That trailer had me from hello - or it’s opening line about kids and coloring. I miss coloring more than I miss most things. Beautiful Losers looks pretty great to me not only for the discussion of art but also for a glimpse of New York City as it was in the 90’s.

The film opens t in NYC - and the directors and artists will be in attendance. And takepart to learn more about the Joan Mitchell Foundation and how they try to make sure all kids get the chance to color and create art!

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Just a reminder that the Media that Matters Film Festival is premiering tonight in New York City at the IFC Center.

In the words of Tim Robbins,

“We no longer have to rely on major corporations for things to be seen — we have Media that Matters to distribute new material and new voices and new points of view.”

• Get info about the screenings and buy tickets
• Watch films from past festivals
• Learn more about the Media that Matters Film Festival

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!

Katie Halper:

Necklacing Returns to South Africa, Tutu Calls for Peace, and History Repeats Itself

Ted Kennedy’s Malignant Brain Tumor: Sad News, But the Work Goes On

* * *
Nicole Hughes:

Bush’s Food Aid Package Promotes Use of GMOs

Gas Prices Exceed Those of 1973 Oil Crisis

* * *

Andy Kondrat:

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Could Cost US 38 Trillion Annually

USDA Budget Squeeze Forces Agency to Stop Tracking Pesticide Use

* * *

Jon Popham:

Brooklyn Bridge Birthday Celebration!

Smokey the Bear: Environmental Icon

* * *

Giulia Rozzi:

Suicide Tourism in New York City

Kristin Davis and Her Solar Powered Home

* * *

Gina Telaroli:

Media That Matters Film Festival Premieres on May 28th

Top 10 Ways Indiana Jones Saved the World: Part #1

Films can change the world - this is one thing the folks at the Media that Matters Film Festival know. From their website:

“We no longer have to rely on major corporations for things to be seen — we have Media that Matters to distribute new material and new voices and new points of view.”
-Tim Robbins, Actor

The Media That Matters Film Festival is the premier showcase for short films on the most important topics of the day. Local and global, online and in communities around the world, Media That Matters engages diverse audiences and inspires them to take action.

Each year the MTM folks curate an amazing group of short films that all inspire action and dialog and they put them online and bring them to tons of places around the world. Here’s a trailer for one of the films in the fest (made by awesome Meerkat Media Collective - which I’m in!)

The premiere of their 8th festival is less than a week away. The screening takes place at New York City’s IFC Center and is followed by a ton of great NYC events celebrating the fest:

Every Third Bite - Coming soon! from meerkatmedia on Vimeo.

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This past Friday night I wandered on over to the IFC Center in Manhattan to see Andre Techine’s The Witnesses. The French Techine, director of Wild Reeds, Strayed and many other fine films, here tells the story of 4 people and their experience with onset of AIDS in the western world:

This beautifully acted ensemble film, which uses recurrent images of water and aviation, unfolds in three chapters. The first remembers the heady pre-AIDS era. The second observes the foursome’s reactions to the crisis, which for each is a test of character and of the strength of bonds they have taken for granted. In the third, those who remain pick up the pieces and go on.

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