MeloFilms

Kickstarter funding

2011-12-18T11:10:00.000-08:00

The Activists film project was accepted to Kickstarter. Help us raise money for finishing funds, so we can bring this film to the public. Any amount helps - thank you for your support!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/melofilms/the-activists-war-peace-and-politics-in-the-street

The Activists trailer - check it out!

2011-11-08T18:45:00.001-08:00

THE ACTIVISTS

2011-11-08T16:10:00.000-08:00

After a long hibernation, the Party in The Street film is back! The film has a new title which reflects the subject matter more accurately. Now titled The Activists, this documentary is a study into the lives of American anti-war activists. As we approach the 9th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, this film has never been more relevant. Through the lens of several well-known activists and organizations, this film addresses the motivations behind activism, the different types of activism, and the personal experiences that bring activists together to create a movement.

The film was shot between June ‘08 and March ‘10. The footage captures the entire spectrum of activism. With over 120 hours of footage and interviews, the film paints a comprehensive and intimate picture of the world of activism.

This documentary is meant to give the viewer a deeper understanding of what it means to be an activist. Often misunderstood, many peace activists spend their lives fighting for what they believe is right, often with very little recognition. The Activists sheds light on this powerful group of people and give them the chance to tell their story to a broader audience.

Currently in the editing stage, we are working towards completing the film in the next few months. Please stay with us as we cross the finish line with this important project.

Party in The Street Interviews

2008-11-18T17:20:00.001-08:00

This film project has been in production since May, and we have had the distinct opportunity of interviewing many important and influential people both within and outside of the anti-war movement. Our work has taken us to many diverse places, including a Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on Capitol Hill, the hot and crowded streets of Denver, the politically charged downtown of St. Paul, a freezing cold Palin rally in the middle of Virginia, and the anticipatory and hopeful gathering in Grant Park , Chicago on NOv. 4th. This is just the tip of the iceberg, and the journey continues....
Here is a list of the people we've had the pleasure of speaking with and interviewing on camera, Each one has contributed something unique and thoughtful to our filmmaking journey. After every interview, I pack up my camera gear, my sponge-like brain soaked full of new and interesting ideas about the world we live in. I am continually fascinated and deeply awed by the diversity and contribution of every person we have the opportunity to speak with.
Here they are, up to this date, in no particular order....

* Larry Cox, Executive Director, Amnesty International USA
* Jay Marx, Co-Coordinator, Washington Peace Center
* Leslie Cagan, National Coordinator of United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ)
* Brian Becker, National Coordinator for ANSWER Coalition
* Samantha Miller, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)
* Geoff Millard, DC Chapter President and Board of Directors member, IVAW
* Gale Murphy, co-founder, CODEPINK: Women for Peace
* Tanya Paperny, Advocacy Associate Manager, Campus Progress
* Peter Lems, Iraq Associate, Amerian Friends Service Committee
* Thomas DeBruin, Vice President of SEIU (Service Employees International Union)
* Johann Berrigan, House of Grace Catholic Worker in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Pledge of Resistance, National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance
* Ann Wilcox, National Lawyers Guild
* Cindy Sheehan, candidate for US Congress, California's 8th district, Cindy for Congress
* Matthew Smucker, Field Organizer War Resisters League
* Roger Rose, associate professor of political science, Benedictine University
* Ann Wright, retired Colonel, US Army, author of DISSENT: Voices of Conscience
* Bill Goold, Executive Director, Congressional Progressive Caucus
* Bob Edgar, President and CEO of Common Cause
* Raed Jarrar, architect, blogger (In The Middle), and activist
* Sarah Rose Jensen, CODEPINK: Women for Peace, Washington DC chapter
* Adam Kokesh, Board of Directors member, IVAW
* Judith LeBlanc, Organizing Coordinator, United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ)
* Desiree Farooz, "house mother" CODEPINK house
* Pete Perry, board member, Washington Peace Center
* Lynn Woolsey, Congresswoman (D-CA), United States House of Representatives
* Sue Udry, Legislative Coordinator, United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ)
* Sonia Silbert, Co-Coordinator, Washington Peace Center
* Melissa Van, former Executive Director, Peace Action New York State
* Erik Leaver, Research Fellow, Institute for Policy Studies, Washington D.C.
* Tom Hayden, author, social & political activist, founder member of SDS
* Nadine Bloch, Oil Change International
* Kevin Martin, Executive Director of Peace Action
* Debra Sweet, National Coordinator, World Can't Wait
* David Broder, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author, The Washington Post
* Gene Bruskin, Co-Convenor and Co-Founder, US Labor Against the War
* Marlena Santoyo, Grannie Peace Brigade Philidelphia
* Matthis Chiroux, consciousness objector
* Ron Kovic, Vietname Veteran, author of Born on the Fourth of July
* Libero Della Piana, Chairperson, New York Communist Party
* Brian Anders, Washington Peace Center
* David Swanson, author, journalist, DC Director of Democrats.com and of ImpeachPAC.org
* Rosa Clemente, VP Candidate Green Party 2008
* Thom Hartmann, Air America Radio
* Martha Rosler, visual artist

* Tim Carpenter, National Director, Progressive Democrats of America

* Van Gosse, Steering Committee member , Historians Against the War
* Bill Moyer, Executive Director, Backbone Campaign
* Michael McPhearson, Executive Director, Veterans for Peace
* Tom Swan, Coordinator of US Action's Iraq 2008 Campaig
* Carl Davidson, Co-Chair, Chicagoans Against War and Injustice
* Marilyn Katz, Co-Chair, Chicagoans Against War and Injustice
* John Mark Hansen, Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago
* Medea Benjamin, Co-Founder, CODEPINK: Women for Peace
* Judy Langford, Member of Childrens' Policy Committee, Obama-Biden Campaign 2008
* Amy Solomon, Illinois High School Coordinator, Students for Barack Obama
* Agnes Mazur, volunteer, Obama-Biden Campaign 2008

REGISTER! VOTE! END THE WAR!

2008-10-03T07:08:00.000-07:00

This is what a police state looks like

2008-09-03T08:40:00.000-07:00

Each city (Denver and St. Paul) has been awarded $50 million in federal funds for convention related costs, a substantial part of which is being spent on security-related equipment and training.
New York Times article, Denver Police Brace for the Convention

Both cities have exhibited what $50 million will buy when it comes to riot gear, armored tanks for pedestrian control, and countless other security measures, most of which are intimidating and completely uneccesary. Almost every aspect of the police presence looked brand spankin' new, including the bikes, the horses, the riot masks, the tear gas launchers. Not a scratch or a ding on any of their equipment.
$100 million is a substantial amount of money. Is this really the best way our government could think to spend it?

The following are a few photos of a tense standoff on a bridge between the police and the protestors. This happened on the last night of the convention, as John McCain was preparing to give his acceptance speech. As it appears in the photos, there were about as many riot cops and there were protestors. The protestors sat down in the middle of the road and chanted anti-war slogans for about an hour as the police presence countinued to increase. All of the police were in full riot gear, and armed with tear gas guns. I was standing on the edge of the bridge, perched up on the rail along with many other journalists. It was a very tense situation, no one knew what was going to happen. Ultimately, the protestors turned around and tried another route, eventually getting herded onto another bridge where everyone was arrested, including journalists. To read more about this event, go here.

Marching in Mile High City

2008-08-27T10:20:00.000-07:00

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE played at the Denver Coliseum today week to a sold-out crowd of over 7,000 people. I had the chance to film from the press pit right in front of the stage. It was loud and crazy, and the crowd was really hyped!

The concert was put on by the Iraq Veterans Against the War, and after the concert RAGE encouraged everyone in attendance to march peacefully in solidarity with IVAW as they marched to the Pepsi Center to deliver a letter to Obama, calling on him to endorse the three main goals of IVAW: Immediate withdrawal, full veterans benefits, and reparations for the Iraqi people. To read more about this amazing march, please go to the IVAW website.
Here are a few pictures from this powerful day:

RAGE marched with IVAW, carrying the banner reading "SUPPORT GI RESISTANCE". Zach de la Rocha is in the army green shirt and the black hat. To his right is Tom Morello.

The masked woman is Liz Carter, a member of CODEPINK: Women for Peace. Liz is an incredibly enthusiastic antiwar activist and can be found anywhere the action is going down! Early in the summer, I had the opportunity to film Liz at a Senate Congressional hearing on Capital Hill, and she chased down several Senators in the hall to encourage them (very vocally) to vote against the FISA Bill and to stop funding the war. This woman means business!

This is Ron Kovic, an anti-war activist, veteran, and writer who was paralyzed in the Vietnam War. He is best known as the author of the memoir Born on The 4th of July. He followed immediately behind the young men and women of IVAW for the entire march. Very powerful indeed.

Say hello to Medea Benjamin, one of the founders of CODEPINK. She was standing in front of a line of riot cops, asking people to join her in a "peace line" to counter the police line. Many people joined her, lining up side by side to face the police.

Marching alongside the RESISTANCE banner is Judith LeBlanc, an organizing coordinator for United for Peace and Justice, a prominent antiwar organization. Michael and I had the pleasure of interviewing Judith at her home in New York City over the summer. I have since run into her at several peace rallies and antiwar actions.

Geoff Millard is the DC chapter president of IVAW. He served for many years in the Army National Guard, serving in several countries, including Iraq. Geoff is very outspoken against the war and can be seen on all over television, sparring with Bill O'Reilly, discussing the problems in our current political system with Amy Goodman, and giving a voice to Veterans on CNN.
Geoff stands out to me as an exemplery model of what we can and should do to raise awareness of the atrocities of this war. He is very passionate about his beliefs and doesn't miss an opportunity to spread awareness. He has emerged as a central character in this film, and has opened himself to me, which I am infinitley grateful for. I believe that Geoff's antiwar message is very powerful because of his youth, his experience, and because of his incredible articulation of the importance of conscientious objection.
During the IVAW march, Geoff served as the police liason, helping to maintain constant communication between the police and the marchers.

MELOFILMS goes to DENVER!

2008-08-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Denver, the Mile High City!
We are here filming for our anti-war documentary. We've been in town for three days and it has been nonstop action since we landed. My trip officially began when I introduced myself to Afrika Bambaatta in the Denver Int'l Airport, and handed him my card. He told me he was in town for the "Rock the Bells" concert and then he invited me and Tomek to join him at all the celebrity parties and VIP events all week. Just kidding. He was very nice, though

Denver is a beautiful place, surrounded by picturesque mountains and blessed with a delightful breeze. The DNC has pretty much taken over the whole city. Here is a photo of the Pepsi Center and the Convention Center, two of the main locations of the Convention. These photos were taken by Paul Docktor, a local Denverite and a valuable addition to our documentary crew. He is a retired surgeon, and a very talented photographer. We call him Doctor Docktor.

This is us in the lobby of the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Denver. This hotel is in the center of the action and is housing all the delegates from California and New York. The lobby is buzzing with acitivity at all hours. Here is a photo of me and Michael talking with Tom Hayden and his assistant, Emily. Tomek is keeping watch and carrying the gear. What a guy!

More to come....

RESPECT

2008-06-26T21:57:00.000-07:00

A few days ago we had the honor of interviewing Ann Wright, a retired Army Colonel. Ann served 13 years in active duty in the U.S. Army, 16 years in the Army Reserves, and 16 years in the Foreign Service for the US State Department. She resigned in protest over the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, and is now a a very visible antiwar activist. She is one of only three State Department Officials to resign over the occupation of Iraq. Ann gave us a very honest and impassioned interview that truly inspired me. I have a great deal of respect for her for standing up for what she believed in, and for not backing down on her beliefs, even to this day.
This is her letter of resignation...

"I have served my country for almost thirty years in some of the most isolated and dangerous parts of the world. I want to continue to serve America. However, I do not believe in the policies of this Administration and cannot --- morally and professionally --- defend or implement them. It is with heavy heart that I must end my service to America and therefore resign."

These are photos of our interview with Ann.

Here is a shot of Ann hiding behind an Obama sign. Next to her is Gael Murphy, one of the co-founders of CODEPINK, a women's peace and antiwar group. They are waiting to catch a glimpse of Obama as he enters a fundraising event in DC.

Ann recently co-authored a book called DISSENT: Voices of Conscience. It is about men and women inside the government that have spoken out about the war in Iraq. She is currently traveling around the country promoting her book, for more info, look here.

2008-06-24T20:46:00.000-07:00

"One day we must come to see that peace is not mearly a distant goal we seek, but that it is a means by which we arrive at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means."

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Film gets first press interview

2008-06-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

On Monday night we attended a Pledge of Resistance meeting in Baltimore. The meeting was led by Max Obuszewski, a longtime peace activist and a leader in the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance. Before we began filming we were approached by a Pledge of Resistance member name William Hughes. William is a local activist as well as an avid videographer. He films at all the local peace rallies and protests and keeps tabs on anything interesting that happens in the community. Here is his website. He asked to interview Michael and I about our project and to photograph us while we filmed the meeting. It was a unique and flattering moment, and we were happy to oblige. Below you can view the video, which was posted by William today on Google...

Grannies, Catholics, and Veterans...Oh My!

2008-06-22T20:49:00.000-07:00

In the last two days, I've had the opportunity to meet with lots of interesting people who are involved with the Antiwar movement, or as some like to refer to it, the Peace Movement. One of my favorite interviews was with Marlena Santoyo, a self-proclaimed "Jew, Quaker, Mexican-American, and Granny!" She is an outspoken member of The Granny Peace Brigade, a country-wide group of grandmothers who are against the Iraq War. The group was founded in 2005 when a large group of grannies tried to Enlist in the United States Military. They were denied enlistment, and were all arrested and charged for disorderly conduct. Here are some shots of our interview with Marlena.

Another organization that I found very interesting is The Catholic Worker Movement. This 75 year-old organization has a history of working in the Peace Movement, and they are very involved in the Iraq Antiwar movement. We interviewed a very impressive woman named Johanna Berrigan, and she spoke about the duty of Peoples of Faith to speak out against something immoral and unethical, such as the current war. The interview with Johanna was one of those interviews where the subject is so impassioned and so genuinely devoted to their work, that it inspires and motivates everyone within earshot. After we were done, I was ready to put my camera down and start working with her!

The third organization that I was thoroughly impressed with was The Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). This organization is all about speaking Truth to Power, and I was moved by the guys I met at the IVAW house. They are all young ex-soldiers who realized that the war they were fighting was wrong and unjust and "a lie". I have the utmost respect for the members of IVAW, because I have no idea what it must be like to fight in a war, let alone a war that you don't believe in. Not only that, but they are returning with lots of physical and mental problems that will be with them for the rest of their lives. The 20-something Iraq War Veterans are the Vietnam Vets of our time, and their struggles will be our struggles for many years to come. I didn't take any photos while I was visiting the IVAW house out of respect, but I hope to link up with them in Denver at the DNC. They are very active in the Antiwar movement and from what I hear, they create a very impressive presence wherever they go.

Funk The War!

2008-06-21T20:56:00.001-07:00

As the Currency of Change project retreats into fundraising hibernation, Melofilms has embarked on a new project. This project is tentatively titled Party in the Street: The Antiwar Movement and the 2008 Election. Obviously, this film is about the Antiwar movement in The United States. Inspired by the research of my friend and colleague Michael Heaney, this film will profile the history of the Antiwar movement and it’s current status, especially how it relates to the 2008 elections. Michael is a political science professor at the University of Florida, here's a link to his work. The term "party in the street" comes from an article written by Michael, and it refers to the intersection between a mainstream political party and grassroots social movements.

We will be filming in Washington D.C., Philly, and New York in the next week. After that, we plan on filming at both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions.

I arrived in D.C. yesterday and began filming immediately. Our first interview was with Bill Goold, the executive director of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. One of the great things that came out of this interview was that Bill Goold offered to connect us to Congresswoman Woolsey and Congresswoman Lee, these women are the co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and they have both been outspoken critics of the war. After the Goold interview we headed directly to another event organized by The Students for a Democratic Society. It was a street protest/dance party called Funk the War 4, and basically it was about 100 students and young people dancing and parading through the streets yelling anti-war slogans.

Here are some slogans from the signs and stickers:
Drop Beats, Not Bombs!
Youth is a Weapon and We're Armed to The Teeth!
NOT WITH OUR LIVES YOU DON'T
Make OUT, Not WAR !!

They had a very loud sound system rigged up to a wagon that two guys were pushing, and everyone was dancing and pumping their fist and waving anti-war signs. It was definitely a happening! One of my favorite moments was when the surge of kids stopped in the middle of a big intersection and there was a line of cars backed up and they began honking. In response to the honking, the kids started yelling, “RIDE A BIKE!…RIDE A BIKE!…RIDE A BIKE!” and a few of the protesters lifted their bikes into the air and began pumping them up and down. What a great moment! After the 2-hour march, there was a dance party in Franklin Park, where we had the chance to interview some of the protesters.

Here are some more photos from FUNK THE WAR 4

Watch out for the Diablo Rojo!

2008-04-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

The public transportation system in Panama City consists mainly of colorfully painted school buses called diablos rojos, and they are everywhere in Panama City. They are cheap (one ride costs $ .25) and circulate in the district painted on the upper front windshield. This is the primary way most people get around. All diablo rojos are privately owned, and painted by the owners in bright colors with images of their favorite stars or politicians. Some particular buses are so popular that people let other buses pass by going to their destination, to wait for their favorite! These buses are everywhere, and their presence is not easily ignored. They are painted very brightly and they rumble and roar through the city with little regard for traffic laws. Without a doubt, the diablos rojos rule the city!
Check out some of my favorites (J-Lo, anyone?...)

Helping Millions Help Themselves

2008-03-21T11:14:00.000-07:00

During my research for this project, I became aware of an organization called ACCÍON International. This is one of the leading organizations in the world for microfinance and microlending. From the website:

"A world pioneer in microfinance, ACCÍON was founded in 1961 and issued its first microloan in 1973 in Brazil. ACCÍON International’s partner microfinance institutions today are providing loans as low as $100 to poor men and women entrepreneurs in 25 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, and in the United States."

In each country they work in, ACCÍON partners with local organizations to help implement their microlending strategies. In Panama, ACCÍON works with Banco Delta , a local lending company that is headquartered in Panama City. I scheduled a meeting with the head of the microfinance department at BanDelta, and brought my friend and associate, Jorge with me. During the meeting we had the privileged opportunity to meet the vice president of the bank, as well as the bank's official representative from ACCÍON International (After hearing that there was a journalist in the building, they all came down to the meeting!). All three men listened to me as I discussed my project, recounting my experiences working and filming with women in Mexico, and my impassioned opinions about the power of microfinance. It was a very moving moment, being in the room with three bank executives, expressing my very personal connection to this story, and hearing their supportive responses. They were all very encouraged by the project and agreed to extend their total support.
The next day I returned to the Banco Delta office and prepared to spend the entire day traveling around the city with Patricia, a loan officier, and her supervisor, Domingo. Also along for the ride was my fixer and sometime translator, Angel. Here's the crew!

PATRICIA

DOMINGO

ANGEL

MELODY

Patricia's job for the day was to travel around the outskirts of the city, visiting her clientes, or loan recipients. Patricia is responsible for over 250 clientes, and every day she travels by car to visit them, check on their progress, and answer any questions they may have. Suprisingly, she does not collect any money on the loans while out in the field. All of the loan recipients pay weekly at an ATM-type machine at their local REY, which is a grocery store chain.
The first place we visit is a neighborhood about 30 minutes away from Panama City, where there is a fruit and vegetable stand owned by a woman named Antonia Santoya. Antonia began her business with a single cart where she sold fruits and a few vegetables. Over the years, her business has grown 5x it's original size, and she now sells a multitude of foods at her stand, Her business consists of 6-7 large tents on the side of the road, filled to the brim with all sorts of fruits and veggies.

After visiting Antonia, we all piled into the car and headed to the next stop. During the day we visited eight women with microloans from BancoDelta. The first client was a woman named Idaira Velsi Bustamante Gill (I don't have any photos of her). She and her husband own a baby clothing store called "My Fashion Boutique". They sew clothing for newborns and small children and package them in bulk and sell them to bigger stores. Their loan money helped them purchase the sewing machines and the raw materials for the clothing. All of the woman we visited had different businesses and were at different stages in the loan process. Here are a few examples:

This is Daisy del Cariés Suira and she is the proud owner of Fonda Yari, which is a small resturant in a working class neighborhood outside of Panama City. The fonda is named after her daughter, Yari, who works with Daisy everyday in the resturant.

(L to R : Patricia, Daisy, Yari, and a friend who works in the fonda)

Here are some photos of Fonda Yari:

They are only open for breakfast and lunch, and they cook everything in this small kitchen (which is very HOT!). The line usually stretches out of the door, because the food is, as you can imagine, deliciosa!

During the day, we visited three seperate women who owned small stores, or mercaditos. The stores are all similar, they sell everything from milk, bread and food to school supplies and tolietries. The only difference is the size of the store, which depends on the size of the neighborhood and the amount of success each woman has had with their microloans.

Mercadito #1

Mercadito #2

Mercadito #3

At the last mercadito we visited, this little boy was sitting outside with his mom when we pulled up. He was super excited to be a part of all the action. He kept jumping in front of the camera and every few minutes he would dissapear and re-appear with something new to show us, like his tricycle, his toys, his half-melted cherry popsicle, and his mom's cell phone, which he answered when it rang during her interview!

We had to drive from place to place, sometimes taking up to an hour between visits. The roads are very bad and there is always a lot of traffic. I used the time in the car to shoot video of the neighborhoods and to interview Patricia and Domingo, although navigating a big camera is a teeny tiny car isn't always easy...

After a long day, we returned to the bank around 5:30pm. Everyone was exhausted and covered in dust. I conducted a short interview with Patricia about her job and the bank and then made plans with the vice-president to meet next week for an interiew. Time to put the camera down for now...

Project wakes from a deep sleep...Bienvenidos a Panamá!

2008-03-20T17:56:00.000-07:00

It's been six months since the cameras were turned off and this project entered its dormant stage. As of this week, the batteries have been charged, the lens has been cleaned, and the tapes have started rolling again! Since the last post in September, this film project has been tentativley titled "Currency of Change". It is a film about the powerful changes that are occuring as a result of microfinance all over the world. For the second installment, we go to the Central American country of Panama. To read more about Panama, click here.

Panama is a narrow land bridge connecting North and South America, it is slightly smaller than South Carolina, with a population of about 3.5 million people. The Panama Canal, built by the United States after Panama's independence from Colombia in 1903, joins the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The area around the canal, called "The Canal Zone" was a home for foriengers (mostly Americans) living and working in Panama, until 1999 when full control of the canal was given to Panama. The effects of the canal and the US involvement in Panama are evident everywhere. Panama City is a prosperous place, full of luxury and wealth, and the skyline is filled with towering glass skyscrapers. Here is a picture of Panama City at night (the bright lights at the bottom right are tennis and basketball courts).

However the interior of the country is a totally different place, with a lot less shiny glass and a lot more dirt and dust. The farther away you travel from Panama City, the more it becomes apparent that there is a high level of income inequality in this country, suggesting that resources are unevenly distributed. Most Panamanians are struggling to get by, hovering right on the poverty line, living in very simple dwellings. From what I can gather, there is no real middle class here, although things are slowly changing now.
s a h

igh level of income inequality, suggesting that resources are unvenly distributed.

Adiós, OAXACA!

2007-09-10T07:04:00.000-07:00

The time has come to leave Oaxaca. This project will enter what I like to call the "review-edit-raise-money-regroup" phase. I'll be based in the States for a few months, editing and applying for grants and saving money.
On the last day of filming I caught a traditional Mexican wedding in front of Santo Domingo cathedral. It was very colorful and there was lots of music, huge puppets, dancing and carrying fruit baskets on your head.
Lookie, lookie...

Meanwhile, back in Oaxaca City...

2007-09-05T19:50:00.001-07:00

This city is teeming with interesting sights to behold. Lately, tourism has been steadily increasing, so there are more foreigners walking the streets, but this doesn't disrupt the day to day life of local Oaxacans. Below, you can see how folks here get their water and gas. Every morning outside my window a guy rides by on a bike, yelling "AGUAAAA!! AGUUUAAA!". He carries jugs of fresh water, which you can exchange for your empty ones. The same goes for gas.
Check it out!

There is a taco stand on practically every corner. Some of them are only open in the morning and others serve food only after dark. Finding where they are and which ones are the best is all about word of mouth.

This week I found a local doll-making shop. You can buy all the different parts of a doll and assemble it yourself. Or you can buy a pre-assembled one, like these "Aunt Jemima" dolls, which are still sold here because the Civil Rights movement never made it this far south. Ummm..

The picture below shows three things: In the middle is a Victoria, one of the best Mexican beers, in my opinion. One the left is a snack made of peanuts and molasses, similar to peanut brittle, just not as sweet. And on the right is a bar of amaranto, also made with honey. Amaranto, known in English as amaranth, is an important crop in Mexico for several reasons. According to Wikipedia amaranto was "used by the ancient Aztecs and other Native America peoples in Mexico to prepare ritual drinks and foods. To this day, amaranth grains are toasted much like popcorn and mixed with honey or molasses to make a treat called alegría (literally "happiness" in Spanish). Because of its importance as a symbol of indigenous culture, and because it is very palatable, easy to cook, and its protein particularly well suited to human nutritional needs, interest in grain amaranth was revived in the 1970s. It was recovered in Mexico from wild varieties and is now commercially cultivated." You can read more here.

Amaranto is also important because many of the women I filmed with are involved in a program to cultivate, make, and sell amaranto products. Also, nutritional instruction for the women and their children revolve around the consumption of amaranto, because it is cheap and very good for the body. These are pictures of women at a Centéotl microfinance meeting selling homemade amaranto products.

Familia Pachelo-Ramírez

2007-08-30T10:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, me and my fixer/translator Elvira went to a small town outside of Zimatlán to film with the Pachelo-Ramírez family.
Here is Elvira, hard at work. We were trying to get a ride to the village, and found ourselves a bit lost on the highway. She is calling to find out if we can take a bus. We ended up walking.

The Pachelo-Ramírez family is a large extended family, and they are all artisans, working and living together. They work with a type of thin metal, called hojalata, the closest equivalent would be something like tin. This craft was imported by the Spaniards in the 16th century, and for many years its guilds prohibited Indians from membership. Even now it is mainly a mestizo profession in Oaxaca and still made by hand. They make everything from Christmas ornaments to mirrors and an assortment of animals and figures that hang on the wall. The men in the family are in charge of the difficult tasks of cutting the metal and hammering the shapes. Then, the women paint the metal with bright colors, completing the process.
Here is a photos of what hojalata art looks like.

Three women in this family are recieving micro-loans through Centéotl, and it is this money that provides the raw materials and supplies to make the hojalata crafts. Everyone in the family works, from the very youngest to the oldest. Even the grandfather, who can barely walk, sits all day behind a tree stump that has been fashioned into a work table, banging away on the metal.

Here's some shots of the family. I was filming a group shot at the end of the day, and there were hundreds of rabbits in their yard. While I was filming, all the rabbits began to gather around the family, it was quite a sight.

Tule Tree inspires AWE!

2007-08-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

Located about 10 miles outside of Oaxaca City, this mighty tree in Santa Maria del Tule is over 2,000 years old, and is considered one of the oldest living things on Earth! It has a circumferense of over 164 feet at its base, the largest girth of any tree on the planet. It completley dwarfs the tiny church of Santa Maria del Tule that sits beside it.

This tree is a cypress, known in Spanish as ahuehuete, and it is Mexico's national tree. According to legend, Hernan Cortes cried beneath the boughs of a cypress after the Aztecs defeated the Spanish on La Noche Triste (The Sad Night). Standing beneath it will give you chills, it is indeed a spiritual experience being in the presence of something so ancient.

Here is a clip of this beautiful, ancient tree. In the backgound you can hear people yelling and whistling, this is because the tree is located next to a big park, and the day that I filmed this clip was the Catholic Holiday La Asunción de la Virgen María (The Assumption of the Virgin Mary), when Mary ascended to heaven, and there were hundreds of people gathered under a huge tent where they were throwing free candy and celebrating. This is also why there are religious artifacts placed at the base of the tree.

Hierve el Agua

2007-08-29T08:37:00.000-07:00

Last week I was traveling with a small group of people, and we went to a place called Hierve el Agua, high in the mountains outside of Oaxaca City. Hierve el Agua is a natural warm spring which contains air trying to escape, hence the name "Hierve el Agua"which means “the water boils”. The water is also full of minerals, so as it runs off of the edge of the nearby cliff, calcium carbonate and magnesium in the water create a petrified waterfall, and the sulphur ads nice yellow accents in places.

Archaeological evidence suggests that the springs at Hierve el Agua were first used about 2,400 years ago. The early inhabitants constructed wells approximately every three meters along canals used for watering terraced crops.
The continuous bubbling water creates pools of clear water that you can swim in! There are only two such sites in the world, the other one is in Turkey.

Today the springs continue to produce up to two liters of water a second (much more in the summer than the dry winter months). Yet year-round the water flows through the ancient canal system. Pretty amazing!

Making it Happen : Centéotl

2007-08-28T06:34:00.000-07:00

Elvira, my translator, never showed up this morning. I waited for her outside of the Santo Domingo church for 30 min, but I had to leave. I took an early morning collectivo to Zimatlán alone. A colletivo is basically a regular taxi (which is generally small, think old-school Honda Accord) and they pack it out to the max with lots of people and charge them each 15 pesos to the destination. There was a long line for the collectivo taxis because many people who live in the city travel to the villages to teach school, so they line up early in the morning to catch a ride. There wasn't really a line, per se, so every time a cab pulled up with Zimatlán written on the front window everyone would lunge and surge, jostling to get in the tiny car. Once I realized what was going on I had lost out on two cabs, so the next one that pulled up I had to body block a few folks in order to squeeze my way in the car. I tossed my camera equipment in the trunk, snuggled in between two other people and we were off!
Here's a shot of the inside of the collectivo on the way to Zimatlán :

Zimatlán de Álvarez is a small town about an hour south of Oaxaca City and is the home of an organization called Centéotl (this is the name of an ancient Aztec maize god). I was tipped off about this organization by Roberto Olivares, a documentary filmmaker living in Oaxaca. Centéotl provides a host of services to women, including micro-loans, education, and community assistance. They are a small non-profit company and before they existed, the women in this area had absolutely no assistance in terms of money or community support. I met with the director of the organization yesterday and she agreed to allow me to follow a Centéotl employee as she traveled from village to village meeting with the local women. You can read their website here.
There are three symbols represented in their logo: 1.) maize (corn), symbolizing sustenance, 2.) two footprints, representing work ethic, and 3.) a symbol that looks like a music note, which symbolizes language, or communication.

Zimatlán is a typical town in the region of Oaxaca, there is a church and a town center where most of the action occurs. The rest of the town is spread out along stretches of dusty road that reach way beyond the city center. Because of this spread, there are many motorcycle taxis and little scooter-like cars buzzing around to transport people. Take a look at Zimatlán:

TRANSFORMERS en Español!

2007-08-27T21:17:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you have a little downtime in Oaxaca?...
You go to the local movie theater, where they have caramel popcorn and ham paninis, and you watch Transformers, dubbed in Spanish....that's what you do!

Comida de Oaxaca

2007-08-21T15:06:00.000-07:00

Mexico is full of delicious and exciting treats. Oaxaca is known for its chaupulines, or seasoned and toasted grasshoppers. They are served alone, in a bag with chilies and garlic, or mixed into food, like tostados, or queso, etc. Here's a photo of a Zapatec woman selling them in a local market.

I tried them once, smothered in a cheese quiche, and they didn't really taste like anything. I haven't yet gotten up the guts to eat them alone, but I'm hoping to take the plunge before I leave Oaxaca.
Another thing I don't really eat, but I've heard is delicious is the tácitos con pollo, or small fried chicken tacos. They come served with beans, cheese, avocado, and tomato. Take a look (also included are some satisfied customers, courtesy of my father and Jeff, one of our travel companions..both of these guys also ate chapulines without reservations!)

It would be hard for me to show all the delicious delicacies that this region offers, but I'd like to give you a little sample of the small pleasures I enjoy. First, you can buy fresh tortillas in every neighborhood for really cheap. They make them in front of you, then weigh them according to how much you want. They are warm and fresh and go with almost any food you can think of. I like them with a fresh cut avacado and a tomato. If there is a little picante, or salsa, even better. If I'm filming and have no time to eat, I carry a stack in my bag and eat them plain. Simply delicious.

I also really like a drink called Sundral Mundet, it's an apple soda. It is very sweet, just like apple juice, but has a kicky carbonation. It is really delicious, and refreshing on a hot day. Here I am enjoying bottle.

Another amazing treat in Oaxaca is the ice cream. For some reason, it taste better than in The States. Not as heavy, less milky, and more icy, and flavors that Baskin Robbins wishes they had. Pictured below is a combination of Besos de Angel (Angel Kisses), which is a strawberry ice cream with nuts and dried fruit, and Atun (Tuna) , which is not a fish, but a sweet and tasty fruit that grows on the Nopal cactus.

I had the pleasure of eating a homemade pineapple tómale yesterday. This treat is made from corn and fresh pineapple, then wrapped in a corn husk. I ate it while I was traveling between two villages on foot. One of the women in the microfinance meeting made them from scratch, and she absolutley refused to take money from me when I tried to pay her. This tomale was worth gold, it was so good.

And last, but not least, is the fresh-cut fruit. You can get fresh cut mango, pineaple, papaya, watermelon, cantelope, and many other fruits all over the place. On the street, in the market, near the bus stop. My personal favorite is the mango. If it's ripe, eating it can come close to a religious experience. Here is a woman cutting a mango in the local market.

Archaeological Site of Monte Albán

2007-08-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

Inhabited over a period of 1,500 years by a succession of peoples – Olmecs, Zapotecs and Mixtecs – the terraces, dams, canals, pyramids and artificial mounds of Monte Albán were literally carved out of the mountain and are the symbols of a sacred topography.
Oh yeah, and check out those clouds...

Pequeños préstamos: Grandes cambios

2007-08-19T09:20:00.000-07:00

Small loans, big changes.
Last week , went to visit an organization called FINCA here in Oaxaca City. FINCA is a huge global micro lending organization. You can look at their website here.
FINCA is a non-profit organization, and has only been in the state of Oaxaca for about two years, although it has been in other parts of Mexico for about a decade. Here is an amazing statisic: 97% of all the FINCA employees in Mexico are women. More than just a micro-lending organization, the entire company is set up to empower women on every level. In fact, the main office seemed to also be built with only women in mind. When I visited the office, I was accompanied by my friend Jared, who is a 6'2" Puerto Rican from New York, and when he went to the bathroom he banged his head so hard on the low rise ceiling, that he was seeing stars the rest of the day.
In Mexico, there are two competeing types of loan companies, for profit and non-for profit. FINCA is the non-profit version, and the largest for-profit one is an organization called Compartamos. You can read about this particular situation in a New Yorker article by Connie Bruck, entitled "Millions for Millions". This is actually the article that inspired my pursuit of this film in Mexico. When I contacted Connie Bruck, she encouraged me to steer away from Mexico because the for-profit model, like Compartamos, was very large and dominated the microloan sector.
However, FINCA is growing fast, and they hope to have half a million women clients by 2011. And they are not the only non-profit micro-loan company in Mexico. According to Maricruz, the manager of the Oaxacan Office, there are dozens of organizations all over that help women obtain microloans.
I contacted the director of FINCA Mexico, and was told that I needed to pusue my request to film with the international office in DC, with the publicity department. I am still waiting to hear back from them. Maricruz told me that when she gets the green light from her boss, she will personally take me into the villages to meet the women. In the meantime, I am trying to meet women on my own, which has proven to be an exciting and exhausting task.
Poco a poco...

Tortilla School

2007-08-18T17:43:00.000-07:00

This is how a Oaxacan woman makes tortillas (vegetarian style)...
First, she kneads the dough, then separates it into small balls. Then, she flattens it out into a perfect circle using a handy-dandy tortilla flattening tool. Before the invention of this simple tool, she would have to painstakingly flatten and form each tortilla. And the tool is very easy. All you do is set the dough ball down, then use the handle to move a big flat piece of metal down onto the ball, and Viola! a tortilla is born! Next, she puts the flattened tortilla onto a heated clay surface, which is over an open fire. Once it is cooked on the bottom, she layers on top quesillo (a type of white salty cheese made in Oaxaca - think string cheese) and flor de calabaza (squash blossoms). Then, the whole thing gets folded over, and cooked a bit more, until it's toasty and golden brown.
YUM!
-you can see me in action working the tortilla pressing machine, and yes, that is my dad in one of the last photo...aka the executive producer.

The Speaking Sky

2007-08-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

I lay in my bed today listening to the rain outside. It comes down in big heavy drops, plopping on the ground and creating deep rivulets that run down every surface. It is rainy season in Oaxaca. Once a day, the sky gets dark and the rain starts falling, slow at first, then fast, and the sky is opens up over your head, heavy and thick with water. I got caught in it today, juggling all my bags in one hand and my clean laundry in the other, trying to run uphill in flip-flops. The water gathers in the road in places where the drainage is bad, and you have to leap to get across the street ponds. Oaxaca has two sharply defined seasons: wet summer-fall and dry winter-spring. The wet season ushers in the era of lush, green landscapes, and you can see the effects of the rain if you drive outside of the city a bit. The road is lined with multicolored wildflowers and the mountains are completely covered in emerald green trees. Another amazing thing about Oaxaca is the sky, which seems to go on forever and is usually dense with billowing clouds that look like they were lifted out of a children's cartoon.

Tastes like.....BURNING!!

2007-08-17T19:12:00.000-07:00

"Oaxaca is mezcal country. A close cousin of tequila, this spirit can be made from the hearts of three different kinds of agave that thrive in Oaxacan soil, and it served almost exclusively as a shooter with a slice of orange and a combination of salt, chili powder and dried agave worm.
Mezcal has always been much more than a traditional drink and stimulant to the indigenous people of Mexico. It has come to be known as well as a means of communication with the supernatural, which is hard to believe if you're not aware of its liberating effects on our conscience and actions.
Mezcal still is part of the indigenous culture, embedded in the Zapotec language and country beliefs, a fundamental part of celebrations and rituals."

-from a book about MEZCAL

Street Art in OAXACA

2007-08-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

Immigracion Ilegal

2007-08-14T17:51:00.000-07:00

Oaxaca is the 5th largest state in Mexico, with a population of over 3.5 million people. During my research for the film, I read that the state of Oaxaca has the largest amount of illegal immigrants working in The States. A half a million illegal immigrants cross the border into The States every year to work and their combined annual financial contribution to Mexico can be measured in billions of dollars. Today, in my Spanish class, we spoke about the immigration situation, and Veronica, our teacher, who is from a small village outside of Oaxaca, gave us her opinion.
In the small villages, there are many problems, including unemployment, poverty, and lack of education. More devastating than anything though, is the lack of opportunities, and the resulting idleness. Because there are no jobs, and therefore no money, all able-bodied men go to The States, with “el Sueno Americano”, the American Dream. In The States, they can earn $6 per hour, which is approximately 60 pesos, which is the average daily wage here. With the extra money they earn, they can support their families back home in Mexico. The young boys in the villages see their fathers and uncles and brothers working in The States, and they too, what the chance to have “el Sueno Americano”. There is simply nothing for them to do in the villages and they spend all day in the bodegas playing video games. They are bored and frustrated with their situation, no one is encouraging them to go to school, there are no jobs, and they do not have enough money to travel into the city. Ultimately, they all end up going to The States, to work and live and experience life outside of Mexico. So now the villages are left with only women, and many of the women leave the villages for long chunks of time to go into the city to sell their goods. Thus, the family begins to break apart, and this is only the beginning of the problems.
Once the men begin making money, many of the women follow in their footsteps and move to America for work, leaving their children behind to be cared for by the grandparents. So the villages are left with only the very old and the very young. Many of the young children have never known their parents, only understanding them as a check in the mail. If the women do not leave home, they are faced with other problems. Their husbands are gone for long periods of time, and many of them engage in extramarital activities while abroad. Recent studies show that the rate of HIV and AIDS has dramatically increased in the poorest regions of Mexico, with almost all the cases being traced to migration. These regions are the least prepared to handle the epidemic, and the disease is still shrouded by stigma and denial in Mexico. This aspect of the immigration story is so devastating, it recently made the cover of the New York Times. You can read it here.

So what does all this mean? For the price of working in The States, there seems to be a devastating cycle that has developed here that is dividing families and wrecking havoc on the communities. Poverty and desperation can lead people to extreme measures alleviate their situation.
There has to be a better way.

Photos de Oaxaca

2007-08-14T16:28:00.000-07:00

Bienvenidos a Oaxaca!

2007-08-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

Here I am, in Oaxaca, Mexico!

This is the beginning of my journey to make a film about women and micro finance. Ultimately, this film project will take me to many countries, over the course of many months, as I search for these women and their stories of economic hardship and triumph.

It’s been about three days since my arrival, and so far, so good. Since my cousin and I couldn’t remember where we had made a reservation for me to stay, she sorted out a home-stay for me, and my host parents picked me up at the airport. They are very sweet, and very helpful in correcting my Spanish, which was really rusty at first, but it seems to be making a comeback with every passing hour. I gave in and bought a tiny pocket dictionary, which has become my new best friend.

First night here I was invited to a local artist’s house where I met a documentary filmmaker who produces political films in Mexico. We had many things to talk about and, as it turns out, he made a film last year about microfinance in Chiapas for a private organization. Small world! He has extended his support for my project and has offered to help me produce the film, if need be. Yowza! Talk about serendipity! His organization helps bring international attention to the struggles of the people in Oaxaca. Check it out!
http://www.maldeojotv.net

Friday night in the Zocalo (the city center) there was a commemoration in honor of the one-year anniversary of the teacher’s strike and subsequent popular uprising in Oaxaca. About a year ago, there was a huge strike in Oaxaca city that lasted for months, headed by the Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca (APPO). You can read more about it here:
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2795/
http://narconews.com/Issue42/article1936.html
There were many people in the square, crowded around an elaborate memorial, taking photos and listening to a voice over a crackly loudspeaker talking about the uprising and the power to the people. I met a Canadian TV crew and we talked about the political situation in Oaxaca and I scoped out their camera set-up.

Later that night, we went salsa dancing and ran into my cousin’s friend, Miguel. Miguel is taxi driver here in Oaxaca, with a big smile and a kind spirit. We told him about my film project and he has agreed to drive me to all the neighboring villages next week. It makes a huge difference having a car, because many of the villages are in remote locations and difficult to get to, not to mention I won't have to lug all of my camera gear on the bus. Also, Miguel is a native Oaxacano and seems game to answer my insanely long list of questions about the region. The state of Oaxaca is one of the oldest and most culturally intact regions of Mexico. There are at least 17 distinct indigenous languages spoken here. Many of the remote villages are completely separated from the rest of society, speaking primarily in their native tongue and rarely going into the cities, except to sell handicrafts.

The journey has begun!