PBS
PBS

PBS’ Online Film Festival returns for a fifth year, kicking off today, July 11-29, 2016, featuring 25 short-form independent films from a broad spectrum of public media stations and partners.

Beginning today, the festival is available via PBS and station digital platforms, including PBS.org, Youtube and PBS social media channels. The films are also be available via the PBS app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku and FireTV devices.



Below, I’ve highlighted 4 films in the festival that fit this blog’s specific interests. Click on each image to be taken to their respective pages on the festival’s website where you can watch them in full, and vote for your faves! The film with most votes will receive the “PBS People’s Choice” award.

Greenlight
This film captures an actor’s conversation about the lack of diversity in filmmaking, amid the backdrop of potential prejudices in Hollywood South. After being joined by another fellow actor, the trio figures out that the solution is to take charge of their own destiny.

This year’s lineup features films from the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC), Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB), National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP), Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), Independent Lens, Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC), POV, StoryCorps and Vision Maker Media, as well as PBS local member stations Alaska Public Media, CET/ThinkTV (Cincinnati/Dayton),KLRU-TV (Austin), KQED (San Francisco), KTTZ (Texas Tech), Louisiana Public Broadcasting, Twin Cities Public Television, UNC-TV and WPBT (South Florida).

TrafficStop
Alex Landau, an African American man, was raised by his adoptive white parents to believe that skin color didn’t matter. But when Alex was pulled over by Denver police officers one night in 2009, he lost his belief in a color-blind world — and nearly lost his life. Alex tells his mother, Patsy Hathaway, what happened that night and how it affects him to this day.

“PBS and its member stations are proud to be the home for independent filmmakers and to provide a platform for diverse voices to showcase their unique stories and talent,” said Ira Rubenstein previously, Senior Vice President and General Manager, PBS Digital. “Through the PBS Online Film Festival, we are giving a national audience the opportunity to watch 25 engrossing, high-quality independent films on-demand and, for the first time, vote for their favorite film through social voting.”

Teachers
Ms. Faith Mayfield is a driven, but also exhausted, high school social studies teacher. She has one student in particular, Ellie Thompson, who’s taken the 10th grade two times already. Unless Ellie excels on the final exam, she will have to repeat 10th grade again. Unnerved by that idea, Mayfield confronts Ellie, attempting to inspire passion and motivation in her education but she soon discovers Ellie’s struggles are a direct result of her family’s dire financial situation, and that Ellie is flirting with the idea of dropping out of high school altogether to work full-time.

The PBS Online Film Festival showcases powerful and engaging stories from filmmakers across the country. The festival has become a popular annual online event, attracting more than 1.5 million video streams over the first four years, as well as nominations in the Webby Awards.

Capoeira
Memo is at a capoeira roda and has reached his breaking point. He is going through an inner struggle that makes it seem like the world is caving in. He has to decide which road to take: to give in to his fears and play it safe or risk it all and let go.

Viewers are encouraged to watch, vote and share their favorite film by going to pbs.org/filmfestival. The film with most votes will receive the “PBS People’s Choice” award. Additionally, for the first time ever, viewers can vote for their favorite film by logging onto their Facebook or Twitter account and sharing their favorite film titles using the #PBSolff hashtag. For updates on the festival, follow #PBSolff on Twitter.

Check out the festival trailer below:


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