Films about environment and social justice are produced by
A LOT IN COMMON,* the Emmy Award-winning documentary unit of BACIPIX Video.
*ALIC is the namesake of the first nationally distributed independent film it produced.
Logos and laurels below indicate distribution partners.
The half-hour independent film
BREATH OF LIFE documents the
efforts of dedicated indigenous
Californians who have committed
themselves to revitalizing the rich
cultural legacy their ancestors
have left to them in tribal languages,
many under threat of extinction.
They learn how to find cherished field
notes and recordings that were made of their ancestors' grammar, stories and songs. For most it is a challenging and emotional--even spiritual--experience to rediscover these treasures. MORE
TWO-SPIRIT POWWOW charts the growth of San Francisco's all-volunteer Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS) groundbreaking LGBTQI-sponsored powwow, the first of its kind in the country. MORE
Broadcast on NorCal Public Media and NHK World's international show "Zeroing In," MILLER CENTER FELLOWS serves as a pilot for the feature length doc
SILICON VALLEY for SOCIAL GOOD. It follows Santa Clara University students abroad as they work through the Miller Center to help social entrepreneurs with business ventures designed to promote sustainability and social good. MORE
A LOT IN COMMON, the film, debuted in 2003, aired nationally on public television stations and won several film festival awards. The vibrant community garden in the starring role still thrives in Berkeley, California. Including interviews with Jane Jacobs, Ray Suarez and Paul Hawken, ALIC continues to inform and inspire those interested in community building and green urban planning. MORE
BABA WAIN is what his students lovingly call jazz drummer and educator E.W. Wainwright. Growing up through the civil rights movement and experiencing prejudice first hand, he has dedicated his life to building community and promoting peace and love. MORE
TOWARD LIVING PONO chronicles the efforts of actor Jason Scott Lee and other island activists from all walks of Hawaiian life who believe the survival of their culture and the vitality of their environment hinges on honoring their centuries-old traditions and their respect for their ‘aina, their land.
Emmy-nominated ONLY IN THE CASTRO narrated by Marga Gomez is a lighthearted, poignant half-hour film profiling beloved walking tour guide and San Francisco personality Trevor Hailey, whose 15-year vocation was to take visitors on a journey through San Francisco's historic Castro District. MORE
CLIENT DOCUMENTARIES
Feature-length videos dealing with community and social issues are occasionally commissioned by outside clients.
CAMP OLJATO:
75 YEARS OF STARLIGHT
ON THE WATER
An hour-long film celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Boy Scout Camp Oljato at Huntington Lake, California. This picturesque High Sierra facility was originally made possible by support from benefactor and Levi Strauss heiress Lucie Stern. It is a place where youth are instilled with a sense of responsibility for each other and for the natural world around them.
SIZONGENA - COMING HOME
Vukani Mawethu in South Africa
Producer Jon Fromer's moving film chronicles the Bay Area choral group Vukani Mawethu's heartwarming tour through South Africa, where they performed freedom songs with local choirs in the newly liberated country. All post production was done at the A Lot in Common documentary unit.
PEOPLE, LAND & SUSTAINABILITY
University of Nottingham, UK
Community gardeners from around the world travel to Nottingham to participate in a first-of-its-kind conference that convenes community leaders to share strategies for empowering neighborhoods from the roots up. Executive producer Prof. John Ferris kindly provided universal access for a week of global connections. Followed by stops at gardens around the U.S. and Canada on the way home!
EVA'S GIFT
Holocaust survivor Eva Libitzky brings her family all the way back to her native Poland to show them around her childhood neighborhood, and ultimately to tour Dachau, where she narrowly escaped death.
COVID MARATHON started as a demonstration video for a MidPen Media Center virtual documentary class. But it kept on going to win an ACM West WAVE Award! COVID lockdown got me thinking about pandemics in general and why taking health seriously is important. A very personal reflection. Featuring Arion Stone and Greg Casperson.
