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Groundswell created this video featuring the American Indian Film Gallery and its creator Fred MacDonald. MacDonald combines a lifetime of collecting rare archival films and a passion for preserving history to create a website where visitors can watch hundreds of historic films about Native Americans.

Dr MacDonald worked countless hours to digitize these fading films of the past and to curate the gallery so visitors can learn not only about Native American traditions, but also about media representations of indigenous peoples from days past.

To explore the archive, visit the American Indian Film Gallery’s website.

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A new documentary is shining a light on undocumented youth who were born outside the U.S. but raised in America– and the struggles they face.

“Papers the Movie” is the story of five undocumented high school students who risk deportation. 475 screenings of the film have taken place nationwide, according to the Papers The Movie website, which has a goal of reaching 1,000 screenings. One such screening was held on Capitol Hill as recently as May 18th.

According to the filmmakers, approximately 2 million undocumented children live in the United States. “65,000 undocumented students graduate every year from high school without ‘papers’ and find the door to the future slammed shut,” the producers say, noting that it is illegal for them to work or drive. “For most there is no path to citizenship.”

The producers of the film hope that Congress will approve the DREAM Act, which could provide that path to citizenship if youth attend an American college or join the military.

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If the spectacle of World Cup Soccer in South Africa inspires you, a new film by ESPN, titled Outside The Lines, will make your day. Outside the Lines is a remarkable short film that reveals a little known chapter in the history of South Africa.

Did you know that political prisoners at Robben Island Maximum Security Prison created their own league including hand-sewn uniforms, hand-made trophies and original cheers? Two of the Robben Island Singers, Munt and Grant, played in this league. Their team was called Jaws. The loudest cheerleaders on the sidelines were known as howlers. The film weaves interviews with gritty reenactments and gorgeous location cinematography. Watch it to see how political prisoners from Robben Island can inspire the world.

Visit our project website for more about our own documentary, Robben Island Singers.

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From the tilled soil of an urban farm to the polished marble of City Hall, this engaging documentary follows the plight of local farmers in East Los Angeles as they speak out in defense of their land.

Many issues are raised as the film questions why the land was sold to a wealthy developer for millions less than fair-market value and why the transaction took place in a closed-door session of the LA City Council without the public’s knowledge.

All the powers-that-be have the same response: “The garden is wonderful, but there is nothing more we can do.” For more information about this 2009 Academy Award-nominated documentary, or to watch a trailer for the film, visit www.thegardenmovie.com

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For the past eight years, the Paris International Film Festival on Human Rights (FIFDH) has focused on raising awareness and film education for schools and students regarding the complexities of human rights breaches involving economic, social, cultural, civil, and political rights.

This year’s Prix Spécial du Jury was awarded to Buenos Días, Seguimos en Guerra (Hello, Our War Continues) by Anita Blumer (watch a trailer here). The film focuses on Guatemala and the war-like conditions that prevail in the wake of a civil war as the state remains undercut by organized crime. Guatemala has one of the highest murder rates on the American continent and violence claims more than ten lives a day. The film documents urban crime and the people who struggle against it.

The Human Rights Films Network (HRFN)

Since 2004, this film festival network has aimed to promote the protection of human rights on a global level. The network now brings together more than twenty festivals in the world, some of which are backed by major international human rights protection organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

The network strives for better distribution of human rights films and intends to endorse the emergence of new film festivals on human rights, especially in developing countries. Every year, the HRFN attracts a combined audience of more than 200,000 viewers worldwide.

More information can be found at their website, www.festival-droitsdelhomme.org.

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Can music change the world? Judging by the reach and impact of the Playing for Change movement, the answer to the question is a resounding “yes!”

Many of you may remember the viral Stand by Me video that made the rounds a few years ago. With tens of millions of views on Youtube alone, this “little experiment” has become an international sensation creating a veritable global Groundswell. The song transformed Playing For Change from a small group of individuals to a global movement for peace and understanding.

More on Playing for Change

Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music. The idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race.

Now, musicians from all over the world are brought together to perform benefit concerts that build music and art schools in communities that are in need of inspiration and hope. In addition to benefit concerts, the Playing for Change band also performs shows around the world. When audiences see and hear musicians who have traveled thousands of miles from their homes, united in purpose and chorus on one stage, everyone is touched by music’s unifying power.

For further information, visit the Playing For Change website.

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Since 1997, the non-profit Chicago Football Classic has been promoting scholarships for African American students looking to attend college. Many historical black colleges and universities (HBCUs) attend the annual event and showcase their educational programs.

A battle of high school marching bands and a football game draw crowds to Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois each fall. Over 5,000 Chicagoans attend the event each year for the musical performances and other attractions.

Groundswell created this short promotional video report for them in 2009.

For more information and tickets, visit the Chicago Football Classic website.

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The Robben Island Singers movie trailer has been selected to kick off the Jubilee Film Festival in Selma, Alabama on March 6th.

The Festival Co-Directors, Erica Henry, (representing the Voting Rights Museum in Selma) will screen the trailer to introduce the theme of this year’s festival: struggle in the American South and South Africa.

Winnie Mandela will be the keynote speaker in this festival which culminates with a celebratory crossing of the Edmund Pettis Bridge, commemorating the 45th anniversary of the famous civil rights march.

Visit selmajubilee.com for more information about the festival, and robbenislandsingers.com for more information about Groundswell’s film and concert project featuring Robben Island Singers.

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Groundswell intern Mitch Wenkus (Columbia College Chicago, ’10) is this year’s recipient of the Studs Terkel Scholarship Award presented by The Community Media Workshop and Columbia College Chicago. The award has been given annually in honor of the late Pulitzer-Prize winning oral historian.

The winner of the $2,000 prize, selected by a board of judges from the Community Media Workshop, is given to a student with the best grassroots class project. Mitch’s short documentary film won because it best illustrates Studs Terkel’s perspective of our city—one that recognizes and celebrates the extraordinary accomplishments or visions of ordinary people. Thom Clark, Executive Director of Community Media Workshop commended Mitch and said that it was a very competitive selection because there were so many high quality nominations across all media, print, audio and video.

As a Groundswell intern, Mitch has been assisting with the production of our “What Changed” webisode series which raises questions about President Obama’s anti-war stance.

Groundswell co-founder Jeff Spitz writes:

Mitch is the kind of student that Studs Terkel would adore. He’s a real listener, a creative artist and a community builder. Mitch is a documentary artist who has learned how to give voice to others. In the case of his short doc film, Joey and Jamal: A Chicago Public School Story, the voices come from a modest African American family that is speaking truth to power. Mitch focuses on two brothers and their mom as they figure out the ways that they learn best and keep out of harms way in a school system saturated with violence. The film raises profound questions about the hopes, dreams and tactics of Chicago school kids and their parents.

Read more about the film and Mitch’s award at the Community Media Workshop.

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In true Groundswell fashion, Haitian-born professor Cécile Accilienn is leading a lecture-film series entitled, “Haiti in our Backyard” at Columbus State University in Georgia.

The series, which started January 26th, creates a forum for students and activists interested in contributing to the relief efforts following the recent earthquake in Haiti. Likewise, Accilienn aims to go beyond the present crisis and break down commonplace Haitian stereotypes.

Accilien said rebuilding Haiti will take decades. “It’s important to not forget Haiti after the media leave.”In addition to educating local residents, the “Haiti in our Backyard” series will cover the many opportunities to join with others around the world to contribute to the rebuilding process in whatever capacity in they can, Accilien said. For more information, see this report.

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A simple film project from USC has evolved into a powerful force for improving the lives of children in Northern Uganda.

In 2003, three young filmmakers went to Africa in search of a story. They found a horrible situation that disgusted and inspired them. Their response, a modest documentary called Invisible Children: Rough Cut triggered a movement that has mobilized hundreds of thousands of people to raise awareness and protect innocent children who are at risk of being abducted every night by militias – militias that threaten to murder them unless they agree to become child soldiers.

The filmmakers focused on creating change through the power of story, film, and peer to peer organizing but they didn’t stop there. Additional programs now include teacher exchanges, education programs, scholarships (690 for secondary students and 180 full ride scholarships to university), and other development initiatives all aimed at making a difference in the lives of children surrounded by Africa’s longest-running war.

A screening/discussion event is scheduled for April 14th in Chicago at Loyola’s Water Tower campus. For more information, visit Invisible Children’s official website.

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This short documentary about Chicago Mayor Harold Washington and his legacy was produced by Groundswell’s Jeff Spitz for the Chicago History Museum in 2003.

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Lowrider is a short film about Chicago’s Latino car culture which Groundswell produced for the Chicago History Museum. The video now plays in a loop in the museum’s lobby. It has also been viewed more than 620,000 times on YouTube since 2007.

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Leave your responses to the video below.

At noon on October 2nd, 2002 I was busy teaching a course called Documentary and Social Change at Columbia College Chicago. My wife, Jennifer Amdur Spitz and many of our friends were involved at that same hour in an old fashioned anti-war rally in Federal Plaza in the heart of downtown Chicago. It would be the first gathering to protest the Bush Administration’s move toward a pre-emptive war against Iraq.

I asked my students if they wanted to leave our classroom and walk to a real anti-war rally. Try to remember how you felt in your gut when President Bush rallied Americans to move fast into a pre-emptive war to prevent America from being attacked with “nuclear,” “biological” and “chemical” weapons – weapons that could be provided to our enemies by Iraq? At the demonstration one of my students, Nahlyee Van Brunt, filmed some of the action with his video camera. Well, documentary and social change do go together whether we realize it or not. Please post your comments about what you think changed. This is a new kind of film experience – a webumentary.