For Inspire Films, a Northwestern student group that bridges the gap between politics and film, movies can relay important information without the help of special effects and elaborate displays.
This weekend, the group presented the first Symposium on Social Issue Media, which combined clips from politically-conscious films and documentaries with lectures on techniques for making and distributing films with social messages.
The event, held at the North Shore Ballroom and McCormick Tribune Center, included guest speakers from different universities and organizations who presented the different ways politics can be integrated into media. About 300 people were registered for the symposium.
Toward the end of the event Saturday afternoon, about 100 people listened to speakers from Participant Productions and Kartemquin Films, production companies known for releasing socially-conscious films and documentaries, talk about the distribution of politically-motivated films and how these movies can receive financial and public support from large companies.
Several speakers, including Salome Chasnoff, executive director of socially-aware media outlet Beyondmedia, focused not only on the growing market for political films for both the big screen and the Internet, but also on the content and the politics that drive the films.
A recurring theme at the Symposium was how film can be used to represent groups who have been politically and socially marginalized. This was the case with "Aquellos," a student-made documentary and recipient of last year's Inspire Films grant, which premiered on the first night of the Symposium. Shot during Fall and Winter Quarters, the film depicted the lives of Puerto Rican teens in the Chicago suburb of Humboldt Park and their experiences with discrimination from both their peers and the government.
The documentary chronicled the teens' struggles to overcome the pressures of street life and their willingness to continue going to school, despite its overwhelming drop-out rate.
Alberto Roldan, director of "Aquellos," said the film's function is to connect the large Latino population of Chicago with the community at NU.
"There's such a high Latino population in Chicago that it's sad to see how few Latino students go to college," the Communication sophomore said. "It's unfortunate how few Latinos Northwestern recruits."
Connecting students of different concentrations was important, said Jeremy Goodman, co-director of the Symposium.
"There are a large number of people at NU involved with different forms of media, such as film and journalism," the Communication junior said. "The symposium is essential because the fields barely overlap, but a lot of people are interested in a crossover between the two fields."
Although Inspire is only in its second year at NU, its members, including public relations chair and Communication freshman Rachel Kopilow, said they believe the organization and Symposium are making a positive impact on NU's student body.
"Inspire is filling an important niche on campus," said Kopilow, a former Daily reporter. "It's sparking conversation on socially-conscious media."
As proponents of fostering discussion and promoting social change, organizers of the Symposium said social issues are still relevant in today's society.
"Politics in movies is definitely not lost," Goodman said. "The question that this symposium is asking is how can media change the world."
RyanLuong2011@u.northwestern.edu
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