There are many Mixed Roots Stories to share on the topic of immigration. The headline of this story particularly caught my eye: In May 2013, France’s National Assembly successfully voted on a bill to remove the words ‘race’ and ‘racial’ from the country’s penal code. It introduces a special series on ‘Black France’ that delves into the question of whether politics will have a lasting effect on those who face the daily disparities caused by the belief that ‘race’ somehow makes us different from one another. Click the link for more: http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/specialseries/2013/08/201382894144265709.html
multiracial
Blood Type: Ragu
from bloodtyperagu.com
This looks like a great solo show on the Mixed immigrant experience – it won the 2012 and 2013 United Solo Festival Awards for Best Comedic Performance and Best Comedic Script.
Award winning writer/performer Frank Ingrasciotta gives a tour-de-force performance in this humorous and heart-warming one-man play. Blood Type: RAGU is a coming-of-age story exploring the first-generation American’s delicate dance between culture and identity.
Click the link for more info: http://www.bloodtyperagu.com/about/
Blog to Follow: The Fluidity
We love discovering blogs that address the Mixed experience! So many perspectives to ponder and such a wealth of stories told. Here’s a litte more about the author: …I am the daughter of a Black African father and White American mother. But I have found that my experience is similar to many different blends of Mixed-Race individuals, Transracial adoptees, second-generation Americans, and people involved in interracial families and relationships. The common experience is being neither and both, which may leave us wounded.
Here’s a link to the blog: http://neitherboth.wordpress.com/2013/10/19/the-fluidity/
“Sleepy Hollow” and “Almost Human” – Confronting ‘Race’ on TV
from Fox.com
Both Sleepy Hollow and Almost Human have ‘interracial’ pairings. Nichole Beharie (Sleepy Hollow) and Michael Ealy (Almost Human) are really strong actors and I’m thrilled they have the opportunity to lead (at least co-lead) TV shows. Both hour-long dramas also include dialogue and story lines that look squarely at the issues of ‘race’ and racism. Here’s a terrific post by Slate TV critic Willa Paskin (@willapaskin) – with specific examples from both shows: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/television/2013/11/almost_human_and_sleepy_hollow_reviewed.html
Unfortunately – as I stated on the post about The Neighbors – the networks are still limiting these relationships to science fiction themes, but it’s a start.
Educational Distributor Looking for Films
GoodDocs.net is a a new distribution company that lends support to filmmakers in a number of ways:
1) They can help you sell your film in the educational market
2) They can help you develop a curriculum for your film to make it more attractive to schools
3) They arrange speaking engagements for the filmmakers whose films they represent
4) They can offer consultations on grantwriting
5) They can help with the research in pre-production all the way through distribution
We are eager to see your Mixed Roots Story on film – and GoodDocs.net might be the perfect partner to help you complete and distribute your film!
Here’s the link to the website: http://www.gooddocs.net/
New Film with Lenny Kravitz
We’re so excited about this! Lenny Kravitz will play Christopher Walken’s son in Little Rootie Tootie – a film about a family of jazz musicians. They begin principal photography in January, which means the film’s release is at least a year away – but we’ll keep you posted on any updates.
Film Starring Garcelle Beauvais
Garcelle Beauvais has been in a number of TV shows and films, and she’s also the co-author of children’s book I Am Mixed (here’s the link to our post about the book: https://mixedrootsstories.com/i-am-mixed-reserve-your-copy-today/
Beauvais is in a new film by Ghanaian filmmaker Leila Djansi; here’s a blog post with pictures from the production: http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/exclusive-1st-look-pics-poster-for-leila-djansis-and-then-there-was-you-starring-garcelle-beauvais?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews
Anomaly: A Documentary Film About Multiracial Identity
We screened this wonderful film at the Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival, and the film went on the screen at several other festival and garner awards. If you are interested in, or planning to, make a documentary film about the Mixed experience, we highly recommend you watch this one so you’re aware of what has already been done.
Here’s the link to the website where you can purchase the film: http://www.twn.org/catalog/pages/cpage.aspx?rec=1363&card=price
How Early Do We Perceive the One Drop Rule?
Here’s a link to a fascinating thesis: Infant Perceptions of Mixed-Race Faces: An Exploration of the Hypodescent Rule in 8.5 Month-Old Infants (click the title to the left to be redirected to the full thesis).
Is our story solidified at such an early age? If so, what can we do to change it?
Diversity in Theater Forum – RSVP today!
If you are a theater actor, playwright, or crew member in Los Angeles, this event is integral to your career:
“Theater leaders in Southern California will convene for a second panel on racial diversity that will serve as a sequel of sorts to last year’s discussion hosted by East West Players in downtown Los Angeles.
The upcoming panel will be held Dec. 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the Pasadena Playhouse. While last year’s event was by invitation only, the upcoming discussion is free and open to the public.
Panelists expected to attend include Michael Ritchie, artistic director of Center Theatre Group; Marc Masterson, artistic director of South Coast Repertory; Sheldon Epps, artistic director of the Pasadena Playhouse; Tim Dang, artistic director of East West Players; and Jessica Kubzansky, co-artistic director of the Theatre @ Boston Court.”
Click below for the full article: