Can a film change the world?
Robert Greenwald, founder of Brave New Films and director of such acclaimed documentaries as Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism, Iraq for Sale, Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price will discuss 21st Century documentary filmmaking and activism during an Oct. 9 talk at Occidental College. Greenwald will share a never-before-seen clip of one of his new online videos at the free 7:30 p.m. presentation in Occidental’s Thorne Hall.
In a 2004 profile, the New York Times described Greenwald’s practice of producing "timely political films on short schedules and small budgets and then promoting and selling them on DVD through partnerships with grass-roots political organizations like MoveOn.org. The process, in addition to being swift, allows him to avoid the problems of risk-averse studios and finicky distributors." During his talk, he will discuss some of the creative ways filmmakers can produce web content and build online communities that can further impact public opinion and build an audience for their work. In addition to his onscreen work, Greenwald produces a short video series that includes such viral videos as The Real McCain and Fox Attacks.
Prior to his documentary work, Greenwald produced and/or directed more than 55 television movies, miniseries and feature films. His films have garnered 25 Emmy nominations, two Golden Globe nominations, the Peabody Award and the Robert Wood Johnson Award. Greenwald was the recipient of the 2002 Producer of the Year Award from the American Film Institute. He has been honored for his activism by the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, the Liberty Hill Foundation, and the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy.
This event is free and open to the public. Occidental College is located at 1600 Campus Road in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles. Map and directions are available at /x119.xml
This event is sponsored by the Remsen Bird Fund with the generous support of Dean of Students Barbara Avery and the departments of art history and the visual arts, urban and environmental policy, history, English and comparative literature, sociology and American studies.
