In Memoriam - Jim Thigpen
James Allen Thigpen, Jr., passed unexpectedly Wednesday, January 13, 2010 in
Columbus, Ohio. Fondly known as Jim, he was born May 28, 1950 in Columbus. He is
preceded in death by father , James A. Thigpen, Sr. He is survived by mother,
Louise of Columbus; sister Dorothy of Brooklyn, NY; brothers Steve (Veda) of
Columbus, Barry (Riccarda) of Franklin, TN, Robert (Molly) of New Albany, OH,
and life companion of 38 years, Larry J. Willis of Columbus, along with a host
of cousins, nieces and nephews. Jim graduated from East High School and with
honors from Ohio State University, with a degree in Psychology. He resided and
worked in a number of professional capacities in Columbus and New York City, and
owned a computer software development business. But Jim’s longest efforts were
on behalf of people with developmental disabilities and their families.
Throughout New York State, he was widely recognized as an effective advocate for
the principles of equal protection, justice and fairness for all. He had a great
passion for the arts, the internet, Web and software development. He developed
e-commerce websites and database applications for non-profit art and government
entities. Colleagues and friends describe Jim as always kind, empathetic,
sincere, respectful, and loyal toward every person. His kindness and compassion
will live in our hearts forever.
The crew at Third World Newsreel is
devastated by this loss. Jim was our beloved friend, co-worker, webmaster
- in fact he designed our upgraded website - and he was our consummate
"shademeister".
Memorial services were held on February 13 , at St.
Phillips Lutheran Church, in Columbus, Ohio, where Jim was baptized and
confirmed. A memorial will be held on March 20th in New York City. Please
contact twn@twn.org for more
information.
Remembering Loni Ding - Filmmaker and Activist
Loni Ding, the "mother of Asian American filmmaking", passed away
February 20, 2010. A great supporter of TWN, Loni not only made important films,
but was
a professor, and a tireless advocate and activist. She produced over 250 broadcast
programs, including the acclaimed Color of Honor and Nisei Soldier,
and the Ancestors in the Americas Series. She was instrumental in
organizing Asian American filmmakers to form what is now known as CAAM, the
Center for Asian American Media, in organizing to form ITVS, as well as the San
Francisco Neighborhood Arts Program, and was a long time board member of the
late AIVF (Assn of Independent Video and Filmmakers). We will miss her but
will cherish her memory and her body of work. A funeral service will be
held in San Francisco at the Green Street Mortuary on March 14th, and a New York
memorial will be held on April 12th at 6:30 PM at the Brecht Forum, 451 West
Street, NYC. Please contact twn@twn.org for
more information.
Send Aid to Haiti
We encourage all who can to make a donation to aid the millions devastated by
the earthquake in Haiti. Among the organizations working on aid are the Red
Cross, Unicef,Action Against Hunger, Doctors Without Borders, Hope for Haiti and
Oxfam.
Congratulations to the incoming 2010 TWN Film and Video Production Workshop class!
Asian Pacific American Heritage Celebration at Anthology Film Archives
In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Third World Newsreel and NewFilmmakers Series are proud to present a double feature program on Wednesday, May 12th starting at 7PM.
6:00 PM Program: Third World Newsreel Workshop Students Program
TWN has trained over 400 film and video artists of color in the past 30 years through its annual TWN Film & Video Production Workshop. In 2009, with the extra support of the Asian Women Giving Circle, TWN presented the AGEM (Asian Girls Empowerment through Media) Summer Workshop, a program of media literacy and production where 11 Asian young women produced 4 videos. Join TWN to a screening of recent Film and Video Production Workshop pieces, including a short by AGEM students.
6:30 PM Program: Korean Documentary by new and upcoming filmmaker Jeong-hyun Mun
Grandmother's Flower, 89 min
When director Mun accidentally discovered the diaries of his late granduncle, who was mentally ill, he unexpectedly learned about his family's secret history. The small mountain village in South Jeolla Province where Mun's family lived was nursing the wounds from conflicts of class, ideology as well as from the displacement of family members in South and North Korea, and even in Japan. It turned out that the history of his family contained all the tragedies of modern Korean history, a history he had only known through textbooks. This interesting documentary investigates a complex history linking the repercussions of Japanese colonialism and the Korean War to the director's family memories.
Wednesday, May 12th at 6:00 PM
Anthology Film Archives
32 Second Avenue, at 2nd Street
New York, NY
Admission: $5
More info
TWN's Spring Wednesday Night Workshops!
TWN's Wednesday Night Workshops will start March 24th! Visit our listing of this spring's offerings!
Deadlines Coming Up
George Stoney Fellowship
Working Films is seeking candidates with a demonstrated commitment to social
justice and an interest in documentary film and social media for the George
Stoney Fellowship. We are especially interested in candidates who possess the
initiative to take on new and innovative assignments. A sense of humor and the
capacity to work as a team player are essential.
We expect the Stoney Fellowship to last 8-10 weeks in our Wilmington office,
starting in May or June 2010. The Fellow will serve as a part-time, temporary
staff member, earning $10-15 an hour. Working Films values a diverse workplace
and encourages people with non-traditional experiences and from historically
underrepresented groups to apply. Please email a 1-page cover letter and your
resume to apply@workingfilms.org
Deadline: April 1st
More info
H2A Partners With Third World Newsreel To Create Indie Distribution Label
The Hip-Hop Association (H2A) has officially partnered with Third World Newsreel
(TWN) to form, H2ONewsreel, The Best in Hip-Hop Media, Education, and Culture.
Visit
h2onewsreel.com.
TWN will continue to acquire, distribute and market independent media under the
TWN brand. This includes more than 350 social issue titles, including historical
Newsreels from the sixties. H2O NEWSREEL will operate as a separate initiative
targeting the Hip-Hop culture and demographic.
The mission of the H2ONEWSREEL is to build an alternative media outlet that
provides a cultural and educational balance, economic sustainability, and
industry longevity by creating distribution opportunities to independent and
established Hip-Hop artists, educators, and filmmakers that display and define
the variety of images and stories that depict Hip-Hop culture. The H2A and TWN
demographic reach combined is over 30,000 international educators,
administrators, librarians, students, curators, organizers, writers, conference
and festival programmers, social and health service providers, television
programmers, and media artists.
TWN is an alternative media arts organization that fosters the creation,
appreciation and dissemination of independent film and video by and about
diverse communities, with a focus on people of color and social justice issues.
It supports the innovative work of diverse forms and genres made by artists who
are intimately connected to their subjects through common bonds of
ethnic/cultural heritage, class position, gender, sexual orientation and
political identification. TWN promotes the self-representation of traditionally
marginalized groups as well as the negotiated representation of those groups by
artists who work in solidarity with them.n annual event, to year-round
exhibitions at different venues throughout the US and internationally. Through
online partnerships, we will promote upcoming screenings, trailers and shorts.
Filmmakers will also have a space to create their own profile page. Filmmakers
whose projects are aligned with the H2O NEWSREEL mission will be selected to
work closely with staff members on their marketing campaigns, programming and
distribution goals, so that the H2A can offer more cultivation and resources.
The Odyssey awards honoring our best filmmakers will resume in June 2009.
H2O NEWSREEL is poised to be the leading Hip-Hop multi-media independent
developer and distribution outlet. It will acquire media projects and facilitate
the creation of curriculums and stH2O NEWSREEL is poised to be the leading
Hip-Hop multi-media independent developer and distribution outlet. It will
acquire media projects and facilitate the creation of curriculums and study
guides for the education and urban entertainment markets. H2ONEWSREEL will offer
the most competitive percentage agreement to independent filmmakers and will
split profits on a non-exclusive agreement.
Formed in September 2008, H2ONEWSREEL is now releasing its titles to the
international educational sector. H2ONEWSREEL is featuring ten
documentaries including: Masizakhe: Building Each Other (US/S. Africa),
Frekuensia Kolombiana (Colombia), and an award winning short series collection.
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