Happy New Year to you all! We’re anticipating a great year in 2010—rolling out the film, launching our grassroots screening campaign, and lots of collaboration along the way! With our website reconstruction currently underway and our trusty e-newsletters, we’ll be sure to keep you abreast of all our news and progress.
I’m happy to say that the December evening of “Hungry Filmmakers” was a successful, sold out event! The audience previewed seven film excerpts; then, Anna Lappe facilitated a discussion with the filmmakers and two esteemed guests—WOAO?’s very own character/co-producer Marty Mesh & an advocate from World Hunger Year. Here’s an article by Columbia Journalism Student, Melissa Muller, recapping the whole event and highlighting a little of WOAO?’s backstory: http://greenstandardnyc.com/2009/12/20/documentary-filmmakers-are-hungry-for-change/
We do believe audiences are still hungry, though, because another Hungry Filmmakers event is already scheduled to take place February 23 featuring all new films! The official press release will come out soon, so keep your eyes pealed… And please spread the word that we’re calling for entries for future events: www.hungryfilmmakers.blogspot.com
In the meantime, though, for any of you Northern CA folks—we’ll be screening the film at the Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival and the Sonoma Environmental Film Festival this month! Shelley will be attending the screenings and answering questions afterward, so check out the links for the details and please spread the word to your friends in the area!
And for those of you hungry for WOAO? content on the web, we are happy to announce that The Organic Trade Association (OTA) has selected a clip of our footage on its newly launched web site, “Organic. It’s Worth It.” This website is a place where consumers can gain knowledge on how the different aspects within organic production intertwine and the results they produce, so we’re thrilled they wanted our content to be a part of their educational efforts. Be sure to check out the website and our featured clip of Andy Grant: http://www.organicitsworthit.org/experts/grow/andy-grant#bio
As we reflect upon all our progress on the film over the past year, we would like to acknowledge the incredible and generous talent of one of our dear friends and member of our crew who passed away just after Thanksgiving in 2009. Lora Hays served as consulting editor on WOAO? and was Shelley’s mentor throughout the making of the film. We feel blessed that we shared part of Lora’s 99 years on this earth and grateful that she imparted some of her wisdom to help make WOAO? a very special film. Here’s a bit more about her life and work, if you’d like to read about a truly fantastic and inspiring woman: http://www.thevillager.com/villager_345/lorahaysspindel.html
All the best,
WOAO? team