Making Media Now

”Duty Free”-- A Love Letter from a Son to His Mother

It's episode number 50 of Making Media Now and host Michael Azevedo is talking with the director and the star of an engaging film called Duty Free. 

 

Duty Free is a fascinating and very personal documentary about a man who set out to take his 75-mom on an epic quest to fulfill her bucket list. Director Sian-Pierre Regis' mother Rebecca was 75 years-old when she was fired without cause from her lifelong job as a hotel housekeeper. That’s when Sian decided to take her on a bucket-list adventure to reclaim her life. As she struggles to find work, he documents a journey that uncovers the economic insecurity shaping not only her future, but that of an entire generation.

 

Duty Free examines ageism, the care crisis, and economic insecurity in America. 

 

Duty Free will be shown on PBS’ Independent Lens beginning on November 22. Check your local listings for exact time.

 

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

 

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead 

 

Saluting the ”American Veteran”

On episode 49 of Making Media Now, Michael Azevedo speaks with Elizabeth Deane and Judith Vecchione, co-executive producers of American Veteran, a multi-tiered project that traces the veteran experience through a four-part broadcast series, a nine-part podcast, and a ten-part series of digital shorts. 

From the citizen-soldiers returning from the Revolution to today’s warrior class, it is a deeply moving story, highlighting personal remembrances, drawing civilian viewers into an unfamiliar culture, and showcasing the evolving relationships between Americans who have served in the military and those who have not. 

Elizabeth Deane’s best-known work includes films she wrote and produced over two decades for PBS’s American Experience, notably Nixon; The Kennedys; Ulysses S. Grant; and Reconstruction: The Second Civil War.

Judith Vecchione is an executive producer at GBH Boston, where her most recent project was Blood Sugar Rising, an award-winning PBS special that explored the history and personal stories of America’s devastating diabetes epidemic. In her long career, Vecchione has contributed to major PBS documentary series including Vietnam: A Television History, Nova, American Experience, and Frontline.  

 

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

 

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead 

Discovering ”The Lost Women of Science”

On this episode, host Michael Azevedo speaks with journalist and author Katie Hafner, and bioethicist Amy Scharf about the Lost Women of Science Initiative, a new educational nonprofit organization created to research and promote the stories of the forgotten women of science. The initiative's mission is to raise awareness of the pivotal role women have played in scientific discoveries and innovations, and to promote interest in STEM education and careers - especially among girls and young women. 

 

The Lost Women of Science podcast launches on November 4, in partnership with public media organization PRX and the award-winning Scientific American magazine. Katie Hafner is the host and Amy Scharf is one of the co-executive producers. The podcast series will present deeply reported narratives of female scientists previously unrecognized by the general public for their accomplishments. The first season will include four in-depth episodes centered on Dr. Dorothy Andersen (1901-1963), a brilliant pathologist and pediatrician who discovered and named cystic fibrosis in the 1930s. 

 

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead 

Cynthia McKeown, Margaret Kripke, and Unacceptable Risks

On this episode, filmmaker Cynthia McKeown joins Michael Azevedo to talk about her short documentary "Unacceptable Risk: Dr. Margaret Kripke on Cancer and the Environment”, which has been selected for screening at the 2021 American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo (October 23 – 27).

 

Cynthia is a writer, producer, and director of award-winning documentary and educational films for digital and television broadcast platforms. She has also been a managing editor & creator of numerous health, medical, and educational websites. And her background  includes college-level teaching, non-profit fundraising and community organizing. 

 

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead 

Meet Nick Hudson of E2AC (Entertainment to Affect Change)

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Nick Hudson, Executive Director of an organization called Entertainment to Affect Change, or E2AC.

 

Entertainment 2 Affect Change (E2AC) is a non-profit organization committed to producing high quality digital, cinematic, and live entertainment for the express purpose of bringing positive change to underserved health and social communities.

 

E2AC's vision is to revolutionize the way that organizations, content creators, and funders collaborate to tell meaningful and powerful stories that entertain, engage, educate, and inspire.

 

In their conversation, Nick and Michael discuss E2AC’s origins, its mission and how he came to be involved with the organization.

 

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead 

Telling The Story of Those ”Missing in Brooks County”

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are Lisa Molomot and Jeff Bemis, the co-directors and co-producers of an award-winning documentary called "Missing in Brooks County." The film follows two American families coming to Brooks County, Texas, in search of loved ones lost while attempting to cross into the United States from Mexico. According to the film, the area of Brooks County sees the highest quantity of migrant deaths in the country. Describing the area, the sheriff of Brooks County calls it “the largest cemetery in the United States.” 

 

The film also introduces us to Eddie Canales, the founder of the South Texas Human Rights Center, a bootstrap operation whose mission is to help reunite family members with their missing loved ones. Every week, between taking nonstop calls from concerned families, Canales drives around the area, refilling and checking in on water stations that he’s left throughout the brush to help dehydrated migrants stay alive.

 

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead 

Father-Daughter Duo Draw ”A Line in the Street”

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are Robert and Rachel Millman, the father/daughter producing team behind a documentary called "Line in the Street," which examines the extremely important but little-understood issue of gerrymandering. 

"Line in the Street" tells the story of citizens, activists, and legislators as they fight for redistricting reform in Pennsylvania, one of the most heavily gerrymandered states in the country. The film spotlights a groundbreaking redistricting lawsuit, arguing that state legislators have violated their own state constitution.

 

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead 

The Illuminating Tale of ”The Last Lightkeepers”

Joining host Michael Azevedo on episode 43 of Making Media Now is Rob Apse, the director of a new documentary chronicling the preservation of New England lighthouses and profiling some of those who have taken on the responsibility of caring for and occupying them. Rob’s film is called The Last Lightkeepers and it will be featured among the films screened at the Newburyport Documentary Film Festival, beginning September 17.  The film is also available through Amazon Prime video where a portion of each rental goes toward the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, to assist with preservation costs of Whaleback Lighthouse.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead 

Composer Tom Phillips Sets the Score

It's episode #42 of Making Media Now and host Michael Azevedo is chatting with composer and musician Tom Phillips. 

Tom’s credits include well over 500 films for national broadcast networks such as PBS, ABC, CBS, National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, A&E and HBO, and he’s amassed an impressive list of industry awards. His scores are regularly heard on national broadcast television, including the Antiques Roadshow theme, programs for American Experience, and for Nova. 

His resume includes four national Emmy winners as well as many other Emmy nominated films, including "Freedom Riders" which won 3 national primetime Emmys. He has scored many independent films which have won film festivals including multiple Sundance Film Festival winners such as "The Murder of Emmett Till".

Among his most recent work is his score for the documentary "Attica," which will open this year’s Toronto film festival on September 9 and be featured on Showtime later this month. 

 

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead 

Meet Aaron Biebert of VIDA Voices

Joining host Michael Azevedo on episode #41 of Making Media Now is Aaron Biebert of Creative Northern in Milwaukee, WI. Aaron also heads up a filmmaking initiative called VIDA Voices. Through crowdfunding efforts, VIDA Voices crafts & amplifies stories about often overlooked societal issues by connecting unheard voices with filmmakers & storytellers. 

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead