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.

Time has a great article on that very topic and looks to see if a film can really make a difference in the world we live in.   In doing this, they mention the work we do here at TakePart.com and the awesome movies that come from Participant Productions:

Chicago 10 was financed by Participant Productions, founded in 2004 on a “double bottom line” premise. “We want to make a social return and a commercial return on our investment,” says Participant president Ricky Strauss. The production company has backed 39 other movies, both documentaries and features, including Syriana and The Kite Runner, and has more than 20 films in development.

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The Oscars honored several films which highlighted several worthy causes worth paying attention to and taking action for.

If you like the Oscars and taking action, then follow this Top 10 list of actions inspired by the films, the speeches, the parties, and the outfits featured during the Academy Awards.

1. Julie Christie, who was nominated for her amazing performance in the amazing film Away From Her, directed by the Amazing actor/filmmaker Sarah Polley, wears an orange ribbon, representing the “campaign to close Guantanamo,” which Julie says is “a very, very important issue” It’s affecting the whole world.”

with Amnesty International’s online interactive Tear It Down campaign.

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Last week I looked at one of the Oscar nominees for Best Documentary, a category that features amazing films, but gets little publicity. Leading up to the Oscars, I am going to explore all 5 of the films that are nominated.

The doc I chose today comes as a result of my watching the State of the Union last night and because after Thursday I will personally no longer have health insurance. The annual speech designed to explore how our country is doing got me to thinking that the state of my personal union isn’t very different than the country.   The majority of my friends don’t have any health insurance and despite making good wages, with the amount of rent they have to pay just to live in New York City, they can’t afford to shell out 300+ dollars to have insurance (when I quit my full-time job, I asked how much it would be to get Cobra - the answer was an astounding 490 dollars a month).

Michael Moore’s Sicko aims to find out why my friends and I and millions of Americans don’t have health insurance. Considering where we live and the resources our country has it seems strange that our health system would be ranked 37th in the world:

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Health care is a major issue with days, with some 47 million Americans currently living with no health insurance. So to see the types of numbers associated with the ex-CEO of UnitedHealth’s lawsuit, kind of makes me sick (ironically I am covered by United Health). William McGuire has agreed to give up more than 400 million dollars in stock options and retirement benefits in order to settle his lawsuit. The scandal dealt in backdated stock options and with the lawsuit settled, McGuire doesn’t have to admit any guilt..Sure seems like a lot of money, especially considering 90 percent of my friends can’t go to the doctor without forking over large amounts of money. If you haven’t checked out Michael Moore’s Sicko you should, it’s a depressingly frank look at the system in which we live and how we look out for folks in our country. Also, even though guys like William Mcguire are out there trying to get rich while their neighbors get sicker, there are some groups that are working to find alternatives to traditional health care. The Rock Dove Collective in New York City is a great group that is working to provide services to those who need it :  

“The Rock Dove Collective is a radical community health exchange working to address the need for accessible and anti-oppressive health care in our communities. We coordinate a network of health practitioners who provide physical, mental, sexual, emotional, social and spiritual care from a (radical/progressive) perspective on well-being.Many of our practitioners accept mutual aid in exchange for their services; the Rock Dove Collective strongly encourages this and believes that incorporating mutual aid into more instances in our lives will help to set the foundation for a freer and more just world.”