Movies with a message make impact beyond Oscars glitz
In this Reuters piece, JustFilms Director Cara Mertes offers commentary on the importance of telling powerful—and diverse—stories to change discourse in the United States. The piece looks at how Hollywood movies like Green Book and Roma can explore different lived experiences—from racial inequality to the life of a domestic worker—and have a social impact beyond the awards season.
Published on Reuters.com | FEBRUARY 22, 2019
Movies with a message make impact beyond Oscars glitz
By lisa richwine
The movie “Green Book” explores racial inequality, “Roma” reveals the emotional toll placed on domestic workers, and “RBG” chronicles the fight for women’s rights.
The messages in the three Academy Awards contenders are no accident. All were produced and financed by Participant Media, a pioneer among a group of companies aiming to advance social missions through movies.
Participant was founded in 2004 by billionaire and former eBay President Jeff Skoll. The company’s credits range from Al Gore’s climate-change documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” and Steven Spielberg’s historical drama “Lincoln” to “Spotlight”, a best picture winner about journalists who exposed a cover-up of abuse by Catholic priests.
....“Affecting which stories are told, by whom, and from what perspective, is an extremely powerful way to change the discourse in this country,” said Cara Mertes, director of a Ford Foundation initiative called JustFilms. “For us, this is social justice impact.”
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The Ford Foundation is an independent organization working to address inequality and build a future grounded in justice. For more than 85 years, it has supported visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. Today, with an endowment of $16 billion, the foundation has headquarters in New York and 10 regional offices across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.