Spotlight
The process of independent filmmaking, especially in terms of documentary content, is one that has constantly reinvented itself in recent decades. As a result there is yet to be a definitive expression of the true experiences both behind and in front of the camera. However, given the opportunity to expound on their lived experiences many filmmakers find they have a lot to say – stories of long production hours, artful productions unfunded for years, bad edits, great edits and clashing personalities, all in the pursuit of higher art. Here black filmmakers, veteran and emerging, who have provided culturally relevant public media in recent years, recall their joys and pains behind the camera and in those small editing spaces which always seem far removed from reality, but perhaps actually buried deep in its core.
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Channel: Spotlight
An Interview With Weaam Williams 6min 48secs
Weaam Williams discusses her film's themes, production process and creative inspirations.
Leslie Fields-Cruz discusses Open Call
Leslie Fields-Cruz discusses the open call process via web chat.
The Open Letter Project (NMI 2008)
The Open Letter Project is a national collaboration of producers from the third annual New Media Institute,...
Thanks to the advent of technology and the popularity of web destinations which offer easy access to...
The language of media production and distribution is one that has often written its own script. The artist...
An honest perspective of the world would not be near complete without the younger voices of any generation....
Here are titles, which through the exploration of sometimes-controversial themes and characters highlight...
What does it mean to be a man? The Masculinity Project will gather multi-generational voices to explore...
![Burning in the Sun [Remix]](/media/files/335/ORIGINAL_sm.jpg)
Burning in the Sun [Remix] 11mins
Daniel Dembele returns home to Mali with an idea, cheap renewable energy for the masses, can he make his solar panel social business stick in West Africa?
This War At Home 7mins
In a letter to a namesake uncle lost in Vietnam author Ivan Sanchez ponders the value of war, and connects this generational void to the deterioration of his Bronx neighborhood.
Never Will Be Forgotten: Oscar Grant Tribute 8mins
Youth producers at Youth Movement Records reflect on the injustices they witness in the aftermath of the police shooting of young Oscar Grant.
Remix: In Search of Our Fathers
Filmmaker Marco Williams documents his journey to finding his biological father.
Voters’ Rights Seized due to Incarceration
Once behind bars, most prisoners lose the right to vote and even after they are released they don’t...
Single Father 12mins 37secs
According to a 2006 report by the US Census Bureau there are 2.5 million single fathers in America, in 1970 there were 400, 000.
Perceptions Shattered 51' 26
A series of audio stories produced by youth producers in partnership with Public Radio Exchange (PRX) and WBEZ Chicago working with a variety of youth producers.
NMI 2006 ~Black Hole 2 mins
A video-textural exploration of the physics of well-being as it relates to blackness.
NMI 2006 ~ The Other Side 3mins 16secs
Ever wondered what would happen if you kept throwing a tennis ball at a wall?
Ruff N' Tumble In Nigeria 9mins 33secs
Decade-long CNN journalist Carol Pineau profiles a successful entrepreneur in Lagos, Nigeria.
Made In Lesotho 5mins 36secs
Jennifer Chen runs a socially conscious production factory in Lesotho that ships to global businesses like Footlocker and The Gap.
Breaking Silences 10mins
A discussion of the alarming rate of domestic violence against women of color on college campuses.
Touch Adventure, In Zambia 9mins 16secs
Tourism and business meet again, and this time with thrilling results in Zambia, Africa.