Dreamseeker Media Releases ‘Ferguson Rises’ Trailer — Film News in Brief

Ethan Shanfeld
·4 min read

Dreamseeker Media Releases ‘Ferguson Rises’ Trailer

Dreamseeker Media, in association with Films With a Purpose, Yoruba Saxon and PhilmCo, released a trailer for “Ferguson Rises,” opening Sept. 17 at Laemmle Monica, with a national rollout following.

Directed by Mobolaji Olambiwonnu, the film explores the aftermath of the protests in Ferguson after the police killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown Jr. Highlighting diverse voices of community members, from residents to police officers to business owners, “Ferguson Rises” chronicles the 400-day protests and rise of Black Lives Matter.

Sandra Evers-Manly, TJ Martin, Gigi Pritzker, Kai Bowe, and RZA executive produce, with David Oyelewo and Jessica Oyelowo serving as producers.

Watch the trailer below.

The Redford Center Awards Additional Grant Funding to Six Environmental Impact Documentary Projects

The Redford Center announced that six environmentalist documentary features in the current Redford Center Grants cohort will receive a total of $295,000 in second-year funding. “Demon Mineral,” “Impossible Town,” “Oaklead,” and “To The End,” are receiving production and development grants, while impact campaign grants go to “Razing Liberty Square” and “We Still Here/Aqui Estamos.”

The impact campaign grants are a new strategy for the Redford Center, meant to support completed films in their efforts to inspire public dialogue and mobilize action around environmental justice issues with initiatives like educational screenings and community partnerships.

The 2020-21 cohort of Redford Center Grants includes 22 film projects intended to make a community impact and further build the movement for environmental justice and regeneration.

“Climate and environmental impacts are at our front door. The need for deeper investments in stories that drive action increases every single day,” said Jill Tidman, executive director of the Redford Center. “The longer we have to wait for federal, global and industry leadership, the more important community led, collective action becomes. And that’s where these stories live and thrive. We are inspired by all of our grantees’ projects, and have every confidence that our further investments in these six films will lead to real-world environmental impact at a scale that is urgently needed.”

“Each of these films inspire with their fresh representation and authentically local community perspectives, while having significant national and global relevance,” said Redford Center grants advisor Brenda Robinson, partner in Gamechanger Films. “With the right support, these storytellers’ impact goals will make a difference. They will drive change and action in the short and long term. That’s why I find The Redford Center’s investments in impact storytelling to be so critical — to ensure that the full potential of these stories are realized. People won’t just see these films and move on, they will see them and be engaged to take action for the future of our people and the planet.”

Dances With Films Announces 2021 Winners At Closing Night Ceremony

Dances with Films (DWF:LA) returned with its film slate and award-winners at the closing night ceremony on Sept. 12 at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

“The feeling was absolutely palpable in each screening and the theatre itself,” said the team behind Dances With Films. “It is clever how much people miss going to the movies … Let alone movies where they will have ‘discovered’ new voices, authenticity in vision and films that you won’t be seeing next week at the multiplex.”

The list of this year’s 2021 award-winners are: Roman Olkhovka’s “Dreamover,” Caleb Slain and Nathan Nzanga’s “Enough,” Agazi Desta, Jennifer Frazin, Morgan Milender, Molly Miller, Amri Rigby, Joel David Santer, Erica Sutherlin and Chris Tarricone’s “Voodoo Macbeth,” Richard Reens’ “Pant Hoot,” Nani Li Yang’s “Beneath The Banyan Tree,” Brooke Trantor’s “Oh, Baby!” Paula Rhodes “Delicate State,” David Mahmoudieh’s “Snake Dick,” Justin Monroe and Ryan Fritzsche’s “Holy Frit,” Van Maximilian Carlson’s “Skid Row, Los Angeles,” Michele Palermo’s “Middle Of Nowhere,” Alex Martinez’s “Spanky,” Andrés Roa Ariza’s “Desolvido” and Paul James Houghton’s “From Under The Bridge: When Bullies Become Trolls.”

Notable filmmakers who have participated in the festival are Bryan Cranston, Gina Rodriguez, Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Pompeo, Ryan Eggold and John Hawkes, among others.

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