Sundance promos such as this play before each screening. This year’s theme was “Film Takes Place.” (Photo David Shechter)

MR. SMITH GOES TO PARK CITY When a 21-term member of Congress like John Conyers takes an interest in a film – as he did with Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North – Washington’s power to affect change is put into motion. Conyers has re-introduced the bill H.R. 40 (Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act) every Congress since 1989, and he claims he will continue to do so until it passes. He came to Park City as part of the panel “An MLK Day Discussion: The Legacy of the Slave Trade 200 Years After its Abolition,” in conjunction with the screening of Traces of the Trade.

Producer/director Katrina Browne’s documentary explores the hot-button issue of slavery from the perspective of her ancestors, the De Wolf family, whose wealth (e.g., in 1837, James De Wolf died the second-richest man in America) was built in the slave trade The film follows eight De Wolf descendants coming to grips with their family’s history as they retrace the Triangle Trade’s route from Western Africa to Cuba and back to Rhode Island.

The film blows a hole in the fallacy that the North was home only to the “do-good abolitionists” by highlighting its complicity in fueling the economic engine of slavery. Browne’s work is also a socio-cultural exploration of white privilege and responsibility. Both Browne and Conyers hope the film will add to the national debate on America’s slave history and the movement towards a possible truth commission and reparations …. Finding Nemo 2 this is not.

Sundance patriarch Robert Redford, always keen to get political, latched on to the theme of change during his opening night remarks before the screening of the Colin Farrell dramatic feature In Bruges. “The word ‘change’ has been thrown around a lot recently,” he joked in reference to Barack Obama’s presidential catch phrase. “What I’d like to do,” he continued, “is focus on the word change as it relates to art. Because I feel strongly that artists are really agents for change. I’d like to look at the role of artists, because as agents of change, they are the first responders. They document change as it is occurring in the world around us, and they are the ones who will ultimately set the tone for the festival.”

KICKING IT, PARK CITY STYLE

Farrell is one such agent. His mere presence as an executive producer and narrator of Kicking It added important industry cachet to a project he felt deeply about. With his participation, the film will raise awareness for the plight of the homeless and how the street soccer leagues in which they participate leading up to the Homeless World Cup help to transform lives. Kicking It showcased that Washington can be an agent of change when it pools its collective resources. Koch partnered with local cinematographer Barrett (who is engaged to Julia Cohen, daughter of trailblazing ’50s and ’60s documentary filmmaker Robert Carl Cohen) to travel around the world to document homeless world cup players from war-torn Afghanistan, the slums of Kenya, the drug rehab clinics of

Ted Leonsis at WL’s “Pollywood: Salute to Washington Filmmaking” dinner. (Photo David Shechter)

FILMANTHROPY MEETS POLLYWOOD 2.0
BY TED LEONSIS

There is something magical about the medium of film; about getting people to watch a work of art with a positive underlying message on a 40-foot screen. While working on films I began to develop a concept I call “filmanthropy;” a new way of making movies that matter; of shining a light on a tough subject and activating volunteerism around an issue. In these kinds of films it isn’t box office revenues that matter; it’s helping people and causes, righting a wrong, and effecting a lasting change. At this year’s Sundance Film Festival, I was honored at Washington Life’s Pollywood dinner, in recognition of Kicking It, which premiered at the festival. As I looked around the room that night, I saw the result of a lifetime of work and experience. There were friends from Hollywood, business partners, my family, and politicians like Rep. John Conyers, Mark Warner, and Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty. There were people from non-profit organizations we had supported, people from the media who can partner with us on our future endeavors, and truly talented artists, all under one roof. As I spoke to the group about filmanthropy and happiness, I was as comfortable as I have ever been in my life. I felt like everyone in the room was on a similar journey; trying to change the world for the good of mankind; trying to leave more behind than we take; and ready to partner with one another to do so. For me this dinner was the culmination of all that I believe and all I have worked for during the past 30 years.