interests

this is a film being sponsored by women make movies that i find interesting:

(because I can't get these to format how I want, here is the website:
http://www.wmm.com/filmmakers/sponsored_projects.shtml

MOTHERLAND A film by Kathy Leichter MOTHERLAND is a one-hour documentary that follows my quest to understand how my mother’s bipolar disorder and suicide have influenced me as a mother. An intimate portrait of a family struggling with mental illness, MOTHERLAND is also an adult-daughter’s coming of age story. In this story of discovery I explore how mother-loss reverberates across generations, learn that history does not necessarily repeat itself, and shed the fear that bad things will happen to me and my children.

		Hecate And Trinlay A film by Melissa Hacker Award winning filmmaker Melissa Hacker explores Tibetan Buddhism in her new film. This is a film about choice, destiny and rise of Tibetan Buddhism in the west as lived by one American woman and her son, who, when he was thirteen months old, was recognized as the reincarnation of a Tibetan Buddhist lama. Donation Amount:
		HER SIDE OF PARADISE A film by Kathleen Lingo & Diana Odasso We follow three young female artists from Villa - 20, a shantytown outside of Buenos Aires: an eleven year-old filmmaker, a twenty year-old singer and a twenty-four year-old architect. By interweaving their personal tales with their abstract creations, we gain an intimate perspective on life and the history of the neighborhood. For the girls, a singular wish emerges: to create a better life for themselves. But what agency does an individual possess to pursue happiness in the face of abject poverty?

		THE HAND OF FATIMA A film by Augusta Palmer In 1971, NY Times music critic Robert Palmer was adopted by a Moroccan Sufi brotherhood, the Master Musicians of Jajouka. 35 years later, his daughter visits the Master Musicians in their remote village to find out who her father really was and how the music of Jajouka changed his life. Filmmaker Augusta Palmer examines her father's musical, mystical and personal legacy in this extended road trip from the American South to Morrocco's Rif Mountains.

		GUNS, GRIEF AND GRACE: EMERGING CONVERSATIONS ON GUN VIOLENCE A film by Janet Fitch The Guns, Grief and Grace in America three-part documentary series reframes the gun violence debate in our country from one of Second Amendment rights to that of public health prevention. The two completed films and their accompanying education pieces have made a significant community impact; generating non-polarized, solution-based discussions with diverse audiences. In doing this, we pave the way to reclaim the public sphere for discussion of a complex societal topic relevant to diverse communities across the country.

GRINGO TRAILS A film by Pegi Vail and Melvin Estrella This 90-minute documentary explores thetourism industry's pioneering subculture of shoestring budget backpackers-- the 'Lonely Planet generation'--and their impact on the economies and cultures of the developing world. It investigates the relationships that arise when different cultures collide yet need one another: host countries looking for financial security and travelers seeking authentic experiences. Accompanyies a global cast of travelers and locals met en route in Mali, Burkina Faso, Peru, Bolivia, and Thailand.

THE GRIEF PROJECT: SPEED GRIEVING A film by Directed by Jessica Daniels; Produced by Alysia Reiner & Katie Rosin While dealing with terminal illness, a young woman participates in a scientific research study entitled, "Speed Grieving" in an attempt to experience the five stages of grief in record time. As she confronts her deepest truths, friends and family help her find an inner strength she never knew she had. Can the pain of terminal illness and the grieving process possibly vanish through a scientific study? One woman attempts to squeeze a lifetime of heartbreak laughter and dance into 15 minutes of Speed Grieving.

		GRACE PALEY: COLLECTED SHORTS A film by Lilly Rivlin Grace Paley—literary giant, national treasure, activist, teacher, mother and wife. Her short stories have been translated into 92 languages. This documentary will trace the life of this ordinary New York woman with extraordinary talent for poetry and prose through her own voice via her stories and the stories of her family, friends, colleagues and critics.

Forget Me Nots A film by Dempsey Rice A one-hour documentary that takes us on a journey to explore our oldest form of communication and personal history - storytelling. From Romania, a world still based in an oral tradition, to festivals across America, we will reach into the future to teach youth how to explore and tell their own stories. A window will be opened onto the growing popularity of storytelling as a penetrating, immediate, and personal alternative to the prepackaged hyper-reality of blockbuster films, sensational television, and multimedia entertainment.

		FLYING: CONFESSIONS OF A FREE WOMAN (i saw this at the ross with zulaika and met her... she and her film were wonderful and inspiring!) A film by Jennifer Fox FLYING: Confession of a Free Woman is about the new female sexuality and the new female crisis. For three years, internationally acclaimed filmmaker Jennifer Fox sets out on a quest no less daunting than to map female life and sexuality in the 21st century. She travels to 17 countries and talks to 100 women, 50 friends and 50 strangers -- all of diverse ages, backgrounds, and cultures. Together they answer the question: what is this modern female life all are living?

		EVERY DAY IS A HOLIDAY A film by Theresa Loong Chinese-American filmmaker Theresa Loong creates an intimate portrait of her father, a man fifty years her senior. In this documentary, we explore the bonds of the father-daughter relationship and place themes of growing older, immigration and racism in the context of "living history." Paul Loong talks of his experiences as a POW in Japan and his subsequent quest to become an American. We discover why, despite much suffering, "Every Day Is a Holiday."

		DRY MOON A film by Andrea DeGette A southern drama that follows Gracie Lee, a child of the woods, as she is forced to become part of her small town society when she unexpectedly has twins and tries to raise them by her unorthodox means. The film defines a line between nature and civilization, and shows the barriers in between. DRY MOON questions the ethical code in this small town as it exposes the hypocrisy and double standard of its inhabitants. Visit the filmmaker's website. Donation Amount:
		Eat Industry: One Family's Road Trip Through the American Food System A film by Lilach Dekel One family embarks on an extraordinary journey to reconnect with the food they eat. In five months, husband and wife filmmakers and their two-year old daughter cover fifteen thousand miles in twenty-eight states; interviewing farmers, activists, agribusinessmen and other consumers to better understand what "good" food means and for whom. Donation Amount:

		CRAWLING AT NIGHT A film by Kimi Takesue Inspired by the acclaimed novel by Nani Power, CRAWLING AT NIGHT is a feature film that explores an unexpected love affair between two lonely people, each of whom has experienced devastating loss. Koji, a Japanese master ice sculptor, and Mariane, a waitress and aspiring singer, meet in the shadows of New York City where they struggle to connect and move forward with their lives.

		CHRONICLES OF A PROFESSIONAL EULOGIST A film by Sarah Jane Lapp Why do we strive to create a verbal imprint of a dead soul? How does the individual figure into the collective spiritual mind? How does memory translate the faults of our loved ones? And, why and how does one learn to love a perfect stranger? Our five part hand-drawn animation explores the function of a memory industry and the place of individual humans in producing social nostalgia. The first installment, "Field Report No. 3" (2006) won a Jurors' Choice Award from the 25th Black Maria Film & Video Festival. Official Selection: Seattle International Film Festival, South by Southwest Film Festival.

		BREAKING IN TWO A film by Sabine Sighicelli To the serious artist, creating art is not a career choice: it is an all-consuming quest. What happens when the artist becomes a mother? In the feature-length documentary BREAKING IN TWO, the filmmaker-mother meets with a cross-generational group of influential women artists who, from the 60’s to today, have faced ever-changing personal and political challenges to keep their art alive, their children healthy, and their heads above water. Together, they create a gallery “happening” in Los Angeles that explores their unique contributions. Visit the filmmaker's website. Donation Amount:

		Binka: To Tell A Story About Silence A film by Elka Nikolova A one-hour documentary about the effects of communism, censorship and how the change of a political system affects individual artists by focusing on the work of Binka Zhelyazkova, the first woman film director in Bulgaria. Using her films as a starting point this documentary will explore Zhelyazkova's struggle to maintain her artistic identity during her endless clashes with the communist censorship and will address the legacy of communism on the younger generation of Bulgarian artists. Visit the filmmaker's website.

		THE AMERICAN VIRGIN A film by Therese Shechter THE AMERICAN VIRGIN examines the myths, misconceptions and cultural beliefs surrounding virginity. What is virginity? Who gets to define it? Why do we care so much about it? And how do our sexual choices define our identity, especially for women? From abstinence-til-marriage programs to teen sex comedies to hymen reconstruction, THE AMERICAN VIRGIN explores the ways in which anxiety and fascination with the concept of the "virgin" are linked to our cultural attitudes towards female sexuality. Visit the filmmaker's website. Donation Amount:
		AN INTERVIEW WITH SIMONE WEIL A film by Julia Haslett What if you were convinced the world you lived in was headed for self-destruction? French thinker and political activist Simone Weil (1909-1943) was, and for good reason. Today her life stands as a testament to the idealistic compassion that ultimately killed her. An Interview with Simone Weil is an expressionistic documentary that tells Weil's story through evocative archival footage & photos, sequences, and animation, all culminating in the filmmaker's fantasy come true: an interview with Simone Weil. The result is a thought-provoking meditation on activism, faith, and documentary filmmaking. Donation Amount:

		AGAINST THE GRAIN: AN ARTIST'S SURVIVAL GUIDE TO PERU A film by Ann Kaneko Is freedom of expression a right or a privilege? This film highlights the passion and commitment of pioneering artists who resist censorship to tell the violent and explosive history of Peru. Four artists fight to express themselves under a repressive political regime. Their stirring artwork documents years of terrorism, corruption and the hard-line government of ex-president Alberto Fujimori. By recounting Peru's past, they contribute to a larger collective memory of Latin America and connect the experiences of this country to our own. Visit the filmmaker's website. Donation Amount: