Spout Blog has a pretty good list up of movie that made a difference. Their list has 5 very different films that not only impacted cinema but also the world.

It is also a great primer for an exciting series we are starting at TakePart tomorrow that you’ll definitely want to come back for.  For now though, check out a TakePart favorite from their list and takepart to read the entire thing!

An Inconvenient Truth (2006)

Davis Guggenheim’s film of Al Gore’s Global Warming presentation didn’t bring about a lot of change or legislation in the U.S., but it did have a significant effect in terms of breaking ground on discussion of the issue. However, it was apparently instrumental in the passing of a law to curb greenhouse gases in California. Meanwhile, elsewhere, it has been employed in school curriculum and it certainly helped Gore win the Nobel Peace Prize. Because not all films can be as direct and quickly effect as The Thin Blue Line and JFK, though, we’ll need more than the past two years to fully see the difference made by this one.

Nearly 30 states have already passed discriminatory laws that prevent gays and lesbian couples from marrying. Why is marriage important for gays and lesbians? Aside from the obvious, that they ought to be allowed to demonstrate their love and devotion to each other as heterosexual couples do, there are many legal implications. Legal marriages allow for a host of protections including partner benefits, healthcare, hospital visit access and legal protections. Unfortunately, California, Florida and Arizona’s anti-gay marriage forces have reared their ugly heads again this election cycle. Even if you do not live in these states, please help to support efforts to defeat these measures and to send a message to anti-gay marriage politicians, religious leaders and activists nationwide that their hateful language and policies will not be tolerated.

takepart with No on 8 (California)
Check out these amazing no on 8 videos:

takepart with No on 2 (Florida)

takepart with No on 102 (Arizona)

This past weekend I sat down to watch Jessica Yu’s documentary Protagonist. I’ve been meaning to see the film for quite some time now (I’ve had it for at least 3 months from Netflix..eeek!) and I was excited to finally watch it. Yu’s unconventional doc combines the stories of 4 very different men,  reenactments performed by wooden-rod puppets modeled after Greek masks, animated title cards based on Euripides and more puppet performances also based on Euripides.

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!

Nicole Hughes:

Should Drive-Thrus Be Banned?

Eco-Moms Mad About “Greenwash” Barbie

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Andy Kondrat:

Home Depot Will Recycle Your CLF Bulbs for Free

Department of Energy Predicts 50% Energy Increase By 2030

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Jon Popham:

NYC Waterfalls Installation Starts This Week

Capt. John Smith Is Back…and Running for President

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Giulia Rozzi:

Yoga Across the Border

Emile Norman: By His Own Design

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Gina Telaroli:

Silverdocs 08: A Post-Fest Wrap-Up

Human Rights Watch 08: Letter to Anna

Monday night the film Emile Norman: By His Own Design debuted on PBS. Emile Norman is a self-taught California artist, who at age 90 is still working on his craft.   

The film tells the story of Norman’s independent spirit how it developed from his early days on a walnut ranch in the San Gabriel Valley and brought him success in New York City in the 1940s and

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California’s Gay Marriage Ban was banned today by the California Supreme court! In the 4-3 decision, the court ruled that Proposition 22, a ban on gay marriage, is unconstitutional. This is great news for people who, you know, like, care about equal rights or whatever! Here’s why the court deemed it unconstitutional to tell people who they can and can’t marry:

In contrast to earlier times, our state now recognizes that an individual’s capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual’s sexual orientation, and, more generally, that an individual’s sexual orientation like a person’s race or gender does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights. We therefore conclude that in view of the substance and significance of the fundamental constitutional right to form a family relationship, the California Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right to all Californians, whether gay or heterosexual, and to same-sex couples as well as to opposite-sex couples.

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Several topics really stood out this week, including the Oscars as social advocacy inspiration, civil rights and Black History Month, and lots of hot news on entertainment going Green. Check out our most popular posts of the week on these subjects, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites.

Katie:

Happy Belated “Freedom to Marry” Week!

Rosa and Raymond Parks: Valiant Valentine #5

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Nicole:

Top 10 Oscar Picks to Inspire Social Action

Cornel West: Black Thoughts On Black History Month

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Giulia:

H&M’s “Fashion Against AIDS”

Ed Begley Jr. Goes Green

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Gina:

Top 10 Best Picture Winners That Inspire

Remixing “Chicago 10″

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Kerry:

How To Set the World On Fire Without Burning Out

Eco-Brokers Cater to Green Homebuyers

I was so busy celebrating Valentine’s Day, finding guilt-free Valentine’s Day Gifts, and awarding Valiant Valentines to social action-taking couples, I didn’t have enough time to blog about Freedom To Marry Week, the great week-long holiday that celebrates marriage for all people. Freedom To Marry is an inclusive non profit organization dedicated to ending the exclusion of same-sex couples and their families from marriage.

Do you believe that people who love each other and are committed to each other also deserve to be able to marry each other? Then ! Sign the Marriage Resolution! And watch Julie Goldman and Kate McKinnon in the music video for Julie’s song Commitment Ceremony, which is both hilarious, and inspiring. Not to apply an peer pressure, but FYI, when you sign the pledge you’ll be in good company, joining fellow pledgers like Gillian Anderson, Matthew Broderick, Bea Arthur, Beck, Neve Campbell, Alan Cumming, Ted Danson & Mary Steenburgen, Ellen DeGeneres, Laura Dern, David Duchovny, Nora Ephron & Nick Pileggi, Melissa Etheridge, Al Franken, Whoopi Goldberg,

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