Charcoal Traffic tells a story of conflict, family tragedy and environmental devastation that is threatening the very way of life of the Somali people, who have been successful as pastoralists for thousands of years.  A murderous cycle of destruction and conflict over charcoal production is the reality on the ground in Somalia.

I Promise Africa, 2:40 min, Public Service Announcement
Jerry Henry, Director/Producer
When Jerry Henry set off to Kenya to make a documentary about orphans he didn’t realize that he would be preserving on tape the voices of a generation that would soon be silenced.
Winner of the Jury Award
» Learn more about this film

iThemba, 5:19 min, Documentary Short
Keefe Murren, Director/Producer, Nelson Walker III, Director/Producer, Lynn True, Director
Through the mesmerizing melding of their voices, the Sinikithemba Choir turns stage into soapbox, singing and speaking for the 5 million HIV+ South Africans in desperate need of medication and support.
Winner of the Health Advocacy Award
» Learn more about this film

Seeds of Hope: South Africa, 6:12 min, International Documentary
Sarah Hesterman, Director/Producer, Produced by Gotham Pictures,
Funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Solutions to poverty and malnutrition require resourcefulness and dedication. A group of women in a South African township learn how to sustain themselves and their children.
Winner of the Environment Award
» Learn more about this film

The Meatrix, 3:47 min, Flash Animation
Louis Fox, Director, Produced by Free Range Graphics in conjunction with the Global Resource Action Center for the Environment
Will Leo the pig take the blue pill and remain in a fantasyland where quaint family farms produce food for our tables or will he take the red pill and get a cruel welcome to the real world?
Winner of the Film for Thought Award
» Learn more about this film

Laugh at the Fat Kid, 7:57 min, Narrative Short
Kristina Schoentag, Director/Producer
Whimsical and visually creative, "Laugh at the Fat Kid" intimately portrays a young boy caught in a cycle of ridicule and overeating, forcing the viewer to ask "What's wrong with this picture?"
Winner of the Peter Yarrow Peace in Our Classrooms Award
» Learn more about this film

Lean on Me, 1:46 min, Youth Digital Story
Harold Clinton, Director, The Center for Reflective Community Practice at
MIT and Creative Narrations, Producers
When the mayor’s office says “no,” a group of kids find their own way to make their dream for a safe place to play basketball a reality.
Winner of the SEE CHANGE, MAKE CHANGE Youth Digital Story Award
» Learn more about this film

Books Not Bars, 3:44 min, Campaign Portrait
Mark Landsman, Director/Producer for WITNESS
A growing number of youth are questioning the way their state governments spend money. The teens of the Books Not Bars movement demand that education, not incarceration, be the priority, now and in the future.
Winner of the Criminal Justice Award
» Learn more about this film

The Children of Birmingham, 6:17 min, Animation
Rebecca Yenawine, Director, Kids on the Hill, Producer
Through stirring narration and beautiful illustrations, Baltimore middleschool students tell the story of their 1960s counterparts who fought for their civil rights.
Winner of the SEE CHANGE, MAKE CHANGE Youth Video Award
» Learn more about this film

Day of Remembrance, 8:00 min, Political Documentary
Cynthia Fujikawa, Director/Producer
The legislators behind the Patriot Act claim to have made America safer, but in the process they have destroyed the lives of thousands of innocent Arab and Muslim Americans. Day of Remembrance calls attention to this tragic phenomenon and reminds us that American history has a tendency to repeat itself.
Winner of the Racial Justice Award
» Learn more about this film

Dedicated to My Family, 3:51 min, Personal Documentary
Nicole Sobottke, Director, Reel Grrls at 911 Media Arts Center, Producer
Nicole dreams about a perfect family. Living in a teen shelter, she has learned that family is where the heart is.
Winner of the Family and Society Award
» Learn more about this film

Struggling to Survive, 7:37 min, Youth Documentary
Dana Hall, Ashley Potter and Mary Profitt, Directors, Appalshop’s
Appalachian Media Institute, Producer
Having a job doesn’t mean you make enough to get by. Teenagers in eastern Kentucky turn their cameras on the living wage crisis in their community.
Winner of the Youth Documentary Award
» Learn more about this film

The Sixth Section, 8:10 min, Social Documentary
Alex Rivera, Director/Producer, Produced in association with
P.O.V./American Documentary
Sometimes the “American Dream” is realized on foreign soil. During the cold winters of upstate New York, a group of immigrants work together to give a baseball field, an ambulance and whatever else they can manage to their hometown of Boqueron, Mexico.
Winner of the American Dream Award
» Learn more about this film

Novela, Novela, 7:20 min, International Documentary
Elizabeth Miller, Director/Producer
Every afternoon, millions of Nicaraguans gather around their TV sets to watch their favorite imported novela (soap opera). What would happen if a group of activists produced a homegrown novela about real issues
like safe sex and domestic abuse?
Winner of the Women’s Rights Award
» Learn more about this film

Bush for Peace, 1:56 min., Satirical Short
Sarah Christman, Director/Producer, Jen Simmons, Director/Producer
It’s Dubbya as you’ve never heard him before in a re-mix of U.S. foreign policy created from the Commander-in-Chief’s “Moment of Truth” speech. Bush for Peace is at once a fantasy, a satire, and an earnest plea to stop the violence.
Winner of the Politics and Government Award
» Learn more about this film

Spring in Awe, 4 min, Experimental Short
Martina Radwan, Director/Producer, Moira Demos, Producer
The overpowering displays of Times Square put a spell on the world in a disturbing lullaby of global capitalism.
Winner of the Media Awareness Award
» Learn more about this film

POPaganda: The Art & Subversion of Ron English, 8:24 min, Portrait
Pedro Carvajal, Director/Producer
A modern-day Robin Hood of Madison Avenue, artist and satirist Ron English reclaims corporate billboards with uncanny canvases that force the man on the street to look twice…or maybe three times.
Winner of the Media Literacy Award
» Learn more about this film

If you want to purchase a DVD of these short films, instead of downloading them, please go to the Media That Matters website.

Otieno, a twelve year old orphan living in Kibera, Kenya, one of Africa's largest slums, lives with the Razors gang. Enraged by a cell phone theft, a mob tries to kill Otieno. He is saved by Wamatope the sworn enemy of all Kibera gangs. Otieno must then choose between gang life and redemption.

All filmmaker proceeds are used to fund additional filmmaking projects in the Kibera slum.

Ready to be inspired? An image captures a feeling, a story shares a message, a movie becomes a movement. The seventh annual Media That Matters Film Festival brings you 16 inspiring shorts by youth and independent filmmakers committed to changing the world. The collection includes:

Garbage Dreams, 8:05 min, Documentary
Winner of the Sustainability Award
Egypt’s resident garbage recyclers, the Zaballeen, struggle as Cairo modernizes its waste disposal system.
» Learn more about this film

Rapping at Fear, 6:44 min, Documentary
Winner of the Speak the Peace Award
In Andrés Tabares’ barrio in Colombia, “social cleansing” groups wage war. When this thirteen-year-old raps against violence, people listen.
» Learn more about this film

Still Standing, 7:44 min, Documentary
Winner of the Jury Award
Ms. Gertrude returns to what remains of her New Orleans home and fights to rebuild what she can in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
» Learn more about this film

The Apollos, 6:00 min, Documentary
Winner of the Fair Use Award
Meet the trailblazing students who, over twenty years ago, fought to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a national holiday.
» Learn more about this film

Sovereign Nation / Sovereign Neighbor, 7:00 min, Documentary
Winner of the Independence Award
The Narragansett tribe defends its sovereignty only to encounter violent resistance and entrenched misunderstanding from their home state of Rhode Island.
» Learn more about this film

Rights on the Line: Vigilantes at the Border, 3:55 min, Documentary
Winner of the Immigration Award
What happens when people cross the line? Vigilantes take the law into their own hands on the U.S.-Mexican border.
» Learn more about this film

Power Up, 1:39 min, Animation
Winner of the Changemaker Award
“Bomber Man” strikes again! Who will stop him this time?
» Learn more about this film

Massacre at Murambi, 5:10 min, Documentary
Winner of the Global Justice Award
Does the way we respond to the genocide in Rwanda predict our response to Darfur?
» Learn more about this film

By-Standing: The Beginning of an American Lifetime, 5:00 min, Spoken Word
Winner of the War and Peace Award
Kelly Tsai speaks truth to power as she raises her voice against war and complacency.
» Learn more about this film

Grace, 3:12 min, Animation
Winner of the Women’s Justice Award
Three women’s lives share an unwanted and violent thread.
» Learn more about this film

I'm Not a Boy, 6:10 min, Documentary
Winner of the Empowerment Award
Julie Joyce is not a boy. As a transgendered youth, she just wants what all young people want – to have a positive space to live and grow.
» Learn more about this film

Ashray, 6:00 min, Documentary
Winner of the Global Health Award
Affected or infected, the children of Ashray in Bombay live together as one family, despite their HIV status.
» Learn more about this film

Tyttonen (The Young Girl), 5:03 min, Narrative
Winner of the Seeds of Tolerance Award
A woman, trapped by time and age, searches for freedom in her childhood memories.
» Learn more about this film

The Final Frontier: Explorers or Warriors?, 8:10 min, Documentary
Winner of the Next Generation Award
Two teens from Chicago ask senators, scientists and science fiction fans: Could space be the new battleground?
» Learn more about this film

Superstar, 6:15 min, Documentary
Winner of the Emerging Voice Award
With the support and guidance of his family, nothing will stop Naiquan from becoming a superstar.
» Learn more about this film

The Farm Sanctuary, 5:31 min, Documentary
Winner of the Good Food Award
Fifth graders from the Bronx go upstate to meet rescued farm animals and try out veganism, at least for the weekend.
» Learn more about this film

If you want to purchase a DVD of these short films, instead of downloading them, please go to the Media That Matters website.

Get an intimate look at the recent multi-party elections in Egypt through the eyes of three women working to assure the election's legitimacy. The women provide unprecedented access to activists operating in and around the highest levels of both government and opposition groups.

An image captures a feeling, a story shares a message, a movie becomes a movement. The sixth annual Media That Matters Film Festival offer 16 inspiring films by youth and independent filmmakers committed to changing the world, in 8 minutes or less. The collection includes:

Slip of the Tongue, 4:06 min, Youth Slam
Directed Karen Lum and produced by Youth Sounds Factory
Winner of the Jury Award
“What’s your ethnic make up?” A young man makes a pass at a beautiful stranger and gets an eye-opening schooling on race and gender.
Learn more about this film

A Girl Like Me, 7:08 min, Youth Documentary
Directed by Kiri Davis and produced by Reel Works Teen Filmmaking
Winner of the Diversity Award
Color is more than skin deep for young African-American women struggling to define themselves.
» Learn more about this film

In Transit, 5:51 min, Documentary
Directed and produced by Bent Jorgen Perlmutt, Nelson Walker III and Louis Abelman
Winner of the Global Health Award
War may be over in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but many Congolese women continue to battle for their reproductive health.
» Learn more about this film

Water Warriors, 6:17 min, Documentary
Directed and produced by Liz Miller
Winner of the Environment Award
When water costs soar, residents of Highland Park, Michigan demand to know who will foot the bill.
» Learn more about this film

How Wal-Mart Came to Haslett, 3:16 min, Expose
Directed and produced by Meerkat Media Collective
Winner of the Changemaker Award
Michigan youth investigate the dubious circumstances under which a Wal-Mart appeared on a wetland in their small town.
» Learn more about this film

The Rules of the Game, 8:24 min, Documentary
Directed and produced by Garance Burke and Monica Lam
Winner of the Community Discourse Award
A Native American tribe’s dreams of prosperity clash with small town values in Rohnert Park, California.
» Learn more about this film

Permission, 1:00 min, Public Service Announcement
Directed by Vance Malone and produced by Public Interest
Winner of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Rights Award
Whose permission would you need to get married to the person you love?
» Learn more about this film

Eyes on the Fair Use of the Prize, 2:11 min, Advocacy Short
Directed and produced by Jacob Caggiano
Winner of the Fair Use Award
Copyright abuse or Fair Use? Learn how much is at stake when vital films are pulled from public discourse.
» Learn more about this film

Book 'Em: Undereducated, Overincarcerated, 3:03 min, Youth Documentary
Produced by Youth Rights Media
Winner of the Criminal Justice Award
In New Haven, Connecticut the pipeline from school to prison is shorter than you might think.
» Learn more about this film

(Hate) Machine, 4:45 min, Satire
Directed and produced by Phil Caron
Winner of the Media Literacy Award
When media messages are constructed, sometimes truth hits the cutting room floor.
» Learn more about this film

In the Morning, 4:25 min, Dramatic Narrative
Directed by Danielle Lurie and produced by Katie Mustard
Winner of the Women’s Rights Award
When a young Turkish woman is raped, there is nothing honorable about revenge.
» Learn more about this film

Bread, 4:56 min, Documentary
Directed by Marcelo Bukin and produced by Rec Stop and Play/Global Humanitaria
Winner of the Global Justice Award
Guatemalan brothers Edwin and Edson crush rocks with their father so their family has enough to eat.
» Learn more about this film

Asparagus! (A Stalk-umentary), 5:57 min, Documentary
Directed and produced by Kirsten Kelly and Anne de Mare
Winner of the Good Food Award
Journey to the “Asparagus Capital of the World” to discover why one little vegetable is so important.
» Learn more about this film

Recycle, 6:00 min, Documentary
Directed and produced by Vasco Lusa Nunes and Ondi Timoner
Winner of the Sustainability Award
Poet Miguel Diaz transforms poverty into cultivation in the middle of a Los Angeles street.
» Learn more about this film

Night Visions, 7:07 min, Documentary
Directed and produced by Kathy Huang
Winner of the War and Peace Award Sponsored by Netflix
Individuals enlist in the U.S. military for different reasons, but they all return from war, changed.
» Learn more about this film

If you want to purchase a DVD of these short films, instead of downloading them, please go to the Media That Matters website.

The San people, more commonly known as Bushmen, are believed to be the earliest inhabitants of southern Africa. They have lived for 80,000 years as hunter gatherers in the Kalahari Desert, and are well-known for their expert survival skills in a harsh environment. Their unique clicking languages and their astonishing method of healing through trance dancing have made them a source of worldwide fascination. But these peaceful people are not immune from the problems of modern society, and have face oppression and eviction from their homelands for years.

Vanishing Cultures: Bushmen of the Kalahari visits the troubled San community whose once thriving culture is now facing extinction. This one-hour documentary takes a never-before-seen look at the fascinating history, the brutal struggles, and the seemingly impossible challenges of the Bushmen of the Kalahari.