5th Annual NYC Grassroots Media Conference Film Schedule:

Session 1: 10:30am – 12pm
LA AMERICANA (Sneak Preview)
Dir. Nicholas Bruckman, Co-Dir. John Mattiuzzi, Co-Producer Jesse Thomas
65min with Q&A to follow

La Americana is an intimate documentary following an "jllegal" immigrant's journey from Bolivia to New York City and back, as she struggles to save the disabled daughter she left behind. When Carmen fights to legalize her immigration status in the U.S., personal and political tragedies converge. Filmed in three countries and told through a compelling cinéma-vérité narrative, her unforgettable story is woven into the current immigration crisis in the United States, putting a human face on this timely and controversial issue. For more information and a trailer of the film, visit www.la-americana.com
*Q&A with filmmaker Nicholas Bruckman and film protagonist to follow (30 min)

Session 2: 12:15pm - 1:45pm
CALL FOR CHANGE SERIES: PRESENTED BY THIRD WORLD NEWSREEL
Call for Change is a vibrant series of 16 short documentaries about various communities of color in New York City. Each documentary opens a window into a different aspect of life in the city: a Palestinian-American voting for the first time; Sikhs defending their civil rights to wear turbans and practice their religion; a Bangladeshi family fighting against deportation; domestic workers demanding better working conditions, and more. As a whole, the Call for Change Series is about people of color looking at their lives reflecting on their state of America and deciding what to do to voice their concerns and ideas for change.

Produced by Third World Newsreel, the Call for Change Series features the work of NYC independent filmmakers and community organizations such as the Domestic Workers United (DWU), the FreeStyle Union, Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE), the Sikh Coalition and Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM).

*Q&A With The Following Filmmakers to Follow:
Kevin Lee, Filmmaker
Konrad Aderer, Filmmaker
Miriam Perez, Filmmaker
Neha Singh, Advocacy Director / Staff Attorney, The Sikh Coalition
Wanda Imueson, FUREE

JUST RALPH
11min | Clifton Watson | 2005
An alternately serious and humorous "day in the life" of Ralph, a Palestinian-American grocery store owner, whose Brooklyn store is the neighborhood drop in center. As the 2004 election approached, Ralph
reflected on being a Palestinian and on voting for the first time, while the neighborhood chimed in. A short that wrecks the western media stereotype of Palestinians, and a display of a truly multicultural neighborhood.

WORK & RESPECT
10 min | Domestic Workers United | 2005
Over 200,000 women work in the homes of New Yorkers as housekeepers and nannies. Mostly women of color and often undocumented, their work is not covered by labor laws, and for many, the pay and conditions of work are beyond belief. The women are beginning to organize, though, to fight for a bill of rights. As one worker says: imagine if all 200,000 went on strike one day? Wall Street would have to shut down as families had to watch their own children. Part of the Call for Change series.

SHE RHYMES LIKE A GIRL
7 min | JT Takagi | 2005
Toni Blackman and the FreeStyle Union are challenging the male dominated world of hip hop and empowering women to speak their minds in freestyle workshops. This music video/documentary hopes to promote a movement of female MCs. Part of the Call for Change Series.

WALKING WITH FUREE
10 min | Miriam Perez | 2005
Post 9/11, Wanda Imueson, a Harlem raised believer in the American Dream, found herself jobless and going to the welfare office. The humiliation of her treatment and the persistent efforts of the women at
FUREE (Families United for Racial and Economic Equality), led Wanda to become an activist and speaker and to recruit other women to empower themselves.

DASTAAR: DEFENDING SIKH IDENDITY
12 min | Kevin Lee| 2005
A restaurant owner beaten. A policeman fired. A 20 year subway conductor born in the U.S., threatened with job loss: All for wearing the signature turbans of their religion, Sikhism. Since 9/11, hate crimes and job losses have plagued the Sikh-American community, whose religion originated in India, and is not even Islamic. In response, the NYC Sikh community has organized to confront the bias and attacks,
through legal suits, pressure on city officials and proactive public education. An excellent introduction to an often misunderstood religion and the success of community activism.

RISING UP: THE ALAMS
11 min | Konrad Aderer | 2005
As part of the Homeland security measures, immigrant men from 25, mostly Muslim countries were required to enroll in a Special Registration program. The result: no evidence of terror, but some 13,000
people are now being deported mostly for expired visas. The Alams were among the many families who believed that voluntarily participating in the Special Registration would show their loyalty. Instead, they face
the prospect of breaking up their family, despite a decade of hard work and the raising of two children. Working with DRUM (Desis Rising Up and Moving), the Queens South Asian activist group, the Alams have become activists, organizing to fight for their right to stay.

Third World Newsreel (TWN) is an alternative media arts organization that fosters the creation, appreciation and dissemination of m independent film and video by and about people of color and social justice issues. The Call for Change series was partly funded by Open Society Institute, Ford Foundation, Funding Exchange, North Star Fund, National Endowment for the Arts and New York State Council on the Arts.

LUNCH: 1:45pm-2:45pm
MEDIA THAT MATTERS FILM FESTIVAL: GOOD FOOD SERIES

THE LUCKIEST NUT IN THE WORLD
8min | musical | dir. Emily James, produced by Fulcrum TV
A singing peanut and his gang of shelled friends explain that sometimes free trade is just nuts.

FOOD JUSTICE, A GROWING MOVEMENT
8min | doc | dir. & produced by Martina Brimmer & Zora Tucker
Farmers become activists in the fight for food justice in West Oakland, California.

RECYCLE
6min | doc | dir. & produced by Vasco Lucas Nunes & Ondi Timoner
Poet Miguel Diaz transforms poverty into cultivation in the middle of a Los Angeles street.

PROFIT COLA
2:06min | flash animation | produced by Mark Fiore for Parents’ Action for Children
All aboard! Ride the sugar rollercoaster with Profit Cola. Next stop: childhood obesity.

ASPARAGUS! (A STALK-UMENTARY)
6min | doc | dir. & produced by Kristen Kelly and Anne de Mare
Journey to the "Asparagus Capital of the World" to discover why one little vegetable is so important.

* The filmmakers for 'Asparagus! (A Stalk-umentary) Kirsten Kelly and Anne de Mare
Spargel Productions, Directors/Producers will be present for a Q&A following the screening

Session 3: 2:45pm-4:15pm
HIP HOP & SOCIAL CHANGE

2:45pm – 3:30pm
BEYOND GOTHAM
30 min | Brandon Lewis | 2008
Beyond Gotham is documentary about the independent Hip-Hop culture thriving in rarely seen parts of Upstate New York. The film focuses on the elements of Hip-hop and their relation to social and cultural issues affecting life in America and particularly in New York, outside of the five boroughs.

*Q&A with director Brandon Lewis, Monica Janis and Albany artist/performer Ethan Moore, a central subject of the documentary to follow the screening (15 min)

3:30pm- 4:15pm
SCENE NOT HEARD presented by The Hip Hop Association
45min | Maori Karmael Holme | 2005
Philadelphia is often referred to as the mecca for American soul music, but right from the beginning of the hip hop movement, its artists have made major contributions as emcees, graf artists, dancers, and especially as deejays. Native talents such as Will Smith, The Roots and Eve have made great strides domestically and internationally, but somehow Philly still doesn't get the kind of props of a city like Los Angeles or even Atlanta.
However, one of the most unique aspects to the Philadelphia hip hop scene is the proliferation of women that it has produced as emcees, vocalists, poets and deejays. Scene Not Heard seeks to tell the story of these women—the legends, the famed, and the ingénues—as they struggle to succeed in a male-dominated industry.

Session 4: 4:30-6pm

LOSING GROUND
23min | Educational Video Center
Director: Andrea Williams, Producers: Devaughn Barden, Theresa Dilworth, Eva Duarte, VeridianaMontas, Gilbert Feliciano, Ryson Thomas. Music By: Kyle Lorde, Rick Lombardo | 2008
Every night, thousands of young people under the age of 18 are forced to sleep in shelters, at friends and relatives homes, or on the street. Many are young people from families affected by rising poverty rates and the declining supply of affordable housing. Many are youth that have been kicked out of their homes because they are gay. This piece highlights three young people facing this crisis, shedding light on their everyday challenges and the sources of strength and inspiration that keep them going as they work to build a better life for themselves.

*Q&A Session will follow with filmmakers: Veridiana Montas, Theresa Dilworth, Ryson Thomas, Eva Duarte.