Story Leads to Action presents The Fence on November 11th!

CHICKEN & EGG PICTURES and WORKING FILMS
with special co-presenter, The Fledgling Fund presents
STORY LEADS TO ACTION
A new HBO film by Rory Kennedy
THE FENCE (La Barda)
on Thursday, November 11th at 7:30 PM at 92Y Tribeca

The Fence is launching a national community engagement campaign and action initiative aimed at shifting national dialogue on immigration and bolstering the work of organizations working directly in border regions around issues such as humanitarian aid to migrants, opposition to the fence, and immigrants’ rights. We will build support for the movement in opposition to the fence and for efforts to hold Congress accountable for new harmful border enforcement measures that have been implemented, including the new Arizona law.


After the screening, Moderator and Working Films' Executive Director, Robert West will address the following goals with panelists TBA:

• To build support for opposition to the fence and for efforts to hold Congress accountable for the costs to taxpayers of the fence’s construction and maintenance as well as other untenable and deadly border enforcement measures that have been implemented.
• To bolster the work of organizations working directly in border regions around issues such as humanitarian aid to migrants, opposition to the new state law in Arizona, and to support immirgants rights.
• To build support for comprehensive reform in Congress that will fix our broken immigration system.
  

92Y Tribeca
200 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10013
Tickets are $12
Click here to purchase tickets

JOIN US AND BE A PART OF THE ACTION!

STORY LEADS TO ACTION is a monthly series featuring Chicken & Egg/Working Films' filmmakers coming together with strategic advocates and educators to brainstorm and "design" on-the-spot community/audience engagement strategies for their films.

ABOUT THE FILM:
In October 2006, the United States government decided to build a fence along its troubled border with Mexico. 3 years, 19 construction companies, 350 engineers, thousands of construction workers, tens of thousands of tons of metal and more than $3 billion later – was it all worth it? That's the question posed in Rory Kennedy's latest HBO Documentary THE FENCE (LA BARDA) as it investigates the impact of the project, revealing how the fence's stated goals – containing illegal immigration, cracking down on drug trafficking and protecting America from terrorists – have given way to unforeseen consequences.

Working Films advances social, economic, environmental and racial justice by linking non-fiction filmmaking to cutting-edge activism.
www.workingfilms.org

The Fledgling Fund seeks to improve the lives of vulnerable individuals, families, and communities by supporting innovative media projects that target entrenched social problems.
http://www.thefledglingfund.org/


Great Opportunities for Submissions, Events, and Discounts this fall!

Rooftop Films is now accepting submissions for their 2011 season. The 2011 Summer Series will run from May through September and will feature more than 200 daring new films, all screened outdoors, in front of big, loyal audiences in parks, on boats, and on rooftops overlooking the greatest city in the world. Submit to Rooftop gives filmmakers the chance participate in one of the most unforgettable, unique, and filmmaker-friendly independent film events in the world.

Rooftop films if offering 15% off all Equipment Rentals and services for a limited time (12/31).



The first deadline for submissions to the 54th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF) is rapidly approaching!

Submit before Monday, November 8 to avoid paying higher fees.

At SFIFF53, international juries awarded close to $100,000 in cash prizes to Golden Gate Award recipients.

Enter your film now!



Here’s an event you should look out for!
Distribution U.: A Crash Course on the New Rules of Crowd-Funding, Audience-Building, and Distribution with Peter Broderick & Scott Kirsner

Friends of Chicken & Egg receive a special discount by registering at the address below; last year's Distribution U. sold out, so grab a spot soon.
The workshop takes place all-day Saturday, November 13th at the Cantor Film Center at NYU, or Saturday, November 20th on the campus of UCLA in Westwood.

- November 13th in New York TICKETS

- November 20th in Los Angeles TICKETS

One participant at last year's Distribution U. in Los Angeles said: "It was an excellent, thought-provoking, and practical program." And New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis discussed it in an article titled, "The Coming Revolution in Indie Distribution"

A SMALL ACT opens at the Quad Theatre October 29th!

Original post by Jennifer Arnold

As many of you know, a film's opening weekend determines its theatrical
life. The awarding winning, Sundance film A SMALL ACT, opens on OCT 29th at the Quad Theatre in New York (www.quadcinema.com). We don't have an advertising budget, but we do have all of you! Please help us make the
opening a big success!

HEAD TO THE QUAD THEATRE THIS WEEK AND ENJOY THE FILM. Roger Ebert said it "filled me with hope." The Hollywood reporter called it "splendid, "uplifting," and "skillfully visualized and paced." Buy tickets at
Movie Tickets

CAN'T GO TO THE SHOW? PLEASE BUY A TICKET IN SUPPORT
Even if you've seen the film or you're not in New York City you can still
help us just by buying a ticket online. This will really help our box office, which will really help us expand to other cities. Consider it your own small act! Buy tickets at Movie Tickets

AND SPREAD THE WORD!
There is a synopsis and a tweet and a blurb below. Just copy and paste into a blog, facebook or twitter feed. And If you have the time, please forward the email to anyone in NYC.

QUAD THEATRE - 34 W. 13th Street, NY NY.
SCREENING TIMES 1:00pm, 2:45pm
4:30pm, 6:20pm, 8:10pm and 10:00pm

Jen Arnold, Director ­of A Small Act
Can one small act dramatically change the entire course of another person's life? Chris Mburu was the top student in his Kenyan village, but without money for school fees, he had little hope of a future ­ until Hilde Back, a Swedish teacher, sponsored his early education. Unknowingly, her tiny contribution paved the way for Mburu to go all the way to Harvard Law School. Today he is a Human Rights officer for the United Nations. A SMALL ACT follows Mburu's efforts to honor his benefactor, give back to his community and continue the cycle of sponsorship. His gratitude and belief in the power of education have lasting implications for the world at large. With clarity and grace, A SMALL ACT, bears witness to the ripple effect one singular action can have.

TWEET
What can one small act achieve? See HBO Documentary / Sundance film "A Small Act" at the Quad Theatre starting Oct 29th. www.quadcinema.com

FACEBOOK BLURB
What can one small act achieve? HBO Documentary / Sundance film "A Small Act" opens theatrically at Quad Theatre in New York starting Oct 29th. If you are in New York ­ GO SEE THIS FILM. Roger Ebert said it "filled me with hope." The Hollywood reporter called it "splendid." Check it out.

School Report: What happens when you take four great films about education to Story Leads...

We kicked off our third season of Story Leads to Action, with a BACK-TO-SCHOOL celebration of movies and movements dedicated to education, growth, hope and community resilience. Excerpts and scenes from four films-in-progress were featured, each one uniquely exploring the possibility, fierce promise and politics of educating the next generation of global citizens.

Audience, panelists, and filmmakers all got together to discuss outreach implications for these films which relate to the educational system, cultural assimilation, and racial stereotypes. Panelists and filmmakers participating in discussion were Carol Ochs of the 52nd street project, Angela Jackson, founder of The Global Language Project and representing Speaking in Tongues, Maya Wiley, founder of the Center for Social Inclusion, Ilana Trachtman, baby Noah, and Kelly Sheehan of Mariachi High, Mona Nicoara of Our School, and Katie Dellamaggiore of Chess Movie.

Many found the films had common threads among them, while also standing distinctly on their own. "I love the idea of screening the films as a series. I definitely experienced the power of watching these films together and the impact they have as a group on Education reform. When I planned to make Chess Movie I wasn't planning on making a film about education. But now I know that this film has the power to be part of a larger dialogue and I am so excited for its potential."- Katie Dellamaggiore of Chess Movie.

"Rather than funding one doc on each issue, Chicken & Egg has chosen to fund multiple docs whose combined synergy can generate some real change in the public opinion climate. I think it's a brilliant, strategic point that can't be emphasized enough."- Mona Nicoara

After the clips were screened a discussion ensued and concrete ideas were reached, including getting kids involved in film campaigns, using web-based content to spread the word, and even having a viral campaign about what it is to be an "American". In essence, expanding the audience's understanding of 'American culture' and redefining it in relation to the kids, as oppose to kids being defined by a static definition of what culture 'should' be. Our School was the only film set outside of a U.S. context, but the panelist and audience feedback really sparked some ideas with the filmmakers, "the evening helped sharpen our focus, making us understand which particular communities would most benefit from seeing Our School - a film set in the deceptively distant world of Transylvanian "Gypsies" and small-town Romanians - as a mirror-image of American experience with segregation. It helped us focus on communities such as Charlotte, NC, or the rural South, as testing-grounds for a pilot audience engagement campaign in the US. Such focus is invaluable to the ensuring success, for testing scalability and for maximizing resources - and, as small independent documentary projects, none of us can afford starting off without it."- Mona Nicoara of Our School.

In discussing funding and screenings, Maya Wiley suggested directors try and use the films as tools for cross cultural understandings, and try to get them shown to an unexpected audience. One audience member suggested looking for funding from major corporations with diversity funds that could have both an impact in actual change in public schools and support among local businesses. In the case of Mariachi High, director Ilana Trachtman found the discussion directly impacted their funding strategies, "Our country will be majority non-white very soon. Mariachi High is also taking a look at who we will be as a nation - this may be something we want to say in funding proposals - it gets at who we are as Americans." This also applies strongly to Speaking in Tongues, and how this shift in language and culture is being addressed within American schools.

A question that came up multiple times throughout the discussion, was what is our expectation of kids and what tools are they getting to reach those expectations? This question had quite an effect on the filmmakers and some are considering addressing this question within their films narrative. A chess team, a mariachi band, and a language program have different implications for different socioeconomic backgrounds, and the audience pondered whether the programs held universal appeal. For example, some questions arising from Mariachi High; "is being part of mariachi a way for teens to escape their current circumstances? How much are they embracing their Mexican culture and how much are they using mariachi as a means to escape - could mariachi be any activity for them?"

As failures of the education system have been front and center in the media as of late, this forum brought to light real change that can be brought about through social media and community action. The films discussed; Mariachi High, Speaking in Tongues, Our School, and Chess Movie provoked hope, concern, and a need for action.

posted by Sarah Tabet

Grantee's on Oscar Shortlist!

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that the field of Documentary Short Subject contenders for the 83rd Academy Awards® has been narrowed to eight films, of which three to five will earn Oscar® nominations.

Congratulations are in order for two Chicken & Egg grantees being short listed for the Oscar nomination!

-Cynthia Wade's new film, "Born Sweet". She is a past grantee and Academy Award winner, to find out more about her film, check out the website: Born Sweet

-Jennifer Redfearn's new film "Sun Come Up". She is a current Chicken & Egg grantee. To find out more about her film, click here: Sun Come Up

The 83rd Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship

ANNOUNCING THE KAREN SCHMEER FILM EDITING FELLOWSHIP

Annual Fellowship Provides Extensive Opportunities for Film Editors; Open Call for Submissions Begins; Matching Grant Challenge of $25,000 LOS ANGELES / NEW YORK – The Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship has been created to assist editors in developing their talent and furthering their career aspirations. In conjunction with American Cinema Editors (ACE) and other partners, the Fellowship offers a wide array of opportunities for promising film editors, in both documentary and fiction.

THE FELLOWSHIP – The Karen Schmeer Editing Fellowship is a year-long experience that encourages and champions the talent of an emerging editor. The Fellowship creates opportunities to help cultivate an editor’s artistry and craft, and expand his or her professional and creative community. Awarded once a year, the Fellowship honors the memory of gifted editor Karen Schmeer (Fog of War; Fast, Cheap & Out of Control), who was killed in a hit-and-run car accident at age 39, on January 29, 2010. Recognizing that editors are seldom given sufficient assistance in their freelance career paths, this Fellowship has been specifically designed by Karen’s friends and colleagues to give broad support to both an editor’s creative development and career goals.

The Fellowship is a package intended to broaden an editor’s horizons, to find out more about what it includes, click here: Karen Schmeer

Additional opportunities for the Fellowship continue to be actively explored and will be incorporated in the future.

OPEN CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS – the Fellowship will accept applications through December 15, 2010, with the first Fellowship to be awarded in February 2011. More details about the Fellowship and application requirements/forms can be found online at www.karenschmeer.com $25,000 MATCHING GRANT CHALLENGE – an anonymous donor has volunteered a generous $25,000 matching grant for the remainder of 2010.
Any donations to the Fellowship received from August 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010 will be matched dollarfor-dollar, up to a maximum total amount of $25,000. All donations are tax deductible, through the ACE Educational Center, a 501(c)(3) corporation.

To make a donation, either online or by mail, please visit www.karenschmeer.com
KAREN SCHMEER, A.C.E., was an award-winning film editor whose work included Errol Morris’ The Fog of War (Academy Award Winner for Best Documentary), Mr. Death, and Fast, Cheap and Out of Control. She edited Sketches of Frank Gehry, directed by Sydney Pollack, The Same River Twice, My Father the Genius, and the American Experience: A Brilliant Madness. Her fiction film American Son premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. For the HBO film Sergio, Karen won the Best Editing Award at Sundance in 2009. Karen was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and attended Boston University. On her way home from editing Liz Garbus’ documentary about chess phenomenon Bobby Fischer, Karen was struck and killed by a car fleeing a robbery in New York City on January 29, 2010.

AMERICAN CINEMA EDITORS (ACE) is an honorary association of professional film editors that celebrates and promotes the art of editing. To learn more visit: America Cinema Editors



For more information about the Fellowship, applications, or the $25,000 matching grant, please visit www.karenschmeer.com or email info@karenschmeer.com
Find the Fellowship on Facebook and Twitter (@KarenSchmeerFEF)

Chicken & Egg Pictures' recent public appearances

Chicken & Egg Pictures, dedicated to sharing their wealth of knowledge nationwide, can often be found on the public-speaking engagement circuit contributing to conversations that range from "new doc financing models" to "finding ideas that stick (and turning creative into lucrative)." Here's a recent round-up.

Julie Parker Benello recently appeared at the tables for THE GOOD PITCH @ SOCAP, San Francisco. The Good Pitch is a pitching forum with a difference, borne out of the conviction that documentary is a powerful tool for creating social change. The Good Pitch embodies a new partnership model. Each event brings together 8 select filmmakers with people and organizations who can work with them to effect real-world change. During the event, each filmmaking team has 7 minutes to pitch both their film and its associated outreach campaign to an invited audience of foundations, NGOs, campaigners, advertising agencies, brands and media in order to maximize its impact.

Wendy Ettinger is no stranger to the panels at Independent Film Week, New York, and this past September appeared on the panel “Fresh Funding, Modern Ideas for Doc Financing.” Committed to acting as an advocate to filmmakers seeking funding advice, Wendy's advice will always come from a place of solidarity with filmmakers.

Natalie Difford enjoys pitching forums at a ground level, coming face-to-face with real filmmakers, real scenarios and real stories which is exactly what she got at the POINTS NORTH Documentary Forum in Camden, Maine as part of the Camden Film Festival. Natalie worked with a stellar crew of industry professionals to grant BETTING THE FARM an award from the forum.

Next up: Catch Judith Helfand at From Paper to Pix: Drop Reports and Pick-up Cameras! where she will be appearing with C&E-supported film, GOING ON 13, and GFEM to work with foundations wanting to use media.

What's happening at Chicken & Egg Pictures: OCTOBER

BUDRUS opens this week at the Quad Theatre in NYC. Be sure to help them make a great splash by buying tickets to the opening weekend here: http://www.movietickets.com/pre_purchase.asp?afid=moviefone&house_id=216&perfd=10082010&edata=30&showdate=2&movie_id=86525

THE MUSIC’S GONNA GET YOU THROUGH is currently airing on American Public Television. See where you can find the film here: http://themusicsgonnagetyouthrough.com/

MONICA & DAVID will have its HBO premiere on October 14th, October is also Down Syndrome Awareness Month & National Disability Employment Awareness Month so be sure to check out ways in which you can get involved on their website: http://www.monicaanddavid.com/blog/

BAG IT will have a screening at the Lincoln Center, NY on October 24th
Tickets can be found here: http://ticketing.filmlinc.com/single/selectSeating.aspx?p=21282&sStatus=new

DEEP DOWN will have it’s national broadcast premiere on November 23rd, you can find local listings for where to see it on Independent Lens here: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/deep-down/

Hot off it’s P.O.V. broadcast, WO AI NI MOMMY is still streaming for free from the P.O.V website. http://www.pbs.org/pov/woainimommy/watch.php

Thinking of holiday gifts already? WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE? Is available for pre-order on Amazon.com right now.

On the off-chance one of you are off to Indonesia, you can catch MADE IN INDIA at the Balinale Film Festival on October 14th. http://www.balinale.com/event/made-india

STORY LEADS TO ACTION is going BACK TO SCHOOL to kick-off the third season! October 21st at the 92Y

We're kicking off our third season with a BACK-TO-SCHOOL celebration of movies and movements dedicated to education, growth, hope and community resilience - featuring excerpts and scenes from four films-in-progress each one uniquely exploring the possibility, fierce promise and politics of educating the next generation of global citizens.



FILMS FEATURED WILL BE:
CHESS MOVIE - Katie Dellamaggiore
MARIACHI HIGH - Ilana Trachtman
OUR SCHOOL - Mona Nicoara
SPEAKING IN TONGUES - Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider
Descriptions of each film below.

Following the screenings: Peabody Award-winning filmmaker/Co-Founder of both Working Films and Chicken & Egg Pictures, Judith Helfand, will lead a lively engaged, interactive discussion with the directors, guest educators/activists and the audience. Discussions will focus on how to balance the needs of these character-driven films with the needs of local, regional and global advocacy campaigns. Topics include children’s rights, human rights, the business and future of public education, and the role of arts and culture in school programs. Together we’ll think about how to “test” ideas locally in New York and be part of the engagement strategy.

92Y Tribeca
200 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10013
Tickets are $12
Click here to purchase tickets

JOIN US AND BE A PART OF THE ACTION!

* STORY LEADS TO ACTION is a monthly series featuring Chicken & Egg/Working Films' filmmakers coming together with strategic advocates and educators to brainstorm and "design" on-the-spot community/audience engagement strategies for their films.


CHESS MOVIE (working title)
Director: Katie Dellamaggiore
In 10 years, Intermediate School 318 has built the best junior high chess program in the nation, despite its consistently high level of student poverty. This year, 318 has its strongest team ever, but in an unexpected twist of fate, the school is also dealt a severe budget cut, and all after-school activities, including chess, are losing funding.

MARIACHI HIGH:
Director: Ilana Trachtman
MARIACHI HIGH is a documentary film, supported in part by Latino Public Broadcasting and the National Endowment for the Arts, which will take viewers on a transformative and spirited journey into the dreams and dramas of Mexican American teenage-hood, through the soulful and vibrant lens of a competitive mariachi band. High school has never sounded so good.

OUR SCHOOL:
Director: Mona Nicora
“Our School” follows three Roma children — Alin, Beniamin, and Dana — as they move from a dead-end segregated school into a mainstream Romanian school. The film is an elegy about hope and squandered opportunities, as well as a meditation on what it truly means — and what it truly takes - to give a real chance to a whole generation of children.

SPEAKING IN TONGUES:
Director: Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider
At a time when 31 states have passed “English Only” laws, four pioneering families put their children in public schools where, from the first day of kindergarten, their teachers speak mostly Chinese or Spanish. Speaking in Tongues follows four diverse kids on a journey to become bilingual. This charming story will challenge you to rethink the skills that Americans need in the 21st century.