Austin Metro Drug Free Coalition Media Project is a project series is focused on towing the media sector line when it comes developing impactful drug-free commercials (PSAs) geared towards building youth (6th-12th graders) resilience. The project idea stems from a recently established local Drug-Free Coalition on a mission to bring various sectors of the community together to prevent the use and abuse of alcohol, drugs, tobacco, marijuana, prescription and other drugs among youth in the community.
Founded in 2015 by Taryn Lavery, Alex Miller and Lucy Wilson, BLiPSWiTCH is interested in the collaboration of any and all things art and was founded as an inclusive platform for: artists to unite, create work, and cultivate a multifaceted arts community, unbound by individual mediums. We will push the boundaries of movement, dance, and art to facilitate an environment of innovation, enrichment, and outreach. Bringing together creators with a desire for collaboration allows us to reach a more diverse audience, promote education from all sides, and challenge both the artist and viewer to think in a new way.
Catharsis is a narrative short film by Deborah Valcin. As Deborah comes to terms with a recent incident that happened out of anger, she goes on a mental journey of self-realization that provides her with a new kind of freedom. Catharsis: A Journey Through Anger exposes the audience to Deborah’s inner monologue and the journey she goes through when dealing with the one terrifying emotion that society often tells Black Women to suppress.
Community First, A Home for the Homeless, is a documentary introducing an innovative new model for transforming the lives of homeless people through the power of community. The film tells the story of leaders and residents at Community First! Village, a 27 acre, master-planned development providing affordable, permanent housing for hundreds of chronically homeless people in Austin, Texas. Twenty percent of the residents at the Village have never been homeless but choose to live there as support. The Village also offers a variety of micro-enterprises providing the residents an opportunity to make a dignified income. As the founder Alan Graham explains, “housing will never solve homelessness but the community will”.
Love Evolved explores mankind's attempt to scientifically prove methods for enriching the human experience. An examination of the various events of the 20th century that sparked the positive psychology movement. From politics to social movements, from war to the counter culture, and from science to the divine, our investigation brings us face to face with the people who knowingly and unknowingly played roles as part of a movement that aspires to bring greater mental peace to the world through the fusion of myriad disciplines including neuroscience, psychology, Buddhism, and spiritual/religious beliefs. The data is out there, all you need is a little willingness to seek it.
Camlock Films' Malignant is a film that explores the conflict between the current shortcomings of modern medicine and the allure of spiritual healing. It revolves around the relationship between Debbie, a spiritual woman battling breast cancer, and her atheist daughter Chynna.
Many people have a preconceived notion as to what OCD is - it is often associated with hand-washing, cleanliness, or perfectionism. However, obsessive-compulsive disorder is much more complex than that. Mind Games is a short documentary aiming to show a general audience what it is like to struggle with OCD. There are many types of OCD that are not spoken about because of the taboo content of the obsessions, and we hope to shed more light on these lesser known types of OCD in order to empower more people to speak out.
Moondogs is a feminist retelling of a coming-of-age story. It twists the childhood adventure trope to explore how young women create a sense of self in contemporary America. In this short film, three teenage girls hit the road after the realization that one of them is pregnant. The external and internal struggles they face along the way shed contemplative light on the often-overlooked ways in which young women are forced to navigate their bodily autonomy, interpersonal relationships, and physical surroundings on the road to self-discovery.
Eugenio del Bosque's Peyoteros is about three Mexican-American men in South Texas are the only individuals left who can legally harvest and sell peyote in the United States. Traditionally known as Peyoteros, these men supply the sacred plant to members of the Native American Church with medicine for their sacrament. Supplies of the plant are dwindling, and demand continues to rise.
Untitled Highways Documentary
A documentary about the future of driving and highway infrastructure and its implications in the lives of drivers/users. Directed and Produced by Scott Ellison.
Sharon Arteaga's When You Clean a Stranger’s Home is a cinematic essay narrated by Abby, a first-generation high school senior who writes an essay describing what her and her mom learn about people when cleaning their homes. House decor and items left around convey a privilege that unveils Abby’s jealousy, judgment, frustrations, and finally her realization that she is taking her own opportunities for granted.
Melissa Kirkendall's documentary YOU ARE ME & I AM YOU about the famous indigenous midwife and shaman of Cotacachi, Ecuador who is helping to improve families lives and influence western medicine through her practice of pakarina (the ancient indigenous way of child birth) and the use of medicinal plants to heal people.