Gail Mooney-Kelly is a professional photographer who has shot for National Geographic and Smithsonian. Erin Kelly is a recent college graduate. They’re a mother and daughter pair about to take off on a round-the-world trip to document people making a positive difference at the grassroots level.

I learned more about their trip via email.

Julie:
How did the idea for your mother-daughter trip evolve?

Gail:
I actually came up with the idea after seeing Robert Frank’s “Americans” exhibit at the MET in New York City. The photographs inspired me to get back to my roots and head out on the road. I had over 350,000 airline points as well as thousands of hotel and American Express points and it was time to use them.

But I also knew I needed a purpose and decided to do a “passion project” – a documentary about people who were making a positive difference in the world on a grassroots level. A young woman from our town helped inspire this project and will be one of our subjects. She graduated high school with Erin and decided to travel rather than go straight to college.

She ended up in Nepal where she saw the need for a home for orphans so she built one. Four years later, she is still in Nepal and is now building a school.

Erin:
It was my mother’s idea, initially, for the project – to make a documentary that focuses on individuals making a difference around the world. But it was my idea to go with her, adding the mother-daughter element to the trip. I think it also partly stemmed from a dream that we’ve always had to get round-the-world tickets and travel for a summer. And now we’re doing just that, but with an even more meaningful purpose.

Julie:
What are the goals of the trip with respect to your relationship with each other?

Gail:
My daughter has grown up traveling the world with her parents – both my husband and myself are photographers/filmmakers. This is the first time we will be working together and Erin will bring another dimension to the project because of her age and how she sees the world.

It will be the trip of a lifetime that we will share together, an experience we’ll never forget. Most importantly, it will let me get to really know the young woman my daughter is.

Erin:
I hope to learn more about my mother’s traveling adventures when she was my age, and reconnect with her on a more adult level. As it’s been a year since I’ve moved away from home, our relationship has shifted – I’m hoping that it will continue to grow and strengthen as we share this experience together.

With respect to the project, my goal is to connect with our subjects, learn from them, and inspire the world with their stories. Overall, I also hope to learn more about myself and discover what careers I might be interested in pursuing, once I return.

Julie:
And with respect to the documentary project?

Gail:
We will distribute the documentary online with the hope that it will spread virally and inspire others who see the film that they too can do something to make a difference in their own communities or elsewhere in the world.

Julie:
How did you select the organizations that will be featured in the documentary?

Gail:

Screenshot from Maggie Doyne’s blog

We actually didn’t select “organizations,” but rather individuals. We wanted to shine a little light on people who are out there but who go unnoticed. We knew we wanted to include Maggie Doyne, who had inspired us to do this, so we initially sent a query to her.

She sent us some people she had met and they sent the query to people and it took on a life of its own with social media. Word of mouth generated leads.

Erin:
We reached out to all of our contacts, asking if they knew anyone who would fit the project, if they encountered anyone on their travels, or in their daily lives (for those are living abroad). The majority of people we found were referred to us by peers. We also looked at various websites that honor local community members for their efforts – for example, we found one of our subjects through the Australian of the Year Awards site.

Julie:
Why is it important to tell their stories?

Gail:
To show people the power of the individual. To inspire others to follow their passions and dreams.

Erin:
The biggest goal of the project is to show how one person can make a difference in their community when they are passionate about something. It’s important to share these stories to bring awareness to these individuals who are doing incredible things, to inspire others to want to aid these individuals or embark on projects of their own, and to perhaps connect these individuals with each other – facilitating communication and collaboration amongst those who strive to make the world a better place.

Julie:
Who do you expect your audience to be and what kind of effect do you want the documentary to have?

Gail:
I expect it to be a mixed demographic as far as age since we are a mother and daughter team. It’s also certainly appealing to travelers because it will take us across the globe and they can follow our journey. It will also appeal to photographers and filmmakers because it will be a behind the scenes look at the creation of a documentary. So I think it has a very wide appeal. And certainly philanthropically minded people will be interested.

Erin:
I expect that our audience will at least initially be our friends and family, our colleagues, and perhaps like-minded individuals who are in the travel, video and nonprofit worlds. I am hoping that we will be able to spread the word even more and inspire others to make a difference in their own way. The important thing is to make people aware that there are in fact individuals all over the world who are actively following their dreams and working to create change.

You can follow Gail’s and Erin’s journey on their blog.

Community Connection:

If you’re planning a RTW trip, be sure to check out our Travel Around the World Focus Page!

Photos courtesy of Austin Chu

You may already know about Austin Chu’s documentary, “The Recess Ends.” Some clips from the doc have been featured on MatadorLife, and several Matador members attended the premiere of the doc in San Francisco back in October.

If you weren’t among them, though, you now have a chance to watch the full-length doc on MatadorTV.

“The Recess Ends” documents the stories of Americans affected by the economic crisis, stories which Austin and his brother collected during a cross country road trip.

Matador Abroad co-editor Tim Patterson had the following to say about “The Recess Ends”:

“It is one of the best films about contemporary America that I’ve ever seen.”

High praise for two DIY-ers! We hope you’ll take time to watch “The Recess Ends” in what MatadorTV editor Joshywashington calls “all its 800 pixel glory” and let us know what you think!

Community Connection:

Are you interested in submitting your film to be shown on MatadorTV? Read the submission guidelines and show us what you’ve got!.

Photo: Andrew Ciscel

Matador’s own Austin Chu, who occasionally reviews gear for Matador Goods, was laid off his job in December 2008. Rather than sit around and despair about his bank account or struggle to find a new job in a dismal economic market, Austin hit the American road with his brother Brian to make a documentary about the current state of the economy and, more importantly, what’s next.

Less than a year later, the Chu brothers can say they traveled through all 50 states, completed editing and post-production, and launched their documentary, “The Recess Ends,” to enthusiastic reviews. The premiere was held last night in San Francisco. Matador’s co-founders, Ross Borden and Ben Polansky, showed up early and still had to sneak in to the theater; it was that packed.

If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the trailer and then head on over to TRE’s website to find out when the film may be showing near you:

Official Trailer: The Recess Ends from B-Rilla on Vimeo.

Community Connection:

Were you at the premiere? Share your thoughts about “The Recess Ends” below. You can also check out other clips from the film on TRE’s Vimeo channel.

As recently reported, the Korean Supreme Court has ruled in favor of annulling the “restricted screening” rating by the Korean Media Board. It was this rating that kept racier movies from seeing screen time in the country.

The decision was framed around 2006’s controversial film Shortbus, which had been kept in Korea’s bottom drawer due to its inclusion of sex involving man/man, man/woman and nearly every configuration thereof. The film, now greenlit to be distributed in the country, has proven to have longer legs than most would have imagined.

Initially written off as an attention-grab by many critics, ‘Shortbus’ has only grown in popularity over the years, largely due to its release on DVD.

One of the film’s stars, Jay Brannan, offers an explanation:

People everywhere are dying to be free from oppression and repression, to explore what it means to be human and to connect with other humans on all sorts of levels. Somehow ‘Shortbus’ taps into those basic interests, and that is a powerful force that can’t be stopped.

Brannan, who has been asked about his sex scene ad nauseam, has never been shy about defending the film.

I don’t see why people are so afraid of the human body and sexual expression. I’ve never understood why we are taught to be ashamed of those things, or why they are not to be discussed or talked about or even acknowledged.

The ruling in Korea tickled the actor, who applauds “their willingness to bring true reason and common sense to their decision making, rather than being ruled by oppressive, outdated, and ultimately dangerous ways of thinking.”

He adds, “I never thought the film would change the world, but after hearing the news about what happened in Korea, I can’t help but feel that i was wrong.”

Top photo: by MarkHillary (Creative Commons)

Bottom photo: publicity still from ‘Shortbus’

Then, in the years that followed, something funny happened: that same movie became, in the words of Rolling Stone, “the most worshipped comedy of its generation.”

That flick was called ‘The Big Lebowski’ – and on its tenth anniversary, I’m pleased to announce that I finally know why I, and many other theater-goers, just didn’t quite get it when the Dude first walked onto our screens.

So why the dramatic shift in popularity?

Like so many geniuses, the Dude was simply ahead of his time.

According to Rolling Stone’s Andy Greene, the Dude represents everything that we long for in the post-Y2K world.

Sure, those yearnings existed in 1998, but before 9/11, Blackberries, and reality TV, they weren’t quite so powerful or finely honed.

Greene writes:

Early in Lebowski, the narrator (a cowboy named the Stranger, played by Sam Elliott) intones, “Sometimes there’s a man, who, well, he’s the man for his time ‘n place.” The odd truth is this man — the Dude — may have been a decade ahead of his time.

Today, as technology increasingly handcuffs us to schedules and appointments — in the time it takes you to read this, you’ve missed three e-mails — there’s something comforting about a fortysomething character who will blow an evening lying in the bathtub, getting high and listening to an audiotape of whale songs.

He’s not a 21st-century man… The Dude doesn’t care about a job, a salary, a 401(k), and definitely not an iPhone. The Dude just is, and he’s happy.

Slate’s David Hagland agrees that ‘Lebowski’ was ahead of its time, but sees the movie’s relevance today in even more specific terms. The Coen Brothers, he argues, accurately and eerily created the sort of character who would later dominate American politics:

The Dude is indeed a fantastic character. Ten years on, though, the movie’s most striking role belongs to John Goodman as Walter Sobchak: a hawkish, slightly unhinged Vietnam vet and the Dude’s best friend and bowling partner.

Watching The Big Lebowski in 2008, it becomes clear that appreciating Walter is essential to understanding what the Coen brothers are up to in this movie, which is slyer, more political, and more prescient than many of its fans have recognized. Perhaps that’s because Walter, with his bellowing, Old Testament righteousness and his deeply entrenched militarism, is an American type that barely registered on the pop-culture landscape 10 years ago.

He’s a neocon.

Grab a White Russian and click those links – both essays are well worth reading in full.

Oh, and of course you’ll need background music! Wired provides the ultimate 21-track salute to ‘The Big Lebowski’.

Happy birthday, Jeffrey Lebowski.

Even back in 1998, you knew us better than we know ourselves.

There’s lots of bad news in the world.

War.

Poverty.

Threats to the environment.

But amidst all the doomsday forecasts, there’s lots of good news, too.

And the Global Oneness Project wants you to know all about it.

The Global Oneness Project, an organization dedicated to the exploration of “how the radically simple notion of interconnectedness can be lived in our increasingly complex world,” travels the world in search of stories about people and organizations doing transformative community building. What they find is turned into short documentaries distributed for free.

This week’s freebie is a DVD of short films produced by the Global Oneness Project. Taking the viewer from India to Ecuador, every short film–ranging from 4 to 17 minutes in length–is a straight up shot of positive stoke about the state of the world.

I’ll send my copy to the first person who posts a link to their Matador profile in the comments section below. Don’t have one? No problem… sign up for a free account here.

Photos by: Global Oneness Project (creative commons)

The dates for National Geographic’s 2008 All Roads Film Festival have just been announced, and in keeping with National Geographic’s mission and m.o., the festival’s likely to be coming to a town near you!

September 25-28: Egyptian Theatre, Hollywood, California

October 2-5: National Geographic’s headquarters at 1600 M Street, Washington, D.C.

December 3-7: Venue TBA, Santa Fe, New Mexico

The All Roads Film Festival features movies and documentaries that are made by and/or focus on cultures that have traditionally been overlooked. Though this year’s films have not yet been announced, periodic updates will be published on the All Roads website.

And if you’re a filmmaker or photographer, be sure to check out the All Roads program, which provides seed grants to artists and also actively solicits film festival submissions each year.

Can’t make it to the film festival? Past All Roads films can be rented through Netflix.

What are your favorite film festivals? Let us know in the comments!

Photo: JanneM (creative commons)

Photo by DanielaNob

Yup, it’s really that simple.

The European Travel Commission has launched a movie-making contest, and the prize for the best travel video (set in Europe, naturally) is a trip for 2 to any European country.

Get full contest rules, watch competitors’ entries, and upload your video here.

And hey, if you win, remember the friendly blogger who tipped you off!

Community Connection:

Check out my past post, Tips To Get You Video Blogging, and follow the links to videos made by other Matador members.

Over at Brave New Traveler, Olivia Giovetti serves up the 20 Most Memorable Travel Films (That Aren’t Really About Travel).

Personally, I’m no athlete. I’ve got two left feet, bad aim, and I’m so athletics-averse that I throw out the sports section of the newspaper without even glancing at it.

But word of the documentary “Steep” has definitely awakened my hidden inner sports lover. After garnering admiring critical attention and making the film festival/indie circuit this past winter, “Steep,” which gets into the minds of extreme skiiers, is now available on DVD.

The trailer is enough to make me shiver with the stunning footage and the psychological puzzle that is the mind of extreme skiiers, and I’m looking forward to seeing the full documentary. Until then, I’ll satisfy my curiosity with this clip of extreme skiier Ingrid Backstrom.