The Ninth Annual Media That Matters film festival premiered to a sold out theater in Chelsea June 3. It was the second year in a row that I covered the premiere and left inspired.
From environmental degradation to cultural misrepresentation, the festival’s twelve short films artfully publicize and humanize contemporary struggles. Especially effective was Exiled in America, a documentary about five Mexican-American siblings whose mother, a legal resident, was deported. Knock Knock Who’s There was an Indian public service announcement encouraging citizens to take action against domestic violence in their neighborhoods. The jury prize winner, and my personal favorite, was The Next Wave, a beautiful documentary about the sinking of the Carteret Islands – and the Islanders’ culture – due to global warming. Read more here.