The Fledgling Fund Launches Screening Series with Constellation TV

The Fledgling Fund is pleased to announce a new screening series with Constellation TV. The first of this new partnership will be Fledgling grantee, Bag It. Press release follows:


Special Bag It screening series "A Month of Sundays"

"Gripping, funny, intelligent and sure to change your life."
-Louie Psihoyos, Director of The Cove

"That was one of the most confronting, thought-provoking and enjoyable movies my partner and I have seen for a long time. It has definitely changed my priorities and perspective on life."
-Patron, Melbourne Environmental Film Festival

Constellation TV, The Fledgling Fund & Docudrama are pleased to announce 4 special screenings of the documentary, Bag It. Beginning November 20th for 4 weeks, a special Sunday series of event screenings will take place on Constellation, a new online movie theater platform.

"The Fledgling Fund is proud to work at the intersection of independent documentary film and social change. Bag It is a great example of a film that cannot only entertain an audience, but also changes hearts and minds. We are honored to support this film and this special screening series on Constellation."

-Emily Verellen, Director of Programs and Communications, Fledgling Fund.

Tickets are $4.99 at www.constellation.tv/bagit

On November 20th at 8:30 EST, Ed Begley Jr., actor and founding member of the Plastic Pollution Coalition, along with Dianna Cohen, Creative Director and co-founder of the Plastic Pollution Coalition will host a live Q&A about Bag It. Plastic Pollution Coalition is a global alliance of individuals, organizations and businesses working together to stop plastic pollution and its toxic impacts on humans, animals and the environment. Ticket proceeds will support The Plastic Pollution Coalition.

On November 27th at 8:30 EST, world-renowned musician and co-founders of the Kōkua Hawaii Foundation Jack Johnson along with his wife Kim Johnson will host a live Q&A about Bag It. Jack & Kim Johnson, founded the Kokua Hawaii Foundation in 2003 to support environmental education in their home state of Hawaii. Spreading awareness about going plastic free has been a core message of the Johnson's music tours and philanthropic work. Ticket proceeds will support Kōkua Hawai'i Foundation.

On December 4th at 8:30 EST, the Surfrider Foundation will host a live Q&A of Bag It. Surfrider's mission is the protection and enjoyment of oceans, waves and beaches through a powerful activist network. Ticket proceeds will support The Surfrider Foundation.

On December 11th at 8:30 EST Rebecca Sutton of the Environmental Working Group will host a live Q&A about Bag it and how they are utilizing the powerful information in the film to protect public health and the environment. Ticket proceeds will support The Environmental Working Group.

About Constellation Constellation is the coolest NEW online movie theater! Just like a traditional theater, audiences purchase tickets to attend scheduled show times of films. Unlike other online platforms, watching movies on Constellation is a social experience. Users pick a show time to attend, invite friends, and watch movies together! Movies are presented by VIP hosts, such as the films' directors, actors, or subject experts, who appear live in the online theater to answer questions from the audience during and after the film.

About Bag It Try going a day without plastic. Plastic is everywhere and infiltrates our lives in unimaginable and frightening ways. In this touching and often flat- out-funny film, we follow "everyman" Jeb Berrier, who is admittedly not a tree hugger, as he embarks on a global tour to unravel the complexities of our plastic world. What starts as a film about plastic bags evolves into a wholesale investigation into plastic and its affect on our waterways, oceans, and even our own bodies. We see how our crazy-for-plastic world has finally caught up to us and what we can do about it. Today. Right now.

The Fledgling Fund Grantee, Good Fortune, Wins Emmy

The Fledgling Fund grantee, Good Fortune, won the News and Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Business and Economic Reporting - Long Form tonight. We congratulate filmmakers Landon Van Soest and Jeremy Levine for this well-deserved award. This beautiful film has become a spark for discussion about international development theory and practice and we are honored to have played a small part in the impact it has made.

The Fledgling Fund Congratulates our Grantees on their Emmy Wins

The Fledgling Fund congratulates our grantees on their Emmy wins:

Freedom Riders, Directed by Stanley Nelson
Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming
Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming
Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking

Gasland, Directed by Josh Fox
Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming

The Fledgling Fund Letter of Inquiry is Live Online

The Fledgling Fund letter of inquiry is now live online, here.  Before applying, don't forget to read through our application guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions.  The deadline for this letter of inquiry is September 30th, 2011.

Congratulations to Puma.Creative Impact Award Finalists

The Fledgling Fund congratulates all five of the finalists for the Puma.Creative Impact Award. The PUMA.Creative Impact Award is a major new annual award to honor the documentary film creating the most significant impact in the world. This 50,000 Euro award acknowledges the film's makers and will help the continuation of the film's campaign work. The five finalists are:

The Age of Stupid
Directed by Franny Armstrong & Produced by Lizzie Gillett

Burma VJ
Directed by Anders Østergaard & Produced by Lise Lense-Møller

The End of The Line
Directed by Rupert Murray & Produced by Claire Lewis & George Duffield

The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court
Directed by Pamela Yates & Produced by Paco de Onís

Trouble The Water
Directed & Produced by Tia Lessin & Carl Deal

For more information about the award, click here.