Support AlterNet
Do you value the information you're getting from AlterNet? Please show your support with a tax-deductible donation.
Feedback
Tell us how we're doing.
Creating Change, Not Just Movies
Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace:
Why McCain and the GOP Are So Afraid of Discussing the Economy
Frances Moore Lappe
Democracy and Elections:
Seven Ways Your Vote Might Not Count This November
Steven Rosenfeld
DrugReporter:
New Drug Survey Demolishes Drug Czar's Claims
Bruce Mirken
Election 2008:
Palin Pick Is GOP Hypocrisy at its Best
Laura Flanders
Environment:
Boatloads of Trouble: How We Are Importing Our Way to Destruction
Stan Cox
ForeignPolicy:
The Bush Administration Checkmated in Georgia
Michael T. Klare
Health and Wellness:
Hospitals' Lessons From Hurricane Gustav
Sheri Fink
Hurricane Katrina:
From the Bayou to Baghdad: Mission Not Accomplished
Amy Goodman
Immigration:
Leader of Anti-Immigration Movement Calls Issue a "Skirmish in a Wider War"
Eric Ward
Media and Technology:
Only in America Could a Two-Faced Creature Like McCain Attain Such Media Status
Rory O'Connor
Movie Mix:
Does "Working Girls" Still Work?
Ariel Dougherty
Reproductive Justice and Gender:
An Open Letter to Gov. Sarah Palin on Women's Rights
Lynn Paltrow
Rights and Liberties:
Amy Goodman: Why We Were Falsely Arrested
Amy Goodman
Sex and Relationships:
What Republicans Can Learn from "Gossip Girl"
Sarah Seltzer
War on Iraq:
The VA Continues to Abandon Returning Vets
Joshua Kors
Water:
Is California on the Brink of Environmental Collapse?
Rachel Olivieri
Editor's Note: Dozens of people responded to a recent article about the upcoming release of Robert Greenwald's expose of Wal-Mart. While some said they were glad the film was being made, they expressed doubt that any movie could change an entity as powerful as Wal-Mart. Greenwald asked if he could address their concerns.
I was pleased to read the vigorous exchange set off by AlterNet's recent story about Wal-Mart and the film I am making. I wanted to weigh in with some observations.
I am in complete agreement with those who say a film will not change Wal-Mart. It won't: You will change Wal-Mart.
Let me explain. We at Brave New Films have consciously chosen a different model to make and distribute films, in order to create change, not just movies. If you go to our website, you will find, six months in advance of the film's release, a list of groups, churchs, students, teachers, ministers, etc., that we have enlisted to act as a kind of Warner Bros. Studios for the movie.
We are avoiding the traditional (and most financially lucrative) path of releasing the movie in theaters, charging $10, releasing to cable and finally to DVD. Instead, we are committed to having you be the ones who get the movie into your home, your school, your work place, your synagogue and interacting with those you invite.
Let's face it: how many of us are willing to pay $10 to see a documentary we may not agree with? Not many. But, if a friend, family member, colleague, church member, teacher, invites us to see a film, for free, in the company of others, that's a big difference -- and an important way we can move beyond the proverbial "preaching to the choir" syndrome.
We are looking to AlterNet readers, and thousands of others, to host the screenings and to use the film as a tool. How many times have you wished you could come up with the perfect argument to convince a friend? Isn't it easier to slip them a movie after they come home with 15 bags of stuff from Wal-Mart?
There will be material for discussion following the film, there will be campaigns around the film, all designed to create change; in short, a diverse coalition of folks working hard to build a movement. You can sign up here to host a screening; the only financial commitment is $10 to buy one DVD.
The same do-it-yourself philosophy is behind the making of our film. The folks at Brave New Films are working seven days a week and many long hours to get the film made. But still, we need your help in some important areas:
We are creating a special network of field producers who are serving a variety of critical functions in the making and distribution of the film; emailing friends, handing out flyers, distributing DVDs, hosting screenings and a dozen other things that will help us succeed in the battle against Wal-Mart. Visit Brave New Films and sign up to join us. Then you can tell your family, your friends, your sweetheart, that you, too, are a film producer.
Robert Greenwald is the director/producer of "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism," as well as many other films. He is a board member of the Independent Media Institute, AlterNet's parent organization.
Liked this story? Get top stories in your inbox each week from AlterNet! Sign up now »