DSLs available now. The DVD w/PPR will be available in late September 2024
Imagine a world with complete accessibility.
“Mark – A Call to Action” is the story of Dr. Mark Bookman, a severely disabled Pennsylvania-born American who later resided in Tokyo full-time, becoming one of Japan’s leading experts on accessibility, and a policy consultant to governments and major corporations around the world. His tireless efforts helped raise awareness and positively impacted the lives of not only disabled persons, but also children, seniors and vulnerable populations in the United States, Japan and many other nations.
“As we learn the remarkable story of Bookman’s life and work as a disability activist, a broader picture emerges of the profound ways these issues touch all of our lives.” – Jacob Mazer, Director of Programs and Education, Bryn Mawr Film Institute.
While the film tells the story, the biography of Dr. Mark Bookman (born and raised in Bryn Mawr, PA), it is more importantly a deep look into the development of global accessibility. According to the World Health Organization (2023) 16% of the world’s population is designated as disabled. That’s 1.3 billion people from every country, every race and every religion.
“He [Mark] uplifted the voices of persons with disabilities and showcased to the world that our voices are not just needing to be taken care of but our voices need to be heard, valued and brought forward.” —Sara Minkara, US State Department Special Advisor
“Successfully portrays the personal, political and social impact of the development of global accessibility” —Nagase Osamu, Professor, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan
Mark: A Call to Action premiered in Tokyo in February 2024 followed by it’s U.S. premier in June 2024 to sold out audiences at The Bryn Mawr Film Institute.
With much sadness, Mark passed away following the completion of principal photography of the film but his legacy and impact will live on for many years to come.
“Like the talented activist he was, Bookman had a way of making his point clearly and forcefully.” – Dr. David McNeill, Professor, University of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo.
Those interviewed and featured in the film include:
Mark Bookman, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Tokyo College
Paul Bookman, DMD, Founder, Bryn Mawr Dental Associates, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania (Mark’s Father)
Rachel Bookman, Biologist and Researcher (Mark’s sister)
Victor Dover, FAICP, Dover, Kohl & Partners, Noted expert on City Planning, Neighborhood and Street Design, Miami, Florida
Josh Grisdale, Founder, Accessible-Japan.com, Tokyo, Japan
Gregory Hannah, Director of Disability Service, Villanova University
Ryo Hatakeyama, Professional Caregiver, Tokyo, Japan
Yoshihiko Kawauchi, PhD, Architect, Engineer and Author, International Expert on Universal Design, Tokyo, Japan
Masako Okuhira, Global Disability Advocate, Tokyo, Japan
Nagase Osamu, Professor. Ritsumeikan University, and Author, Kyoto, Japan, Global Advocate – Rights of People with Disabilities
Ayako Kano, PhD, Professor, Japanese Literature, Performance and Gender Studies
University of Pennsylvania
Steven Wright, International Disability Advocate, Consultant and Author, Miami, Florida
Richard Donner, MD, Pediatric Cardiologist (Retired), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Kevin Ginsberg, Educator, Black Rock Middle School, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Frank Mondelli, PhD, Assistant Professor – Japanese Studies, University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware
Sara Minkara, Special Advisor on International Disability Rights, US State Department
Karen Nakamura, Professor of Anthropology, Director, UC Berkeley Disability Lab
University of California at Berkeley,
Fangdan Li, Mark’s Fiancée
Carolyn Stevens, PhD, Professor of Japanese Studies, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Hindley Williams, Program Analyst, US Department of Health and Human Services
Produced by GLIDE Fund (The Mark Bookman Foundation), a 501 (C) (3) organization, and Directed by Emmy Award Winning Director Ron Small (I Danced for the Angel of Death), GLIDE Fund has an important socially relevant mission: GLIDE stands for ‘Global Leaders in International Disability Education’. The organization was established to provide financial assistance to disabled college students interested in education exchange experiences to foster an inclusive society in which anyone can lead an independent and self-determined life. All contributions to the Fund are fully tax deductible as allowed by law in each state. The organization’s goal is to carry on the legacy of Dr. Mark Bookman and spark dialogue surrounding the ways architects, engineers, educators, policy makers and other interested parties can help improve access to built environments, and through the GLIDE Fund, a network of disabled University students will receive grants to travel globally to learn, train, and be motivated to share ideas and bring about greater change and awareness in the community throughout the world.
The DVD version of the film features extensive and important bonus material.
Documentary / 2024 / 85 minutes / Color / English Language / A film by Emmy Award winning director Ron Small (I Danced for the Angel of Death, Circle Unbroken, From the Holocaust to Hollywood).
HOW TO ORDER:
Public Performance and Digital Site Licenses are available through Soundview Media Partners. To inquire or to place an order, write to info@soundviewmediapartners.com or simply choose from the options below:
At the world premiere in Japan, an emissary from the U.S. State Department provided an introduction to the film which now also serves as the film’s opening. Please watch it as it provides great perspective:
A southern-born, black gay man goes back home to reconnect with black gay men he has performed on stage for a decade.
“Making Sweet Tea” chronicles the journey of southern-born, black gay researcher and performer E. Patrick Johnson as he travels home to North Carolina to come to terms with his past, and to Georgia, New Orleans, and Washington, D.C. to reconnect with several black gay men he interviewed for his book, Sweet Tea. Johnson transformed that book into several staged plays over the course of a decade, and the film combines footage from his past performances of the men with documentary moments from their lives a decade after the book’s publication.
The film also focuses on Johnson’s life in the south while showing how the men have changed since – and been changed by – their depictions in his book and plays.
The film covers the subtle complexities of Johnson’s relationships with these men, with his family, and with his hometown in North Carolina. The film also restages Johnson’s performances of the men’s narrative in their homes, in their churches, and on their jobs, sometimes with them directing him or even participating in the scene.
Blurring the line between art and life, the film offers a rare glimpse into the lives of people rarely given a platform to speak and demonstrates how research, artistry, and life converge.
A festival favotite with numerous wins including:
Winner: Best Documentary, Out On Film Atlanta LGBTQ Film Festival
Winner: AARP Silver Image Award, Chicago LGBTQ International Film Festival
Winner: Best LGBTQ Film, San Diego Black Film Festival
Winner: Audience Choice Award, Kansas City FilmFest International
Winner: Judges’ Choice Documentary Film, Longleaf North Carolina Museum of History
Documentary / 2020 / 89 Minutes / Color / English / A film by John L. Jackson Jr.
HOW TO ORDER:
Public Performance and Digital Site Licenses are available through Soundview Media Partners. To inquire or to place an order, write to info@soundviewmediapartners.com or simply choose from the options below:
PTSD and Suicide in the military have reached crisis levels.11 out of 20 veterans of the global war onterrorism have PTSD.
WINNER: Best in Show at the 2024 Impact Doc Awards
WINNER: Best Documentary Feature, GI Film Festival 2024
Winner of the New York Women in Film and Television Award for Excellence in Documentary Directing.
WINNER: Best Documentary Feature: GI Film Festival, San Diego.
Nominated for Best Documentary Showcase at the Soho International Film Festival 2023.
Final Fight goes deeper than any documentary to date in revealing the root causes of this tragic epidemic by profiling a diverse group of veterans struggling with either combat or sexual assault-related Post Traumatic Stress, a major cause of suicide.
As the devastating war in Afghanistan and Iraq continued on, U.S. military brass who struggled to fight the longest-running war in United States history, largely ignored not only the connection between traumatic brain injuries and suicide but also uncontrolled sexual assault among the rank and file. Leading experts in the field of PTS therapy and brain science offer hope and answers to the struggling veterans profiled in the series but also to the family and friends who love them.
Produced in 2023, director Frances Causey wrote “While I was researching Final Fight, it became painstakingly clear that the US Military had few – if any – answers to the ongoing, historic epidemic of PTSD-related suicide among its veterans. THIS FILM IS THAT ANSWER.”
Largely unknown to most Americans, over the last 20 years, the United States has lost almost five times as many active service members and veterans to suicide than were lost in theentirety of the Global War on Terrorism combat operations.
“A perfectly balanced expose that combines compassion, understanding, and a compelling call to action while celebrating the resilience and humanity of its subjects. Tightly crafted, emotionally moving and exceptional in every way.” – Impact Docs
“An incredibly powerful documentary, and an extremely necessary one. Recommended.”– S. Lyons, The Sound View.
Final Fight offers insight into the issue, but more importantly points to a path of forward hope.
2023 / Documentary / 90 minutes / English / A film by Frances Causey
HOW TO ORDER:
Public Performance and Digital Site Licenses are available through Soundview Media Partners. To inquire or to place an order, write to info@soundviewmediapartners.com or simply choose from the options below:
In Home / Personal Use Copies of the DVD are available at
