Blog posting written by Lindsay Harrop, Cinema & Photography '13, FLEFF Intern, McMinnville, Oregon

Philip Mallory Jones just wrapped his meet-up in Park 220 and now we're on to a conversation with filmmaker Franklin Lopez! 

Franklin started out by screening his video "George Bush Don't Like Black People" which he made following Hurricane Katrina and went viral almost immediately. It's a great commentary on the US Government's response to the catastrophe in New Orleans and very much in line with the angry, youthful spirit that a lot of people were feeling at the time.

FL: I was in Atlanta at the time Katrina hit and I was as pissed as anyone. I heard about some people in Houston who took Kanye West's new single "Golddigger" and his statement "Goerge Bush doesn't care about black people" and looped and free-styled it. So then I found hours and hours of Katrina footage and edited this together. I put it online and soon the New York Times got a hold of it and then my server crashed from all the attention.

A: What kind of response did you get?
FL: With this video? It was awesome. I got a lot of bashing on the YouTube page and racist feedback too, which really reminded me that we have a long way to go with anti-racism in this country.

One of my favorite things Frank's said so far is, "I'm not trying to make a living. I'm trying to react. All the work I do is activist with an affinity toward anti-authoritarian."

We're moving on to Frank's video "Why I Love Shoplifting from Big Corporations," a video inspired by an anarchist zine from Crime Think. Also a really interesting one to check out whether you're in Park right now, or anywhere else in the world.

There's a lot of great energy down here in Park 220 and I for one am having a really great time. Frank Lopez is definitely at the center of the new wave of digital and video activism and commentary and I can't wait to be a part of the discussions he's starting.

Franklin will also be screening his movie END:CIV TONIGHT at Cinemapolis at 9:00pm and will be around after for more discussion. If what we've seen so far today is any precursor, it's going to be an awesome experience and I for one can't wait! See you there!

Blog posting written by Lindsay Harrop, Cinema & Photography '13, FLEFF Intern, McMinnville, Oregon

FLEFF is upon us! We had a terrific kick-off last night with the world premiere of the Finger Lakes Uncorked! webisode series and grand opening gala at the Finger Lakes Wine Center in downtown Ithaca. Since then, I've run into a lot of people on campus asking, "Just what is FLEFF?" Besides AMAZING, here's a quick catch-up on some of what FLEFF is all about:

FLEFF stands for the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival, but it goes beyond what you'd expect. The documentaries and narrative films shown at the festival all revolve around the idea of how people relate to their environments and how our environments relate to us.

There are films with topics ranging from environmental exploitation (like End:Civ showing at Cinemapolis Friday, April 15 at 9:00pm with director Frank Lopez) to the recent economic breakdown (Fixing the Future showing at Cinemapolis Saturday, April 16 at 4:00pm with director and journalist David Brancaccio). There are also silent films with live musical accompaniment, new media presentations on campus and live music events at Delilah's April 14-16th.

A lot of the artists, musicians and filmmakers associated with FLEFF events will be present at their events to answer questions and interact with the audience - especially students.

The last live FLEFF festival in 2009 attracted over 10,000 people and this year is going to be even BIGGER. Most of the on-campus events are free but if you want to attend a Cinemapolis screening (and I'm sure you do) you can buy a Festival Five Pass for $45 ($35 with college ID) or an individual screening ticket for $9.50 ($8 with college ID).

So what are you waiting for? Check out the schedule of events this week on-campus and downtown at Cinemapolis and see what all the excitement is about!
 

Blog posting written by Abby Sophir, Television/Radio '14, FLEFF Intern, St. Louis, Missouri.

Ask yourself: “If your homeland was invaded by aliens who cut down the forests, poisoned the water and air, and contaminated the food supply, would you resist?”

This is the questioned posed by END:CIV, one of the many must-see documentaries airing during FLEFF week. 

Even better, if you’re like me and avoid Friday classes, take advantage of the afternoon and head on over to Park 220 at 2 PM on April 15 for conversation with Franklin Lopez, the director of the film. END: CIV is a fast-paced critique of our culture’s addiction to systematic violence and environmental exploitation. It is based in part on Endgame, a best-selling book by Derrick Jensen. 

You can then catch the movie at 9 PM that night at Cinemapolis. 

For anyone interested in documentary production, environmentalism or politics, this FLEFF lab is a great, intimate opportunity!