3500+ Films - 2.5 million words – 1 million viewers! Founder and Curator Carmela selects some of our most entertaining, powerful and inspiring Democracy films at We Are Moving Stories. These include shorts and feature length documentaries - about democratic rights, voting rights, water rights, housing rights: the films of Tyler Chase, a divided America, Donald Trump - in both the US and internationally.
Total length of this section: 21 films.
<DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS>
What Is Democracy? Featuring a diverse cast – including celebrated philosophers, trauma surgeons, factory workers, refugees, and politicians – What Is Democracy? connects past and present, emotion and the intellect, the personal and the political, to provoke and inspire. If we want to live in democracy, we must first ask what the word even means. Length: 107 minutes. Producer Lea Marin:
“If we care about the society in which we live, then we have to think more concretely about not only what it means to live in a democracy, but about what it can be, and how essential we all are in the path to creating it.”
Baghdad on Fire - With intimate access to Tiba and her friends we join young Iraqi women and men who side by side are fighting for democracy in Iraq. Tiba’s life is changing dramatically while she is taking part in the biggest youth movement in Iraq's history. Length: 31 minutes. Writer/Director Karrar Al-Azzawi:
“But after a while, the regime was getting more and more brutal and killing more and more of the youth demonstrators which caused a huge change. Then, after more than 4 months in the demonstrations, one of the characters in the film was shot and killed. This was a turning point for the development and the whole film.”
Freedom for the Wolf -This film is about the world's most radical idea - freedom - and how it is transforming the world. It is about how people all over the globe - from Tunisian rappers to Indian comedians, from America's #BlackLivesMatter activists to Hong Kong's students - are joining the struggle for freedom. Length: 90 minutes. Writer/Director Rupert Russell:
“Everyday we are bombarded with a confusing and horrifying headlines all over the world. This film is the first to connect the dots.”
The Day I Had To Grow Up You're never too young to start making a change. Length: 17 minutes. Stefano Da Frè and Laura Pellegrini:
“We are looking to make our film more visible to teens, youth activists and young Americans who currently feel left out of the political process. This is a film that will inspire hope, mirroring back subjects that are 17-19 years old who feel the same way, but are finding their own ways to make a difference right now.”
Arrested (Again) - A San Francisco activist puts her body on the line for what she believes in. Length: 5 minutes. Director/Producer Dan Goldes:
“This film amplifies the theme that one person can make a difference, and that dissent - even against one’s government - is not only patriotic, it’s protected by one of the country’s founding documents.”
Listen - Exiled from her homeland of Myanmar, revolutionary artist Chaw Ei Thein uses performance art and artwork to raise awareness about political repression, manifest her dissent, and express her fears and inner struggles. Length: 13 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Min Min Hein:
“With my film, I would like to tribute to people who are not able to express what they believe and feel, to stay wherever they want and with whomever they want to live with, and to those whose fundamental human rights are violated.”
The Last Doll Lady - In the 1950s a program called Dolls for Democracy was started. Women known as "doll ladies" would travel to local schools and teach children, through the use of hand carved wooden character dolls, about why racism and intolerance are wrong. Selma Bukstein was one of the original doll ladies. 60 years later and at the age of 91, she is the last doll lady. The Last Doll Lady follows Selma's efforts to revitalize the program and pass on its legacy to a new generation. Length: 22 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Taryn Hough:
“Selma herself is one of the most charismatic people I have ever met, and I knew people would find her story inspiring.”
<VOTING RIGHTS>
Capturing The Flag - A tight-knit group of friends travel to the North Carolina county named 2016 “posterchild” for voter suppression, intent on proving that the big idea of American democracy can be defended by small acts of individual citizens. Length: 75 minutes. Director Anne de Mare:
“here were these everyday citizens - Laverne, Steve, Claire and Trista - who were taking it upon themselves to do something active and work to make the actual process of democracy more meaningful. One voter at a time. And I still find that really inspiring. ”
One Voice: A Voting Conversation - A conversation about the American vote. Length: 24 minutes. Writer/Director Talora Michal:
“Documentaries are invitations to think critically about what someone has to say. When we invest in watching a documentary, we say, “speak: I will listen”. Voters are disillusioned; One Voice can help remind people that with voting there is hope and power. ”
Third Candidates A political documentary that asks: Why is it rare, not normal, to see more than two major candidates? Length: 21-24 minute 4 episodes. Co-writer/director/producer Jake Simms:
“Americans are frustrated, and so many people blame the ‘system.’ Well, saying the ‘system’ doesn’t help a whole lot when trying to identify a problem to solve, so hopefully our stories inspire people to break things down a bit more, find the part of the system they want to try and change, and go act on it. ”
<WATER RIGHTS>
From Flint - tells the story of the Flint water crisis from the perspective of the citizens who experience this crisis first hand. Length: 24 minutes. Producer Liv Larsen:
“We also decided to do a film on this topic because we felt that while the Flint water crisis was gaining such national attention that the individual stories of the citizens were being lost. We also hoped that by doing a film on it and putting it out to as many festivals as possible it would help keep Flint in the spotlight a little longer until the issue is resolved, because nothing still has been fixed for the Flint residents. They needed a voice, and we were prepared to help them with that.”
Thirst For Justice - In the face of official denial and repression, extraordinary citizens fight for clean water. Can they succeed? Writer/Director/Producer Leana Hosea:
“I came to America in September 2016 on a prestigious Knight-Wallace Fellowship for Journalists at the University of Michigan to research water contamination issues on the Navajo land and in Flint. I found a story so compelling and characters so engaging, that I knew I had the ingredients for a documentary film. At the beginning of the filmmaking process, I was concerned not to exaggerate the problem, but the more I learned about water contamination I realised I’ve probably not stressed the problem enough. It’s bigger and more urgent than I realised. ”
<HOUSING RIGHTS: THE FILMS OF TYLER CHASE>
Sweet Soul in Exile is an odic encapsulation of the eviction of prominent sculptor, Deborah Masters from her loft of twenty years at 475 Kent Avenue, Brooklyn NY. Length: 8 minutes. Director Tyler A. Chase and Producer Lisette Cevallos:
“I filmed a key group of artists for nine years from a building called 475 Kent Ave., Brooklyn, NY for a movie called Blues for 475, about the surprise mass eviction (pre-emptive forced eviction) of 300 artist families in one day and the aftermath. Deborah Masters is one of the three individuals. When I learned that she was being evicted by the new owners despite being a founder of the building, I grabbed my camera and drone on the day that she was moving out, and filmed the event as it was happening.”
A Castle in Brooklyn, King Arthur - Filmed over a period of seven years, A Castle in Brooklyn, King Arthur, narrated by Golden Globe Award winner, Brian Cox, brings us through the doors of the Broken Angel building and to its creator, the visionary, Arthur Wood as he clings to his life’s work, the Broken Angel building an icon of the bohemian artist culture that once permeated Brooklyn. The Fairy Tale is over… Length: 101 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Tyler A. Chase:
“You should watch this film because it is interesting and regardless of who you are, what happened at the Broken Angel could happen to you. ”
<DIVIDED AMERICA>
American Psychosis - Pulitzer-prize winning Journalist, Author and Activist Chris Hedges, discusses modern day consumerism, totalitarian corporate power and living in a culture dominated by pervasive illusion. Length: 15 minutes. Director/Producer Amanda Zackem:
“I’d like people to use this film as a tool for self-reflection and critical thought. As Chris says in the film “You can’t talk about hope until you can see reality and reality is pretty bleak, but that’s the starting point.””
My America - An Uber-perspective on today's divided America. One episode for each of the six days leading up to the election. 38 mins total (each episode 5-8 mins). Filmmakers Anna Jones and Jamel Davall:
“We made our web series last year – writing it in the summer and fall of 2016, and shooting & editing it in late October/early November in order to release the series across the five days leading up to November 8th and on the election day. We wrote it as a response to the chaotic politics of that time in order to find a catharsis and make sense of the complicated political system from an everyday standpoint.”
<DONALD TRUMP>
You Can't Hear Me - A socio-political outcry about the state of America in the wake of the Trump administration; told entirely in spoken word poetry. Length: 6 minutes. Writer/Producer David Bianchi:
“It delivers a sense of empowerment. I hope that people identify with the pain and the struggle of these characters and find a root to attach to. In order to inspire them in their own worlds to fight injustice. We all have a voice, some of us don’t use them. I hope this piece makes people want to stand up for what they believe in.”
La Oposición - Nick Morano has a comfortable desk job at the Department of Homeland Security monitoring immigration targets. When the Trump administration suddenly changes the game by declaring a war on immigration, Nick now must choose to work for this new system or against it. Length: 20 minutes. Writer/Director Zoey Martinson:
“Growing up in a predominantly immigrant community in the USA this film is my response to the recent election and how this country is redefining an identity around a hostile narrative towards immigration. This film is a brown woman’s response to her country of birth. My love for my country and my continual battle within its system to be seen as equal.”
<INTERNATIONAL>
The Candidate - An up close and personal story of electoral politics…where truth is stranger than fiction...Length: 75 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Helen Gaynor:
“If you like a film that gets under the skin, the inside and personal side of a person’s life to find out how they and the system they work in ticks, then this is your film. The Candidate provides an unusually frank insight into electoral politics, one rarely seen on screen.”
I Had a Dream - Manuela and Daniela dream to change their country, Italy, and make of it a non-corrupt and women-friendly country, but meet the harsh reality. From the feminist fights against Berlusconi to the last elections of 2018, the film explores the last ten years of Italy through the political action and the everyday life of two compelling protagonists, witnessing the weakness of democracy and rise of populism. Writer/Director/Producer Claudia Tosi.
Factory of Lies - Russia has launched an information war - introducing a new weapon. Hundreds of young Russians are producing fake news from fake profiles. And the fake stories are spread in the US and Europe with the purpose of sowing distrust and discord. But some brave Russian journalists are fighting back. Meet them in the documentary: Factory of Lies. Length: 59 minutes. Director/Producer Jakob Gottschau:
“When I got to know about the infamous Russian troll factory in Saint Petersburg, where young people for money male fake profiles and produce fake stories, I knew I have to make a film about this “new” phenomena.”