By Mabel Pais

CODED BIAS

DIR: Shalini Kantayya l 2020 l USA l Doc Feature l 1h 30m

‘THE RESEARCHER WHO TOOK ON BIG TECH AND WON’ – ‘Fast Company’ Story Title

“10 BEST FILMS OF 2020” – The New York Times

“Thought-provoking. ‘Coded Bias’ serves as both a wake-up call (to invasive practices the public doesn’t yet realize are being implemented) and a call to action.” – (Valerie Complex) VARIETY

“CODED BIAS,” Shalini Kantayya’s feature documentary, premiered at the 2020Sundance Film Festival

The film explores the fallout of MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini’s startling discovery that facial recognition software does not see dark-skinned faces and faces of women accurately, she delves into an investigation of widespread bias in algorithms. As it turns out, artificial intelligence is not neutral, and women are leading the charge to ensure our civil rights are protected. Buolamwini starts her journey to push for the first-ever legislation in the U.S. to govern against bias in the algorithms that impact us all. Modern society sits at the intersection of two crucial questions: What does it mean when artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly governs our liberties? And what are the consequences for the people Al is biased against?

“Coded Bias” weaves a history of the small homogeneous group of men who defined artificial intelligence and forged the culture of Silicon Valley – a culture rapidly reshaping the world. As humans increasingly outsource decision-making to machines, algorithms already decide who gets hired, who gets health care, and who gets undue police scrutiny. Automated decision making has the unprecedented power to disseminate bias at scale. “Coded Bias” tells the uncharted story of rebels and misfits, women mathematicians and data scientists leading the fight for ethical use of the technologies of the future.

Watch the trailer vimeo.com/video/414917737

To learn about virtual screenings, visit codedbias.com/virtualcinema

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THROUGH THE NIGHT

– WHO CARES FOR THE CAREGIVER?

DIR: Loira Limbal l 2020 l USA l Doc Feature l 1h 12m

“‘THROUGH THE NIGHT is both celebration and indictment.”- The Hollywood Reporter

“a gripping peek into the economic and emotional challenges of Americans.”-The Root

IN VIRTUAL CINEMAS NATIONWIDE, DECEMBER 11TH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 “THROUGH THE NIGHT,” directed and produced by Loira Limbal, is an intimate cinema verité portrait of three working mothers whose lives all intersect at a 24-hour daycare center: a mother working the overnight shift as an essential worker at a hospital; another holding down three jobs just to support her family; and a woman who for over two decades has cared for the children of parents with nowhere else to turn. A tender portrait of titanic strength, love, and selflessness, “Through The Night” showcases the multiplicity of “women’s work” — paid, underpaid, and unpaid; emotional and physical; domestic and career-oriented – all while negotiating the terms of a dignified existence under the three arrows of racism, sexism, and capitalism in America.

Website:   throughthenightfilm.com

Facebook:  throughthenightdocumentary

Instagram: throughthenightdoc

Twitter:    thruthenightdoc

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BREAKING SURFACE

DIR: Joachim Heden l 2020 l Sweden,Belgium,Norway l Swedish & Norwegian w/Eng subs l 1h 22m l NR

“All the diving we see in the film is done by Moa and Madeleine themselves without stunt doubles.” – Joachim Heden

In “Breaking Surface,” Swedish filmmaker Joachim Heden (“New York Waiting”) returns with an intense thriller starring Moa Gammel and Madeleine Martin as half-sisters clamoring against time on the ocean floor.

A few days after Christmas, half-sisters Ida and Tuva set out on a winter dive in a remote part of the Norwegian coastline. Towards the end of the dive, a rockslide traps Tuva under water. As Ida surfaces to call for help, she discovers that the rockslide has struck above water as well, burying their equipment, phones and car keys–they are completely cut off from any chance of outside rescue. As the frantic race for survival unfolds, Ida is put to the ultimate test of character and forcefulness. During Ida’s fight to save Tuva, a fractured sisterhood is exposed, and when all seems lost, the stakes rise beyond simple survival. To learn more, visit musicboxfilms.com/film/breaking-surface

Release: On VOD December 15 on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Vudu, and YouTube by Doppelganger Releasing.

 

 DOCU SHORTS

THE WAY HOME – Docu Short Series

DIRS: Don Hardy, Camille Servan-Schreiber, Shawn Dailey l 2020 l USA l Doc Short l 44m

“THE WAY HOME” is the launch of Season One of a new short-form documentary series from acclaimed filmmakers Don Hardy, Camille Servan-Schreiber and Shawn Dailey.  This inspiring and insightful non-fiction short film series takes a deep dive into the ongoing increasing issues of homelessness in America – specifically in California.

This remarkable series not only focuses on the growing problem impacting our nation, but highlights solution makers and game changers, as they dedicate their lives making a difference in addressing this issue.

 

DESCRIPTIONS

Episode 1: 14m

How Did We Get Here?

In the first episode of THE WAY HOME  we examine the origins of the homelessness crisis in the US and how it has grown to an epidemic in California.

 

Episode 2: 9m

The Most Vulnerable

More than half of homeless people in California are seniors. One pilot program in Northern California is focused on getting them off the street.

Episode 3: 10m

The Invisible

In one California community volunteers, non-profit organizations, and the local government are working together to find creative ways to get people into sustainable housing … and it’s working.

Episode 4: 11m

The California Dream

California is in the midst of a housing crisis, and the lack of affordable housing is why so many become homeless.

To learn more, visit TheWayHome.com

www.Facebook.com/TheWayHomeDocSeries

The Film is available on iTunes, Amazon & Google Play.

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NO CRYING AT THE DINNER TABLE

DIR: Carol Nguyen l USA l 2020 l Doc Short l 15m

WINNER: SXSWFF & LAAPFF

 

In this cathartic documentary about things left unsaid, filmmaker Carol Nguyen interviews her own family to craft an emotionally complex and meticulously composed portrait of intergenerational trauma, grief, and secrets. Her films often explore the subjects of cultural identity, family and memory. To learn more about the film, please visit: Carolnguyenfilms.com/no-crying-at-the-dinner-table

Facebook: @ncatdt  Instagram: @ncatdt

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TO CALM THE PIG INSIDE (Ang Pagpakalma Sa Unos)

DIR: Joanna Vasquez Arong l Doc Short l 19m

BEST DOC SHORT: HSDFF, SDFF

In a small town, myths are woven to try to understand how the people cope with devastation and trauma in the aftermath of a typhoon. A girl’s voice divulges bits and pieces of her own memory of her grandmother and mother to tie in the experiences she felt visiting this ravaged town.

Facebook:   @ToCalmThePigInside

Instagram:  @ronganna

(Mabel Pais writes on Social Issues, The Arts and Entertainment, Spirituality, and Health & Wellness)