Cities all across America are undergoing radical transformations. The collective American collective cultural mindset has shifted towards environmentally sustainability and lifestyles with reduced stress. A hallmark of this shift has been the reimagining and revitalization of formerly neglected and blighted urban centers as thriving ‘urban villages’. As more people choose inner cities as ideal places to live and work, developers and investment dollars pour in to upgrade infrastructure and re-energize business districts. These transformative waves do wonders for the landscape, but they also push long-term residents out of their homes and communities. This trend is commonly known as gentrification and a national debate is currently raging about its impact on poor and other marginalized Americans.

Equity in Action: Communities Lead the Way in Equitable Development is a short documentary that we produced for two western Washington based organizations the Regional Equity Network and the Puget Sound Regional Council. The film was premiered at the Regional Equity Summit on November 8 -9, 2013.

The film takes a critical look at how the forces of development impact poor and ethnic communities and how members of those communities have organized to reshape the way development takes place in the future. The new vision for development carries the moniker ‘equitable development’. It emphasizes development and renewal projects that put a priority on preserving and enhancing existing communities as opposed to neglecting and displacing them out of existence.

We love working on projects like these. They allow us to digest complex subjects and create concise narratives that engage audiences while communicating the essence of the issue.

Much thanks to the folks at the Puget Sound Regional Council and The Regional Equity Network for allowing us to partner with you to create more media that matters.

Equity in Action – Communities Lead the Way in Equitable Development (Short Version) from Inye Wokoma-Ijo Arts Media Group on Vimeo.

Client: Regional Equity Network and Puget Sound Regional Council
Project: Produce two short documentary videos about the regional push for equitable development.
Intent: To create two media pieces targeted towards policy makers, developers and community organizers promoting equitable development as a new model for development model.
Producer: Inye Wokoma
Research Consultant: Aileen Balahadia
Writer: Inye Wokoma
Director: Inye Wokoma
Cinematographer: Anthony Tackett
Editor: Inye Wokoma
Narration: Yirim Seck
Post Audio & Musical Score: Contact Create Studios / Lawrence R. Sims Jr.

I am not sure what more to say about that.

HELLA COOL!

Thanks Cast & Crew!

And Thanks Telly Awards!

-Inye

http://lostandpugetsoundmovie.ijoarts.com

Just 25 minutes west of Denver, Golden, CO is the perfect locale for an environmentally themed film festival. Tucked in cozy valley in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, there is a 360 degree vista of snow cover hillsides and rocky peaks. ‘A river runs through it’  and the air is probably the crispest and cleanest you will taste that close to any major American city.

The staff and volunteers at CEFF ere friendly and gracious and their enthusiastic reception of us and our film made the overall experience all the better.

We are looking forward to entering the project in future festivals and hope to have many more opportunities to share it with the public. Stay Tuned.

If you haven’t seen the film. Take a break from what you are doing and head on over to the film’s official home on our site and watch it today: http://lostandpugetsoundmovie.ijoarts.com

The question we were asked most frequently when starting this project was ‘What does Hip-Hip have to do with the Green Movement?’ This question mainly came from those only peripherally familiar with Hip-Hop culture.

Most people who have not been immersed in Hip-Hop culture only see it through the lens of the mainstream media, where the basest, most materialist, hedonistic, nihilistic and commercially viable aspects are amplified. Hip-Hop has also been falsely characterized as just rap music. The violence, sexism and materialism portrayed as core values in commercial rap doesn’t represent the whole of Hip-Hop Culture or the values of the millions of youth and adult who grew up in it.

What most people don’t know is that Hip-Hop began as a form social and cultural activism in New York City (the South Bronx) in the late 1970s. During the late 1980s and early 1990s the culture developed a distinct political voice just as rap music gained a foothold in the economy of popular culture. The result was a bifurcation of values as portrayed through commercial (corporate sponsored) rap music and underground (independent, grassroots) Hip-Hop culture. For the past decade and a half the two streams have been flowing concurrently and evolving in unique ways. Rap music, through music videos, cinema, mainstream radio, commerce and merchandising has dominated the American conversation around youth culture. Meanwhile underground Hip-Hop culture has been quietly evolving as a progressive artistic, political and social force. It is a culture that is no longer the sole propriety of the youth as many adults frame their life work using the values they grew up with in Hip-Hop.

Keith Tucker and I, as members of the first two generations of Hip-Hop who came of age in the 1980s and early 1990s, have a deeper understanding of the culture and how it continues to shape the outlook of youth around the world. Youth whose lives, values, voices and visions for our world remain largely silent in the mainstream conversations about culture, politics, economics and the environment. In thinking about the issues surrounding the topic of this film; food, health and the environment, it was natural for us to use our understanding of Hip-Hop culture as a lens to explore how these issues are relevant to our communities. We also want to show how youth and adults who identify with Hip-Hop are already using the culture as an activist platform to affect change around these issues.

So in a nutshell, that is what we think Hip-Hop has to do with the Green Movement.

The main work of uncovering and piecing together this story still lay ahead of us. However as we continue to raise funds for this project we are able to present snapshots of what the landscape of Hip-Hop environmental activism looks like. This video is of a recent interview Keith Tucker did with Ashel Eldridge, Hip-Hop emcee, community activist and vegan.

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Support our Indiegogo Fundraising Campaign!

We are raising funds to help make the project a success. Please visit our Indiegogo campaign site at www.indiegogo.com/PursuitofaGreenPlanet, where you can read more about our project and how to support us. We have a very ambitious goal, to raise $30,000 in 30 days. Our network of partners and supporters spans the nation. Every contribution, no matter the size, is important.

We published the official DVD for the educational film “Lost and (Puget) Sound” in August (2011), just in time for the new school year. This film is published here on vimeo in its entirety. We published this short video showcasing the final DVD presentation to give you an idea of what the final product looks like.

We had fun and worked with lots of great folks putting this project together. We glad the finished piece is finally here!

The third of three Public Service Announcements we produced for Seattle Public Utilities and the Washington State Department of Ecology. These PSAs were are condensed versions of a 30 minute educational video about stormwater pollution in the Puget Sound created for elementary and middle school students.

The word is that these spots will be showing in local movie theaters as a part of the pre-show advertising and trailers program. I am not sure which theater chain they will be shown in or what the run dates will be. I’ll keep you all posted.

The second of three Public Service Announcements we produced for Seattle Public Utilities and the Washington State Department of Ecology. These PSAs were are condensed versions of a 30 minute educational video about stormwater pollution in the Puget Sound created for elementary and middle school students.

The word is that these spots will be showing in local movie theaters as a part of the pre-show advertising and trailers program. I am not sure which theater chain they will be shown in or what the run dates will be. I’ll keep you all posted.

One of three Public Service Announcements we produced for Seattle Public Utilities and the Washington State Department of Ecology. These PSAs were are condensed versions of a 30 minute educational video about stormwater pollution in the Puget Sound created for elementary and middle school students.

The word is that these spots will be showing in local movie theaters as a part of the pre-show advertising and trailers program. I am not sure which theater chain they will be shown in or what the run dates will be. I’ll keep you all posted.

We are in the process of wrapping up a project for Seattle Public Utilities. Last summer we were contracted by SPU to produce a series of educational videos about stormwater pollution in the Puget Sound. The project consists of a 30 minute educational film geared towards elementary and middle school students and three 30 second public service announcements for the general public.

This was a very exciting and rewarding project to work on. Starting with nothing more a set of statistics about pollution, background information about the problem and some teaching guidelines from partner school districts, we developed a story featuring three teens who go on a journey and learn about stormwater pollution issues in their community.

As the writer and producer of this short film I am happy to begin sharing the piece as an Ijo Arts Media Group production on behalf of Seattle Public Utilities and the Washington Department of Ecology.

-inye.