Class of 2010

Civil Indigent

Civil Indigent follows outspoken homeless activist Francis ‘Pat’ Fitzpatrick as he runs for a seat on the City Commission in Gainesville, Florida. The film trails Fitzpatrick over the course of his five-month campaign, and reveals the origins of his passion for helping those society has turned its back on.

A compassionate lay-member of the Franciscan brotherhood, an addiction counselor who has battled his own vices, and a die hard fan of the Florida Gators, Fitzpatrick is a larger than life character on a relentless mission to give a voice to those who don’t have one.

Co-Directors: Nick Corrao, David Hafter and Peter Salomone

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My Brother, My Sister

My Brother, My Sister is a film about the effect of Florida’s Civil Rights Movement on two brothers and two sisters. Dan and Jim Harmeling and Patricia and Priscilla Stephens fought for justice as students in the 1960s. Through their activism, each experienced events that would shape the rest of their lives.

Co-Directors: Jameil Hamilton and John Varley



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Planting Peace

Born into a life of privilege, Aaron Jackson once dreamed only of becoming a professional golfer. In his early twenties, this self-described “slacker, hippie kid” transformed himself into a one-man charity operating across the world. He has now charged himself with an impossible task – save the children of Haiti from starvation.

Along with John Dieubon, a passionate young preacher from the streets of Haiti, he works to build a network of grassroots support stretching from Hollywood fundraisers to the world’s most desperate villages. Focusing on a village nicknamed “Little Africa,” these two men have formed an unlikely friendship to begin building a new future in one of the most difficult places on earth.

Co-Directors: Jon Bougher and Roman Safiullin

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Recording a Revolution

Throughout shabby production and recording studios across Kano, Nigeria, young Hausa Muslims escape the harsh conditions of everyday life through artistic expression. Influenced by international art-forms such as Bollywood musicals and American hip-hop, these aspiring young artists have revitalized the music and film industry in Northern Nigeria, reshaping the face of Hausa and Muslim youth culture.

However, their artistic endeavors face overwhelming obstacles including poverty, social stigmas, product privacy, and government censorship. In their paths towards artistic freedom stand opponents who fear that the growing popularity of foreign-influenced singing and dancing will morally corrupt the youth. Within this city of Kano lies an identity crisis, with opposing sides clashing and attempting to compromise over cultural and religious interpretation. One side fights for artistic globalization and expression. The other fights for cultural preservation and sanitization. Both fight to maintain their Islamic identity.

Co-Directors: Alex Johnson and Saman Piracha

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