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NEW
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SHAKESPEARE
BEHIND BARS
SHAKESPEARE BEHIND BARS follows an all-male Shakespeare company working behind bars at Kentucky’s Luther Luckett Correctional Complex. For one year a cast comprised of convicted felons rehearse and perform a full production of Shakespeare’s last play, The Tempest, a play fittingly about forgiveness.
Marking their seventh year as an acting ensemble in the film, the inmates cast themselves according to their lives and in relation to the crimes for which they are serving a prison sentence. Just as in Shakespeare’s day, men play all the female roles. They swear that the roles “pick them”, and this proves to be an uncanny truth, as many of the men experience powerful epiphanies while exploring their characters. Twice a week, the inmates work with volunteer director Curt Tofteland, who pushes them to find their own truth within each part.
By following these men through this creative process, the film explores the universal themes of redemption, transformation and forgiveness. It raises questions for the audience such as: Should we rehabilitate criminals? How does art transform the human conscience? Who deserves forgiveness? Because of the unlikely setting of prison, these themes and issues are given a fresh, new angle.
SHAKESPEARE BEHIND BARS is written and directed by Hank Rogerson and produced by Jilann Spitzmiller. Rogerson and Spitzmiller are a husband and wife team that has collaborated on projects for 15 years.
SHAKESPEARE BEHIND BARS is produced by Philomath Films in association with the Independent Television Service (ITVS) and the BBC, with major funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The film has received other major support from the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund, and was selected for the first-ever Sundance Institute Documentary Story and Edit Lab, as well as the Sundance Documentary Composer’s Lab in 2004.
SHAKESPEARE
BEHIND BARS has received development funds from The Sundance Documentary
Development Fund.
To
find out about more about SHAKESPEARE
BEHIND BARS, or if you are interested in purchasing a copy of the film, contact us
at: info@philomathfilms.com |
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CIRCLE
OF STORIES - DVD
(In Development)
Based
upon the CIRCLE OF STORIES website, www.pbs.org/circleofstories,
this DVD will have more stories and lesson from each of the four
storytellers featured on the site, and include in-depth interviews
with Melissa Nelson and Phillip M. Klasky of the Cultural Conservancy,
as well as Kashaya-Pomo elder Otis Parish, and Southern Paiute activists
Vivienne Caron-Jake and Matt Levas.
To
find out about more about this DVD, or if you interested in giving
funds or resources through our non-profit, contact us at info@philomathfilms.com |
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SEVENTH
GENERATION
A One hour Television Drama Series, created by Jilann Spitzmiller
(In Development)
An
edgy and diverse group of early 30-somethings form a cooperative
for environmental and social activism. They seek out injustice and
are always on the edge of intrigue. They investigate environmental
crimes, disasters, and human rights violations, and then try to
publicize what they find. They use the law to mediate and bring
justice wherever they can. The team brings its exploits and discoveries
to the people of the planet via their controversial website.
The website becomes their broadcasting channel to the world, streaming
video, audio, graphics and text 24 hours a day. The website chronicles
their fight for the individual and underdog entities in an increasingly
corporate and homogenized world.
SEVENTH
GENERATION finds they have many high-powered enemies who want them
squashed, and they may ultimately be forced to take their operation
underground. They try to keep themselves out of the spotlight, while
constantly aiming for a higher profile for their work. The show
has the intensity and diversity of characters like THE PRACTICE;
the mysterious, investigative edge of THE X FILES; and the heart
of ERIN BROKOVICH. This team called SEVENTH GENERATION is a fledgling
"David vs. Goliath" firm struggling to define itself and
create some justice in a complex world.
To
find out about more about this series, or if you interested in giving
funds or resources through our non-profit, contact us at info@philomathfilms.com
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RECENT
PROJECTS |
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HOMELAND
HOMELAND
is the story of four Lakota Indian families living on the Pine Ridge
Reservation in South Dakota. Filmed over three years, HOMELAND weaves
an intimate portrait of contemporary Native American life through
the personal stories of a spiritual leader, a grandmother, a community
activist, and an artist. The film balances the harsh realities of
reservation life with the strength and vibrancy of the Lakota culture.
HOMELAND
is an inspiring film which invites us to remember the value of humor,
family, faith and our connection to the natural world.
HOMELAND
won BEST DOCUMENTARY AUDIENCE AWARD at AFI FEST 2000, BEST DOCUMENTARY
SHORT at the 2000 Nashville Independent Film Festival and BEST FEATURE
DOCUMENTARY at the 2002 Fargo Film Festival. The film has shown
at numerous other festivals, universities and schools all over the
world, and excerpts of HOMELAND
have been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show. HOMELAND is a presentation
of the Independent Television Service.
To
find out about more about this film, or if you interested in giving
funds or resources through our non-profit, contact us at info@philomathfilms.com
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CIRCLE
OF STORIES - WEBSITE
www.pbs.org/circleofstories
CIRCLE
OF STORIES is a web site honoring and exploring Native American
storytelling and the importance of the storytelling tradition,
not only to tribes, but to all cultures. In a media-rich documentary
style, the site incorporates photographs, art, animation, audio
and text, bringing Native American storytelling to life on the
world wide web. CIRCLE OF STORIES is a place where one can hear
and see stories being told by Native storytellers from the four
directions, and also the meaning of this story to a tribe’s
identity, its connection to the land and to its past, present
and future. On the whole, the CIRCLE OF STORIES Web site tells
a larger story, one of cultural survival, tolerance and diversity.
CIRCLE
OF STORIES was created through a partnership between PHILOMATH
FILMS and THE CULTURAL CONSERVANCY. The Cultural Conservancy is
an indigenous rights organization that works with native communities
to protect, restore, and revitalize endangered story, song, language,
and lands through research, education, and advocacy. (Visit the
Cultural Conservancy's Web site at www.nativeland.org )
To
find out about more about this website, or if you interested in
giving funds or resources through our non-profit, contact us at info@philomathfilms.com
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OUR
YOUTH, OUR FUTURE
OUR
YOUTH, OUR FUTURE profiles a Native American adolescent treatment
center in Shiprock, New Mexico. The video illustrates how Native
American ceremony and tradition is combined with Western addiction
treatment models to heal at-risk youth. The video deals directly
and honestly with the problems and the possible solutions for substance
abuse issues amongst Native youth. This powerful video presents
moving personal testimony from youth currently going through the
60 day treatment program, as well as the wisdom and experience of
past clients. The video also reflects on the root causes of alcoholism
and drug abuse, and takes a close look at gaps in service which
negatively impacts these teens. Rich visuals underscore the spiritual
aspects of the program and dynamically illustrate this treatment
center's unique therapeutic activities. A musical score by Native
musician Carlos Reynosa rounds out this extraordinary video.
To
find out about more about this film, or if you interested in giving
funds or resources through our non-profit, contact us at info@philomathfilms.com |
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