For this Fiscal Sponsorship Spotlight, we go behind the scenes of the 2020 election with Margo Guernsey and Sara Archambault, Co-Directors and Co-Producers of What Democracy Looks Like. Their film – shot entirely during the pandemic – looks at the experience of election officials in Rhode Island during the 2020 election.

Filmmakers Margo Guernsey and Sara Archambault on WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE

For this Fiscal Sponsorship Spotlight, we go behind the scenes with David Camlin and Megan Grumbling, Co-Directors and Co-Producers of the feature documentary, We are the Warriors. Their film, currently in the early stages of post-production, takes an in-depth look at a small Maine town as the residents decide the fate of its American Indian mascot after facing public allegations of racist behavior at a high school football game.

Filmmakers David Camlin and Megan Grumbling on their new film: We Are The Warriors

Alice Apley interviews FRAMING THE OTHER co-director, Willem Timmers, at the 2013 Margaret Mead Film Festival.

FRAMING THE OTHER portrays the complex relationship between tourism and indigenous communities by revealing the intimate and intriguing thoughts of a Mursi woman from Southern Ethiopia and a Dutch tourist as they prepare to meet each other. This humorous, yet simultaneously chilling film shows the destructive impact tourism has on traditional communities.

Filmmaker Willem Timmers on FRAMING THE OTHER

Alice Apley interviews MALLAMALL director, Lalita Krishna, at the 2013 Margaret Mead Film Festival.

Globalization is causing India’s traditional marketplace culture to undergo rapid changes. The growing middle-class desires a western life style, in which mega malls take precedence over street vendors. But how will this affect the traditional economy so many people count on? Lalita Krishna’s MALLAMALL is a sensory portrayal of India’s burgeoning retail industry through stories of the people whose lives depend upon it.

Filmmaker Lalita Krishna on MALLAMALL

We recently sat down with filmmaker Mary Zournazi to discuss her new film My Rembetika Blues. Rembetika music, or the Greek blues, is a music born of exile and the streets, developing its roots from the mass migration of people in the early twentieth century.

Filmmaker Mary Zournazi on MY REMBETIKA BLUES

"When I was at Hot Docs last month, amidst all the chaos and excitement, I ran into DER filmmaker Jason Burlage. Jason directed MI CHACRA, a gem of a film that explores rural Peruvian life through the story of Feliciano, a Quechuan farmer. The film is beautiful and sensitive by any and all counts, but I particularly like how it offers a counter-point to typical narratives of tourism which begin with the cross-cultural encounter. It is only as the the film's story progresses through the seasons -- and we come to understand Feliciano's history and his hopes for a better life for his son -- that we learn Feliciano also works as a porter on the Inca Trail. Listen to the podcast to learn how Feliciano came to be the central character in Jason's film -- through equal parts hard work and good luck."

-Alice Apley, Executive Director
Documentary Educational Resources


For more information or to purchase MI CHACRA (My Land), visit http://www.der.org/films/mi-chacra.html

Filmmaker Jason Burlage on MI CHACRA (My Land)

Robbie Leppzer is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose works capture the experiences of ordinary people grappling with critical issues of our time, such as war and peace, environmental protection, human rights, and cross-cultural understanding.

DER's Executive Director Alice Apley interviewed Leppzer at the DER office shortly after the release of the TURNING TIDE COLLECTION, a 6-DVD set containing 14 films which represent over 30 years in Leppzer's career of documenting social and cultural activism.

Filmmaker Robbie Leppzer on the TURNING TIDE COLLECTION

On one of Boston’s first beautiful spring days of 2015, I had the opportunity to meet with artist, filmmaker, and my former professor, Jeff Silva, to discuss his film, Balkan Rhapsodies: 78 Measures of War. Jeff had been working on his latest project in a dark edit room all day, and my visit was a good excuse for a breath of fresh air. We ventured to a park near his house to talk, so please forgive noises from the outside world!

Having studied under Jeff, I know his style of critique and have heard his thoughts about others’ films. We’ve had terrific and thoughtful discussions in class, but this was my chance to pick his brain about one of his own films, and one that had a strong impact on me. Jeff began filming Balkan Rhapsodies in 1999 and finished in 2008, and after nearly a decade of filming in the Balkans during a time of conflict and uncertainty, I was eager to hear about his experiences.

-Harris Khan, DER Intern

Filmmaker Jeff Silva on BALKAN RHAPSODIES

Recently, I sat down with Karim Haroun in our office to talk about the making of MYSTIC MASS, his new film documenting the final day of the Ashura ceremony as it is practiced in Nabatiyyeh, Lebanon. Thousands of Shia Muslims convene to commemorate the martydom of Imam Hussein for this important religious event. Karim's film focuses on the dynamics of the mass from its formation to its dissolution, sensitively portraying the community's highly coordinated and heartfelt experience.

- Alice Apley, DER Executive Director

Filmmaker Karim B Haroun on MYSTIC MASS

For this fiscal sponsorship spotlight, we interviewed brother sister duo Rebecca and Pete Davis to discuss their film Unraveling America which explores the life and work of Robert Putnam—acclaimed political scientist and author of Bowling Alone. The inspiration for the film came after Pete took Putnam’s class at Harvard, resonating with both his ideas and teaching style which encouraged students by instilling a sense of duty to rebuild community in the US. The film sets out to explore the question Putnam has spent his life attempting to answer – “what makes democracy work and why is democracy in crisis?”

Filmmakers Rebecca and Pete Davis on UNRAVELING AMERICA

DER's mission is to promote thought-provoking documentary film and media for learning about the people and cultures of the world.

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