bloody Sunday.

sally osberg - Nov 6, 2003 10:46 am (#7 Total: 136)
CEO of Skoll Foundation


Some oldies: how about Shane; Twelve Angry Men (anyone who's ever served on a jury will relate to this one!); Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; Goodbye Mr. Chips (very dated!); and the King of Hearts (a really terrific anti-war movie).

And of course, that perennial favorite (though not in its time, when it was considered far too bleak), It's a Wonderful Life.

Sally

leo chavez - Nov 6, 2003 10:59 am (#8 Total: 136)


Jeff, I will need to give your request additional thought, but there is a good movie by Danny DeVito entitled "Other People's Money" that does a good job in this regard. DeVito plays the part of an M&A type who buys companies, then sells their various components garnerning more than his purchase price in the process. The problem, obviously, is that he is destroying jobs and people's lives as a result. The movie is quite watchable and carries a decent message as well. A few others come to mind: The Oxbow Incident. The Long Walk Home, and School Daze. Those should keep you busy for a while. Leo

Grainger - Nov 6, 2003 11:11 am (#9 Total: 136)

I'm sure I could come up with a number of movies to fit this category (they'll undoubtably pop in my head throughout the day), but here are a few that quickly come to mind: 1.The Color Purple 2.Finding Forrester 3.Music of the Heart

leo chavez - Nov 6, 2003 11:11 am (#10 Total: 136)


Jeff, as soon as I posted my previous message I remembered, perhaps the best example I have ever seen: it is a Robert Redford directed movie "The Milagro BeanField War" It is a must see. Leo

CJ - Nov 6, 2003 11:27 am (#11 Total: 136)


From an avid Netflix watcher and obscure movie reviewer, I would add the following:

Tully Bend It Like Beckham Raising Victor Vargas Band of Brothers (amazing HBO series about World War I) Do the Right Thing True Believer

I could go on... but will stop there.

atemmins - Nov 6, 2003 11:28 am (#12 Total: 136)


would have to be: The Full Monty A Place in the Sun Erin Brokovich Do The Right Thing On the Waterfront (I could have been someone- I could have been a contender)

and a question- Outbreak? really?

Jeff Skoll - Nov 6, 2003 11:33 am (#13 Total: 136)
Founder of Skoll Foundation


Thank you, there are some good suggestions here and I have not seen many of these films, I will have to check them out.

One of the difficulties I am having is trying to differentiate between films that highlight the injustice of social inequity vs. films that are inspiring or promote good values. I call the former "Category 1" and the latter "Category 2".

For example, I really enjoyed Mr Holland's Opus, but for me I found Stand and Deliver that much more powerful. I would call Mr Holland's Opus category 2 and Stand and Deliver category 1 because the latter deals with social injustice/inequity and the former does not.

Another example is Schindler's List vs. The Pianist. Both are great movies in my opinion. But for me, Schindler's was that much more effective because it showed a person (a social entrepreneur of sorts!) who took action to help other people and help them overcome social inequity and injustice. In The Pianist, the protagonist basically looks out for himself. Again, Category 1 vs. Category 2.

This discussion is most helpful. I am really trying to figure out how best to communicate the vision and examples of films that fit (and why they fit) are a great way to do that...especially in Hollywood where people's eyes glaze over when you talk about "message" films.

Jeff Skoll - Nov 6, 2003 11:36 am (#14 Total: 136)
Founder of Skoll Foundation


Outbreak - yup. The rationale on this one is that terrible diseases that can arise in a disadvantaged part of the world (poorest Africa in this case) can affect those of "means and resources" in more advanced countries. We cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the poorest corners of the world.

LindaMin - Nov 6, 2003 11:58 am (#15 Total: 136)
Community Foundation Silcon Valley


would be: Billy Elliott Shawshank Redemption

Anne Perlman - Nov 6, 2003 1:18 pm (#16 Total: 136)


Jeff, thanks for the definitions of Categories 1 and 2.

I'd put Kurosawa's "Ikuru" in Category 1. I just found out that Tom Hanks may star in a remake of it. http://www.amctv.com/article/0,,1465-1--0-8-EST,00.html

As this article states, "It tells the story of an office worker who finds himself with terminal cancer and decides it is time to make an impact on the world." He successfully fights incredible government bureaucracy on behalf of a group of women who are trying to get a park built, transforming the neighborhood.

monaji - Nov 6, 2003 2:36 pm (#17 Total: 136)
Charity Focus


I am not a Hollywood fan, as I rarely can find a good message. Here is a movie that has a strong message !! A Nation Without Women is one of the most startling debut features to emerge from India in recent memory. It is astonishing not only for its courageous treatment of an incendiary issue - female infanticide - but for its remarkable technical prowess. After centuries of female infanticide, abortion and dowry deaths, India's women have slowly but methodically been almost wiped out. Writer/director Manish Jha asks, then what? What's the worst that could happen? "I wanted to make an effort to look at our status quo and see what would happen if India continued the way it's now going." Matrubhoomi took the top prize of the International Federation of Film Critics award at the recent Venice Film Festival.US Premiere Director: Manish Jha Country: France/India (2003) Running Time: 93 mins; Color. In Hindi with English subtitles.

Now playing at : http://www.roxie.com/Nov03.html

Sohodojo Jim and Timlynn - Nov 6, 2003 3:27 pm (#18 Total: 136)
Sohodojo


Keely has already mentioned Rabbit-proof Fence which is a recent favorite. To that we'd add another recent film, Whale Rider.

But for an all-time, we never get tired of watching (and love the music) Brassed Off! is among the best.

If you have never seen Brassed Off, we challenge you to rent it, watch it, and not be moved and inspired.

--Sohodojo Jim and Timlynn--

Christy Chin - Nov 6, 2003 3:55 pm (#19 Total: 136)
Skoll Foundation


Pay it Forward is a movie that demonstrates that the power of one. The idea of “pay it forward,” is doing something for somebody that they can’t do for themselves. You just have to do that three times and the people you help each do it three times, then it gets bigger. It goes from three to nine to 27 and on and on and on.

The ripple effect of this concept is quite compelling -- imagine the impact on the world if everyone were paying it forward.

london calling - Nov 7, 2003 2:26 pm (#20 Total: 136)


I have to add this to the list. The film was slated by critics but I thought it was a powerful film. It's about a high-society girl (angelina jolie) that cashes in all her money and travels to Ethiopia to help with a relief camp. Over there she witnessed the result of war and corruption vs relief efforts (ie: nothing is as simple as "here's some food... give it to the people")... and end up working for the United Nations. The story continues and shows the audience the situation in Cambodia and Chechnia (forgive me if I'm spelling this wrong).

There's a love story in between, but I have to say... it certainly made most of the people in the theatre wake up and question about what the real purpose of life was.

As an aside Jeff, that's an interesting list... I'm surprised to see 8 Mile and Changing Lanes on your list, but I admit I haven't seen it (always thought it was supposed to be a thriller?)

Kallie Blauhorn - Nov 10, 2003 1:43 pm (#21 Total: 136)


It seems that you are starting to cover some ground on identifying movies with a positive social message; have you thought about mainstream television? When looking at either fiction (a prime-time series) or nonfiction (news, media), it seems to be getting harder to find shows that have social value. With all the time that people devote to "their shows" (read: Friends, 24, NYPD Blues, etc...), wouldn't it be inspiring if that space was reserved for putting something enriching and thought-provoking about humanity into peoples' heads? If a 2-hour movie can be inspiring and bring about change, imagine what a routine of seeing the same message every week could provoke and bring about for those whom watch.

The question remains, what is truly the best way to reach the masses in media?

Bjorn - Nov 10, 2003 3:09 pm (#22 Total: 136)
SV2 (Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund)


Shine Glory Nerds ( ) All Quite On the Western Front Welcome to Sarajevo

Band of Brothers from HBO was a great series along the lines of "The Greatest Generation" by Brokaw.

Interesting concept Jeff. Good luck!

Bjorn

alchemy - Nov 10, 2003 3:34 pm (#23 Total: 136)


One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest

Excellent venture Jeff!

Jeff Skoll - Nov 10, 2003 4:29 pm (#24 Total: 136)
Founder of Skoll Foundation


Great thoughts, Kallie. Feature films are certainly only one way to reach an audience. Done right, you can reach a lot of people very quickly.

Television is definitely part of the future plan. It is a different business though and there is a learning curve, so it is not the immediate focus.

I'm sad to say that I've wasted a few hours myself watching shows like The Bachelor and Melrose Place. We'll have to leave it to others to produce shows like that!

Jeff Skoll - Nov 10, 2003 4:31 pm (#25 Total: 136)
Founder of Skoll Foundation


I haven't even heard of, much less seen, many of these films. I am looking forward to having a few movie nights! Thank you all for your suggestions.

JFleigner - Nov 10, 2003 7:31 pm (#26 Total: 136)

Mr. Holland's Opus. It proves that one man can make a difference, grossing $83 million in US box office.

Juliette - Nov 11, 2003 1:42 pm (#27 Total: 136)


I admit I was really inspired by Patch Adams. On a documentary level, I loved "Doing Time, Doing Vipassana," which showed the work begun by a woman in India who introduced Vipassana meditation into the prison where she was Inspector General (http://www.dhamma.org/prisons.htm).

Looking forward to hearing more!

jerry.kaiser - Nov 11, 2003 6:10 pm (#28 Total: 136)


Jeff:

My wife and I recently saw "Bend it Like Beckham" and "Whale Rider," two films which champion the empowerment of young women of color. If you happen to rent the former, I strongly recommend the Special Features, including the director's short of herself preparing Aloo Ghobi, her Indian family's traditional meal. Funny and heart-warming.

I'd also place "Ordinary People" in this category. I taught high school psychology for twenty years, and showed this film to every class. It's a wonderful example of a teen's triumph over debilitating loneliness and loss (I would include mental and emotional well-being in "haves" and "have-nots").

In addition, a filmmaker friend won an award in Colorado several years ago for a short film for kids called "Think About It." It's the best piece on the power of love and diversity I've seen. I have it on VHS (might be the only remaining copy), and, if you're interested, I'd be happy to bring it to the foundation (I'm in Boulder Creek) for a staff viewing. Very inspiring.

Best wishes, Jerry Kaiser kaiserallen@earthlink.net

dianagrippo - Nov 11, 2003 6:24 pm (#29 Total: 136)
YOMMP- Youth Outreach Media Mentor Program


Hi, Bravo to you, Jeff, for this worthwhile venture! I teach in a program for "at-risk" high school students, and the program I teach in was featured in the movie "Dangerous Minds" with Michelle Pfeiffer. I have a mentor program where students learn marketable multi-media computer skills, so I'd love to promote the program. Maybe the inclusion of "Dangerous Minds" would remind people that the program exists, and that they can do something to help?

Warm regards, Diana Grippo http://www.yommp.org/ YOMMP: Youth Outreach Media Mentor Program YOMMP: using the media for good dgrip@pacbell.net 650.917.9654

smcneil - Nov 11, 2003 7:03 pm (#30 Total: 136)
AFSC


Men With Guns (John Sayles, and also his Lone Star and Brother From Another Planet)

Mask (with Cher)

and the trilogy below (The White Rose, The Nasty Girl, and Mutter Courage) all about how easy it is to look away from evil, we all do it, even potential victims!

Nasty Girl, The (schreckliche Maedchen, Das)

It all began so harmlessly … Sonja is a schoolgirl who enjoys the affection and respect of the whole community. Not without reason, for she belongs to one of the most prominent families in town. What is more, Sonja has won a European essay competition and is awarded the town’s “Silver Medal” by the mayor. Now she is keen to take part in another essay competition, the subject of which is “My Home Town during the Third Reich”. She begins to search for facts but runs up against mistrust and reticence. The municipal archives are reluctant to release the desired documents which makes it impossible for Sonja to enter her essay by the closing date. Years later, after having settled down with her own family in the community, Sonja turns up at the municipal archives again and demands access to the documents. She is no longer a child now, and she is not to be stopped in her determination to find out the truth concerning the history of the town. The town, however, has its own ways and means of silencing Sonja. A life and death struggle ensues.

Michael Verhoeven was born in Berlin in 1938 and studied medicine in Berlin and Munich. He completed the state medical examination in 1966 and qualified as a doctor in 1969. He appeared as an actor on stage and screen from the early 1950s to the early 60s and has worked as a screenwriter, producer and director since 1967, having set up his own company Sentana Filmproduktion with wife Senta Berger in 1965. He has received domestic and international awards for films like O.K. (1970), A Terrific Exit (Sonja schafft die Wirklichkeit ab oder Ein ziemlich starker Abgang, 1973), Sunday Children (Sonntagskinder, 1979), The White Rose (Die weisse Rose, 1982). His 1989 film The Nasty Girl (Das schreckliche Maedchen) was nominated for both the Academy Award and Golden Globe and won a Silver Bear in Berlin in 1990 as well as BAFTA Academy Award in 1992. After that, he made My Mother's Courage (Mutters Courage, 1995), Zimmer mit Fruehstueck (TV, 1999) and Enthuellung einer Ehe (TV, 2000).

Robyn D - Nov 11, 2003 7:35 pm (#31 Total: 136)
Burnside Hospital Foundation Inc


As a recent discoverer of your site and your foundation, I have been inspired by much of the information I have come across.

Jeff, I would love to see you make a success of a production company that has a strong focus on making people think about social justice issues almost by accident through entertainment. The mass media in the western world especially seems to think it has the sole right to influence behaviour and standards in a way that is becoming more and more powerful - it would be brilliant to use its own power in reverse!

I have a couple of suggestions for your list

Rainman Philadelphia and a new movie - Calendar Girls.

This is a British movie, currently in cinemas here in Australia, starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, amongst others. It is based on a true story, about a small group of "mature" women from a very traditional background who decide to raise money for a new sofa in the families' waiting area of the leukaemia ward at their local hospital - a decision prompted by the death of the husband of one of the group. Members of a country women's group that focuses on things like jam and cake making skills, they decide to do a calendar - in the nude, with strategically placed cakes, jams, furniture and other props. It is funny and moving - and definitely challenges mass media perceptions of women and morality, while taking a hefty swipe at media ethics. Worth watching!!

Can I suggest that it would be a good idea to put up an updated list of all suggestions - as more and more posts are made, it takes time to see what has already been suggested.

Robyn Downing Burnside Hospital Foundation Inc Adelaide, South Australia

email - rdowning@burnsidehospital.asn.au

Karin Hillhouse - Nov 11, 2003 8:51 pm (#32 Total: 136)
Ashoka - Changemakers.net


Hi Jeff,

What a wonderful and important project you're launching. Just thinking about it brings up a retrospective of cinematic wonders I haven't thought about for awhile.

I know that you'll keep in mind that the Haves and Have-Nots also include those who have compassion and those who do not; those who have a deep curiosity and affection for others and those who have not a clue about such things; those who have a sense of wonder and affection for contradiction and complexity in ideas and others and those who have neither; and those who have humor and delight to save the day and those who do not have them; those who have the gift of quiet and the ability to listen and those who have not experienced such treasures.

The first titles that come to mind are these:

Vittorio De Sica's Umberto D Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay! Ermanno Olmi's The Tree of Wooden Clogs Victor Erice's Dream of Light Fellini's Nights of Cabiria Kurosawa's Dodes'ka-den Kore-Eda Hirokazu's After Life

Amazing movies! Thanks for the oppt'y to pass them along for such a good purpose.

Sam Daley-Harris - Nov 11, 2003 9:05 pm (#33 Total: 136)
Microcredit Summit Campaign


Jeff,

Sorry for not answering the question you asked, but I think for a comparatively small amount of money (small compared to feature film budget) you/we could find creative ways to pitch exciting things that are going on around the world right now to outlets like 60 Minutes, 20/20, Dateline NBC, etc. and reach lot's of people.

I think something like 20 million people saw the the March 1990 60 Minutes segment on Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank (which was re-aired later that summer). These news magazines are usually afraid of stories like this and yet the news magazines are capable of making anything interesting (and usually do).

The UN has declared 2005 as the International Year of Microcredit. If someone like you allowed a 60 Minutes crew to tag along as you (and perhaps Ted Turner and George Soros) visited some of the most exciting stuff going on out there, I think the news magazines would bite.

Okay, now for your question: Bowling for Columbine

Best,

Sam Daley-Harris, Director Microcredit Summit Campaign samdharris@microcreditsummit.org

jaimeulloa - Nov 12, 2003 2:39 am (#34 Total: 136)
Asociacion Trabajo Voluntario


City of Joy is a great movie placed in India. I don´t remember more details.

Jeff, please share your movie list recopilation.

Best of luck, Jaime

ps. You have a great project!!

Toby Beresford - Nov 12, 2003 6:19 am (#35 Total: 136)
MicroAid


I saw this film as a kid and it made a significant impact on me.

It's about an Amazonian Indian tribe competing against loggers to avoid cultural extinction.

I was shocked to see the damage done to the communities who had already lost the battle. The tribespeople who had had to leave the forest were pitifully portrayed. I remember devoting a geography project to the issues of the Amazon indians as a result.

I haven't seen it for many years so I'd be surprised if it has stood the test of time but I think it might educate people in the difference between have and have nots well.

A potential gem. Happy viewing.

Link to the Emerald Forest on imdb: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0089087/

Cheers

Toby
http://www.microaid.net

Vincent Sheik - Nov 12, 2003 10:01 am (#36 Total: 136)
Opportunity Productions


Forrest Gump, Pay It Forward, I Am Sam, Saving Private Ryan...more will follow

Timothy Freundlich - Nov 12, 2003 11:26 am (#37 Total: 136)
Director, Strategic Development, Calvert Social Investment Foundation


Off the top: Battle of Algiers, Missing, Seven Samurai and Dodeska-den from Kurosawa, The Mission. And a recent doc that was very mainstream, got Artisan Entertainment theatrical distribution, won Sundance...Amandla - A revolution in Four Part Harmony (just came out on DVD last week), about the power of song in the anti-apartheid movement in S. Africa.

I'm working on a Ford Foundation consulting project over the next few months that will look at the power of media to effect change, its financing gaps, and propose some solutions...so this topic is great to see. Would like to hear more about your (Jeff) plans to map that in!

I think the potential to build a social capital market that maps in doc and narrative film executive producing and finance (social investing), tv and alternative media platforms, and infrastructure (to execute distribution and marketing and educational deliverables) is waiting to happen.

Tim Freundlich

Karin Hillhouse - Nov 12, 2003 11:53 am (#38 Total: 136)
Ashoka - Changemakers.net


Hi Tim,

So we both suggested Dodeska-Den! It's great to hear about your work with Ford. Their support of doc work over the years has been impressive, to say the least. Last year the Meyer Foundation here in D.C. provided funds in support of a preliminary business plan for launching a movie theater dedicated exclusively to showing documentary films from around the world, new docs, old docs, classics and experimental, long and short.

I thought Jeff put docs off the table for this discussion, so I held back! BUT, if the topic is opening up, then, emphatically yes, documentary work provides the surest path to the social change he's after.

I've got that prelimary business plan and a year's worth of programming already complete. There's a theater under construction waiting for a commitment. When the financing gaps you mentioned do close, we're ready to change the world via docworks just waiting for those audiences. The "doc theater" model could take root in many, many places.

Cheers, Karin

jmjam - Nov 12, 2003 1:17 pm (#39 Total: 136)


Jeff,

Here are some quick thoughts on some other titles: Erin Brockovich., Color Purple, Amandla, The Candidate, All the President’s Men, John Q, Mr.Holland’s Opus, Remember The Titans, Dead Man Walking, Schindler’ List, Ordinary People, Philadelphia, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Accused, Children of a Lesser God.

I forwarded your question to some other folks in the social mission media space. Hope this helps.

Jim Pitofsky

rmalt - Nov 12, 2003 1:18 pm (#40 Total: 136)
Global Heritage Fund


Jeff: I would add Radio to your list. Ed Harris plays a football coach and high school teach in South Carolina and Cuba Gooding, Jr. plays a developmentally disabled young man that wanders around the town with a shopping cart. He never talks and is generally ignored by the town. His mother works at the hospital and his father is dead. Harris tries to bring the boy out and gives him little jobs around the football field and he becomes sort of a school mascot. The film is a bit sappy, but it is based on a true story and they end up with pictures of the real Radio and the real coach as they are today (the events took place in the late '70s). Very uplifting and the high school really turns Radio around, and he is still there to this day.

Dick Maltzman

Beth Anderson - Nov 12, 2003 7:21 pm (#41 Total: 136)
Center for Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship


Jeff:

While I am far from an expert, I can't think of anyone in the film industry who does a better job of addressing issues of race, class, power, etc. imbalances than filmmaker John Sayles. I recommend checking out most of his films (with the possible exception of Roan Inish and, given your specific interests, especially City of Hope and Matewan). While his films may not be the most inspirational ala your "Category 2," I find his themes compelling, his characters complex, and his stories real. In fact, it might be worth seeking him out as an advisor on this project. His films are admittedly more "indie" than most of the ones you list (though two at least received Oscar nominations - Passion Fish and Lone Star), but he's a gifted storyteller and a filmmaker who seems to be more intent than most on using film as a medium for surfacing difficult issues and communicating the complexities and interdependencies of the world in which we live.

I asked my husband, the movie buff in our family, what he would add to this list, and here's what he came up with, some of which have probably been mentioned by others: Black Robe Glory Dead Man Walking Great Santini Hairspray Map of the Human Heart Raisin in the Sun Soldiers Story Secrets & Lies Mississippi Burning Six Degrees of Separation

Good luck with this project - look forward to hearing/seeing where it goes...

Beth Anderson

Batgirl - Nov 12, 2003 10:32 pm (#42 Total: 136)


Matewan

…another film submission by the brilliant writer, director and

editor, John Sayles. This movie primarily depicts class warfare, yet

as in all Sayles films, other social issues are portrayed. Sayles has

the ability to brilliantly reveal the human condition for all of us,

particularly for those viewed as “Other”. Its not always attractive,

sometimes its hilarious, and often it is dreadfully depressing. It is

clear to me that these artworks come from his soul, and that is where

any meaningful film that delivers a message on point needs to come

from. Movies can be a way of passionately relating to the world.

I’ve enjoyed viewing many of the other films mentioned in this

discussion. Perhaps the one with the major impact on me is

Mockingbird. Why? It’s because it shows us the repulsive side of

humanity that is in all of us. It engaged and enraged me, yet it also

gave me hope….the hope that there will always be those whose voices

of protest and defiance are heard above the din. As a quite young

girl seeing this film, I recall being incensed afterwards that

someone died because of their skin colour.

Later, of course, I realized that the film was meant to do just that

and actions/circumstances went full circle, as they always will.

Hollywood? I wish I felt better about the choice of venues, but that

was not your question, was it? Today, the subject and content of

Hollywood films is based on marketing and distribution. Currently

there are many arenas that are not represented in Hollywood: people

of colour, class discussions, political ideas, etc. When we talk in

this country about the race problems, what we are really talking

about is the 200+-year-old uneasy relationship between whites and

blacks. Are you prepared to look at that among others? How do you

plan to overcome these obstacles in Hollywood?

Everyone has been saying how great this is. I’m curious to know in

more detail why you’re doing this. I’ve worked on the production end

of several independent films, and have found it always to be an

enriching and rewarding experience. The end results are indeed fun;

however the process may not be :standing on your feet, sometimes in

the cold (maybe not in Hollywood) wet from 6 a.m. until 3 a.m. the

following morning. It can be invigorating, but never would I say it

was fun exactly. Its hard, hard work, but worth it, I feel.

I'm just another Black woman who is sick and tired of stereotypical,

violent, tired-ass movies (a la Tarrantino and some Spike Lee). If

you’re going to pull together cool, smart, creative people from all

cultural and educational backgrounds and make movies, then I’ll think

it’s a great idea too.

Being There....Paddy Chayefsky is another brillant film with many

layers of meaning. I could go on and on.

Hope I haven’t spoiled the fun…. Feel free to contact me, anyone

wanting to talk films.

Batgirl, AKA Joy Erickson (Librarian by day, filmmaker by night and all times in between) jois00@yahoo.com

Liam - Nov 13, 2003 2:07 pm (#43 Total: 136)
Cat's Pyjamas


Nice idea but very US centric list. How about:

anything by Ken Loach - genuine anger at poverty and class divisions often using "real" people as actors. Babbette's Feast - the power of compassion Kiss of the Spider Woman - the clash of the outer political life and the inner life City of God - because it shows poverty not as sentimentalised condition which will all end happily but because it shows poor people in all their humanity, as the subjcets of the film and not the objcets.

This'll keep me thinking in the car on the way to work in the morning!

Oh - The Full Monty!

Joyce - Nov 13, 2003 2:50 pm (#44 Total: 136)
YES Reading


Glad to see you have Stand & Deliver on the list. Dangerous Minds falls in the same category.

Also of note are: - Whale Rider - Amelie

these are two foreign films that are empowering and uplifting.

Great project! Joyce

Jeff Skoll - Nov 13, 2003 3:25 pm (#45 Total: 136)
Founder of Skoll Foundation


Joy,

Thank you for your post. You have a most interesting perspective and I agree with you on all fronts. I'm working hard on the positioning/branding of the company in part so that people in Hollywood will know that I am not looking for "stereotypical / violent / black-white" movies. One of the reason for this thread is to uncover films that highlight the social injustice of inequality in powerful, meaningful ways (and now I have a looong list of films I have never heard of to watch!) so that I can help use these as examples to "brand" the company.

You ask why I'm doing this...it is for the same reasons that I created my foundation. Ever since I was a kid I realized that many of the problems in the world (drugs, crime, disease, terrorism, etc) derive from the inequities between rich and poor. Through the foundation we are trying to amend these inequities by backing social entrepreneurs who we see as agents of change. Through the media (feature films to start), I am trying to amend these inequities by portraying stories that demonstrate inequities and show people who are making a difference. We know that there are positive things going on in the world and we hope that by showing empowered individuals who are making a difference it will serve as an inspiration for others.

So, Gandhi and Schindler's list continue to be the main movies I reference when I am trying to get the point across (because everyone seems to know them!), but the more examples the better.

And I so agree with you about Quentin Taretino and Spike Lee. I met Spike Lee briefly a few weeks ago and commented to a friend (not to Spike directly!) that Spike Lee only shines the light on the problems and not on the solutions...and that's where I hope to differ.

Jeff

Jeff Skoll - Nov 13, 2003 3:30 pm (#46 Total: 136)
Founder of Skoll Foundation


Thank you Beth. I admittedly have seen *none* of these films so will look forward to checking them out.

Once this thread gets "tired out" I will make a list of the films that seem to have had some support from you and others and then I will report back once I've seen them.

Thanks again.

Jeff Skoll - Nov 13, 2003 3:36 pm (#47 Total: 136)
Founder of Skoll Foundation


Toby,

I read the "blurb" on this film online. Sounds right on point. I'll have to check it out. Thank you for taking time to post this.

Jeff

KaritaHummer - Nov 16, 2003 6:46 pm (#48 Total: 136)
Bosnian & Herzegovinian USA Cultural Association


Hello Jeff,

Your project sounds quite wonderful and so needed. It's long past due that we start producing films again that can teach the world to care.

My recommendations of films that you might include in your list of those that address social and economic injustices in the world are:

Three beautifully and artistically done Bosnian-Herzegovinian films, because they reflect the folly of ethnic cleansing, genocide and the breakdown of ethnic relations, (films that were featured in our film festival these last two years):

1. “Perfect Circle” by Ademir Kenovic 2. “Gori Vatra” or “Firestarter” by Pjer Zalica 3. “No Man’s Land” by Danis Tanovic

Here are some other films that I think could be included in your list:

“Raisin in the Sun” “Watership Down”, based on Richard Adams, Watership Down "Lord of the Flies", based on Golding's novel "1984" and "Animal Farm" by Orwell "Snow Falling on Cedars" based on a book by David Guterson

I just wish there were a way we could collect all these films you are identifying and show them in a big film festival of meaningful film.

I'm very pleased that you will be aiming to produce such film in Hollywood!

Good luck in your endeavor,

Sincerely,

Karita Hummer Culture Therapy Coordinator, Bosnian-Herzegovinian USA Cultural Association

llkraemer - Nov 17, 2003 4:43 pm (#49 Total: 136)


particularly Z and Missing

Thomas George - Nov 18, 2003 8:51 am (#50 Total: 136)
Stanford University


Hi Jeff,

I have a movie suggestion, Lagaan, which is in Hindi and has been quite popular. It is funny (and long), but it really demonstartes how the powerless could become powerfull by coming togther overcoming their divisions of caste and religion through the efforts of an inspired leader.

Thomas

crawte00 - Nov 18, 2003 2:26 pm (#51 Total: 136)
Teresa Crawford


As someone who grew up with alot of time alone while my parents worked nights I had a library card and a card for the video rental store. In between all the bad kickboxer movies I got quite an education from films. I think only 1 of these was mentioned before but they all had quite an impact on me and continue to influence me in the work I do with human rights activists in post conflict countries. I would put all these in Category 1 -

I made the mistake of watching one of these movies - Men With Guns - just after getting released from prison in Kosovo. Good but way to real.

Salvador - 1986 (James Woods - A journalist, down on his luck in the US, drives to El Salvador to chronicle the events of the 1980 military dictatorship)

Romero - 1989 (The life and work of Archbishop Oscar Romero who opposed, at great personal risk, the tyrannical repression in El Salvador.)

At Play in the Fields of the Lord - 1991 (Martin and Hazel Quarrier are small-town fundamentalist missionaries sent to the jungles of South America to convert the Indians)

Men With Guns - 1997 (the tale of a doctor in an unnamed Latin American country who undertakes a journey into the rain forest in search of a group of young medical students he'd trained some years before.)

The Year of Living Dangerously - 1982 (Set in Sukarno's Indonesia in 1965 a journalist on his first job as a foreign correspondent)

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner - 1967 (Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn play a couple whose attitudes are challenged when their daughter brings home a fiance who is black.)

Steve Rudolph - Nov 18, 2003 11:28 pm (#52 Total: 136)
Director, Jiva


Hi Thomas,

A great film!

Interestingly (and Jeff this might interest you), Jiva did a program in some Indian villages called "Baatchit" (meaning "chit chat" in Hindi), where we provided video cameras, editing equipment and training to village youth.

Here is a link from our old website that has details: http://www.jiva.org/baatchit

Apart from creating their own local news program, they produced a number of short films, one of which was based on Lagaan. It was about how a few people made use of technology in a community information center and transformed their village.

It of course used a very standard Bollywood film "template" (which made it totally endearing), but it was really unique, and demonstrated

a. the power of film in the hands of local people
b. how film can be used as a transformative medium
c. how life and art can imitate each others in beneficial ways

Best,

Steve

---
Steven Rudolph
President, Jiva International
steve@jiva.org www.jiva.org

Interested in the Jiva's bi-monthly newsletter? Send a mail to news@jiva.org with "subscribe" in the subject field.

Jeff Skoll - Nov 19, 2003 6:28 pm (#53 Total: 136)
Founder of Skoll Foundation


Great suggestions, Teresa. I have also heard a bit about Romero. It was a project of Elwood Kaiser. I'm just now reading his book "Hollywood Priest."

What the book talks about (and what I would bet many of the films on your list have in common) is the sheer *danger* that the writers and filmmakers had to endure to put these films together.

Can't wait to see these. (I have seen Guess Who's Coming to Dinner...a very well respected film and, for its time, very influential).

Thanks for the thoughts.

london calling - Nov 20, 2003 12:59 pm (#54 Total: 136)


So any idea what the first film you're making will be? It's interesting that you mentioned about the 'danger' aspect, I could imagine that anything requiring shooting overseas could be very problematic in these current times.

Sohodojo Jim and Timlynn - Nov 21, 2003 1:24 pm (#55 Total: 136)
Sohodojo


Longitude, the four-part, two-disk DVD set of the A&E television mini-series is quite simply a rare case of the adaptation being better than the source book, Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel. This is really saying something as the short, highly readable book is excellent. The television mini-series, however, is outstanding and unquestionably inspiring.

Why cite this title here? Because Longitude is the best movie/mini-series we know about that truly captures the spirit of what it means to be an entrepreneur.

Longitude, the historical mini-series, recounts the trials and tribulations (an understatement, we assure you) of John Harrison, the English clockmaker, who dared to solve the famous navigational problem with a mechanical solution, while the Powers That Be were set on a celestial solution.

Chances are, if you are like us, you were never taught about John Harrison in school. But truth be told, he is as important an historical figure as any you can name in terms of single-handedly and single-mindedly dedicating his life to changing the World As We Know It. And by any measure, he succeeded. Unfortunately, those Powerful Ones foiled by his success ensured that John Harrison‘s story would be relegated to a footnote in history.

Why do we like this movie/mini-series so much? Well, it is unusually well-written, beautifully filmed, and a joy to watch. Michael Gambon as John Harrison is brilliant and perfectly cast. Jeremy Irons as Rupert Gould, the modern Naval officer who rediscovered and rebuilt the Harrison clocks, is equally inspiring. But the real reason to watch this production is its content. This mini-series reveals the story of an incredible man who epitomizes everything folks need to be to sustain ourselves and succeed in today‘s world. And John Harrison led this exemplary life in the early 18th century!

First, John Harrison is entrepreneurial to the core of his being. This means he had an unrelenting passion to change the world through innovation. When everything and everybody told him to throw in the towel, he bucked up and kept going. Harrison spent the better part of his life in pursuit of the solution of The Longitude Prize, the official contest to develop a reliable method for ocean-going ship navigation.

To succeed in today‘s globalized, hyper-competitive world, we all need to be entrepreneurial in the passion we bring to our lives, and to the dogged determination we keep in pursuit of solutions to the world‘s tough problems. We all need, in other words, to be like John Harrison.

John Harrison stood up to, and held his ground in earnest opposition of, the Powers That Be. In the Big Is Good World, the Powers That Be define the rules of the game and are its referees. It is unbelievably difficult to 'reinvent the game' when competing against those who have that much control over Life As We Know It. For John Harrison, it was the bureaucrats of government, the clergy, and the learned fellows of the scientific societies who quite literally mocked him nearly to his grave.

In today‘s world, we each need to be as dedicated to our convictions as was John Harrison. We each need to find our own path and stick to it no matter who sings a Siren Song to dissuade us from our life‘s course.

And above all, John Harrison believed in himself, and he tapped that wellspring for the energy it took to change the world while so many stood against him. If each of us can be half the True Person that John Harrison was, there is hope for the future.

Social entrepreneurs everywhere will find a kindred spirit and inspiration in the story of John Harrison, an extraordinary 'ordinary' clockmaker who changed the World.

Kate Grant - Nov 21, 2003 4:35 pm (#56 Total: 136)
Network for Good


First, terrific, if very challenging direction for pursuit. Since most Americans, regrettably, don't read papers or listen to NPR, movies have a power to move and educate that is too rarely tapped to create positive social change.

One of my top movies -- made for TV -- would be "Roots". It both educated minds and changed perspectives. Also, since it was on TV across multiple nights, it had a huge audience and the time to delve deeply into tough subject matter. In a similar vein "Mississippi Burning" helped those of us who were either not born, or too young, during the 50s and 60s, appreciate the sacrifices of civil rights workers and the pitiful state of race relations not very long ago. (Wonder why a movie has not been made about the life of Martin Luther King??)

Two favorites mentioned by others: It's a Wonderful Life and Schindler's List. Both show how the otherwise ordinary citizen can make life changing contributions.

Another movie, that at the time I thought did a good job underscoring that greed is not in fact good, was Wall Street.

Best to all :) Kate Grant

sally osberg - Nov 21, 2003 6:13 pm (#57 Total: 136)
CEO of Skoll Foundation


I am simply astonished by all the great suggestions folks are making. Can't help but wonder how these films have influenced people--in their day to day interactions, their choices, career paths. Reminds me of how challenging it is to realllly assess impact, but how we all know that good stuff is out there affecting people in myriad ways.

This is a wonderful thread!

Sally

Sohodojo Jim and Timlynn - Nov 21, 2003 6:58 pm (#58 Total: 136)
Sohodojo


Hello Sally,

One of the distinguishing factors of those who are truly entrepreneurial is reflected in the first two words of our personal definition of entrepreneurism, that is, a "relentless passion to change the world through innovation." Having passion in this case is that 'love affair' you have with what you do, the thing that gets you up in the morning.

The 'relentless' adjective of the relentless passion of the entrepreneur is the qualifier that sets him or her apart from most people. Truly significant innovation is so challenging that you have to keep in its pursuit WAY beyond what your family, friends, and colleagues think is justifiable. These folks who are closest to you sing the most seductive Siren Song that can detract you from your mission. Your family and friends are not doing this is make you fail as they genuinely care for you and your well-being. Try as you may, a few notes of those Siren Songs creep into the back of your mind.

No matter how passionate and relentless you are in your entrepreneurial mission, we're only human and have doubts... days when we question ourselves and the decision we've made to blaze the Road Less Traveled. Those few Siren Song notes play over and over in your mind like a bad radio advertising jingle you can't get out of your head. That's when we turn to movies that remind us of the need for relentless passion. The television mini-series, Longitude, we mentioned a couple posts back is just such a source of inspiration. Brassed Off!, Tucker, Whale Rider, Rabbit-proof Fence, and The Business of Fancy Dancing, among many other films that do the same thing for us.

When we need to charge our entrepreneurial batteries, we turn to an inspiring film that reminds us that the journey is the reward.

Shannon Cain - Nov 24, 2003 10:19 am (#59 Total: 136)
Philanthropic Advisor


This new media company is such a visionary idea...there are, I think, lots of folks in Hollywood and other entertainment industries that approach their craft through a social justice lens, but nevertheless remain "closeted" about their vision about using art for social change.

As a fiction writer and an activist on a range of social and economic justice issues, I'm fascinated by the ways in which we humans need stories to help us interstand our world and each other. My own lessons as a "writer with an agenda" have revolved around using my craft to illuminate injustices, yet to avoid at all costs creating stories that lecture rather than inspire.

Some of our best filmmakers bring this awareness to their work. Their films, I think, are those that have the greatest longevity and potential to educate and empower people. Seems to me that one of the secrets of great filmmakers and writers is to understand that a story needs to start at the level of an individual; that we must rein in our political agenda as we write, not allowing it to take center stage but instead asking it to inform the work. Good social change stories are infused with this awareness. The author's consciousness is in the air, in the details, in the background, but he or she never lets it drive the story itself. Otherwise the result is thinly veiled propaganda, which is too easily dismissed.

Recommendations? John Sayles has a new movie out: Casa de los Babys, about American women seeking to adopt babies in Mexico. It hasn't arrived here in Tucson yet, so I haven't seen it, but I did catch a "making of" feature on TV: Sayles plops a bunch of privileged yet childless white women in the global south and lets the story unfold from there. Looks great.

Shannon

Ladyelizabeth (Maureen) - Nov 24, 2003 1:48 pm (#60 Total: 136)


I'd recommend Far from Heaven and Dirty Pretty Things. The first deals with homosexuality and inter-racial relationships in the 1950s and the second deals with modern day illegal immigrants in the UK. Both use film to tell the story of oppression and to open dialog, They do not assume that the film maker knows how to solve the problem, which to me makes them all the more powerful

london calling - Nov 25, 2003 4:54 pm (#61 Total: 136)


Interesting article about small movie production companies sueing the Motion Picture Association of America Monday to try to force an end to a partial ban by Hollywood studios on sending special video copies to awards groups.

http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2003/11/25/small_film_companies_sue_over_screener_ban/

Sameer - Nov 27, 2003 6:17 am (#62 Total: 136)
www.identityfoundation.org


HINDI Meera Nairs: 1947-Earth, Fire.

MARATHI(English Sub-titles) Amol Palekars: Anahat (Released last month)

amaryllis - Dec 1, 2003 2:09 pm (#63 Total: 136)

Others have mentioned some great ones. Here are a few others:

Dangerous Minds – High School teacher inspires inner-city students

Girlfight – Latina from lower class neighborhood fights classism and sexism & pursues passion in boxing

Not One Less – Young teacher’s experiences in a poor rural village in China.

Once Were Warriors – Effects of poverty, violence, and colonialism on a Maori family.

Other directors exploring racial/gender/class hierarchies:

Michael Moore (Roger and Me, The Big One, Bowling for Columbine) Michael Apted (Coal Miner’s Daughter, Incident at Oglala) Mike Leigh (Secrets & Lies, Naked) Ken Loach (Bread and Roses) Spike Lee John Sayles (Men with Guns, Brother from Another Planet, Matewan)

MLF - Dec 2, 2003 1:51 pm (#64 Total: 136)


Whale Rider - from New Zealand - Already mentioned several times in posts is a GREAT movie. Especially you have a young daughter, it is a wonderfully subversive film about challenging the "status quo" and recognizing and honoring her legacy and future potential.

Rabbit Proof Fence - from Australia - An unsparing look at the modern burden of guilt over the treatment of Australian aboriginal people. Three aboriginal girls are abducted by the state, and reject the state's authority to do this to them, escaping by walking 100's of miles across desert and scrub. In 50 or 100 years, will people look back on the unbalanced world of haves and have-nots and smile knowingly on our complicity and self-righteousness......as we do, watching this movie in which Kenneth Branagh does an outstanding job acting the compassionate and caring "Protector" of the Aboriginal people of western Australia, who takes children from their families with the full power of the state behind him.

My Brilliant Career - A wonderful Australian movie which was the career launching vehicle for Judy Davis, most recently seen as Mrs Nancy Reagan on the controversial CBS/Showtime's movie, Reagan. A girl who sees a future for herself and fights for it, to the dismay of all around her. The handsome suitor is Sam Neill, later starring in Jurassic Park, ..... and also the star of another candidate Australian movie:

The Dish - The story of all the things that went wrong in a remote Satellite Dish in the middle of Australia, which ended up being the vital link to transmit the Moon Landing. Its the people who made it happen, not the technology... when the technology goes wrong, the people find a way.

The Lord of the Rings - filmed in New Zealand, and resonant with diversity, fellowship and belief (almost gainst all odds) in the goodness of people. The book is the best selling English book of the century exceeded only by the Bible. For me, the impact of the Lord of the Rings books and the movies relate to the connection to "Legacy" that all the characters have. There are constant reminders of how much is owed to those who came before... "I'm Gimli, son of Gloin", "Aragorn, son of Arathorn" is a typical introduction. In these stories, people are ready to sacrifice for the next generation to come.... now that's pretty far fetched to contemplate at the beginning of the 21st century. Yet, how do you think we got here? How do we make sure our children can live in a better world?

"Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers"? I think not!

paul rabinovitch - Dec 3, 2003 10:17 am (#65 Total: 136)
the nature conservancy


A slight departure from the thread of this conversation...I was thinking to myself: "What about movies that have not yet been created?" We are, after all, social entrepreneurs; innovating new ways to create a positive transformation of society.

On that note, There are a couple ideas I've been playing with for awhile that have to do with "transformational" movies. They are: 1) the creation of a marketing vehicle (handbooks, audio tapes, seminars, etc)that carries the message of the movie past its screening time. I got this idea from the movie "Pay It Forward", which had an introduction in which the "Pay It Forward Foundation" was introducted to the audience. What a great idea! If an audience member likes the concept of the movie there is an instant way to support that concept when you get home. But why stop there? Depending on the script, characters, message etc. it could be possible to have a whole series of trainings, local discussion groups, etc...that support the expansion of the message.

2)the integration of music and message within a movie's script. The transformational power of music is well known. Who doesn't feel a little stronger when you hear the "Rocky" theme song? I believe there is great opportunity to expand the movie experience by intentionally creating musical scores that enhance and underline the message of the movie...Perhaps like "My Fair Lady"?

I'm in the process now of writing a script along these lines. Jeff, do you want to read it when it's done?

Best, Paul

Jeff Skoll - Dec 10, 2003 7:39 pm (#66