Stories in Action

Looking for a film to screen for your group or organization? “Juvies,” the acclaimed feature-length film portrait of a group of juvenile offenders awaiting trial and sentencing in adult court in Los Angeles, has been featured on HBO and screened at more than a dozen film festivals, and is sure to stimulate lively discussion. Your group can borrow a DVD of “Juvies” from the Film Connection or purchase a copy of the film from the “Juvies” website. The film was supported by the Council under the California Documentary Project.

C Reed reports that “Preacher’s Sons,” her film (with Mark Nealy) about five kids from the foster care system and the two articulate men who are their fathers, is near completion. The film, funded by the Council under the California Documentary Project, follows the story of the family over five years.

In the meantime, you can see a trailer of the film and learn more about the family and the filmmakers.

“No matter what you think about same-sex parenting, this film will challenge your assumptions,” Reed says. “The Stewarts are an unconventional family, with surprisingly conventional values. Their odyssey is intimate and moving; but it exists within a wider context of the national debate over same-sex marriage and adoption.”

Reed wants the film to reach a wide audience and is currently seeking partners to make that happen. To find out more, contact Reed at mailc@charter.net.

Great news from filmmakers Katie Galloway and Po Kutchins. Their new film,” Prison Town, USA” about the prison industry in Susanville, Calif., and the people who live and work on both sides of the bars, will be screened at the Los Angeles Film Festival on Sat., June 23 (3 pm at Landmark’s Regent Theater) and Sun., June 24 (9:45 pm at the Landmark on Pico and Westwood). They also report that the film will air on POV, PBS’s showcase for independent films, on Tues., June 24. Don’t miss this powerful California Documentary Project film.

The nation’s first historical exhibit on the experiences of gays in the military —“Outranks”— opens at the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Historical Society in San Francisco on June 14 and will be on display for a year. The exhibit, funded in part by the Council under the California Story Fund, tracks changes in military policy and conveys the stories of GLBT veterans and peace activists from WW II to Iraq. The opening reception is on Thurs, June 14, from 6 pm-8 pm, in the GLBT Historical Society’s main gallery, 657 Mission St., 3rd floor.

The “Outranks” exhibit is one of 17 projects funded recently by the Council under the California Story Fund, our grant line supporting public humanities projects that bring to light new and compelling stories from California’s diverse communities. Find out about all the recently funded projects or apply for a grant for the July 2, 2007 round of funding. You’ll find the guidelines and an application on our website.

The Council is now offering both a research and development grant and a production grant under the California Documentary Project, our grant line supporting the work of experienced filmmakers, videomakers and radio producers. The guidelines are now available, and we will post an online application for both grants on September 3, 2007. The deadline for submitting proposals is October 1, 2007.