FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008
Julie Levak, Director of External Affairs, California Council for the Humanities
(415) 391-1474
jlevak@calhum.org
California Council for the Humanities Awards $439,000
for Film and Radio Documentaries That Highlight
Important California Issues, Stories
California Documentary Projects explore life in Pelican Bay Prison, redevelopment in Los Angeles, lives of former female gang members, gay rights and the Supreme Court, and more
SAN FRANCISCO — The California Council for the Humanities announced today the winners of its current California Documentary Project program, which encourages film and radio documentarians to explore issues and stories of critical importance to California. The Council awarded $439,000 to 13 film projects and one radio project.
Recently released films supported by the Documentary Project include “Prison Town, USA,” a film about the impact of the prison industry on the small town of Susanville, Calif., which the San Francisco Chronicle called “documentary filmmaking at its best,” and the upcoming “Hollywood Chinese,” about Chinese in the film industry, which captured Best Documentary at the recent Golden Horse Awards in Taipei.
Following are summaries of the 14 projects that received California Documentary Project support.
FILM PRODUCTION AWARDS
- “Inside/Out: Life in a California Prison” is a documentary about life in Pelican Bay, a California state prison. The film follows several inmates, prison staff and volunteers, including the “Blood”, struggling to exit a gang since getting married in prison, and the new warden moving to wrest power from the old-school guards. Writer and producer Noel Schwerin said, “Simply put, ‘Inside/Out’ makes visible what should be a critical part of the corrections debate: What is prison actually like? Who lives and works in prisons? What does prison culture tell us about the human capacity for violence — and for change?” Award: $60,000
- “Moments in Time” chronicles how a diverse group of people came together to create the Point Reyes National Seashore and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in Marin County and to preserve agricultural land for farmers and ranchers. Producer and director Nancy Kelly said, “My hope is that the film will make people more aware of the power of citizen activists to preserve land, open space and agriculture.” Award: $60,000
- “Inventing L.A.: The Chandlers and Their Times,” produced and directed by Peter Jones, traces the emergence of multiethnic, modern Los Angeles during the single-family reign of four publishers of the Los Angeles Times: Harrison Gray Otis, Harry Chandler, Norman Chandler and Otis Chandler. “One remarkable story at a time, the film chronicles the ambitious, ruthless, ingenious and often self-serving methods by which each man employed the newspaper to help turn a town of 12,000 residents into a suburban sprawl of 4 million people — and in the process make the Chandlers among the largest landowners in California and the richest families in America,” Jones said. Award: $60,000
- “Sing Birds: Following the Paths of Cahuilla Power,” produced and directed by Sean Owen, explores the changing culture of the Cahuilla through the tradition of the singing of “bird songs,” which communicate tribal creation stories from the perspective of a bird flying overhead. “What we hope to show is a culture in transition, but one where there is renewed interest in traditional practices, great promise for youth and optimism for the future,” said Owen. Award: $40,000
- “Metropolis in the Making,” produced and directed by Clement Barclay, examines redevelopment in Los Angeles by documenting the 20-year battle over the historic Ambassador Hotel, for decades a mecca for Hollywood legends, heads of state and other famous personalities, and the site of Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 assassination. Award: $59,762
- “Forget Me Not” tells the story of the Aids Memorial Grove in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. The film, produced and directed by Andy Abrahams, combines time-lapse photography, archival footage, home movies and interviews with the people involved in the evolution of the site. Also featured are stories of individuals who have lost their lives to AIDS and of their survivors. Award: $60,000
FILM RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AWARDS ($10,000 each)
- “Homegirls” follows several former female gang members in Los Angeles as they find a way to emerge from gang life. Producer and director: Isabel Vega.
- “Lost Treasure Hunt” uses a combination of animation and documentary-style filmmaking to enliven California history for young people aged 6 to 12. Producer and director: Matthew G. Davis.
- “¿Mas Bebés?” reveals the true story of the forced sterilization of Mexican American women and their fight for justice. Producer and director: Renee Tajima-Peña.
- “Preaching Revolution” explores a unique Christian evangelical movement that embraces issues of poverty, race, global justice and the environment. Producers and directors: Katie Galoway and Po Kutchins (“Prison Town, USA”).
RADIO PRODUCTION AWARDS
- “Calexico: California Borderlands” features the stories of people affected by immigration every day — those who live or work on the California-Mexico border. “As the nation’s most highly trafficked point of crossing, the California-Mexico border is the site of intense cross-cultural interaction and a microcosm of national conflicts over immigration,” said Peter Laufer, project director and radio journalist. Award: $30,000
More About the California Documentary Project
The California Documentary Project is an ongoing program of California Stories, a multiyear initiative designed to connect Californians and foster understanding by uncovering personal and community stories that tell the story of today’s California. The California Documentary Project is supported through a partnership between the California Council for the Humanities and the Skirball Foundation. The project offers both production grants and research and development grants for radio, film and video production. Guidelines for the next round of grants for the California Documentary Project will be posted in May 2008 at: www.californiastories.org.
About the California Council for the Humanities
The mission of the California Council for the Humanities is to foster understanding between people and encourage their engagement in community life through the public use of the humanities.
All current programs of the Council are part of the California Stories initiative. The Council believes the opportunity to share personal and community stories is particularly important in California, where approximately half the residents were born elsewhere and foreign-born immigrants and their children make up more than one-quarter of the state’s population. The Council is an independent, not-for-profit state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities supported through a public-private partnership that includes funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities, private foundations, corporations and individuals.
To learn more about the Council and how you can participate in its programs, please visit us online at www.californiastories.org.
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