A series of three short experimental film documentary essays ponder the theme of morals, questioning what might be deemed right or wrong behavior in contemporary society:
White. Male. Privilege. Redemption, really?
Interpretation. Hearing and reading glimpses of conversations. The speed of words. Catching snippets. Sometimes the words are repeated, deleted, move too quickly. Interpreting what we believe we hear and see. What we glean and absorb, elicits elucidation of meanings.
The prevailing intention was the dissemination of the words Redacted/Reversed. Highlighting the (imagined or possible or impossible) censored words. Who IS behind choosing the words to redact?
re·dact \ri-ˈdakt\ (a transitive verb). A transitive verb can take a direct object. In other words: it is done to someone or something. (* source: Merriam-Webster)
Fugitive Gordon (05:03. Color. Sound.)
Gordon: “I feel bad about being caught.”
A Connecticut man captured after a prison break decades earlier, is sent back to prison, prompting various responses from law enforcers, neighbors, coworkers, and his girlfriend.
If Gordon was not male, not white, would the reactions be the same?
The text is excerpted from articles by Craig Schneider (The Atlanta Journal), CBS46.com, and Kristin Hussey, Lisa W. Foderaro and Alan Blinder (New York Times June 3, 2016). End photo credit: Georgia Department of Corrections: Then and now: Robert Stackowitz in a 1968 photo, left, and in 2016.
Postscript: The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles granted Mr. Stackowitz a medical reprieve. Mr. Stackowitz’s lawyer, Norman Pattis, describing his client as “dumbfounded” by the decision, stated: “This is keeping a good man alive. It wasn’t just a medical reprieve; it was an existential reprieve.” Stackowitz died six weeks later in December 2016.
Fugitive Gordon Clip
Secret Agent Man (02: 59. Color. Sound.)
Harold Adrian Russell Philby: “Because I had been born.”
A spy, in his own words, reveals some tricks of the trade while justifying his actions.
A glimpse into the spy world of Harold Adrian Russell Philby AKA Kim Philby, AKA the British face who donned Soviet postage stamps. Excerpted texts, images, and sound include the Associated Press, New York Times, BBC News, and Stasi archives.
Alternative Film Festival, Canada (Award Winner); London International Monthly Film Festival, England (Honorable Mention.)
Secret Agent Man Clip
Well, Broad: Ode to Paula Broadwell and the General (04:59. Color. Sound.)
A contemplation of imagined redacted words and the MISTRESS code. The film is a deconstruction of the 2016 New York Times article by Jessica Bennett: The Afterlife of a Scandal, and the media coverage surrounding Paula Broadwell, the author of the biography All In: The Education of General David Petraeus. Excerpts include the New York Times, ABC News, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
Paula Broadwell, the former International Security Assistance Force commander, is the co-founder and co-director of the Think Broader Foundation, a media consulting film that addresses gender bias in media and society.
Well, Broad Clip
Alternative Film Festival, Canada (Semi-Finalist, Best Experimental North America, Super Short) 2021.