nextPix "firstPix" grant winners for 2001-2007 are shown below. Each work represents a unique and individual attempt at "humanistic media" -- and whether it be a documentary, narrative feature or work of animation, each displays significant courage, insight and creativity. Some firstPix projects have even gone on to be full-fledged nextPix co-productions. To find out about the 2008 firstPix grant application process [click here].
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| 2007 |
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THE LISTENING PROJECT (prod. Han Shan, dirs. Joel Weber/Dominic Howes) WHAT DOES THE WORLD THINK OF AMERICA? This seemingly simple question led to a global quest for four Americans, whose thought-provoking journey through fourteen countries is documented in THE LISTENING PROJECT. Emotional encounters with dozens of diverse and fascinating characters reveal the breadth of U.S. impact on ordinary people's lives around the world. Visit
the
official website |
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CHESHIRE, OHIO (dir. Eve Morgenstern) When
a polluting power plant offers to buy out an entire town in Appalachia,
local residents are faced with the toughest decision of their lives:
pack up and leave a community many families have called home for
over six generations, or stay and fight. CHESHIRE, OHIO: A QUESTION
OF POWER tells the startling and unprecedented story of the corporate
buyout and destruction of an entire American town. |
| 2006 |
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SILVIA (dir. Margo Pelletier, prod. Lisa Thomas) The feature documentary SILVIA explores the life of controversial activist Silvia Baraldini. After 15 years as a politicial activist during the sixties and seventies, Baraldini was arrested by the FBI and given a 43 year prison term. After several more years of legal struggle she was eventually released to her home country of Italy. SILVIA includes interviews with: Silvia Baraldini, Noam Chomsky, Ahmed Obafemi, Jose Lopez, Julio Rosado, Elizabeth Fink, Lisa Roth, Toby Emmer, Lucio Manisco, Guccini, Eve Rosahn.
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| 2005 |
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TIBET IN SONG: THROUGH THE HOLLOW BAMBOO (dir. N. Choephel) Directed
by Ngawang Choephel, a former Tibetan political prisoner inside
Chinese occupied Tibet, this documentary depicts the ongoing struggle
of Tibetans to maintain their cultural identity through music. The
film features footage miraculously saved prior to 1995 when Ngawang
was arrested, as well as new material shot recently in Tibet, the
US and India. The film is also a nextPix co-production. |
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MATUD NILA (dir. John Day) MATUD NILA (According To Them) is an interactive animated narrative work consisting of 25 episodes recalling events in a small rural town in the Philippines. The piece has a cross-cultural focus, and reveals insights about this community from the viewpoint of an outsider. MATUD NILA features the voices of Raul Aranas, Michael Denz, Ching Valdes, Lydia Greenberg, Mel Gionson, Joy Pascua, Jonaphan Lopez, Lorli Villanueva, and Johnny Santos. MATUD NILA is the first animated work to receive a firstPix grant.
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| 2004 |
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THE TRIALS OF DARRYL HUNT (filmmakers Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern) THE
TRIALS OF DARRYL HUNT is a feature documentary about a brutal rape/murder
case and a wrongly convicted man, Darryl Hunt, who spent nearly
twenty years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Both a social
justice story and a personally driven narrative, the film explores
the bitter legacy of race and class in America, and its harrowing
impact on a man accused. This exclusive look at one man’s
loss and redemption offers a provocative and haunting examination
of a community -- and a criminal justice system -- subject to racial
bias and tainted by fear. |
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CHANGING IDENTITIES (produced/directed by Daniel Labbato) CHANGING
IDENTITIES: A STORY OF TRAUMATIC INJURY AND ART, is the amazing
story of Bill Richards, founder of The Art Studio, and his work
with disabled artists. The Art Studio was opened in 1999 by Richards,
who had recently retired. Richards modeled The Art Studio on a similar
program he created at Harlem Horizon Hospital for young, severely
injured adults. CHANGING IDENTITIES is the story of the impact art
can have in changing the outlook and identities of disabled persons
who, with the help of their mentor, come to see and believe in themselves
as artists. The film is narrated by Meryl Streep. |
| 2003 |
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CALL IT DEMOCRACY (producer/director Matthew Kohn, Dan Efram and Priscilla Grim) A historical look at the electoral process in the United States that goes far beyond the controversy of the 2000 election and the Bush V Gore Supreme Court ruling. CALL IT DEMOCRACY looks into the nation’s history touching upon other close elections such as the 1960 Kennedy V Nixon campaign, the attempt by Segregationist Third Party Candidate George Wallace to manipulate the electoral college in 1968 and the three other elections not won by popular vote prior to the 20th century. Additionally, the film explores the validity of the electoral college (or the lack thereof) and contemplates the future of elections in post 2000 America, 2002’s Help America Vote Act and ramifications of electronic voting. The
New York City Premiere for CALL IT DEMOCRACY (AKA EVERYWHERE BUT
FLORIDA) will occur at the Imagine
Festival, August 28, 2004. |
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FADING LIGHT (produced by Ross&Barnier Productions) FADING
LIGHT documents the life of Sophie Morel, a young attorney who is
slowly losing her sight. A film of singular beauty and sensitivity,
FADING LIGHT shows how Sophie's courage and determination enables
her to overcome numerous obstacles. Directed and produced by Ian
Ross and Kathryn Barnier, the film poignantly reveals how life is
ultimately ephemeral in both its triumphs and tragedies. |
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| 2002 |
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SWEAT: A STORY OF SOLIDARITY (produced by Educating for Justice) The
nextPix "firstPix" grant winner for 2002, SWEAT chronicles
the journey of Jim Keady and Leslie Kretzu as they uncover the story
behind the profits generated by the sweat of Nike factory workers.
Through the lens of their experiences, the film exposes the injustices
of Nike's labor practices in the developing world, specifically
in Indonesia, and how Nike's unfair economic decisions have a profound
effect on human lives. The film shows that with the right mix of
faith, conviction, and dedication, ordinary people can change the
world. |
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| 2001 |
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SINGING THE BONES (produced by Fat Salmon Cinema in association with nextPix) Based on the acclaimed play by Gordon Halloran and Caitlin Hicks, BONES is the first nextPix "firstPix" project. Hicks plays 3 different characters in this gripping drama about the wonder of birth -- both physical and spiritual. This film went on to become a nextPix co-production. The
Festival Premiere for SINGING THE BONES occurred at the Montreal
World Film Festival,
August 23-September 3, 2001.
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