Margaret Fuller: Transatlantic Revolutionary

DSL’s available now. DVDs w/PPR available late June 2023.

Monumental writer in the age of transcendentalism, groundbreaking feminist, critic and parlor conversationalist, Margaret Fuller was the foremost female intellectual of the mid-Victorian Age.

As the first American front-line international war correspondent, she covered the Italian Risorgimento and she herself tilted towards a global utopian revolution.

Margaret Fuller is brought to life through the intimate revelations of award-winning biographers and is animated with a rich period tapestry and an authentic musical score.

The film brings Margaret Fuller out of historical obscurity, exposes her inner life, bridges the gap between her time and ours, and illuminates the gender divisions she challenged in an effort to highlight her achievements.

Margaret Fuller became a member of the elusive Cambridge, Massachusetts intellectuals; the Harvard student’s boy’s club that included Ralph Waldo Emerson, and James Freemen Clark to name just two.

Ralph Waldo Emerson called Fuller “The Greatest Conversationalist that America had”.

Family circumstances had her move to Boston where she became an influential leader and teacher of women’s group.

This film has huge potential in Women’s Studies, History, Sociology, Journalism and Philosophy American Studies and English.

What’s truly fascinating is the growing number of Fuller enthusiasts emerging from affinity groups not usually drawn to the humanities, but who identify with Fuller’s struggles as a woman who overcame economic odds and gender discrimination to create work of true importance.  

With her brilliant, socially awkward demeanor, she has a potential following among women who self-reference as nerds, first and second-generation female immigrants who are facing obstacles and limitations in their culture’s patriarchal societies.

Those who use social media and other means to combat inequality may find in Fuller a salty heroine.

2021 / 40 minutes / color and Black & White / English / A film by Jonathan Schwartz

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 available at https://amzn.to/40z6zfy

WATCH THE TRAILER

Voodoo Macbeth

Based on the true story of Orson Welles, Rose McClendon and their revolutionary Shakespeare production!

Produced by the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts in association with Warner Bros., this 14x Festival Winner tells the dramatic story of when, in 1936, Broadway star Rose McClendon and producer John Houseman convinced a gifted but untested 20-year-old Orson Welles to direct Shakespeare’s Macbeth with an all-Black cast in Harlem.

Set in Haiti, the production first earned the nickname “Haitian Vodou” fulfilling the element of witchcraft contained in the Shakespeare original. It later became more famously known as “Voodoo Macbeth”.

A box office sensation, the production, which toured the nation, was regarded as a landmark theatrical event for its innovative interpretation of the play, its success in promoting African-American theater, and its role in the development of Orson Welles as a new and powerful theatrical force.

It was before Citizen Kane and before War of the Worlds. It was dynamic and included Orson and Rose – who also played Lady Macbeth – clashing over everything from scene blocking to crew hires, while Houseman contended with a congressman hell-bent on shutting down what he deemed to be communist propaganda. In the end, Welles and McClendon overcame the political pressure, personal demons, and protests to realize their groundbreaking vision.

This 2021 film / 2022 theatrical release tells the story how Voodoo Macbeth was conceived and developed. Its dramatic and theatrical style is due, at least in part, to the extensive collaboration that went into the production itself. The large cast, numerous directors, multiple producers and the USC/Warner Bros. relationship results not only in incredible storytelling, but also in a new and exciting style of production itself.

The Volume of Festival Wins to Date Speak Loudly. Here are a few…

WINNER

  • Best Film – Harlem International Film Festival
  • Best Production – Harlem International Film Festival
  • Best Actress – Harlem International Film Festival
  • Best Film – Vail Film Festival
  • Best Director, Charlotte Black Film Festival
  • Best Ensemble Cast – San Diego International Film Festival
  • Director’s Choice Award / Independent Spirit Award – Sedona International Film Festival
  • Best Director – Catalina Film Festival
  • Best U.S. Feature – Catalina Film Festival
  • Best Actress – Catalina Film Festival
  • Best Actor – Catalina Film Festival

“A moving tribute to an indelible slice of history, that is finally being shared and celebrated! One of Orson Welles’ most pivotal moments, right before Citizen Kane, brought beautifully to life. This story was hidden for far too long, along with Rose McClendon’s wonderful legacy. Some say better late than never, but this story should be shouted from the rooftops, uncovering one of America’s hidden jewels, that was always meant to shine!” – Suzanne Marques, CBS Los Angeles.

“Impressive…the film’s production is itself a collaborative effort in the spirit of the Harlem theatre…”– J. Paul Johnson, 25 Years Later.

“This retelling of a very innovative part of theater and African American history is precious.” – Dwight Brown, National Newspaper Publishers Association.

“A fantastic example of team unity as there is never a sense of multiple voices trying to steer this project…with solid production design up and down the line and never a sense of doubt in the story that it is trying to capture.” – Dave Voigt, In The Seats.

“By all odds, my great success in my life was that play, because the opening night there were five blocks in which all traffic was stopped. You couldn’t get near the theatre in Harlem. Everybody who was anybody in the black or white world was there. And when the play ended there were so many curtain calls that finally they left the curtain open, and the audience came up on the stage to congratulate the actors. And that was magical.” – Orson Welles (1982 interview)

BONUS MATERIAL ON THE DISC VERSIONS

  • Audio Commentary
  • Actual 1936 footage from National Archives of the play that toured the country to interracial audiences.

2021 / Drama / 108 minutes / Color / English Language / A film directed by Agazi Desta, Sabina Vajrača, Hannah Bang, Christopher Beaton, Dagmawi Abebe, Victor Alonso-Berbel, Tiffany K. Guillen, Zoë Salnave, Ernesto Sandoval, Roy Arwas, and produced by Xiaoyuan Xiao, Miles Alva , Jason Phillips, John Watson.

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/3fjerzW

WATCH THE TRAILER

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THEY CALL ME ZARKO

SOUMAYA

“Soumaya is a compelling, thought-provoking film that will stay with you long after the powerful final scene.” – Lois Alter Mark, Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ.ORG)

Even if you reclaim your story, can justice be won?

“It is a bold, daring debut requiring nuanced conversations that seldom occur in the social media realm, where one’s beliefs must be crammed into 160 characters or less.” – Film Threat

One day, Soumaya – a woman of color, a practicing Muslim, a mother, and an executive at an airport transportation company in Paris – is fired from her job of fourteen years without explanation or warning. Later that night, while watching TV, she learns that certain media outlets are linking her, through speculation, to jihadist circles. This all occurs only days after Soumaya’s apartment, where she lives with her young daughter, is raided by police.

Shaken but not about to sit by in silence, Soumaya decides to exercise her right of reply in court – where her legal team demonstrates that she was fired only as a result of discrimination.

Based on real events, SOUMAYA shines a light on the devastating repercussions of anti-terrorist policing and Islamophobia in the wake of the November 2015 Paris attacks.

A MULTI-AWARD-WINNING FESTIVAL FAVORITE, Soumaya has received wide critical acclaim. Festival play includes:

  • WINNER, Best Lead Actress, Anatolia International Film Festival (Istanbul)
  • WINNER, Best Actress, Festival International Cinéma et Migrations d’Agadir (Morocco)
  • WINNER, Best Actress, Hollywood International Diversity Film Festival
  • WINNER, Grand Jury Prize, Best Feature, Universe Multicultural Film Festival
  • Official Selection: Lebanese Independent Film Festival
  • Official Selection: Cinemigrante (Argentina)
  • Official Selection: Festival International du Film Panafricain de Cannes
  • Official Selection: Festival Régional et International du Cinéma de Guadeloupe
  • Official Selection: San Diego Arab Film Festival
  • Official Selection: DC Independent Film Festival
  • Official Selection: Rated SR Socially Relevant Film Festival

“An unprecedented look at the state of emergency in France from the viewpoint of the victims, whose experience often goes unacknowledged.” — Middle East Eye

“Fear is the undercurrent that drives this film. The fear of Soumaya’s daughter after the search. The fear of the society that was embodied in the State of Emergency. The fear of neighbors who would call authorities for things like headscarves or praying. Trying to instill fear in a section of the populace. The fear of losing basic rights. The fear of losing our souls for the sake of feeling safe. While this film is about fears in France, it is also very applicable to American society.” – Screen Fish

Features Soraya Hachoumi, Sarah Perriez and Khalid Berkouz.

2019 / 100 minutes / Foreign Drama (French w/English subtitles) / A film by Waheed Khan and Ubaydah Abu-Usayd

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/3wGqIod

Watch the trailer…

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