"The Bail Trap: American Ransom" (27 minutes)
Three short films from this Brave New Films series, including:
1. "Breaking Down Bail -- Debunking Common Bail Myths" -- Few people know what bail really is, let alone how it all works. This short video explains it all.
2. "Tai's Story -- College or Bail?" -- 70% of people in jail are there for one reason: living in poverty. Low-income Americans are sitting in jails for days, months, and even years simply because they can’t afford to pay high bail amounts. All the while, private companies are profiting in the billions each year. This must end.
3. "How Much Is Your Freedom Worth?" -- To shrink jails, let's reform bail. Money bail disrupts the lives of so many Americans in more ways than one. Even if you bail out, even if your charges are dropped, the repercussions continue long after you're "free."
"The Laura Flanders Show" (27 minutes)
"No is not enough, says Naomi Klein, so if no isn't sufficient, what might be? This week, Laura talks with author/activist Gar Alperovitz, co-chair of the Next System Project (a framework for imagining 'the next system' of governance, democracy, and security). From the gloom of today he sees the principles of a Pluralist Commonwealth emerging. Also: a video from Local Futures counts down the many changes that can come from investing locally.
"Green Card Voices - Javier Arreola Martell " (5.5 minutes)
Javier Arreola Martell was taught by his grandmother to be kind and compassionate. He hopes to share her lessons of kindness with others around the world. Born in Mexico City, Javier moved around the country, living with different relatives after his father immigrated to the U.S. He spent most of his childhood raised by his grandmother, and forged a deep bond with her over the years.
At the age of 15, Javier asked his father to bring him as well so he could pursue a better future. Although he was excited to be reunited with his father in the United States, it was extremely difficult for Javier to leave his grandmother behind. While he struggled to adjust to this new land in the beginning, he started making many friends and improving his English.
After graduating from high school, Javier hopes to graduate from college to become a scientist and teacher so he can help people around the world.
"What Rivers Can Tell Us about the Earth's History" (11 minutes)
Rivers are one of nature's most powerful forces — they bulldoze mountains and carve up the earth, and their courses are constantly moving. Understanding how they form and how they'll change is important for those that call their banks and deltas home. In this visual-packed talk, geoscientist Liz Hajek shows us how rocks deposited by ancient rivers can be used as a time machine to study the history of the earth, so we can figure out how to more sustainably live on it today.
"Reclaiming Their Voice: The Native American Vote in New Mexico" (41.5 minutes)
This 2009 documentary -- directed by EMMY-winning filmmaker, Dorothy Fadiman -- documents ways in which Native Americans have been disenfranchised over centuries, in particular in voting representation. It chronicles the Laguna Pueblo tribe of New Mexico in their 2004 groundbreaking voter registration drive and the challenges they faced once Laguna voters arrived at the polls. The film also shows the Sacred Alliance for Grassroots Equality's (SAGE) fight to preserve parts of the sacred Petroglyph National Monument. The film is narrated by Peter Coyote and features interviews with members of the local Laguna community, including New Mexico House Representative, W. Ken Martinez. Robin H. Levin, the Community Librarian of the Fort Washakie School in Wyoming, said of the film: "Emotions run deep when viewing this insightful political documentary.
The story blends sincere efforts to achieve political clout with unfortunate results that, somehow, do not shut down the hopes of Native voters in New Mexico." In 2010, the film won the “Best New Mexico Film Award” at the first Duke City Doc Festival, which later became the Albuquerque International Film Festival.