Mindful Media

Mindful Media screening event in Los Angeles

2010-03-03T16:58:00.000-08:00

4 March 2010 - Co-founding members of the Mindful Media Collective, Julia Reagan and Sammy Loren will showcase their latest social-issue documentary films at a screening event at the Echo Park Film Center in Los Angeles, California.

The screening is part of Mindful Media's ongoing effort to create a broad-based network of communities dedicated to creating social change through independent documentary films.

The two films that will be shown are ArgenChino (2009), directed by Julia Reagan, and Nueva Orleans (2008) directed by Sammy Loren.

The Echo Park Film Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing equal and affordable access to film + video education and resources.
For more information about the event please click here.

New Mindful Media Video Supports Peace in Sudan

2010-01-18T05:14:00.000-08:00

9 January 2010 - A new video clip recently published by Mindful Media producer, Mike McLean brings viewers to the New York City launch of the Sudan 365 Campaign. The Campaign is an international effort to call attention to the fragile peace in war-torn Sudan during the year leading up to the country's next election.

"This election could decide the fate of the 3 million people still living in Darfur, and the fate of the 3 million who have already been forced from their homes during the war, during the genocide," says McLean, "This clip is an invitation and a challenge to take action."

The two-minute clip is currently posted on the Sudan 365 webpage and circulating on the web with other videos from various cities around the world that also celebrated the launch of the campaign.

This video clip features still photos by Shane Bauer and Doctors Without Borders.

Mindful Media Supports Peace & Justice Movement in the US

2009-03-25T19:08:00.000-07:00

March. 2009
Mindful Media producer and co-founder, Mike McLean recently made a short video now being used by the Bergen County Peace & Justice Coalition. The video is about 1 minute and features images from two peace vigils that commemorated the 6th year of war in Iraq. The coalition, which is made up of over 15 grassroots peace and social justice groups from Northern New Jersey, is currently using the video on its website and in its online campaigning.

The video can be seen in our new videos section.
To learn more about the Bergen Peace & Justice Coalition click here.

ArgenChino viene a Buenos Aires

2009-03-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

ArgenChino (anteriormente Los Chinos de Buenos Aires) el documental que investiga los supermercados chinos de Buenos Aires viene a Buenos Aires el 22 de marzo hasta el 10 de abril 2009.

Una proyección con el Centro de Estudios Chinos en la Universidad de La Plata ya esta planeado y otras vienen pronto!
Para fechas de exhibiciones en Buenos Aires y mas detalles del documental, visita el sitio oficial: argenchino.wordpress.com

DEATH RACE to premiere at Ramapo College of New Jersey

2009-03-04T19:34:00.000-08:00

Update: March, 2009

Mindful Media Collective member, Mike McLean will be premiering his new short documentary Death Race: the movie explosion this March at Ramapo College of New Jersey. The film is a high-energy documentation of Northern New Jersey's notoriously disruptive death races - bicycle-powered pseudo-scavenger hunts that involve everything from senseless acts of mischief and anarchy, to intelligent criticisms of the United State's car culture.

The short film will be screening at the Ramapo College campus in the Trustee's Pavilion, Room 1 on Monday, March 9th at 8:00pm. The event will also feature a screening of Nueva Orleans, a Mindful Media collaboration.

The trailer for this event can been seen at our New Movies section.

Death Race: the movie explosion runs 16 action-packed minutes and features in its soundtrack various local bands and musicians. The screening event is being hosted by RCORE.

2009 Updates

2009-01-19T12:21:00.000-08:00

JAN 2009: Update on Los Chinos de Buenos Aires

Happy New Year from the Mindful Media Collective! With this new year comes many new socially aware documentaries from our producers.

LOS CHINOS DE BUENOS AIRES UPDATE
Julia Reagan returned to California in March of 2008 after filming her documentary on the Chinese population in Buenos Aires for one year. Since then she has been editing the film which Mindful Media plans to release in the coming months with a tour in Argentina as well as various locations in the United States. Dates to be released soon!

"Please" Addresses Same-Sex Marriage in California

2008-11-04T17:21:00.000-08:00

While in Los Angeles, Mindful Media Collective member, Julia Reagan has been involved with various projects including a short documentary dedicated to repealing Proposition 8 in California.

On November 4th, 2008 California voted to amend its constitution and ban same sex marriage. Whether or not we support the gay lifestyle, it is not just to dictate our beliefs onto the rest of our fellow citizens. Marriage should be a basic civil right. Denying it is a human rights violation. Every single being on this planet deserves happiness. If we are so lucky to find it, how dare it be denied us. This video was filmed on November 15th in Los Angeles. 12,000 people came to protest the passing of this law.

El 4 de noviembre 2008, los ciudadanos de California votaron para cambiar la Constitución para prohibir el matrimonio entre dos personas del mismo sexo. Incluso si no apoyemos el estilo de vida homosexual, no tenemos el derecho de quitárselo a los demas. El matrimonio debiera ser un derecho civil. Negarlo es una violación humana. Cada persona en este mundo se merece la oportunidad de ser feliz. Si por suerte, alguien encuentra felicidad, como se la podemos quitar?
Este video fue filmado durante la protesta en Los Angeles el 15 de noviembre 2008. 12.000 personas vinieron a protestar la ley.

Mindful Media On the Move

2008-11-03T21:20:00.000-08:00

November 2008 - In the past few months all four Mindful Media contributors have moved to different countries. But the production of our socially-minded documentaries continues!

Full length documentary that shows the epic struggle of the Saint Jean high school students, while exposing how corporate globalization and corruption work against education. Filmmakers Mike McLean & Marina Recalde have recently relocated from Buenos Aires, Argentina to the New York/New Jersey area of the United States!

Film Updates:
August 2008: The Saint Jean movie trailer hit the Internet on our myspace, youtube and blog. The trailer has since screened at the People's Movie Night at Wooden Shoe Books in Philadelphia.
September 2008: The Saint Jean rough cut arrived in the United States! Our 45 minute rough cut first screened to a wonderful audience in New York City's Lower East Side. Our rough cut has since been shown to select groups of activists, professors and peers - the input has been outstanding and much appreciated.
Approaching 2009: We are reaching our final cut of The Fight for Saint Jean. The film will run about 1 hour and will feature the music of composer Nicholas Coleman and the voice-over narration of the producers, Mike McLean and Marina Recalde.

A 30-minute documentary showing an intimate view of the lives of 5 immigrant laborers from Latin America. They crossed the US-Mexico border illegally to find work rebuilding homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Filmmaker Sammy Loren recent relocated to Paris, France, but not before meeting with co-producer and editor Mike McLean - the two have been in collaboration on the film since the summer of 2007.

Film Updates:
April 2008: Nueva Orleans rough cut screens at the New Orleans Human Rights Film Festival
September 2008: Nueva Orleans rough cut screens in New York City
Aproaching 2009: Nueva Orleans is extremely close to its completion and will be screened internationally very soon. The film features the music of Evan Morris.

Other updates:

Mindful Media filmmaker, Mike McLean will be releasing a short film called Death Race: the documentary explosion. The short film documents a series of high-adrenalin bicycle scavenger hunts organized by politically-charged youth activists in Northern New Jersey. The film will premiere at Ramapo College in March, 2009 in conjunction with a screening of The Fight for Saint Jean and yet another Death Race event organized by the Ramapo Community Organizing for Radical Empowerment (RCORE).

Mindful Media filmmaker, Julia Reagan has returned to her home in Califonia after a year of filming in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Latest News/Noticias

2008-07-11T14:07:00.000-07:00

The Fight for Saint Jean documentary nears completion
First screening events scheduled for September 2008
July 8th, 2008

BUENOS AIRES - Filmmakers Mike McLean and Marina Recalde are currently in post-production of their new documentary, The Fight for Saint Jean and the Struggle for Education in Argentina. The one-hour film follows the epic struggle of the students of Colegio Saint Jean in their fight to save their school and defend education as a human right for all. The film also tells a 50 year history of struggle for education and human rights in Argentina.

The filmmakers are currently looking for screening events in the United States starting in September of 2008. They are appealing to student groups, human rights organizations, and community members for assistance in organizing a series of grassroots video screenings along the East Coast. The filmmakers will be touring with their film from September 25 until October 8th and hope to have screening events in New Jersey, New York City, Philadelphia, Allentown, PA, Ohio, Baltimore, Washington, DC, Richmond, Greensboro, NC, and Atlanta, GA.

The Fight for Saint Jean is just one documentary produced and distributed by Mindful Media, a collective of producers and activists determined to use film to shed light on pressing social issues and create social change. After their first series of screenings, the filmmakers will be developing supplementary education materials so that The Fight for Saint Jean can been used in classrooms to cover several social sciences topics, including students rights & youth in politics, privatization & global economics, community organizing & direct democracy, and much more.

If you or your organization is interested in organizing a screening of The Fight for Saint Jean, please write MindfulMediaCollective@gmail.com.

Urgente - nuevo edicto del remate del Saint Jean!

2008-03-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Mindful Media

2008-03-10T09:23:00.000-07:00

We are a collective of filmmakers committed to creating social change by producing and distributing raw, humanistic and inspiring documentary films.

Using a grassroots network of educators, community groups, and activists organizations, we seek to engage audiences and inspire meaningful dialog of global issues.

Please feel free to read about our movies and watch our clips. Use the navigation on the right hand side.

Mindful Media es un colectivo de directores de cine comprometidos a crear un cambio social mediante la producción y distribución de documentales crudos y humanistas que infunden inspiración.

Con la ayuda de una red de organizaciones de base compuestas por educadores, distintos sectores de la comunidad y activistas, nuestro objetivo es que el público se involucre y a su vez podamos inspirar diálogos significativos sobre cuestiones mundiales.

Titles in Distribution/Títulos en distribución

2008-03-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

Los Cartoneros/The Cardboard People

(in English)
(en español)

The Hazards of Engagement: Villa 21 and its Guests/Los peligros de involucrarse: Villa 21 y sus visitantes
(in English)
(en español)

Also see out Titles in Production/Ver títulos en Producción

Titles in Production

2008-03-10T09:06:00.000-07:00

The Fight for Saint Jean/
La Lucha por el Saint Jean
(Film Synopsis/Sinopsis)
Please visit the Film Blog.

When the students of Colegio Saint Jean saw a newspaper ad saying their school would be closed and auctioned off, they thought it was a joke. Little did they know that the school’s board of directors had run up over $320,000US in debt and would use the student’s future as payment.

Nueva Orleans
(Film Synopsis/Sinopsis)

Stuffed into a crammed New Orleans clapboard house is a crew of Central American migrants. Seven days a week, they paint and tile fetid homes drowned by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.

ArgenChino
(Film Synopsis/Sinopsis)
As Argentina slowly recovers from the 2001 devaluation of the peso, it may seem an unlikely resting spot for Chinese expatriates. Although it is a story that has been told by many newly emigrated groups in decades past-- Koreans in New York City, Chinese in San Francisco—it holds a unique meaning in present day Argentina.

Also see our Titles in Distribution

Press/Prensa

2008-03-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

Los Supermercados Chinos de Buenos Aires

Article from Otros en Red/ Nota de Otros en Red
Article from P3 Update Magazine/Nota de P3 Update Magazine

La Lucha por el Saint Jean

2007-11-05T07:14:00.001-08:00

(En produccion)

Cuando los estudiantes del Colegio Saint Jean vieron publicado en el diario un edicto que rezaba que su escuela iba a ser rematada, pensaron que era un chiste. No sabían que la Comisión Directiva del colegio se había endeudado por una suma de US$ 320.000 y que usaría el futuro de ellos en forma de pago.

En un pequeño barrio de Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saint Jean es uno de los pocos colegios laicos que ofrecen los cinco niveles de enseñanza: jardín de infantes, primario, secundario, nivel especial y un terciario. A pesar de sus 40 años de servicio a la comunidad, la escuela se podría vender y cerrar para siempre, y así se dejarían atrás a sus 1.200 estudiantes.

Este documental muestra cómo los estudiantes defienden su colegio, movilizan a una comunidad y exigen que sus voces sean escuchadas. Ellos comen, duermen y organizan su campaña en la escuela, pero se aseguran que las clases continúen. En un país que ha sido despojado de muchas cosas, su lucha para salvar el Saint Jean constituye un movimiento para preservar la educación como derecho humano.

Mira nuestra seria de cortos en youtube:

Cortos de La lucha por el Saint Jean
----------------

THE FIGHT FOR SAINT JEAN

When the students of Colegio Saint Jean saw a newspaper ad saying their school would be closed and auctioned off, they thought it was a joke. Little did they know that the school’s board of directors had run up over $320,000US in debt and would use the student’s future as payment.

In a small neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saint Jean is one of the only non-catholic schools that offers Kindergarten through high school class, a school for mentally and physically challenged students, and an undergraduate night school. Despite its 40 years of service to the community, it might be sold and closed forever, leaving its 1,200 students behind.

Watch as the students defend their school, mobilize a community and demand that their voices be heard. They eat, sleep and organize their campaign in the school, but ensure that classes continue. In a country that has been robbed of everything, their fight to save Saint Jean is a movement to preserve education as a human right.

also, for the competition website there is a section to put a one or two line description. this is what i had wrote, i had to use contractions to make all the text fit in the space they provided:

Desks barricade the streets, students sleep in the classrooms, but classes continue; For these high school students in Buenos Aires, Argentina this isn't just a struggle to save their school from being closed forever, it's a youth uprising.

Watch our series of shorts:

La lucha por el Saint Jean cortos

"Los Chinos" de Buenos Aires

2007-11-05T07:08:00.000-08:00

Sinopsis
¿Por qué debemos inventar nuestra propia verdad para aquello que no comprendemos? ¿Cómo se origina un mito social? ¿Dónde se encuentra la borrosa línea que divide a la realidad del mito? ¿Cómo podemos distinguir entre ambos?
A medida que Argentina lentamente se recupera de la devaluación del peso que tuvo lugar en 2001, no parece ser el lugar más atractivo para que se establezcan los chinos expatriados. Aunque esto mismo ya lo han vivido varios grupos que emigraron durante las últimas décadas, como es el caso de los coreanos en Nueva York y los chinos en San Francisco, esta historia encierra un significado único en el contexto de la Argentina actual.
Los inmigrantes chinos abrieron miles de supermercados que administran en forma independiente y que han prosperado en Buenos Aires. A pesar de que estos supermercados son populares, los inmigrantes chinos se han tenido que enfrentar a un estereotipo negativo que crece en forma desenfrenada a medida que el país lucha por recuperar su lugar dentro de una economía globalizada. Mientras la nueva población de inmigrantes tiene un éxito económico relativo, debe enfrentarse con la creación de un mito que ha prevalecido profundamente como verdad, e incluso ha originado una división dramática y definitiva entre las dos culturas.
Los “supermercados chinos”, como se los denomina, se han convertido en un símbolo de la inmigración china en Buenos Aires y ahora definen a todo un grupo de cultura inmigrante. Este documental explora la reciente ola de inmigración china y el papel que ésta tiene en la Argentina del siglo XXI.

"Los Chinos" de Buenos Aires

2007-11-05T07:07:00.000-08:00

Synopsis
Why must we fabricate our own truth for that which we do not understand? How does societal myth begin? Where does the blurred line of truth and the false line of myth intertwine? How are we to distinguish the two?
As Argentina slowly recovers from the 2001 devaluation of the peso, it may seem an unlikely resting spot for Chinese expatriates. Although it is a story that has been told by many newly emigrated groups in decades past-- Koreans in New York City, Chinese in San Francisco—it holds a unique meaning in present day Argentina.
Chinese immigrants have opened thousands of independently owned supermarkets have that have flourished in Buenos Aires. Yet however popular these markets are, the Chinese immigrant population has been met with rampant stereotyping as the country struggles to rebuild its place in a global economy. As a new population of immigrants find relative economic success, they are met with a fabrication of myth that has pervaded so profoundly as truth, as to create a dramatic and definite divide between the two cultures.
The “supermercados chinos”, as they are called, have become a symbol of Chinese immigration in Buenos Aires and now define an entire group of immigrant culture. This documentary explores the recent wave of Chinese immigration and their role in a 21st century Argentina.

Nueva Orleans

2007-11-05T06:55:00.001-08:00

Sinopsis
Hacinados dentro de una casa en fase de rehabilitación en Nueva Orleans, hay un grupo de inmigrantes de América Central. Siete días a la semana, pintan y colocan tejas en las casas fétidas anegadas por el Huracán Katrina que tuvo lugar en agosto de 2005. Rubén, quien proviene de un pueblo rural de Guatemala, trabaja en forma ilegal para mantener a sus hijos y a su esposa que se encuentran en su país de origen. Ésta es la tarea pesada de cada día y sus efectos oscilan entre la soledad y el aislamiento, las peleas de borrachos y las prostitutas.
Al igual que muchos otros inmigrantes, Rubén lleva una vida que poco tiene que ver con su ciudad de adopción. Mientras que Nueva Orleans organiza una serie de desfiles y festivales, los trabajadores latinos están atascados en un lugar precario. Rubén y aproximadamente otros 130.000 inmigrantes latinos están reconstruyendo la ciudad, a pesar de que su mera presencia pone en peligro la erosión de la “antigua Nueva Orleans” que ellos fueron contratados para resucitar. Su papel es dual ya que actúan no sólo como salvadores sino como destructores también.
¿Qué significa ser un inmigrante en un lugar que está luchando por forjar una nueva identidad? ¿Cuáles son las consecuencias cuando los inmigrantes no pueden asegurar una posición sólida dentro del tejido social de una sociedad? Nueva Orleans aborda estas cuestiones mientras que la ciudad más excepcional de Estados Unidos se prepara para el futuro.

Nueva Orleans

2007-11-05T06:54:00.000-08:00

Synopsis
Stuffed into a crammed New Orleans clapboard house is a crew of Central American migrants. Seven days a week, they paint and tile fetid homes drowned by Hurricane Katrina in August, 2005. Rubén, from a village in rural Guatemala, works illegally to support his wife and children back home. It’s a daily grind with effects ranging from solitude and isolation to drunken brawls and prostitutes.
Like many immigrants, Rubén leads a life detached from his adopted city. While New Orleans roasts up an array of parades and festivals, the Latino laborers are stuck in a precarious space. Rubén and the other estimated 130,000 Latino migrants are rebuilding the city, yet their very presence risks eroding the “old New Orleans” they are hired to resurrect. They must play the dual role of both saviors and destroyers.
What does it mean to be an immigrant in a place scrambling to forge a new identity? What are the consequences when immigrants are unable to secure solid footing within a society’s social fabric? Nueva Orleans examines these questions as America’s most unique city braces for the future.

Los Cartoneros

2007-11-05T06:52:00.000-08:00

Hice Los Cartoneros en 2005. En ese momento, era un estudiante de Ciencias Políticas de Estados Unidos y estaba terminando mi último semestre en Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Cuatro años antes, en 2001, la economía del país colapsó y miles de personas perdieron sus empleos y los ahorros de toda la vida. Ahora, en cada calle, en cada barrio y a toda hora, hay gente que revuelve bolsas de basura en busca de materiales reciclables para luego venderlos en depósitos por unas pocas monedas.
La mayoría de la gente me decía “Sólo son los cartoneros. Son vagos”.
Después de investigar un poco, me di cuenta de que “los cartoneros” no eran vagos, sino una parte de la población que alguna vez tuvo un empleo digno y que luego se vio forzada a crear nuevas actividades para sobrevivir con el objetivo de satisfacer sus necesidades básicas. Ellos constituyen una manifestación de la verdadera identidad de Argentina como país subdesarrollado y como uno de los países más damnificados por la globalización.
Sin embargo, no hice esta película para señalar la injusticia de la globalización. Hice esta película porque quería mostrar que los cartoneros son seres humanos a pesar de que viven de los desechos del resto de la sociedad, que son personas que tienen una historia, familias, deseos, intereses y trabajos. Y cuando el público se da cuenta de esto, el cartonero se convierte en Juanchi, o en Juan Carlos, o en Florencia o en Ivana. Cada uno con una identidad, con un rostro y con una sonrisa.
Pero considerar a los cartoneros como seres humanos sólo es el primer paso para crear un cambio. El próximo paso es reconocer que esta situación no se produce sólo en Argentina, sino que es el resultado de un sistema de comercio mundial que crea riqueza para pocos y margina a muchos. Las empresas, los gobiernos y los bancos internacionales trabajan para promover un plan de “comercio libre”, a pesar de que éste claramente perjudica a los trabajadores y no crea un desarrollo sostenible para todos.
Me gustaría que la gente considere este documental como una invitación a ser testigo de un pantallazo de humanidad y humildad, como un día en la vida de otra persona, y también como una invitación a asumir nuestra responsabilidad como ciudadanos del mundo para trabajar juntos por un cambio.

*********

Sinopsis
Juanchi, un joven de 21 años proveniente de una pequeña ciudad en las afueras de Buenos Aires, mantiene a su familia con lo que gana buscando cosas en la basura. Seis días a la semana, Juanchi recorre las calles de la capital de Argentina en busca de cartón y otros materiales reciclables, con la esperanza de vender lo que obtiene en un depósito de reciclado. Como miles de argentinos, él es “un cartonero”. Es muy común verlos en los ruidosos bulevares de Buenos Aires. Ellos forman parte de la economía informal en alza, que aumentó en forma drástica después del colapso económico que tuvo lugar en 2001. En la actualidad, mientras el gobierno se esfuerza para saldar la deuda externa y encontrar una posición sólida dentro de una economía global que está en cambio constantemente, los cartoneros continúan estando presentes en el discurso de Argentina. ¿Los beneficios del comercio libre alcanzarán a personas como Juanchi? ¿Qué relación tiene el vínculo que la Argentina mantiene con el FMI y el Banco Mundial con la lucha de los cartoneros por sobrevivir día tras día?
Los Cartoneros explora la relación entre la globalización y la pobreza, y en qué medida éstas afectan la vida de las personas que luchan por vivir dentro de este contexto.

Los Cartoneros/The Cardboard People

2007-11-05T06:49:00.000-08:00

From the director...
I made Los Cartoneros/The Cardboard People in 2005, when I was an undergraduate Political Science student from the United States. I was finishing my last semester studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Four years prior, in 2001, the country’s economy had totally collapsed – hundreds of thousand of people lost their jobs and life’s savings. Now on nearly every street, in every neighborhood and at any time, there are people digging through trash bags searching for recyclables that can be sold for mere pennies at depositories.
"They're just the cartoneros. Bums," is what most people told me.
Some very simple research showed that these "cardboard people" were not just bums; they are a huge population of people who once had good jobs and have been forced to form a survival economy so they can meet the most minimum of living standards. They are a visible display of Argentina's true identity as an underdeveloped nation, one of globalization's losers.
But I didn't make this movie to point out the unfairness of globalization. I made this movie because I wanted to show that cartoneros are people even if they live off the discards of society. They have stories, families, desires, interests, and livelihoods. When an audience sees these things, the cartonero becomes Juanchi, or Juan Carlos, or Florencia, or Ivana, all with names, faces and smiles. But seeing the cartoneros as people is only the first step in creating change. Next is recognizing that this situation is not specific to Argentina and that it is caused by a system of global trade that creates unimaginable wealth for some and leaves so many behind. Corporations, governments and international banking institutions work together to spread a plan of ¨free trade¨ even though it clearly works against working families and does not create sustainable development for everyone.
I would like audiences to see Los Cartoneros as an invitation to witness a snapshot of humanity and humility, a day in someone else’s shoes, and also an invitation to embrace our responsibilty as global citizens to work for change.

*******

Synopsis
Juanchi, a 21-year-old from a small town outside Buenos Aires, supports himself and his family by digging through trash. Six days a week, Juanchi roams the streets of the Argentine capital in search of cardboard and other recyclables, hoping to sell his findings to a recycling depository. Like thousands of Argentines, he is “un cartonero”, a cardboard collector. Common sights on Buenos Aires’ bustling boulevards, they form part of the country’s booming informal economy, which swelled drastically following the 2001 economic collapse. Now, as the government scrambles to repay foreign debts and find solid footing in a changing global economy, the cardboard collectors’ presence in the Argentine discourse continues to emerge. Will the benefits of free trade trickle down to people like Juanchi? How does Argentina’s partnership with the IMF and the World Bank play into their struggle for daily survival?
Los Cartoneros/The Cardboard People explores the relationship of globalization, poverty, and how they affect the lives of those living through them.

Los peligros de involucrarse

2007-11-05T06:01:00.000-08:00

Sinopsis
A minutos de las elegantes avenidas de Buenos Aires, está la Villa 21, un lugar donde el trabajo promedio consiste en la recolección y la venta de basura. Claudia, una madre de cinco niños, establece una amistad con una estudiante de los Estados Unidos que trabaja en la Villa 21 como voluntaria para una organización social de izquierda. Las complicaciones surgen cuando la norteamericana le compra una casa a Claudia. ¿En qué medida el dinero afecta a la amistad? ¿Qué sucede cuando las personas ricas tratan de ayudar a otras personas de países más pobres? Ésta es una historia acerca de las posibilidades de establecer relaciones poco comunes.

The Hazards of Engagement

2007-11-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

Synopsis
Minutes from the elegant avenues of Buenos Aires, there’s Villa 21, a shanty town where the average job is collecting and selling trash. Claudia, a mother of five, befriends a wealthy American student who is volunteering with a leftist social organization in Villa 21. When the American buys Claudia a house, complications follow. How does money affect friendship? What happens when affluent individuals try to help people from poorer countries? This is a story about the possibilities of engaging in uncommon relationships.

Mindful Media somos

2007-11-05T05:58:00.000-08:00

Sammy Loren, 24 años, oriundo de Lawrence, Kansas, EE. UU., estudió periodismo en Loyola University, Nueva Orleans. En 2005 viajó a Buenos Aires, Argentina, para filmar su primer documental, Los peligros de involucrarse, donde explora los conflictos morales que surgen cuando estudiantes de EE. UU. con buenas intenciones recorren los barrios más pobres de Argentina. Su segundo documental, Nueva Orleans, que actualmente está en posproducción, cuenta la historia de un grupo de obreros mejicanos y guatemaltecos que trabajan reconstruyendo casas en esta ciudad, después del huracán Katrina. También escribió artículos sobre cuestiones latinoamericanas en varias publicaciones en Internet. En este momento, Sammy vive en India, en busca de su próximo documental.

Michael McLean, 25, recientemente regresó a Nueva Jersey, EE. UU., después de un año de filmar en Buenos Aires, Argentina. Su próximo documental, La lucha por el Saint Jean, coproducido con Marina Recalde, estará terminado hacia fines de 2008. Durante este último año co-escribió y editó Nueva Orleans, otro documental de Mindful Media. También produjo y dirigió Los Cartoneros/The Cardboard People, el cual presentó en varias escuelas secundarias y universidades en 2006 y 2007. Michael estudió Ciencias Políticas, Relaciones Internacionales y Diseño Multi-media, y se ha desempeñado como activista en varios movimientos sociales durante 10 años.

Julia Reagan, 25 años, de Los Ángeles, EE. UU., estudió Inglés y Cine en la University of California, Davis. Actualmente vive en Los Angeles, EEUU. En 2007/2008, filmó ArgenChino, una investigación sobre el precario clima social que rodea a los inmigrantes chinos que son dueños de supermercados en la capital. En Buenos Aires, también escribió para WICKED?!BA, una revista bilingüe sobre la cultura pop de Buenos Aires. Ahora en Los Angeles, trabaja por una compania de produccion mientras ordenando proyecciones para Argenchino.

Marina Recalde, 25 años, nativa de Buenos Aires, Argentina, estudió Traductorado de Inglés en la Universidad de Belgrano. Recientemente se mudó a Nueva Jersey, EE. UU., donde está realizando la posproducción de La lucha por el Saint Jean, un documental que muestra la lucha de una escuela por defender la educación como derecho humano en Argentina. Además, en 2007 se desempeñó como productora ejecutiva y traductora de Nueva Orleans, otro documental de Mindful Media. En 2005 Marina trabajó como asistente de preproducción y traductora del documental Los Cartoneros. En la actualidad enseña español y traduce en forma freelance.

We are Mindful Media

2007-11-05T05:55:00.000-08:00

Sammy Loren, 24, grew up in Kansas and studied English and Latin American Studies in New Orleans. In 2005 he bamboozled a grant committee into flying him to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to film his first documentary The Hazards of Engagement, an exploration of the moral conflicts that arise when a well-intentioned student from suburban New York befriends a resident of an Argentine slum. His second film, Nueva Orleans, currently in post-production, tells the story of a group of Mexican and Guatemalan construction workers rebuilding homes in post-Katrina New Orleans. In 2008, Sammy lived in New Delhi, India where he wrote about the steroid-speed pace of changes in Indian society. He currently resides in Paris, France where he publishes articles about politics, works on fashion documentaries, and keeps a blog devoted to sandwiches. Check out Sammy's other projects by clicking here.

Michael McLean, 25, has recently returned to his home state of New Jersey, USA, after a year of filming in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His next documentary film, The Fight for Saint Jean, co-produced with Marina Recalde will be finished by late 2008. During the past year he co-wrote and edited Nueva Orleans, another documentary by Mindful Media. He also produced and directed Los Cartoneros/The Cardboard People which screened at several high schools and universities in 2006 and 2007. He has undergraduate degrees in Political Science, International Relations and Video Multi-media Design, and has been active in various social justice movements for 10 years.

Watch Mike's video production reel: vimeo.com/mikemclean

Julia Reagan 24, of Los Angeles, California, USA, studied English and Film at the University of California, Davis. She shot "Los Chinos de Buenos Aires," an investigation into the precarious social climate surrounding Chinese immigrants who own and operate supermarkets throughout the capital city, in 2007 while working for WICKED?! a bilingual pop culture magazine. She is currently living in Los Angeles editing the film and working as the Assistant to the Executive Producer at Duck Punk Productions.

Marina Recalde, 25, native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, studied English Translation at Universidad de Belgrano. Recently she moved to New Jersey, USA, where she is working on post-production of The Fight for Saint Jean, a documentary that shows one school's fight to defend education as a human right in Argentina. In 2007 she translated and helped produce Nueva Orleans, another film by Mindful Media. In 2005 Marina worked as a prepoduction assistant and translator for the documentary film Los Cartoneros/The Cardboard People. Currently she works as a teacher of Spanish and freelance translator.

Watch Marina's video production reel: vimeo.com/marinareclade

New videos

2006-03-04T19:29:00.000-08:00

9 January 2010 - A new video clip recently published by Mindful Media producer, Mike McLean brings viewers to the New York City launch of the Sudan 365 Campaign. The Campaign is an international effort to call attention to the fragile peace in war-torn Sudan during the year leading up to the country's next election.

"This election could decide the fate of the 3 million people still living in Darfur, or the 3 million who have already been forced from their homes during the war, during the genocide," says McLean, "This clip is an invitation and a challenge to take action."

The two-minute clip is currently posted on the Sudan 365 webpage and circulating on the web with other videos from various cities around the world that also celebrated the launch of the campaign.

This video clip features still photos by Shane Bauer and Doctors Without Borders.

Members of the Bergen County Peace & Justice Coalition mark the 6th anniversary of the War in Iraq with a vigil and rally in Englewood, NJ.

Produced by Mike McLean, an independent video producer and co-founder of the Mindful Media Collective.

Old Blog Posts

2001-03-03T17:17:00.000-08:00

Mindful Media Supports Peace & Justice Movement in the U.S. (9 March 2009)