Downloads: Press Release | Updated Press Release (Nov. 11):
Viewers to Submit Videos About Their Family, Deadline: November 15, 2010
POV to Award Apple iPad to Judges Favorite and iPod Touch to Audience Choice
In celebration of National Adoption Day, and National Adoption Awareness Month, POV is partnering with organizations, individuals and filmmakers across the country to collect video stories from the general public that expand the definition of “family.” POV is encouraging PBS stations, adoption awareness organizations, foster care organizations, LGBTQ organizations, schools, community groups and viewers to produce short videos about what “family” means to them and to submit their videos to POV by November 15, 2010.
Competition Details
The classic family photo with matching sweaters and look-alike smiles doesn’t quite capture the “modern family.” POV wants to hear real stories about your family from you. Send in your videos, and you might receive an iPad or an iPod Touch. Who is your “family”? Maybe your family is your group of friends, or your extended family. You could be an adoptee, an adoptive parent, or part of a single-parent family, an LGBTQ family or a foster family. Help to expand the definition of “family” by submitting a video – no longer than 5 minutes – to This Is My Family. Deadline: November 15, 2010.
Entries will be viewed and judged by an esteemed panel of judges, including:
Dr. Jane Aronson – Doctor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Adoption Medicine, Founder of Worldwide Orphans Foundation and adoptive mother
Karen Bernstein – Emmy and Grammy award-winning documentary producer, and adoptive mother.
Phil Bertelsen – adoptee and award-winning filmmaker of fiction and non-fiction including Outside Looking In, a documentary examining transracial adoption in America.
Thomas Allen Harris – award-winning POV filmmaker, founder and President of Chimpanzee Productions
Avery Klein-Cloud – adoptee and protagonist of Off and Running, which recently aired on PBS as part of POV’s three-part 2010 Adoption Stories series.
Rafi Klein-Cloud – adoptee featured in Off and Running, which recently aired on PBS as part of POV’s three-part 2010 Adoption Stories series.
Deann Borshay Liem – adoptee and filmmaker of In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee, which recently aired on PBS as part of POV’s three-part 2010 Adoption Stories series, and First Person Plural (POV 2000).
Soledad O’Brien – CNN News Anchor and Special Correspondent. Recent work includes "Gary and Tony Have a Baby," the story of two gay men and their struggle to have a baby that has a biological and legal connection to both of them.
Nicole Opper – award-winning filmmaker of Off and Running, which recently aired on PBS as part of POV’s three-part 2010 Adoption Stories series.
Zara Philips – filmmaker, singer, adoptee and advocate for open adoption rights, who wrote a song with hip hop pioneer DMC Darryl McDaniel’s “I’m Legit” about open records for adopted people in the U.S.
Stephanie Wang-Breal – filmmaker of Wo Ai Ni (I Love You) Mommy which recently aired on PBS as part of POV’s three-part 2010 Adoption Stories series.
The winning video(s) will be selected based upon the following criteria:
- Honest storytelling
- Execution of the video in a concise, visually appealing way
- Overall originality and creativity of video
The judges will choose their favorite video, and a slate of finalist videos that POV website visitors will vote on, starting November 22, 2010. The judges’ choice will win an iPad and the audience award winner will receive an iPod Touch. The voting period ends on November 30, 2010. Winners will be announced in December.
The POV website offers viewers many opportunities to promote and participate in the Adoption Stories campaign:
- Make a video or submit an existing video to This is My Family
- Blog/Tweet/Facebook about This is My Family
- Use the Lesson Plan in classrooms to create This is My Family pieces
- Host a screening and discussion of the Adoption Stories films
- Register your event with National Adoption Day
- Vote on your favorite video from This is My Family between November 22 and November 30
Schools, community groups and organizations are holding events that are open to the public, including:
- November 1, 4 p.m., Bedford Downs Community Network, Overland Park, KS, Screening
- November 2, 8 p.m., IFC Stranger than Fiction, New York, NY, Screening and Q&A
- November 5, 6 p.m., Ethica, Tucson, AZ, LGBT Adoptions: Our Community, Our Voices
- November 6, 3 p.m., Korean American Culture Center of Michigan, Southfield, MI, Screening
- November 6 – 7, AdopSource, Minneapolis, MN, Minnesota Transracial Film Festival (MNTRFF)
- November 9, 7 p.m., Boston Jewish Film Festival, Brookline, MA, Screening and Q&A
- November 13, 1 p.m., AFAAD Adopted and Fostered Adults of the African Diaspora, Atlanta, GA
- November 18, 7 p.m., Princeton Public Library Princeton, NJ, Screening
View a complete list and find more information about how to host a local screening.
Watch videos on YouTube and join the This Is My Family group on Flickr.
Please visit the POV website for complete contest rules.
About POV
Produced by American Documentary, Inc., the award-winning POV series is the longest-running showcase on American television to feature the work of today’s best independent documentary filmmakers. Airing June through September, with primetime specials during the year, POV has brought more than 275 acclaimed documentaries to millions nationwide and has a Webby Award-winning online series, POV’s Borders. Since 1988, POV has pioneered the art of presentation and outreach using independent nonfiction media to build new communities in conversation about today’s most pressing social issues. More information is available at www.pbs.org/pov.
American Documentary, Inc.
American Documentary, Inc. (AmDoc) is a multimedia company dedicated to creating, identifying and presenting contemporary stories that express opinions and perspectives rarely featured in mainstream media outlets. AmDoc is a catalyst for public culture, developing collaborative strategic engagement activities around socially relevant content on television, online and in community settings. These activities are designed to trigger action, from dialogue and feedback to educational opportunities and community participation. Simon Kilmurry is executive director of American Documentary | POV; Cynthia Lopez is executive vice president.
