JOHN SAYLES DEPICTS LONE STAR SOCIAL CHANGE
John Sayles’s snapshot of social change in a small town in Texas has been nominated for a PFS award in the category of human rights. Through the eyes of a Caucasian protagonist, the filmviewer learns how Blacks (some with Native American ancestors), Mexicans, and Whites live in very different worlds, with Whites the least willing to understand the perspectives of the other communities because of past political power, which is eroding.
OTHER NOMINEE FOR 1996 HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD
Only one other film has been nominated for a PFS award for raising political consciousness in 1996: Dead Man Walking (also category of Human Rights). Members of the Political Film Society vote for the best political films of 1996 in a mail ballot.
APSA POLITICS & FILM GROUP ADOPTS NEW CONSTITUTION
In preparation for the possible acceptance of a Politics & Film Section by the American Political Science Association (APSA), PFS members Ernst Giglio and David Whiteman convened a meeting at the annual APSA convention in San Francisco on August 31. A constitution was adopted for the group, now known as the Conference on Politics & Film Group. Some 75 persons have signed pledges thus far to become members of a proposed Politics & Film Section, which will not come into existence until 125 more APSA members sign similar pledges. The group plans to sponsor panels at the next APSA convention, to be held at Washington, DC, on Labor Day weekend 1997. To sign up, contact Giglio at Snowden Library, Lycoming College, Williamsport PA 17701 (President of the new group) or Whiteman at the Dept. of Government and International Studies, Univ. of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208 (Secretary-Treasurer). Other officers are John Williams, Christa Slaton, Richard Strada, and David Paletz.
PFS PUBLISHES WORKING PAPERS & SYLLABI
Five Working Papers are available for purchase:
#1 Genovese, “Art & Politics: The Political Film as a Pedagogical Tool”
#2 Morlan, “Pre-World War II Propaganda: Film as Controversy”
#3 Giglio, “From Riefenstahl to the Three Stooges: Defining the Political Film”
#4 Williams, “The Real Oliver North Loses: The Reel Bob Roberts Wins”
#5 Savage, “Popular Film & Popular Communication.”
Politics & Film Syllabi, authored by the following, are also available:
#1 John Williams
#2 Ernest Giglio
#3 Henry S. Kariel (revised)
To obtain copies, send a $1 donation per item requested to PFS, with a check payable to the “University of Hawai`i Foundation” to the above address.
PFS MEMBERS CAN NOMINATE BEST FILMS FOR 1996 HUMAN RIGHTS
The Political Film Society is the only organization worldwide to nominate and give awards to filmmakers who courageously raise political consciousness of filmviewers. Categories for awards are as follows:
o democracy
o expose
o human rights
o peace
Send your nominations to the Political Film Society.