Emma Thompson is one of my favorite actresses. I’m not sure anyone else could have made me almost cry while watching the uber-cheese fest Love Actually (the scene of her standing alone in the bedroom listening to Joni Mitchell is amazing). She always manages to find that little piece of humanity and portray it simply by looking at you.

And of course, it comes as no surprise that she is involved in charity. Her cause? The inspiring Helen Bamber Foundation. The foundation works with survivors of genocide, torture, trafficking and rape who seek safety and refuge. Their team is made up of human rights experts who are constantly working to come up with creative solutions to many of the world’s cruelties.

One of those creative solutions is an art installation project entitled Journey:

‘The installation is comprised of seven shipping containers, which you walk through, each of which represents a leg of the journey. It is designed to give the audience an engaged sensation of human trafficking.’ [Variety]

Read the rest of this entry »

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

* * *

Andy Kondrat:

Home Depot Will Recycle Your CLF Bulbs for Free

Department of Energy Predicts 50% Energy Increase By 2030

* * *

Jon Popham:

NYC Waterfalls Installation Starts This Week

Capt. John Smith Is Back…and Running for President

* * *

Giulia Rozzi:

Yoga Across the Border

Emile Norman: By His Own Design

* * *

Gina Telaroli:

Silverdocs 08: A Post-Fest Wrap-Up

Human Rights Watch 08: Letter to Anna

It’s June 27th, I’m Gina Telaroli and this is TakePart.com’s look at the week in social action…

Letter to Anna (Eric Bergkraut)

Screens Today, Thu Jun 26: 1 & 6:15

The Human Rights Watch 2008 International Film Festival closes tonight with Eric Bergkraut’s Letter to Anna, a post-death exploration of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya and her work. The general subject couldn‘t be more relevant to today, what it means to write and report on what the government doesn’t want the public to know is something we could all stand to think about.  And Anna, simply by the nature of her story, is a captivating person to learn about.

Anna was a Russian journalist that was assassinated in 2006 (on Putin’s birthday nonetheless). Known for her eye-opening pieces about the Russian War in Chechnya and the numerous human rights violations that were occurring, Anna was always putting herself at risk for her work. She also made a point to focus on how the war was being portrayed to Russian citizens. Her work led to her being used during terrorist negotiations and even to her abduction by Russian troops while in Chechnya. She not only wrote stories, she lived them.

Read the rest of this entry »

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:

U.S. Media Ignores Link Between Midwest Floods and Global Warming

Top 10 Houseplants for Removing Indoor Air Pollution

* * *

Andy Kondrat:

Dubai to Build Rotating Positive Energy Tower

Bioethicist Peter Singer Tackles World Food Shortage

* * *

Jon Popham:

Americacorps Workers Assist Flood Ravaged Town

Australians “Out-Fat” Americans

* * *

Giulia Rozzi:

Progressive Book Club

Oprah Recommends “A New Earth”

* * *

Gina Telaroli:

Human Rights Watch 2008 Film Festival Update

SilverDocs 2008 Update

So the first week of Human Rights Watch is almost over so if you’re in NYC, catch something while you still can. I’ll be posting reviews of the remaining films in the next few days before they screen so keep checking back. Each film’s screening times will be listed and I’ll leave a schedule of reviews to come here.

Also in case you’re just tuning in now, here’s a little refresher on what’s already played:

• Human Rights Watch 08 : Calle Santa Fe
• Human Rights Watch 08 : The Beytrayal (Nerakhoon)
• Human Rights Watch 08 : American Outrage
• Human Rights Watch 08 : A Promise to the Dead

Here’s what’s ahead:

• Under the Bombs : http://filmlinc.com/wrt/onsale/hrw08/underthebombs.html
• The Sari Soldiers : http://filmlinc.com/wrt/onsale/hrw08/thesarisoldiers.html
• Traces of the Trade : http://www.filmlinc.com/wrt/onsale/hrw08/tracesofthetrade.html
• Letter to Anna : http://www.filmlinc.com/wrt/onsale/hrw08/lettertoanna.html

After all is said and done I’ll post a comprehensive piece full of Takepart links that will let you connect to the issues in the film!

Calle Santa Fe - Director: Carmen Castillo; Country: Chile/France/Belgium; Release: 2007, Runtime: 163

Screening : Wed Jun 18: 7

For the documentary filmmaker that has often thought about including their own story in their film, Carmen Castillo’s Calle Santa Fe is worth considering.

A personal meditation on her time in Chile in the early 1970’s and the death of her husband, her comrade and revolutionary Miguel Enriquez, Castillo tells of her past while revisiting the scene where her husband was killed. Much of her story is told in voice-over and in turn she creates a journal of sorts surrounding her story, past and present.

Read the rest of this entry »

Social Action + Cinema Videos of the Day:

1) Media that Matters presents The Countdown

For the Cinema YouTube Video of the Day, Click here >>>

Read the rest of this entry »

Today the America was dealt two defeats at the hands of the British: the US soccer team was defeated in Wembley Stadium by the English 2-0 in what’s known in soccer terms as a ‘friendly international.’ The game aired on ESPN Classic, and now that the States lost we might have to start calling it the US football team. The second ‘defeat’ came when the British government surprisingly joined a conference in Dublin Ireland to ban the use and manufacture of cluster bombs. Let’s cal it the ‘international unfriendly.’

Cluster bombs are deadly weapons that spread small bomblets over a large area. Not all of the munitions explode, leaving behind a virtual minefield for civilians returning home. Unsurprisingly, the weapons are primarily made and used by the US, China, and Israel. The United States continue to use the munitions in the War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan; Isreal used them in their war with Lebanon in 2006.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bloggers are uniting for human rights today!

By challenging bloggers to blog about a particular social cause on a single day, a single voice can be joined with thousands of others to help make a real positive difference; from raising awareness for cancer, to an effort to better education systems or support 3rd world countries.

Read Giulia’s post on the campaign and learn how you can