Invisible Children

I wanted to include a post about the Invisible Children Organization, as I had the opportunity to meet four of its volunteer supporters on their way to teach seminars about Invisible Children in various schools throughout the Southwest United States. The foundation was created after three college boys learned of Joseph Koni, a rebel leader in Uganda who has created (over the course of the last 30 years,) an army of children to the tune of nearly 35,000. The children seen in this video, are recorded taking refuge for the night in abandon warehouses inside the city, so as to avoid abduction by Koni into the LRA (or, The Lord's Resistance Army,) Koni's band of child soldiers. This is just a brief promo, but you should check out their website to learn a little more... www.invisiblechildren.com

Under Our Skin

"Under Our Skin" is one of the documentaries I had the opportunity to see during the DIFF. The film took an in-depth look at Lyme disease, a tick-borne illness with a range of symptoms and health consequences ranging from fatigue, to severe neurological damage/failure. The film explored the controversial concept of "chronic Lyme disease," and the paralleling ambiguity and inconsistencies present in both the disease itself, as well as the medical community’s attempts to treat it. "Under Our Skin" also looked at the interrelated nature of the insurance industry and medical community, and the subsequent treatments that are either denied or made available based on their ability to benefit. It did an excellent job of presenting useful, applicable scientific information/breakthroughs, as well as the moving personal narratives of several Lyme disease sufferers and their loved ones. "Under Our Skin" received the jury award of best documentary feature at the festival, which in my opinion was well deserved. This film was absolutely incredible, and by far one of the best documentaries I have seen in a long time.

Trouble Sleeping

During the DIFF, I was lucky to see several amazing films. Initially, I only really planned on watching one to fulfill the assignment for our class, but after watching the first, it didn't take long until I was a film festival junkie. I had an absolute blast, and I'm actually really excited for next year!

The first film of the festival that I watched was part of the features, and was entitled, "Trouble Sleeping." The film chronicles the lives of a group of refugees in Edinburgh, and the love, struggles, secrets, and joys they experience as they continue their pursuit for asylum. I loved this film for many reasons, but most notably because of the beautiful way in which the culture of the refugees was interwoven into a place in the world very different from their own. Nothing about these people appears unnatural or unrelatable, and every character appears to have some element to their person that speaks to the human heart of every walk and background. I would definitely recommend this film to anyone with a love and fascination about the world beyond their own.

Earth Clock

I stumbled on this "earth clock" while I was doing research for my internship. The clock gives you the option of viewing statistics pertaining to such issues as world population, malnutrition, deforestation, and garbage production, among others. Statistics are available for different time periods, providing an active count by year, month, week, day, and even allowing you to reset the clock so that all statistics begin at 0 and grow in real time. Regardless of your familiarity with these issues, I think you'll find it shocking to watch the numbers grow right in front of your eyes, understanding that each number is representative of another infection, disaster, extinction, or human life.

http://www.poodwaddle.com/clocks3.htm

Tales Of Mere Existence: "How To Break Up"

This video is priceless! Although its a cartoon, the narration demonstrates the sense of humor about relationships, arguments, the things we argue about and the whole battle of figuring oneself out that I was contemplating when I wrote my screenplay "The Fight." Ideally, I'd like to rework bits and peices of the screenplay to include a few more relationship references that make most everyone pause and go, "shit..i totally know what thats like!" I promise, it will make you smile :-)

Screenplay: Juno

For our script assignment, I decided to read the screenplay for Juno. I love this movie, because it confronts the everyday (and as well as the more unusual,) trials and otherwise entirely awkward situations we as human beings encounter in this life. It does so, however, with a cutting humor that makes even the most dire circumstances appear laughable. The characters are witty, quick with their dialogue, and main character Juno MaGuff shoots from the hip with a string of sarcastic (yet well- informed,) and incredibly intelligent observations that serve to make her character one we find ourselves rooting for as the story evolves. Everything about this film makes me smile; from the characters and their funky wardrobes, to the dialogue and the quirky random props that crop up scene after scene. This is the type of character dialogue I am interested in generating, and look forward to the opportunity in both upcoming writing projects, as well as my screenplay endeavors. If you haven’t seen Juno yet, I encourage you to check it out…

http://www.scribd.com/doc/2083474/Juno-Final-Script

The Beginning of the End

This class signals the beginning of the end for me...in four short months I will no longer be able to operate under the guise (and oftentimes, excuse) of "student." Nope, that’s all over, and the "real world" beckons. This I find to be equal parts terrifying, and exciting. There are any number of choices and avenues to explore, each with its own set of unknown consequences, rewards, and so on. I have no real plan of action at this point, but I'm beginning to take an inventory of those things in my life that truly matter, the interests and passions that serve to define me, and where I might want to go from here. I look forward to this class, and the chance to learn and grow a little bit more before they send me flying down the chute with that golden piece of paper that serves as a testament not only to my desire to broaden my mind and my understandings, but also to how lucky I have been to have received the opportunity to do so.