The primary purpose of my trip to both conventions was to screen socially relevant documentaries. I did not get to see all eleven, working on the film festival had a nasty way of disrupting my ability to see films, but I was able to see four of them. All different, all worthy. Before I embark on my best Siskel and Ebert while watching the Republican National Convention I noticed something that reminded me of an experience earlier in my career.
You might have noticed all of the “hand painted” signs peppered throughout the arena in St. Paul. I’m sure many people were taken with the passion and effort that went into crafting all of the cute signs such as “Hockey Moms 4 Palin”. Who knew the republicans were such a crafty bunch? Although it is not too much of a stretch to believe that a majority of scrapbookers run to the right. The entire scene reminded me of some of the early X Games when ESPN and the other organizers were worried about how the crowds would present themselves on TV. In the early days the crowds were smaller than today and event producers wanted to ensure that crowd shots had the right “pop”. This led to a project that can only be compared to an FDR depression era works program in size and scale. For days leading up to the actual start of the X games any runner not currently engaged in another activity could be found on the floor of the production coordinator’s office. Armed with poster board, scissors and a variety of writing and drawing materials matched only by a Staples or an Office Depot the young runners created poster after poster. Imagine you have just started your first job with ESPN and you’re thinking you are on your way to Sportscenter. Instead you are on the floor, markers in hand creating cutesy posters the say “Skate or Die” or “Nasti is Nasty”. I can imagine the scene in the bowels of the Xcel Center where young interns, or staffers, have the same compliment of supplies (maybe sponsored by 3M?) and creating similarly themed posters to brighten up the crowd. Your first big job in politics except this war room is sickly different then the one that inspired you in the movie. It really is a fine line between sports and politics. The show is the show.
On to the movies.
Kicking It...
“Kicking It” (www.kickingitthemovie.com) Follows 7 homeless men from around the world as they make their way to the 2006 Homeless Street Soccer World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa. It ranks amongst the best movies that I have seen, drama or documentary, and with the exception of some course language is suitable for a wide range of ages. It is a powerful movies that not only delves into worldwide issues surrounding homelessness but also how different cultures view those who live on the margins of society.
The movie does a wonderful job of presenting issues without being preachy as the thread that holds the movie together are the stories and challenges of the players, coaches and teams on the road to Cape Town. The personal stories are compelling, both coaches and players, and you end up becoming invested in the stories and small victories. The movie balances out both hope and despair and spotlights the challenges of bridging cultural mores in highlighting the need to effectively deal with homelessness. For all of the different circumstances that lead to homelessness (war, drug use, exiting foster care, societal disinterest) many issues are the same. The homeless live on the margins of society. In many cultures they are shunned and shamed, while in others they are simply ignored. Each subject has a compelling personal story and has big mountains to climb often to simply make it to practice. While a few are good soccer players they were mostly chosen for their ability to represent and give a variety of voices to the homeless both in their home countries and around the world.
“Kicking It” is at its best when all of the 48 teams from around the world are in Cape Town. It is the first time in the movie, and probably the first time in the lives of most of the players, that the subjects have a sense of hope and are treated, and viewed, as regular people. The drama both on and off the field in Cape Town is compelling and I found myself pulled deeper into the story and surprised at how much I cared. As the players are challenged both on the field and off you will find your notions about the homeless and homelessness challenged as well.
“Kicking It” premieres on ESPN2 tonight at 9:00PM EDT. If you miss it tonight you can catch it again tomorrow night on ESPN2 at 10:PM EDT.
Up next... “I.O.U.S.A”
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
One Second...
Our experiences are shaped by little moments. Each one becomes a tile in a mosaic creating different views based on the distance of your perspective. I have been fortunate to participate in a number of big events in my life. While each has provided a vastly different experience, the common thread has been that in the midst of many over the top experiences the journey through each has been defined by the little moments.
A little context is in order... I begin sharing my thoughts, and observations from seat 23A on Frontier Airlines flight 110 from Denver to Minneapolis. This marks the end of a 9 day run working a film festival that premiered at the Democratic National Convention and now moves on to Minneapolis. The IMPACT Film festival, www.impactfilmfestival.org, was created to bring the most relevant social issue documentaries from the past year to the largest gatherings of lawmakers, decision makers and other movers. Each film is followed by a panel discussion intended to generate a dialog with the people who can make a difference. As a side note, in one of those cool moments I am actually carrying all eleven films from Denver to Minneapolis.
It has been a challenge for me to decide where to start. Do I start at the beginning when I continually harassed my good friend Laura Sullivan, who is producing the festival, to include me on the festival team, or do I start with an amazing cab ride with Higgy, and Ethiopian and naturalized citizen who drove me from the airport to the theater and then on to my hotel. Neither... let’s start by beginning with the title.
Over the last 10 days I have had the opportunity to watch films that make me think and feel, pulled off presenting a Nelly concert and sat in a stadium with 79,999 other people participating in a piece of our country’s history while feeling like I was watching a guy who can change the course of our history. Through it all I have been ensconsed in the Washington, D.C. culture that is at the same times both disturbing and disappointing. I do not want to get preachy or seem holier than thou yet the dichotomy between the way they treat people and the way I treat people, and more importantly teach Cooper how to treat people, is vast. To be fair, I have met some wonderful people involved in the Washington machine but I have also had more encounters than I care to relate that were simply marked by impatience and rudeness. I have been disappointed that the people who help shape our policy and decide how are money is spent are curt and rude, and impatient and filled with self-importance. It is a different way of doing business, not my way of doing business. It takes less then one second to say thank you. The value of that small slice of time, that small act of acknowledgment and the impact it has is far out of scale for the time it takes. Seriously... What is so hard about being nice to people?
Arriving in Denver I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Laura and I have been on dueling sabbaticals and when she told me about the festival I offered to help out in any way that I could. Actually, I had to ask her 3 times and there have been a number of moments when I wished I only asked her twice. My main roles have been coordinating transportation for both the filmmakers and the IMPACT crew and producing the Nelly concert, each of which provided their own unique challenges. Along the way I have seen movies that made me cry, made me think, made me mad and made me care. I was amongst the first to arrive at the scene of an accident and provided comfort to a guy with a grotesquely broken ankle who was on the verge of going into shock. I met Ashley Biden and hung with Nelly... at the same time. I have also had the opportunity to interact with people from across a wide spectrum of political thought and social and economic circumstances. I have been inspired and moved more times then I can count, slept too little and eaten too much food that I was unable to connect with its source. It has also been amongst the most valuable and stretching experiences of my life. I have been over-tired, under slept and overwhelmed, but I have always found time to say hello, hold a door and smile. Over the next week or so I will roll out some stories and moments in no particular order and I hope they make you laugh, roll your eyes and make you think. Remember... It takes less then one second to say thank you.
A little context is in order... I begin sharing my thoughts, and observations from seat 23A on Frontier Airlines flight 110 from Denver to Minneapolis. This marks the end of a 9 day run working a film festival that premiered at the Democratic National Convention and now moves on to Minneapolis. The IMPACT Film festival, www.impactfilmfestival.org, was created to bring the most relevant social issue documentaries from the past year to the largest gatherings of lawmakers, decision makers and other movers. Each film is followed by a panel discussion intended to generate a dialog with the people who can make a difference. As a side note, in one of those cool moments I am actually carrying all eleven films from Denver to Minneapolis.
It has been a challenge for me to decide where to start. Do I start at the beginning when I continually harassed my good friend Laura Sullivan, who is producing the festival, to include me on the festival team, or do I start with an amazing cab ride with Higgy, and Ethiopian and naturalized citizen who drove me from the airport to the theater and then on to my hotel. Neither... let’s start by beginning with the title.
Over the last 10 days I have had the opportunity to watch films that make me think and feel, pulled off presenting a Nelly concert and sat in a stadium with 79,999 other people participating in a piece of our country’s history while feeling like I was watching a guy who can change the course of our history. Through it all I have been ensconsed in the Washington, D.C. culture that is at the same times both disturbing and disappointing. I do not want to get preachy or seem holier than thou yet the dichotomy between the way they treat people and the way I treat people, and more importantly teach Cooper how to treat people, is vast. To be fair, I have met some wonderful people involved in the Washington machine but I have also had more encounters than I care to relate that were simply marked by impatience and rudeness. I have been disappointed that the people who help shape our policy and decide how are money is spent are curt and rude, and impatient and filled with self-importance. It is a different way of doing business, not my way of doing business. It takes less then one second to say thank you. The value of that small slice of time, that small act of acknowledgment and the impact it has is far out of scale for the time it takes. Seriously... What is so hard about being nice to people?
Arriving in Denver I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Laura and I have been on dueling sabbaticals and when she told me about the festival I offered to help out in any way that I could. Actually, I had to ask her 3 times and there have been a number of moments when I wished I only asked her twice. My main roles have been coordinating transportation for both the filmmakers and the IMPACT crew and producing the Nelly concert, each of which provided their own unique challenges. Along the way I have seen movies that made me cry, made me think, made me mad and made me care. I was amongst the first to arrive at the scene of an accident and provided comfort to a guy with a grotesquely broken ankle who was on the verge of going into shock. I met Ashley Biden and hung with Nelly... at the same time. I have also had the opportunity to interact with people from across a wide spectrum of political thought and social and economic circumstances. I have been inspired and moved more times then I can count, slept too little and eaten too much food that I was unable to connect with its source. It has also been amongst the most valuable and stretching experiences of my life. I have been over-tired, under slept and overwhelmed, but I have always found time to say hello, hold a door and smile. Over the next week or so I will roll out some stories and moments in no particular order and I hope they make you laugh, roll your eyes and make you think. Remember... It takes less then one second to say thank you.
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