Sixth Annual 'Media That Matters' Film Festival Premieres at IFC Center on May 31st

On May 31st at 7:00 PM, Arts Engine, an organization that unites media makers and activists, will premiere its sixth annual Media That Matters Film Festival at the IFC Center, 323 Sixth Avenue @ West 3rd Street. The premiere is open to the public. Comprised of 16 short films, Media That Matters poses questions the mainstream media is afraid to ask:

  * Is the No Child Left Behind Act sending our kids to Iraq?

  * Can American neighborhoods die of thirst?

  * What is the school-to-prison "pipeline"?

All 16 short films can be found online 365 days a year at http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/. The Festival's primary goal is to encourage people who watch the festival to sit up, take action, and improve our cities and towns.

"Media That Matters," says comedian Chris Rock "keeps our focus on how to make our communities better and stronger and smarter." Woody Harrelson, Al Franken, Chuck D, Netflix, Adobe Systems, Green Mountain Coffee and dozens of other progressive individuals and organizations all support Media That Matters, helping it synthesize grassroots activism and state-of-the art distribution technology into the film festival of the 21st Century.

The premiere of the 16 short films will be followed by an invitation-only Awards Ceremony on Thursday, June 1st, at the HBO Theater in Manhattan. Jess Cagle, entertainment critic on CBS News' The Early Show, will emcee the event. During the ceremony, films will receive awards for highlighting critical issues including diversity, environment, and global health. Special presenters will include "24" star Reiko Aylesworth, Congressman Jerrold Nadler and Academy Award Winner Barbara Kopple. A jury prize will be awarded to the film "Slip of the Tongue" a youth-produced, spoken-word romp that takes aim at ethnic stereotyping.

Each Media That Matters film is distributed with its own interactive education campaign. Immediately following the Premiere, the films go online at http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/ with film-specific "take action links" that allow viewers to engage with the issues raised by each of the films. Media That Matters also includes a 50-city national tour, with each screening tailored to issues relevant to local communities. The Media That Matters cycle is further enhanced by a 10,000 DVD distribution campaign to schools, packaged with a standards-compliant teacher's guide. The general public can rent the Festival via Netflix or purchase it on Amazon.com. Actor/Activist Tim Robbins sums up Media That Matters unique distribution strategy very simply. "We no longer have to rely on major corporations for things to be seen," Robbins said, "we have Media that Matters to distribute new material and new voices and new points of view."

A jury of Academy Award-nominated filmmakers, magazine editors, activists and youth from around the country selected the films. Some of the Media That Matters films, like Gabe Cheifetz's "No Child", are investigative in nature, taking on topics like army recruiting in poor high schools. Others like Public Interest's "Permission" are satires, poking fun at the supposed "moral values" that have forced gay Americans to live without the right to marry.

At 2pm on Tuesday, May 30th, Arts Engine will host a "virtual premiere" of Media That Matters for select members of the press. Please contact Paul Greenberg for more information.

For more info or to screen Media That Matters go to http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/.

ABOUT ARTS ENGINE

Arts Engine produces the Media That Matters Film Festival. Our mission is to support, produce, and distribute independent media of consequence and promote the use of independent media by advocates, educators and the general public. By fostering the production and use of independent film, video and new media, Arts Engine connects media makers and active audiences in order to spur critical consideration of pressing social issues.

SOURCE: Arts Engine

CONTACT: Paul Greenberg, Arts Engine,
+1-646-230-6288, x. 223, paul@artsengine.net
http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/press

Web site: http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/