EchoChamber // BUDRUS

Dear Friends,

EchoChamber is proud to present a screening of the award-winning documentary Budrus, a film by Julia Bacha, next Monday, October 11, at 8:10 PM at the Quad Cinema in New York City. A Q&A with the filmmakers will follow the screening.

Please see the invite below for details. If you can make it, please RSVP to rsvp@startanecho.org

Smriti Mundhra
Shruti Rya Ganguly
Co-Founders
EchoChamber
www.startanecho.org


The New York Times calls Budrus "this year's must-see documentary"

Winner Audience Award, 2nd Prize, Berlin International Film Festival 2010
Winner Audience Award, San Francisco Film Festival
Winner Special Jury Mention, Tribeca Film Festival 2010
Winner Special Jury Mention, Jerusalem Film Festival 2010
Winner Special Jury Mention, Documenta Madrid 2010
Winner Witness Award, SilverDocs Film Festival 2010
Winner Amnesty Award Italia, Film Festival 2010
Winner, Best of Fest, Traverse City Film Festival 2010

Budrus' Opening at the Quad Cinema in NYC on October 8th

Just Vision is pleased to announce the New York theatrical launch of its new film Budrus. Hailed in the New York Times as "this year's must-see documentary," and featured in major international news outlets, including Newsweek and the Economist, Budrus tells the story of a Palestinian community organizer, Ayed Morrar, who unites members of all factions along with Israeli supporters in an unarmed movement to save his village of Budrus from destruction by Israel's Separation Barrier. Success eludes them until his 15-year-old daughter, Iltezam, launches a women’s contingent that quickly moves to the front lines. A trailer of the film as well as full press reviews are available at: http://www.justvision.org/budrus.

Winner of the Audience Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival, Special Jury Mention at the Tribeca Film Festival, the Berlin International Film Festival's Panorama Audience Award Second Prize, Founder's Prize at Michael Moore's Traverse City Film Festival, Special Mention at the Jerusalem International Film Festival and the WITNESS Award at Silverdocs, Budrus is produced by an Israeli, Palestinian and North American team of filmmakers, including the writer/editor of the celebrated film, Control Room, and the directors of Encounter Point.

Budrus will be playing from October 8th to 14th at the Quad Cinema, located at 34 W. 13th St. in Manhattan. Daily screenings at: 1:05, 2:50, 4:35, 6:25, 8:10* and 10pm.

To purchase tickets please click here.

*Daily Q&A with filmmakers and\or subjects after the 8:10pm screening.

EchoChamber // NIGERIA

Dear Friends,

EchoChamber in conjunction with HBO Documentary Films would like to invite you to a private screening of the International Emmy award-winning documentary Saving Africa's Witch Children, a film by Mags Gavan and Joost Van Der Valk (with narration by Sophie Okonedo), this Monday, May 24, at 6PM at the HBO Theater in New York City. A Q&A with the filmmakers will follow the screening. Please see the invite below for details. If you can make it, please RSVP to rsvp@startanecho.org as soon as possible, as space is limited.


ABOUT THE FILM
In the poorest parts of Nigeria, where an extreme form of Pentecostal Christianity has combined with deep-rooted belief in black magic, thousands of children are branded as witches, blamed for disease and death, and often abandoned. SAVING AFRICA’S WITCH CHILDREN follows Gary Foxcroft, a 29-year old Briton who works to help these vulnerable children through his charity, Stepping Stones Nigeria, which raises funds to aid children living in the Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network (CRARN) shelter. Sam Itauma, a Nigerian, runs the shelter and cares for over 150 orphans. Though Nigeria has passed a Child rights Act, the Akwa Ibom region had not enacted the law. After Gary organizes a demonstration, the law is passed, but children still arrive at CRARN daily.

The NYU Haitian Relief Fund - Help Make A Difference

An email I got today -- Shruti

The Faculty Senators Council, Administrative Management Council, and NYU Dean’s Council are sponsoring The NYU Haitian Relief Fund - a unique university-wide campaign in which donors can specify the types of goods or service they would like to have their contributions support. All funds will be distributed through the Clinton Foundation in its capacity and affiliation with the UN Special Envoy for Haiti.

Please visit www.nyu.edu/civic.engagement to download the NYU Haitian Relief Fund pledge form and help make a difference today! Thank you in advance for your support. Together, we can help provide the financial support necessary to rebuild Haiti.


NYU Office of Civic Engagement, 25 West 4th Street, 5th Floor
212 998-2329
civic.engagement@nyu.edu

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An email I got today -- Shruti

The Faculty Senators Council, Administrative Management Council, and NYU Dean’s Council are sponsoring The NYU Haitian Relief Fund - a unique university-wide campaign in which donors can specify the types of goods or service they would like to have their contributions support. All funds will be distributed through the Clinton Foundation in its capacity and affiliation with the UN Special Envoy for Haiti.

Please visit www.nyu.edu/civic.engagement to download the NYU Haitian Relief Fund pledge form and help make a difference today! Thank you in advance for your support. Together, we can help provide the financial support necessary to rebuild Haiti.


NYU Office of Civic Engagement, 25 West 4th Street, 5th Floor
212 998-2329
civic.engagement@nyu.edu

Something About Prudence

Dear friends,

We are still high on the energy and inspiration from Sunday night's event. To those of you who were able to attend, thank you for your attention and your support! We hope you enjoyed the film and discussion as much as we did. For those who weren't able to make it, you can catch Music By Prudence on HBO, May 12th. And we will be putting up a video of the panel discussion soon. Stay tuned!

We would also like to thank our amazing panelists, Shantha Rau Barriga, Kim Snyder and Derek Weisehahn, and our moderator Jessica Reynolds for their insight, and our event partners Soho House and Human Rights Watch.

Our moderator Jess Reynolds with the panelists

A captivated audience - The Echo Effect

We are still trying to raise money for Prudence Mabhena to come to the US next month and need your help! Please donate or pass this on to your communities. Your tax-deductible donations would go towards her trip, special van and attendant, and will also help programs at her school in Zimbabwe.

Below is a message from director Roger Ross Williams and Dominic Muntanga, founder of the Council for Zimbabwe.

Thank you for your continued generosity and interest, and we will see you at the next event!

Cheers,
Shruti Ganguly + Smriti Mundhra
Co-founders, EchoChamber
www.startanecho.org

Roger Ross Williams: Artistic Statement
Since the Oscars, remarkable things continue to happen. Prudence's return to her native Zimbabwe last week was met by the following national headline: Government must take measures to protect the disabled . It has become evident that Prudence's voice, figuratively and quite literally, has the potential to become a powerful one in global advocacy for people with disabilities. We have a rare opportunity on hand. In early May, Music By Prudence will be broadcast on HBO to millions of people in the US. In light of all this, we have launched the Music By Prudence Project, a fledgling initiative that proposes to bring Prudence to the US for the month of May beginning with the HBO premiere for a series of public appearances, advocacy meetings, and cultural events that will serve to establish Prudence as an international advocate and explore an initiative that will raise awareness about disability in Africa and create exchange between African and American people with disabilities.

For more information, visit: www.musicbyprudence.com

Dominic Muntanga: Council for Zimbabwe
One of the key challenges facing Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe now is how to attract the skills and expertise of about 3-5 million Zimbabweans, including lawyers, doctors, engineers, teachers and business executives who left the country because of the social and economic collapse during the last decade. This move has had a debilitating effect on the delivery of social services and threatens reconstruction efforts to reverse the severe decline of infrastructure, the social sector and the economy.

The Council for Zimbabwe is a politically neutral organization formed to coordinate Zimbabweans abroad and global citizens to mobilize financial, human, and material resources to respond to the humanitarian and development needs in Zimbabwe. The organization plans to further this mission by creating an information portal and secure skills database directory to swiftly mobilize and match professionals abroad to institutions in need of expertise in Zimbabwe; establishing a Zimbabwe Development Fund to provide financial support to talented but economically disadvantaged students; convening conference calls, conferences and meetings between the Diaspora, development agencies and Zimbabwean policy makers, to encourage dialogue aimed at addressing systemic challenges and improving development policies; and advocating for the reconstruction of a peaceful, prosperous, and progressive Zimbabwe.

For more information, visit: www.zimcouncil.org

Dominic Muntanga shares his stories and work with us

EchoChamber // Zimbabwe

Dear Friends,

On behalf of EchoChamber we would like to invite you to a very special private screening of the Academy Award-winning documentary MUSIC BY PRUDENCE (2010, Best Short Subject Documentary), this Sunday, April 18th, 7PM at the SoHo House in New York City. A panel discussion with the filmmakers and advocates for the Music By Prudence Foundation will follow. Sunday is Zimbabwe Independence Day, and how better to celebrate than to join us for this truly remarkable film. Seating is extremely limited, so please RSVP (rsvp@startanecho.org) as soon as possible so that we may reserve your seats.



MUSIC BY PRUDENCE, directed by Roger Ross Williams, tells the uplifting story of a 21-year-old Zimbabwean singer-songwriter Prudence Mabhena, who was born severely disabled and has struggled to overcome poverty and discrimination. Abandoned by her parents but sustained by the devotion of her aging grandmother, Prudence was sent to live at the King George VI School and Center for Children with Physical Disabilities (KG6) in Bulawayo. At KG6, Prudence found her voice--so resonant and beautiful, her fellow students insisted they form a band with her as the lead singer--and Liyana ("It's Raining") was born. All eight members of Liyana are physically disabled.

EchoChamber is asking for a $20 suggested donation for the Music By Prudence Foundation, to spread Prudence Mabhena's message and music around the world.

We hope to see you on Sunday!

Sincerely,

Smriti Mundhra
Shruti Rya Ganguly
Co-Founders, EchoChamber
www.startanecho.org

Haiti fundraiser follow up

This is a belated post but we are still riding on the wave of the Haiti screening + fundraiser success.

A big thank you to the Soho House for letting us screen Jonathan Demme's movie there, and of course to our fantastic panelists who provided attendees with a raw, poignant picture of the current Haitian situation. Stay tuned for more Haiti-related EchoChamber events!

In the meantime, here are some photos:

Shruti Ganguly introduces the evening

The fantastic panelists with moderator Mahdis Keshawarz

Information about the Cine Institute in Jacmel, Haiti. All proceeds went to this amazing group

We made T-shirts!