JustFilms

Events

17 January 2013

JustFilms at 2013 Sundance Film Festival

Ford Foundation JustFilms is providing major support to eight films selected for competition and premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

Launched in 2011, JustFilms fosters film and media makers who are creating passionate, purposeful narratives that engage with urgent social issues. This year’s films explore a wide range of these issues, from the challenges faced by public defenders working in the Deep South to the dangerous discrimination facing LGBT people in Uganda, the terrible toll of the U.S. war on immigration and the impact of corporate money on politics. Read the press release and visit our Film Collection.

The Films

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Highlights from the Films Featuring Ford Foundation Grant Makers Surina Khan, Kirsten Levingston and Jeannie Oakes

Referencing the eight films premiering at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, three grant makers explain how powerful storytelling can further broaden social justice goals. (03:53)
www.fordfoundation.org/issues/freedom-of-expression/justfilms
American Promise Directed by Joe Brewster and Michele Stephenson
U. S. Documentary Special Jury award for Achievement in Filmmaking

As two African-American boys journey from kindergarten through high school graduation at an elite prep school, they encounter hurdles both in and out of the classroom. (04:33)
www.americanpromise.org
Citizen Koch Directed by Carl Deal and Tia Lessin

Following the 2010 Supreme Court decision Citizens United, corporate money played a political role during a contentious decision on organized labor in Wisconsin.
citizenkoch.com/
Gideon’s Army Directed by Dawn Porter
Editing Award: U. S. Documentary

Three young public defenders in the Deep South face long hours, heavy caseloads and minimal resources in their efforts to ensure that justice is served. (20:07)
www.gideonsarmythefilm.com/
God Loves Uganda Directed by Roger Ross Williams

With values imported from America’s Christian Right, missionaries in Uganda attempt to eliminate “sexual sin” and advance anti-gay legislation. (01:51)
www.godlovesuganda.com/
Mother of George Directed by Andrew Dosunmu
Cinematography Award: U. S. Dramatic

One immigrant struggles to balance the expectations of her native Basotho culture and the opportunities of her new life in America.
filmguide.sundance.org/film/13118/mother_of_george
Outlawed in Pakistan Direced by Habiba Nosheen and Hilke Schellmann

Pakistani teenager Kainat Soomro accuses four men from her village of gang-raping her. She takes her case to the Pakistani courts and faces a deeply flawed criminal justice system. (01:28)
filmguide.sundance.org/film/13187/outlawed_in_pakistan
Valentine Road Directed by Marta Cunningham

In 2008 an 8th grader’s murder of his classmate shocked the nation. But both the murderer and the victim had troubled lives that complicate our very notion of justice. (04:24)
filmguide.sundance.org/film/13032/valentine_road
Who is Dayani Cristal? Directed by Marc Silver
Cinematography Award: World Cinema Documentary

After one migrant finds himself in a deadly stretch of Arizona desert known as “the corridor of death,” his life becomes testimony to the tragic results of the U.S. war on immigration.
www.whoisdayanicristal.com/

The Panels

JustFilms hosts two panel discussions at the Sundance Festival, at which filmmakers and others focus on the medium’s ability to foment change.

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Panel One Turning the Tide
Friday, January 18, 2013
Changing the direction of national discourse can seem an impossible task, but sometimes film can inspire a sea change. From immigration to health to the economy, this year’s films suggest that political dialogue is inextricably bound to cultural expression. Artists and activists explore the ways film can activate grassroots campaigns that alter the course of history.
- Gael García Bernal
  Producer, “Who Is Dayani Cristal?”
- Pablo Larraín
  Producer, “No”
- Jehane Noujaim
  Director, “The Square”
- Robert Reich
  Former Secretary of Labor and Author, “Beyond Outrage”
- Orlando Bagwell
  (Moderator) Director, Ford Foundation JustFilms
Panel Two Op-Docs
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Op-Docs is The New York Times editorial department’s forum for short, opinionated documentaries, created by both renowned and emerging filmmakers, and produced with wide creative latitude and a range of artistic styles, covering current affairs, contemporary life and historical subjects. Filmmakers come together to discuss the new frontiers of online documentaries and the intersection of filmmaking and opinion journalism.
- Heidi Ewing
  Co-Director, “Detropia”
- Laura Poitras
  Producer, “The Oath”
- Dawn Porter
  Director, “Gideon’s Army”
- Roger Ross Williams
  Director, “God Loves Uganda”
- Orlando Bagwell
  (Moderator) Director, Ford Foundation JustFilms
- Jason Spingarn-Koff
  (Moderator) Video Journalist and Curator, The New York Times Op-Docs