Medeski, Martin & Wood – Not Not Jazz

The Whale God

Mark: A Call to Action

“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.

OFFICIAL SELECTION: KIDS FIRST FILM FESTIVAL

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
  • Wasna Dabbagh, DMD, Orthodontist, (Mark’s Stepmother)

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:

License Options

In-home/personal use copies are available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3xD55Ik

Watch the trailer

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:

Journey from the Fall

April 30, 1975 marked the end of Vietnam’s two-decade-old civil war and the start of the exodus of hundreds of thousands of refugees.

Despite his alliance to the toppled South Vietnamese government, Long Nguyen (as Long Nguyen) decides to remain in Vietnam. Imprisoned in a Communist re-education camp, he urges his family to make the escape by boat without him. His wife Mai (Diem Lien), son Lai (Nguyen Thai Nguyen) and mother Ba Noi (Kieu Chinh) then embark on the arduous ocean voyage in the hope of reaching the U.S. and freedom.

Inspired by the true stories of Vietnamese refugees who fled their land after the fall of Saigon, and those who were forced to stay behind, Journey from the Fall follows one family’s struggle for freedom.

Produced in 2006 by the Vietnamese expat community and their families, Journey from the Fall was met with great critical response:

“An unmissable, powerful and essential film… so rooted in history and yet made with sensitivity and grace.” — Erika Franklin, Firecracker Magazine, UK FILM Council

“Writer/Director Ham Tran achieves the impossible.” — Matt Zoller Seitz, The New York Times

“A superbly wrought saga of loss and survival… A remarkably ambitious debut… A major accomplishment. An example of sophisticated, impassioned filmmaking involving mainly people who lived through the harrowing experiences so unsparingly depicted.” — Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

Features Diem Lien, Kieu Chinh, Long Nguyen, Nguyen Thai Nguyen, Cat Ly, Jayvee Mai The Hiep and Khanh Doan.

The Bluray / CD set includes extensive bonus materials:

  • Full-feature video commentary with the film’s cast and crew
  • Deleted scenes, B-roll and on-set footage
  • Cast and crew interviews
  • Original trailer and TV spots
  • Extensive historical testimonials, cultural notes and teaching supplements

Drama / 2006 / Vietnamese with English subtitles / 135 Minutes / A film by Ham Tran

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:

License Options

For group screening prices, please inquire.

In-home/personal use copies are available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3X3peBN

Watch the trailer

THE FRAGILE KING

Lake of Scars, The

Bell Affair, The

Kindred

Miss Lillian: More Than A President’s Mother

Making Sweet Tea

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:

License Options

WATCH THE TRAILER