Some outtakes from our interview with Professor Zinn

The more I reflect on the passing of this man, the more I realize what a loss it is. One of the many things our documentary made me realize is that there are so many people with inconsistent (if not downright incoherent) political beliefs. Howard Zinn was definitely not one of them. He knew what he believed and fought steadily for it until the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy1ZJYimyHo

the passing of Howard Zinn

From today's New York Times, quoting Professor Zinn:

“I think people are dazzled by Obama’s rhetoric, and that people ought to begin to understand that Obama is going to be a mediocre president — which means, in our time, a dangerous president — unless there is some national movement to push him in a better direction."

It occurs to me this summarizes in a nutshell the danger of "the great man" theory of history that Dr. Zinn wrote so eloquently against. We think that all we have to do is elect the right politician, and then we can go back to our lives. I understand the desire to believe this, as most of our lives are busy enough as is. However, it's simply not the way things work. Yesterday I was at a lecture about urban agriculture, where the presenters touched on issues of better food, the need to combat childhood obesity, the need to reduce farm subsidies etc. One of them said a colleague had actually been able to talk to the President. Obama told the man that he agreed with him completely. But he added "I won't do anything about it until you show me there's a social movement that will make me". I've had several people tell me that they were really active politically during the campaign, but are no longer. As Professor Zinn worked so hard to make us understand, if we want any sort of "change" to happen, we can't get it just by electing a politician who promises it.

We consider ourselves deeply fortunate to have Dr. Zinn participate in our film.

Kumar Rocks

I read that the actor with the stage name of Kal Penn, mostly known for his stoner roles in the Harold and Kumar movies has taken a sabbatical recently to work as "associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, a gig he landed after working his way up through Presdent Obama's campaign operation." Using his real name of Kalpen Modi he will serve as an Obama liaison to Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, as well as the arts community.

The idea that somebody would chose working for their government over the rewards of Hollywood celebrity is simply astonishing in our culture. In the New York Daily News he is quoted as saying "We are doing some very serious work.... I consider it the greatest honor to be doing this." I can only hope that this might inspire others. What if more people were to turn away from the pursuit of fame and fortune to look for more humble but honest work rebuilding our country?

Blogger Headaches

I can't seem to be able to access this account anywhere but on my home computer using the Opera browser. So, it won't be around for a month while I travel in France. But I have a bunch of drafts that are worth polishing up, and will have a observations to share from my trip. So look forward to new content in the beginning of August.

new review

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6648614.html

American Feud: A History of Conservatives and Liberals. DVD. 90 min. American Feud. 2007, 2008 release. $15 (home use), $195 (pub. perf.)
Gr 9 Up— American Feud offers an insightful and refreshingly unbiased review of how we got to where we are in the political divide. Using a chronological theme ranging from the formation of our country up to the results of the 2006 general election, the film traces the development and evolution of the divergent political philosophies of conservatism and liberalism. The producers have utilized a variety of clear interviews with historians and other observers of our unique system (Noam Chomsky, G. Gordon Liddy, Donna Brazile, and many others), crisp graphics, a remarkable collection of archival photos and live-action footage, and a smooth narration to present this impressive program. Viewers effortlessly follow the sequence of both international and domestic events which affected the electorate. Commentary includes the philosophies from all aspects of the political spectrum and does so in a wonderfully nonjudgmental manner. Viewers are left with a challenge to consider what our country's collective future holds in the political arena. One word of caution: the film contains an unfortunate and completely unnecessary expletive which might be an issue in some settings. Classroom teachers as well as individual researchers will appreciate the chapter selection option and the number of extras included in this useful title.—Dwain Thomas, formerly Lake Park High School, Roselle, IL

The State of Documentary

An overdue post from about a month ago. I was able to attend some of "SilverDocs", a week long documentary film festival. Docs in Progress, a new non-profit established to help nurture documentary filmmakers at all stages of the process, helped to coordinate additional activities for filmmakers. Through them I connected with a number of filmmmakers I had only known virtually through an internet forum called "D-Word".

I was struck by the variety of things we filmmakers combine with our doc making. As in Documentarian and activist/teacher/non-profit innovator/math nerd/scientist/author/parent etc. And we all complain about not having enough time to work on our films, and yet amazing films somehow get made.

I can't remember who said that shaky camera work was out. I agree that there probably was less of it. But I think it's more that shaky camerawork for the sake of appearing hip or young is out. I saw a variety of cinemagraphic styles and other formal elements this year. But in almost all cases technique worked in service of the story. To quote an old high school English teacher "form submerges, content floats". Which may be the hallmark of a "golden era" for our art form.

The return of The Dick

I don't mind Dick Cheney getting all this attention. He has the right to speak and to defend himself. I do mind the lack of critical questioning of his line of rhetoric. He asserts that he and the Bush administration saved us from another 9/11. The few who are saying, "yes, but you didn't protect us from the first 9/11" aren't given their due.