This inspiring, lyrical short poses questions that the homeless and those in need are facing in real life, the first query being, “What if everywhere you went, people turned their backs on you?”
During the initial portion of this nearly three-minute film, there are large images of people with their backs turned projected on buildings and other backdrops. At the same time, we see and hear about the plights of the needy
The copy is written in such a way that it’s not a stretch to think that some such plights could surface for all of us–and are not just confined to the currently down and out. “What if the job you relied on no longer relied on you?” Or what if the people you counted on thought you no longer counted?
Next we are exposed to some stark realities–the tens of thousands who are homeless in Orange County, Calif., the one in six O.C. residents who don’t have health insurance, the 890,000 people at risk of hunger, including children.
Yet there are thoughts and images that then take hold in this short that spark hope for those at risk and for those who donate time and money, and volunteer to help. We are introduced to the “Live United” campaign which promotes a world where no one looks away from the face of need–a commitment that turns heartbreak into hope, dependence into independence, and “helps put the unity back into community.”
This short is for United Way Orange County’s fundraising efforts and will be sent to corporate partners and be posted on the United Way O.C. website. There’s also the possibility of cutting it down to run as a broadcast spot in select markets.
The film was directed and edited by James Lipetzky of Foundation Content. United Way O.C. came to Foundation Content directly based on the company’s work on a Gold Hugo-winning effort for United Way Chicago.
Netflix Series “The Leopard” Spots Classic Italian Novel, Remakes It As A Sumptuous Period Drama
"The Leopard," a new Netflix series, takes the classic Italian novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and transforms it into a sumptuous period piece showing the struggles of the aristocracy in 19th-century Sicily, during tumultuous social upheavals as their way of life is crumbling around them.
Tom Shankland, who directs four of the eight episodes, had the courage to attempt his own version of what is one of the most popular films in Italian history. The 1963 movie "The Leopard," directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale, won the Palme d'Or in Cannes.
One Italian critic said that it would be the equivalent of a director in the United States taking "Gone with the Wind" and turning it into a series, but Shankland wasn't the least bit intimidated.
He said that he didn't think of anything other than his own passion for the project, which grew out of his love of the book. His father was a university professor of Italian literature in England, and as a child, he loved the book and traveling to Sicily with his family.
The book tells the story of Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina, a tall, handsome, wealthy aristocrat who owns palaces and land across Sicily.
His comfortable world is shaken with the invasion of Sicily in 1860 by Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was to overthrow the Bourbon king in Naples and bring about the Unification of Italy.
The prince's family leads an opulent life in their magnificent palaces with servants and peasants kowtowing to their every need. They spend their time at opulent banquets and lavish balls with their fellow aristocrats.
Shankland has made the series into a visual feast with tables heaped with food, elaborate gardens and sensuous costumes.... Read More