Sunday, September 25, 2016

Tomorrow at 9:45am on KUCI 88.9fm, Cecilia Gärding, author ("Afroswedish"), filmmaker, ethnologist and political scientist.

If you missed Cecilia Gärding on today's show, listen here!

Cecilia Gärding, author ("Afroswedish"), filmmaker, ethnologist and political scientist, is now releasing her second book, "Diversity in the Swedish Film Heritage 1890-1950".
This time the book is about the Swedish Film Heritage and the representation of the ethnic diversity in the films between 1890 and 1950. At the invitation of the Academy, the book will launch at the Student Academy Awards, September 22, where she will promote the book at the Margaret Herrick Library.
 
Cecilia Gärding wrote the book "Afroswedish" in the new Sweden in 2010 and produced the film "We are like Oranges" in 2012. The film was honored as the “Best Foreign Film” at the LA Femme Film Festival in Hollywood in 2014. This film was the first to portray an Afroswedish young man as a hero in the lead role in Swedish film history. 

Film as an art form came to Sweden after the major powers in Europe had colonized large parts of the world, during the heyday of racial thinking and at the time of mass emigration. The book addresses how this affected films and how film as such was introduced to a Swedish public, thanks to foreign entrepreneurs. Film quickly became the most popular form of entertainment. But what images did the films disseminate about different ethnic groups?

This book is the first in Sweden to give an overview of 60 years of film history where the focus is on how ethnic minorities and people in European colonies and other countries have been presented in documentaries and films. The book presents and compares how, the Sami, Jews, the Roma, Finns, Turks, Arabs, Asians and Africans has been portrayed. This is to demonstrate how these groups have been stereotyped and very seldom even given the chance to play themselves.

The development of Swedish society, Real politiks, racial thinking and the colonial ambitions of the Swedish state are discussed to highlight the fact that film has often been used to serve the interests of those in power. About half of the book deals with the Second World War where more light is shed on how world events also affected Swedish film. The book explains why the Swedish film industry played an active role in the SS-led International Film Chamber and the consequences of that co-operation regarding the films made and its anti-Semitic presentations. This cooperation also ensured that Sweden did not create anti-nazi film productions between 1935-1943.

The book also explains how prejudices promoted by the use of stereotypes and race performativity (e.g. when an ethnic Swede plays a person of another ethnic background) affect us biologically. The book advances suggestions of what needs to be done to increase the inclusion of ethnic minority groups in the film sector through the inclusion model, the 25% rule developed by the author. The medium of film can change how we perceive ourselves and others. It is up to us to manage that possibility to the benefit of all.

The book is one of the end results of the youth project The Cultural Heritage Agents, a project for young workers with an ethnic minority background in the cultural sector. The project was conducted under the auspices of Kulturens. The book is published by Lyxo publishers.

Alan Schwarz, author of ADHD Nation - Children, Doctors, Big Pharma, and the Making of an American Epidemic, featured today on KUCI 88.9fm!



If you missed Alan Schwarz on today's show, listen here!

The groundbreaking and definitive account of the widespread misdiagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder—and how its unchecked growth over half a century has made ADHD one of the most controversial conditions in medicine, with serious effects on children, adults, and society.

More than 1 in 7 American children get diagnosed with ADHD—three times what experts have said is appropriate—meaning that millions of kids are misdiagnosed and taking medications such as Adderall or Concerta for a psychiatric condition they probably do not have. The numbers rise every year. And still, many experts and drug companies deny any cause for concern. In fact, they say that adults and the rest of the world should embrace ADHD and that its medications will transform their lives.

In ADHD Nation, Alan Schwarz examines the roots and the rise of this cultural and medical phenomenon: The father of ADHD, Dr. Keith Conners, spends fifty years advocating drugs like Ritalin before realizing his role in what he now calls “a national disaster of dangerous proportions”; a troubled young girl and a studious teenage boy get entangled in the growing ADHD machine and take medications that backfire horribly; and big Pharma egregiously over-promotes the disorder and earns billions from the mishandling of children (and now adults).

While demonstrating that ADHD is real and can be medicated when appropriate, Schwarz sounds a long-overdue alarm and urges America to address this growing national health crisis.

Raquel D’Apice, a humor writer and founder of the popular blog The Ugly Volvo, joined me today at 9:30am PST to talk about her hilarious and insightful book Welcome to the Club: 100 Parenting Milestones You Never Saw Coming.

If you missed Raquel D'Apice on today's show, listen here!

From the comedian behind the popular parenting blog The Ugly Volvo comes a refreshing spin on the baby milestone book. Instead of a place to lovingly capture the first time baby sleeps through the night, this book shows what it's like the first time baby rolls off the bed/sofa/changing table, leaving mom or dad in a state of pure terror (it happens). These 100 rarely documented but all-too-realistic milestones—such as "First Time Baby Says a Word You Didn't Want Her to Say"—provide comfort, solidarity, and comic relief for new parents. Laugh-out-loud relatable text and distinctive paper-cut illustrations of these "bad" parenting moments make this a must-have book for anyone entering the mysterious club of parenthood.

Raquel D’Apice is a humor writer and founder of the popular blog The Ugly Volvo. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and son.



Here is some information about Raquel from her site: http://www.theuglyvolvo.com/

I watch a lot of documentaries on Instant Netflix. I love The World According to Garp and everything by Shel Silverstein and I read The New Yorker but mainly I read it for the cartoons. I have a phobia of jewelry. I have a horrible sweet tooth and could easily eat nine boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch in one sitting. (Update: I have a cavity.) Sometimes I daydream about living in other countries and then immediately go online to look up the size of the spiders in those countries.

I wear almost the exact same outfit every day. I am married to someone who speaks three languages and there are days when I feel like I barely speak English. I love stand-up comedy and Far Side cartoons and books about science. When I like songs I will obsessively listen to them on repeat for hours or days until everyone nearby wants to throw me and my CD player out a window. Yes, for whatever reason I still play music on a CD player.

I have a very nice mother and an eccentric father. I have two younger sisters and a dog named Tig and a husband who obsessively follows international weather patterns the way other men follow sports. I have a wonderful son who makes me smile a lot of the time. My first car was an old, ugly Volvo that I loved so much and that’s why the blog is called The Ugly Volvo. I wish there were a more interesting story behind it but there isn’t.

I have a book coming out in Fall of 2016 through Chronicle Books. When we get closer to fall of 2016 I will write about that in slightly more detail.

If you enjoy my posts, like The Ugly Volvo on Facebook or follow me on here (www.theuglyvolvo.com) orfollow me on Twitter. If there’s a post you like, please share it with friends as I love writing but am notoriously bad at promoting things. I try to post around once a week.

Friday, September 16, 2016

Director, producer, writer, and performer, Caatje van Leeuwen, joined me Monday at 9am PST LIVE on KUCI 88.9fm!

If you missed Caatje on today's show, listen here!

Director, producer, writer, and performer, Caatje van Leeuwen is the founder of Amsterdam-based production company Sun Cat Productions. Her passion lies in telling slice-of- life stories that weave larger social issues with intimate glimpses into the relationships of everyday people. The result is a series of short films that aim to go beyond the inherent beauty of film-making as an art form to the beauty of life itself, inspiring hope from otherwise dark corners.

In recent years, Caatje has developed, written and directed multiple film projects and has proven to be a driving force for each taking on multiple roles, as necessary. Most recently she wrote and directed Different Stories, Jan, the dark comedy The Upper Crust, and The Man For The Boy for artist Blackbird (Merel Koman) to be released in October 2016.

Caatje is a founding partner at LA-based film studio, Cinema Collaboratorium.

Caatje served as writer, producer, post-director and star of Sun Cat Productions' debut film, William which was featured in the 2015 Cannes film festival short film showcase corner.

She is a best director nominee for short film, Jan at the Amsterdam 48 Hour Film Project (2015, Jan also won 2nd best film, best editing and nominations for best cinematographer in the contest.

Her latest short, The Upper Crust screened at the 2016 Cannes film festival Short Film Corner and is selected for the 2016 LA Femme Film Festival and the Sunscreen Film Festival Florida 2017.





Brad Allgood, Director/Editor/Director of Photography, joined me Monday at 9:30am PST to talk about his award-winning documentary Landfill Harmonic!


If you missed Brad Allgood on today's show, listen here!

Brad Allgood (Director/Editor/Director of Photography) Brad is an award-winning filmmaker with a background in international development and public health. His films have taken him into the heart of the Nicaraguan rainforest, as well as to remote Caribbean islands, the sparse Kalahari desert and dense African jungles. While working for PBS Marketing and Communications, he produced national campaigns for PBS programs including the Emmy Award-winning series Downton Abbey and the American Experience film Freedom Riders. Before transitioning to filmmaking, Brad served for 3 ½ years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nicaragua. He holds a M.A. in Film and Video Production from American University and a B.S. in Biology and Geology from the University of Georgia.


Award-winning doc LANDFILL HARMONIC opens in Los Angeles Sept. 23rd

Following an impressive festival run and successful NYC theatrical opening, award-winning documentary LANDFILL HARMONIC, directed by Brad Allgood and Graham Townsley, opens in Los Angeles Sept. 23rd.

You may have heard the incredible story of The Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, the subjects of LANDFILL HARMONIC, featured this week on NPR Morning Edition. They've also been featured on 60 MINUTES, TEDx, NPR Music, PIX 11 Evening News, CBS Morning News, The Telegraph, and many others. Orchestra founder Favio Chavez began teaching music to children living in the slums of Cateura, Paraguay. Realizing expensive instruments were unattainable for most families, Chavez and carpenter Nicolas Gomez began crafting instruments using materials found in the landfill.

When a short Kickstarter video went viral, The Recycled Orchestra of Cateura was catapulted into the global media spotlight. LANDFILL HARMONIC shares the adventures and hardships of this close knit group of young musicians as they share their inspiring journey and music with the world. You can check out the trailer for LANDFILL HARMONIC HERE

Don't miss the opportunity to see LANDFILL HARMONIC on the big screen, followed by live performances of The Recycled Orchestra in Los Angeles.



The Film Collaborative and Emerging Pictures

present

LANDFILL HARMONIC

directed by Brad Allgood and Graham Townsley

co-directed/produced by Juliana Penaranda- Loftus

Executive Producers- Alejandra Amarilla, Rodolfo Madero, Belle Murphy

running time 84 minutes

In Spanish with English subtitles

Audiences around the world have praised the incredible true story of these talented young people at over 200 film festivals and winning over 40 film prizes including the Audience Award at the South By Southwest Film Festival, AFI DOCS Festival, Vancouver Film Festival; official selection at the Sheffield Film Festival and winner of the Documentary Award for The Humanitas Prize.

LANDFILL HARMONIC chronicles the incredible journey of Paraguay's Recycled Orchestra of Cateura. Orchestra Founder Favio Chavez had hopes of sharing music with the children of Cateura, a poverty stricken slum next to the capital's largest landfill. Since expensive musical instruments were not within attainable for families in Cateura, Favio, along with carpenter and trash picker Nicolas "Cola" Gomez, began to craft instruments from materials found in the landfill to provide children with the opportunity to play. They journey exceeds all expectations as they find themselves playing for audiences around the world, even accompanying artists such as Stevie Wonder, Metallica and Megadeth. They've also played for Pope Francis, and last week performed at The United Nations in NYC. Don't miss this exciting opportunity to see the orchestra in person.

SPECIAL SCREENINGS IN LOS ANGELES

followed by Q&A with filmmakers:

director Brad Allgood, co-director/producer Juliana Penaranda-Loftus

producer/founder Alexandra Amarilla

with special guests Favio Chavez and The Recycled Orchestra of Cateura



Sept 19th @ 7:00 PM

Museum of Tolerance

9796 W Pico Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90035

Filmmaker Q&A + live performance



Sept 22nd @ 7:30 PM- Filmmaker Q&A + live performance

Laemmle Music Hall

9036 Wilshire Blvd

Beverly Hills, CA 90211

Filmmaker Q&A + live performance



RSVP for both screenings HERE



LANDFILL HARMONIC is the award winning and emotionally inspiring film following the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, a Paraguayan musical youth group that plays instruments made entirely out of garbage and waste from the garbage dump in their home town in Paraguay. When their story goes viral, the orchestra is catapulted into the global spotlight. Under the guidance of idealistic music director Favio Chavez, the orchestra must navigate a strange new world of arenas and sold-out concerts. The film is a testimony to the transformative power of music and the resilience of the human spirit.

OPENS IN LOS ANGELES SEPTEMBER 23rd

Laemmle’s Monica Film Center

1332 2nd St, Santa Monica, CA 90401

and

Laemmle’s Pasadena Playhouse

673 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91101



****WINNER: Audience Award: BEST DOCUMENTARY- SXSW

****WINNER: Audience Award: BEST DOCUMENTARY- AFI FEST

**** SPECIAL MENTION The Environmental Award- SHEFFIELD DOC FEST

LANDFILL HARMONIC has played over 200 film festivals and

has received over 30 Awards at festivals worldwide





David Magdael and Associates, Inc.
600 W. 9th Street, Suite 715
Los Angeles, CA. 90015
Office 213 624 7827

Friday, September 9, 2016

Author, speaker, parenting columnist, and life advice expert Liz Pryor joined me Monday at 9am PST!


If you missed Liz Pryor on today's show, listen here!

ABOUT LIZ PRYOR
Liz Pryor is an author, speaker, parenting columnist and life advice expert.  She is the owner of www.LizPryor.com and author of What Did I Do Wrong? Published by Free Press/Simon & Schuster, nominated for the books for a better life award 2008.
Last year, Liz went up against 15 thousand hopefuls in a national search for the position of “life advice guru” on ABC’s Good Morning America, and won.  She dispensed an advice column weekly for ABC news, answered relationship and parenting advice questions, and appeared on air for the morning show.  Her candid shoot from the hip approach to the growing challenges of everyday life in this fast paced culture, offers support and hope in a voice that resonates.   Her familiar yet unique style has been coined as a modern day dear Abby meets a slice of Jon Stewart.


LOOK AT YOU NOW
My Journey from Shame to Strength

A Memoir by Liz Pryor

“Pregnant at 17, Good Morning America’s Liz Pryor was hidden in a juvenile detention center by her ashamed family. A poignant, often funny reminder that we learn who we are when we’re at our most challenged.”—Good Housekeeping

“A searingly honest recounting of what it’s like to both love your parents and realize their all-too-
human frailties.”—Family Circle

“This is a funny, tender and brave coming-of-age tale.”— People Magazine

“Authentic and unforgettable”—Publishers Weekly

“Unsentimental yet moving”—Kirkus






For readers of Orange Is the New Black and Girl Interrupted,
a powerful memoir about a lifelong secret, and a dramatic experience that will change a young girl’s life forever

In 1979, Liz Pryor is a seventeen-year-old girl from a good family living in a wealthy Chicago suburb. Halfway through her senior year of high school, Liz discovers she is pregnant—a fact that her parents are determined to keep a secret forever. They don’t want their daughter’s future defined by this mistake. They also want to protect their family’s name. One snowy January day, after driving across three states, Liz’s mother drops her off at what Liz thinks is a Catholic home for unwed mothers—but when they arrive, she learns that the home is actually a locked, government-run facility for delinquent and impoverished pregnant teenage girls.

In the cement-block residence, Liz is alone and terrified: a girl from a privileged, sheltered background living amid tough, street-savvy girls who come from the foster care system or juvenile detention. But over the next six months, isolated and in hiding from everyone she knows, Liz finds herself questioning everything she was once taught about the world. Left to fend for herself she eventually bonds with the girls and, for the first time, sees life through a wider lens.

Told from the perspective of that fragile yet resilient 17 year-old-girl, LOOK AT YOU NOW is an honest, moving, suspenseful story about finding strength and friendship in the most unlikely circumstances. Liz’s journey speaks to the power of family to elude us even as they are closest to us, and to the value of digging deeply to learn who we are as individuals. For anyone who has lived with a version of judgment or shame, this book offers a reminder of the power we have to define our own lives. Infused on every page with the drama of how one single mistake can change everything, this is a memoir you will not forget.

Here is a great discussion guide for Look at You Now.




What Did I Do Wrong? - Liz Pryor


The journey of this book began as a simple self-exploration of my own experiences with lost friendships. I was convinced I was the only woman on the planet who suffered the shame, guilt and confusion at the ending of my friendships. When I finally began to open up about these experiences with other women, I quickly learned it wasn’t just me, and then I realized I wanted to write this book. Real life stories from ordinary everyday women, paved the way to breaking the silence on a subject so many of us experience and so few of us ever discuss.

When women end friendships with each other they often give-and get- the silent treatment. No reasons, no warning, no nothing. Without the societal support or understanding that accompanies romantic split-ups, most women suffer the loss of female friendship in silence.

WHAT DID I DO WRONG? is the first book to break that silence, examining the special bonds that characterize female friendships. It then helps women understand why friendships fizzle by explaining how to recognize the signs of trouble, how to resolve the old wounds, and even, sometimes how to to reconnect and resolve matters with old friends.

I’d love to hear stories and ideas from women who have anything to share relating to this subject. If you’re not sure your experiences are related try reading an excerpt or asking a question. I look forward to hearing from you. You can e-mail me at liz@lizpryor.com

WHAT DID I DO WRONG? is now available and is published by Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster.
Liz Pryor is an author, speaker, parenting columnist, and life advice expert. Her book about female friendship, What Did I Do Wrong?, was a finalist for a Books for a Better Life Award. In 2011, ABC’s Good Morning America conducted a national search for an on-air life advice guru, and out of fifteen thousand applicants, Pryor was choen for the position. She lives in Los Angeles with her three children.


Coming up 3/13 at 9:00am - Armita Jamshidi, Founder of Aunt Flo’s Kitchen, a company Run By Women, For Women. She is also a student at Cornell University, where she studies Women’s Health and Computer Science, as she builds Aunt Flo’s Kitchen.

Armita Jamshidi, Founder of Aunt Flo’s Kitchen,  a company Run By Women, For Women. LISTEN Today's show featuring  Armita Jamshidi  Aunt...