Notes from Susan: Why Hopeful Movies Deserve Recognition

Notes from Susan: Why Hopeful Movies Deserve Recognition

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Why Hopeful Movies Deserve Recognition

By Susan MacLaury

With awards season coming to a close and festival season beginning in earnest, I have been thinking a lot about the way in which our community awards and elevates films. 

For as long as I can remember, the big honors at shows like the Oscars, the SAG Awards, and the BAFTAs have been presented to films defined by their artistic nature, their grit and tragedy, or their production value. Few movies have been able to break through this mold, with a few notable exceptions, the most recent being CODA.  

When CODA was awarded Best Picture at the 2022 Academy Awards, many called it “an upset,” because it deviated from what we have come to expect from award-winning films.

Rare is it to find a movie about a deaf family that doesn’t end in tragedy. Too often films about marginalized communities focus unilaterally on what it takes to survive, rather than the resilience required to truly live.  A movie that captures the experiences of both the deaf and the hearing bridges those worlds in a way that not only is authentic but also sparks joy, inspires hope, and reveals possibilities to audiences.

It was for these reasons that when Inocente won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short in 2013 –  we couldn’t believe that our colorful, crowdfunded coming-of-age story had been selected, we simply didn’t fit the mold.

But that’s not how it should be. 

Films like Inocente or CODA do more than allow you to escape – they inspire action, compassion, and insight into other worlds. They are catalysts that drive people to step out of themselves and learn more about those who are underrepresented on and off the screen. These are the types of films Shine Global is committed to honoring at our first-ever Children’s Resilience in Film Award this fall. Through May 31, Shine Global is seeking submissions from filmmakers that seek to shine a light on the resilience of children and their families. Five nominees will be selected and their movies will be screened in New York City in September, and the award for Best Picture along with a $25,000 prize will be awarded in Los Angeles in October. 

Creating films that center on the resilience of children and their families, inspire change, and move individuals to action is at the heart of what we do – and we can’t wait to find others who feel as passionate about it as we do.  

Film submissions are accepted through FilmFreeway by May 31st: https://filmfreeway.com/ShineGlobalChildrensResilienceinFilm

Dr. Susan MacLaury, PhD, LSW is the co-founder and Executive Director of the non-profit media company Shine Global which gives voice to underserved children and their families by telling their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change.  She executive produced the Academy Award® Winning documentary Inocente, the Emmy Award®-winning, Academy Award®-nominated War/Dance, as well as The Harvest (La Cosecha), 1 Way Up in 3D, The Eagle Huntress, Through Our Eyes: Homefront, and Liyana. She is also the producer of the documentary films The Wrong Light and Virtually Free and co-producer of Tre Maison Dasan. Susan is dually degreed in social work administration and health education and was associate professor of health education at Kean University from 1994 through 2013.

Shine Global is an award-winning non-profit media company that gives voice to children and their families by sharing their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about at-risk children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on capitol hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change.

Donate to Shine Global

Support our work transforming children’s lives through film

Notes from Susan: Bangladesh Shutters Dozens of Schools Set Up by Rohingya in Camps

Notes from Susan: Bangladesh Shutters Dozens of Schools Set Up by Rohingya in Camps

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Bangladesh Shutters Dozens of Schools Set Up by Rohingya in Camps

Image from the upcoming film “Hossain”

By Susan MacLaury

This is a challenging time to care about human rights when so many are being trampled around the world with seeming impunity. The rights of Ukrainians to live safely in a democracy. The rights of American women to make reproductive choices. And now the rights of more than 400,000 school-age children to pursue education in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh.

While filming our documentary “Hossain” about a 6-year old Rohingya child whose family has lived in a Bangladesh camp since 2018, we saw that only Koranic schools existed for refugees originally. Bangladesh prohibits humanitarian groups from providing Rohingya children education beyond basic, informal primary level classes, and many community groups and schools arose to fill that gap. In November 2021, the Bangladeshi government allowed UNICEF to offer education consistent with Myanmar curricular standards as a pilot program for 10,000 older Rohingya children. However, as of today, dozens of the community schools have been summarily closed due to an unfounded fear that if a generation of Rohingya are educated in Bangladesh, they will never leave the country.

The fact of the matter is that many Rohingya parents say that their return to Myanmar and successful resettlement depends on their children being properly educated. It is time we start listening to our young people and their families; they know what they need to grow into resilient individuals, we just have to hear them.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/02/world/asia/rohingya-bangladesh-school-closings.html 
and https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/03/21/bangladesh-officials-threaten-rohingya-setting-schools

Dr. Susan MacLaury, PhD, LSW is the co-founder and Executive Director of the non-profit media company Shine Global which gives voice to underserved children and their families by telling their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change.  She executive produced the Academy Award® Winning documentary Inocente, the Emmy Award®-winning, Academy Award®-nominated War/Dance, as well as The Harvest (La Cosecha), 1 Way Up in 3D, The Eagle Huntress, Through Our Eyes: Homefront, and Liyana. She is also the producer of the documentary films The Wrong Light and Virtually Free and co-producer of Tre Maison Dasan. Susan is dually degreed in social work administration and health education and was associate professor of health education at Kean University from 1994 through 2013.

Shine Global is an award-winning non-profit media company that gives voice to children and their families by sharing their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about at-risk children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on capitol hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change.

 

 

Donate to Shine Global

Support our work transforming children’s lives through film

Susan MacLaury Receives SUNY Cortland Honorary Degree

Susan MacLaury Receives SUNY Cortland Honorary Degree

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Susan MacLaury Receives SUNY Cortland Honorary Degree

CORTLAND, NY – On Saturday, May 14th, Susan MacLaury, executive director and co- founder of the nonprofit media company Shine Global behind the Academy Award and Emmy Award winning films Inocente and War/Dance, received an honorary doctoral degree from her alma mater State University of New York (SUNY) Cortland. MacLaury will also deliver a keynote address at the morning undergraduate ceremony.

“I am incredibly grateful and humbled to receive this honorary degree from my alma mater,” said Susan MacLaury, executive director of Shine Global. “Since my time at SUNY Cortland, I’ve ventured into many different lines of work, with lots of trial and error along the way. It was at SUNY Cortland that I learned it’s ok to try and fail and that’s the message I want to share with the next generation of leaders, innovators, and creatives. I couldn’t have found success in social work, education, and filmmaking without the foundation and guidance my professors gave me as an undergrad all those years ago.”

Since graduating in 1968, MacLaury’s prolific career spans three different fields of work: education, social work, and documentary filmmaking. A licensed social worker and a passionate advocate for women’s reproductive rights, MacLaury has spent much of her career working directly with young people to teach them about health, sexuality, and substance abuse. She has taught at a number of colleges and universities, and served as an associate professor of health education at Kean University from 1994 to 2014.

In 2005, MacLaury co-founded Shine Global with her husband Albie Hecht, and has led and overseen numerous productions of groundbreaking, unflinching films on issues of child labor, child abuse, child soldiering, and the impact of war. In 2007, MacLaury executive-produced War/Dance, a widely-acclaimed, Emmy-winning documentary profiling Acholi children refugees living in Patongo, the northern Ugandan refugee camp under military protection from terrorist group Lord’s Resistance Army. In 2013, MacLaury executively-produced Inocente, an Academy Award-winning film following a 15-year-old undocumented girl pursuing her dream of becoming an artist. MacLaury continues to harness the power of filmmaking to inspire real action and change on the global stage.

Dr. Susan MacLaury, PhD, LSW is the co-founder and Executive Director of the non-profit media company Shine Global which gives voice to underserved children and their families by telling their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change.  She executive produced the Academy Award® Winning documentary Inocente, the Emmy Award®-winning, Academy Award®-nominated War/Dance, as well as The Harvest (La Cosecha), 1 Way Up in 3D, The Eagle Huntress, Through Our Eyes: Homefront, and Liyana. She is also the producer of the documentary films The Wrong Light and Virtually Free and co-producer of Tre Maison Dasan. Susan is dually degreed in social work administration and health education and was associate professor of health education at Kean University from 1994 through 2013.

Shine Global is an award-winning non-profit media company that gives voice to children and their families by sharing their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about at-risk children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on capitol hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change.

 

 

Donate to Shine Global

Support our work transforming children’s lives through film

Top 5 Accomplishments in 2021

Top 5 Accomplishments in 2021

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Top 5 Accomplishments in 2021

  • Through Our Eyes: Homefront premiered on HBOMax and brought attention to the unique needs of military children in the US, including one of the film’s stars speaking at the White House with Dr. Jill Biden
  • Onyx Family Dinner, a new family talk show, premiered on YouTube and Shine Global also released a free companion guide for families on how to have discussions on important issues such as racism, activism, and mental health.
  • Home is Somewhere Elsean upcoming animated documentary that provides a window into the hearts and minds of young immigrants and their undocumented families, was successfully funded on Kickstarter.
  • Virtually Free continues to be used for anti-racism workshops and discussions on policing in America.
  • Shining A Light, our YouTube series interviewing youth activists, featured native rights advocate Charitie Ropati, valedictorian Paxton Smith, Philadelphia poet laureate Cydney Brown, and Environmental activist #QueerBrownVegan

And there’s so much more to announce in 2022!

 

 

Shine Global is an award-winning non-profit media company that gives voice to children and their families by sharing their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about at-risk children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on capitol hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change.

 

 

Donate to Shine Global

Support our work transforming children’s lives through film

Notes from Susan: Bangladesh Shutters Dozens of Schools Set Up by Rohingya in Camps

Notes from Susan: Who Will Protect the Rohingya?

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Who Will Protect the Rohingya? 

Image from the upcoming film “Hossain”

By Susan MacLaury

Glancing at the front page of the New York Times is not for the faint of heart. Last week’s included:  Firearms with untraceable parts being sold online; the impact of gerrymandering on the 2024 midterms; and farmers threatened by supply chain problems. But the article that grabbed my attention is titled: “Driven out of Myanmar, and Facing Death Threats in Bangladesh.”

I am, of course, referencing the more than 1 million Rohingya who fled near-certain death in Myanmar in 2017 and now inhabit 34 camps in Bangladesh that are among the most crowded spaces on earth. Beyond the expectable privation such living conditions would predict – monsoons, mudslides, inadequate food and housing and lack of education – many now also fear assassination.

Several Rohingya community workers have been killed by a militant group calling itself ARSA, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, which vies with Bangladesh security forces for power over the community. ARSA funds itself through a number of illicit activities including drug trafficking and kidnapping. Although it was ARSA’s attacks on the Myanmar government in 2017 that triggered its backlash against the Rohingya community there, forcing 750,000 to flee and join thousands who had already left, ARSA is only the latest force to move against the Rohingya.

Knowing they were being targeted for murder, a number of Rohingya leaders had sought protection from both Bangladesh authorities and the UNHCR. And therein lies the problem: Who is ultimately responsible for Rohingya wellbeing? Bangladesh is desperate to relocate them and has sent tens of thousands to Bhasan Char, an island some call a “floating prison.” The UNHCR tries to persuade Bangladeshi authorities to mediate problems and forgo efforts to dismiss the refugees’ needs but has no direct authority to ensure this.

Shine Global is helping to produce a feature-length documentary called “Hossain,” about a 6-year old of the same name who has lived in the Cox’s Bazaar camp for the past 4 years. When the film  is completed in early 2022, we will help with its international impact campaign to sensitize, and hopefully compel, world leaders to recognize the plight of the Rohingya and to mobilize efforts to safely and permanently house them. They have endured more than their share of suffering and it’s time we all educate ourselves about their plight and do all we can to end it.

Dr. Susan MacLaury, PhD, LSW is the co-founder and Executive Director of the non-profit media company Shine Global which gives voice to underserved children and their families by telling their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change.  She executive produced the Academy Award® Winning documentary Inocente, the Emmy Award®-winning, Academy Award®-nominated War/Dance, as well as The Harvest (La Cosecha), 1 Way Up in 3D, The Eagle Huntress, Through Our Eyes: Homefront, and Liyana. She is also the producer of the documentary films The Wrong Light and Virtually Free and co-producer of Tre Maison Dasan. Susan is dually degreed in social work administration and health education and was associate professor of health education at Kean University from 1994 through 2013.

Shine Global is an award-winning non-profit media company that gives voice to children and their families by sharing their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about at-risk children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on capitol hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change.

 

 

Donate to Shine Global

Support our work transforming children’s lives through film

Notes from Susan: America’s Youngest Hidden Helpers

Notes from Susan: America’s Youngest Hidden Helpers

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America’s Youngest Hidden Helpers

By Susan MacLaury

On November 10th, I watched a very moving event broadcast from the White House. It featured First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, Senator Elizabeth Dole, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in honoring America’s Hidden Helpers.

Senator Dole, representing the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, joined the White House’s Joining Forces, the Wounded Warrior Project and the Hidden Helpers Coalition as they pledged support to provide a range of services for children and young adults in military families who are caring for wounded, ill or critically injured warriors – suffering from both visible and invisible injuries – at home.

This year Shine Global was honored to work with Sesame Workshop to produce a short documentary for their HBO Max series, “Through Our Eyes.” We chose to focus on military children of injured parents. At the time, there were no studies that quantified the number of children living with disabled veterans, but the Hidden Helpers coalition just released their study at this White House event revealing this is a population of 2.3 million. Our short documentary, “Homefront,” tells the story of three of them: the Rodriguez family in Connecticut, the Richard Family in Virginia, and the Worleys in Georgia.

The First Lady asked Gabby Rodriguez, one of three children profiled in “Homefront” – to introduce her at the White House event. A remarkably poised and articulate child, Gabby breaks your heart with her simple candor about what it is like to have a father who has forgotten how to speak, how to read, or how to care for himself, and whose PTSD creates  emotional stress within the family.

Introduced by Secretary Austin, Gabby spoke eloquently about her father’s struggle, her mother’s unceasing efforts to care for him, and how she and her younger sister, Ava, try to help. I doubt there was a dry eye in the house by the time she thanked Dr. Biden for her support for military families and introduced her.

I know that there wasn’t a dry eye in our house. As a child, my father had been killed in the Korean War and my life had, of course, been hugely affected. Until we embarked on “Homefront,” however, I never had a real appreciation of the post-war challenges faced by soldiers with serious injuries, those who wouldn’t have survived Korea or Vietnam but, with medical advances, often do today. Their courage in trying to recover their lives and care for their families is something for us all to celebrate and support.

I’m proud that our film Homefront is playing a small part in bringing attention and support to these children and their families.  As Gabby said at the event, “I want every other caregiver kid out there to know that there are millions of us. You are not alone.” And I want Gabby and all the other kids to know that Shine Global is among the millions of Americans grateful for their parents’ service to us and who are pledging to support them.

Dr. Susan MacLaury, PhD, LSW is the co-founder and Executive Director of the non-profit media company Shine Global which gives voice to underserved children and their families by telling their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change.  She executive produced the Academy Award® Winning documentary Inocente, the Emmy Award®-winning, Academy Award®-nominated War/Dance, as well as The Harvest (La Cosecha), 1 Way Up in 3D, The Eagle Huntress, Through Our Eyes: Homefront, and Liyana. She is also the producer of the documentary films The Wrong Light and Virtually Free and co-producer of Tre Maison Dasan. Susan is dually degreed in social work administration and health education and was associate professor of health education at Kean University from 1994 through 2013.

Shine Global is an award-winning non-profit media company that gives voice to children and their families by sharing their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about at-risk children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on capitol hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change.

 

 

Watch Homefront on HBOMax

Stream “Homefront” on HBOMax