Positive Core Value: Cultural bridging

For example, in response to negative press about the local Hmong community, Barbara Weiner worked closely with a Hmong family to create a documentary about Hmong funeral and mourning practices; in doing so she broadened public awareness of a community that is often misunderstood. The documentary is still in use to train hospice workers on Hmong cultural traditions.

In another instance of strengthening cross-cultural bonds, MTN’s Pam Colby teamed up with a group of African American producers to provide live coverage of a Juneteenth celebration in the 1980s. Through the process, she developed relationships and saw the capabilities of the production team grow. The technology was new and untested, making the team’s success in going live even more exciting. Working with a common challenge and a culturally significant project helped bring the group together.

As a venue for the Human Rights Watch Festival in Philadelphia, International House has presented many important and controversial films. According to International House’s Renae Dinerman, “Makers from Indonesia, Iraq and many other countries risk their lives to make these films.” The festival often brings filmmakers and other speakers, including torture survivors and international experts, to engage with audiences following screenings. When the San Diego Latino Film Festival was founded in the early 1990s, the goal was for Latino producers to screen their work on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. According to Paul Espinosa, that goal was achieved and the festival was ultimately “too successful”; as audiences grew and the Latino market emerged, distributors were no longer willing to offer programming to the festival.

The Iranian Film Festival has been bringing Iranian films to U.S. audiences for 20 years including some films that are banned in Iran and others that are, in effect, “banned” in the U.S. due to the lack of distribution outlets. According to the festival’s Mimi Brody, with strained relations between the U.S. and Iran, it is particularly important now for U.S. audiences to see Iranian films.

Several participants highlighted youth media projects that have engaged young people in bridging cultural differences based on race, gender, class, and age. These included Donyale Reavis’ experience with kaPow! that has involved inner city youth of color in their communities; Jared Martin’s work with incarcerated youth who developed the skills and confidence to succeed in the “outside” world; Maori Karmael Holmes’ creation of a women’s hip-hop festival that brought women into the traditionally male dominated field of hip-hop; Andrew Douglas’ efforts, through the Bryn Mawr Film Institute, to bring the stories of youth in working class neighborhoods to the larger community; and Bob Abel’s experience with the intergenerational Veterans History Project in which high school students interviewed veterans of three wars and created films to present the veterans’ stories.

Other examples of cross-cultural bridge building highlighted international media arts collaborations. In his experience producing Coal is Black and Sometimes Red, Herb E. Smith had the opportunity to bridge cultural differences based on the common human experiences of coal miners in Appalachia and Eastern Europe. In 2001 Sheryl Mousley forged relationships between Chinese media artists and U.S. audiences. Traveling to Beijing during a time of Chinese government repression of independent artists and filmmakers, she met with “underground” filmmakers and viewed their work for nine hours straight (thanks to the cooperation of a sympathetic tavern where a VCR and monitor were stationed). The relationships she struck in Beijing culminated in two artist residencies at the Walker Art Center and much of the underground work was shown at the Walker. With less political repression in China now, the collaboration continues as new work is being commissioned by the Walker and posted on the Walker website.

Explore more POSITIVE CORE values:

In creating the “Words, Camera, Action” program at Intermedia Arts, Marlina Gonzalez researched and produced an interactive presentation and performance to raise awareness about the abduction and conscription of child soldiers worldwide. Through the efforts of an intermediary in Sierra Leone, Intermedia Arts was connected to one of the child soldiers whose stories were shared through the videos. He has sporadically managed to communicate with Marlina, sending her updates on his life. find this story on the timeline