Greetings from the Director:

We were thrilled to see a packed auditorium for the inauguration of our Human Rights Film Series,  and we hope you join us for the October presentations! Check out other opportunities to find inspiring colleagues and see fascinating work below in Upcoming Events. If you're in Washington, D.C., I hope to see you at the Women in Film and Video gala on October 13, where I'm receiving a Women of Vision award in great company. We've got links to several of our blog posts this month in the newsletter, including my reports from the Toronto film festival; in other reports, personally I was fascinated by Jessica Clark and Katie Donnelly's guide to rising public media networks.

All best,

Pat Aufderheide

Visiting Filmmakers
This month, as part of the Human Rights Film Series, the Center welcomes accomplished and inspiring filmmakers who will host Master Classes at American University's School of Communication and participate in discussions following screenings of their films War Don Don (Cohen) and The Oath (Poitras). On the roster:

OCTOBER 7: Rebecca Richman Cohen (Director / Producer) is an award-winning filmmaker and a law school graduate with experience in international human rights and criminal defense. She interned as an investigator at the Bronx Defenders and continued to do investigative work at the Special Court for Sierra Leone.


OCTOBER 28: Laura Poitras (Director / Producer / Cinematographer) was nominated for an Academy Award®, an Independent Spirit Award and an Emmy for My Country, My Country (POV 2006). She received a Peabody Award and was nominated for an Emmy and an Independent Spirit Award for Flag Wars (POV 2003), made with Linda Goode Bryant.

Open Video Alliance Conference: October 1-2
The Center for Social Media proudly cosponsors the Open Video Conference, a summit of thought leaders in business, academia, art, and activism to explore the future of online video. Pat Aufderheide will provide a keynote presentation, "Beyond the Copyright Wars: A Civil Rights Agenda for Online Video Creators." Her talk features the importance of claiming fair use as a free speech right for all video makers who refer to existing culture while making new work.

First Monday Launch at WCL: Advise & Dissent
The Center for Social Media is a proud cosponsor of the First Monday Launch, which is designed to spark a national dialogue about the current judicial selection process. First Monday Launch is a series of screenings of the documentary Advise & Dissent at many of the nation's top law schools.  The Center is cosponsoring one such screening at American University's Washington College of Law on October 4, 2010. More...

Watch the trailer>>>

The Other City: Screening and Q&A
Join us on October 14, 2010 for a free screening of The Other City followed by Q&A with filmmaker Susan Koch. The film looks at the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Washington D.C., introducing us to people living with HIV/AIDS alongside with some of the most powerful people in the country while remaining almost invisible. More...

11th Annual Human Rights Film Series
Our Human Rights Film Series continues in October, showcasing  documentaries that highlight key human rights issues.  Screenings are FREE and open to the public and will take place at American University's Katzen Arts Center from 5:30-8:00pm.

Women in Film and Video Gala

CSM Director Pat Aufderheide will be honored by Women in Film and Video at the October 13 Annual Women of Vision Awards at the AFI Silver Theater in Silver Spring, MD. Aufderheide was nominated for her leadership in the highly influential work of copyright and fair use. Thanks to her academic research, best practices in fair use have become a new concept in adacemic discourse and changed creative industry practice. More...

Second National Public Media Camp
Save the date: On November 20 and 21, the Center for Social Media will host the second national public media camp, co-organized by NPR and PBS. The event is designed to foster collaborative projects between public broadcasting stations, national organizations, community members and technologists. Visit the PubCamp site for registration details.