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OPCTJ Film Series Toolkit

Progressive Films are Powerful Educational Tools!

Dear Fellow Activists:

Progressive filmmakers are offering up a wonderful smorgasbord of terrific documentaries which convey a great deal of information to the audience in a relatively short time span. These films help people get a handle on the many critical issues of the day. The films are often gripping and even though the subject matter is very serious they are entertaining.

Viewing a documentary film in a group can be a powerful experience which is enhanced by discussion following the screening. Many of the people who come to the film showings are eager to express their concerns and hear what other members of their community are thinking. It is an excellent opportunity to share information and to publicize upcoming events.

The Oak Park Coalition for Truth and Justice co-sponsors a film series with their local library. We are sharing what we have learned from our experience. Other groups can adapt their film series to suit their particular area.

This is an ongoing project. We will update the information as we go along. We welcome your input and suggestions. The films OPCTJ has shown and which we use as examples in our resource materials are:

• Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism
• The Corporation
• Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price
• Life & Debt (How globalization made Jamaica poorer)
• Long Night’s Journey Into Day: South Africa’s Search for Truth and Reconciliation
• Justice and the Generals (Murder and humans rights in El Salvador)
• VoterGate: Exposé of Election Fraud in the USA
• Books Not Bars: Alternatives for Youth Campaign
• The End of Suburbia (Is the American way of life sustainable?)
• The Big Buy: Tom Delay’s Stolen Congress

Resources to View or Download

The following resources will be revised as we are able. The toolkit is a "work in process."

General resource files on how to organize a film series

Individual files are in both Word format (doc) and Acrobat format (pdf). Click below to download:

• Film Series Tips & Check Lists:   Word file   Acrobat file
• Sample emails and press releases:   Word file   Acrobat file

Film series flyer templates

We have flyers ready-to-go for 10 films. We recommend you first view the templates in PDF format. But, don’t try to alter the text in these files. There’s another set of files for that below.

• Side 1 - 10 flyers for 10 films:  Acrobat file
• Side 2- Sample of series schedule:  Acrobat file

The easiest way to customize the flyers for your film events is to use the Microsoft Word templates. These allow you to customize ONLY the information related to your events (time, date, place, sponsor, etc. ) You get 10 templates of 10 films plus a template for the series schedule for the flyer back.

• Microsoft Word templates:   Windows (zip)  Mac (sit)

If you want the ability to customize all the text and images in the flyers you will need one of the professional layout softwares -- either QuarkXPress or InDesign. Find a graphic designer in your area who can do the customizations for you.

• QuarkXPress templates:   version 5 for Mac   version 6 for Mac
• InDesign templates:   version 1 for Mac (to be posted)

Directory of progressive films

To view more than 75 progressive documentary films go to the Voices Exchange Film Directory at www.voices-exchange.org.

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