ACLU SoCal honors Reginald Hudlin
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by Pete Hammond
Presenter Billy Eichner put it succinctly when he took the stage at the ACLU of Southern California’s Bill Of Rights dinner last night. “In awards season in Hollywood, the Bill Of Rights Award is considered the precursor to the Golden Globe,” he joked. But he just may be on to something. This is a star-filled affair full of spirit and activism in the age of Trump, whose presence could be felt even if it was a room he would never dare step into. It also wasn’t a bad place to be seen if you also happen to have a movie or TV show in the hunt (among those I spoke with were Detroit’s Will Poulter and Crown Height’s Nnamdi Asomudha who had just been nominated for Indie Spirit and Image awards).
But much more importantly it felt like an energizing evening that was really about something much greater than any trinket Hollywood could hand out. And on a lively and highly political night that featured awards for Jane Fonda, Judd Apatow, Viola Davis, Reginald Hudlin, Gina Rodriguez and Dolores Huerta, it was the surprise unannounced appearance of former San Francisco 49ers Colin Kaepernick who brought the house down at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.
With organizers saying his appearance had to be kept under wraps due to death threats and other security concerns, Kaepernick’s arrival onstage had the ambiance of a rock star being welcomed. With nary a Trump supporter to be found, he was greeted as the local hero for his controversial stand of taking a knee during the national anthem before NFL games, which pissed off a President and started a movement and led to many other players following suit.
After a raucous standing ovation upon receiving the organization Eason Monroe Courageous Advocate Award, Kaepernick seemed to be in his element. “We all have the obligation no matter the risk, and regardless of reward, to stand up for our fellow men and women who are being oppressed with the understanding that human rights cannot be compromised, ” he said, sounding every bit like he might be thinking about running for office someday.
ACLU SoCal Executive Director Hector Villagra, who earlier in the evening had noted the ACLU has launched 56 lawsuits to date against Trump Administration activities, introduced Kaepernick by saying, “He took a stand knowing some would criticize him, and he has been viciously and unfairly criticized. He has been called a traitor because too many people in this country confuse dissent for disloyalty.” After the presentation at the dinner break, Kaepernick was literally mobbed by well-heeled fans trying to take selfies with him. Among those lining up for the chance was departing Open Road chief Tom Ortenberg, a longtime ALCU supporter and awardee.
In addition to Kaepernick, there were presentations before the dinner break of the Bill Of Rights Award to a emotional Rodriguez; a hilarious Apatow; and a riveting and compelling Davis, who cited Martin Luther King Jr’s inspiring “mountaintop” speech, given the day before he was assassinated in 1968 was a particular inspiration for her. She recounted stories of growing up so poor that her family was living with rats running through their apartment. She said that whenever she complains about feeling tired after an 18-hour shooting day, or taking for granted winning yet another award, she realizes there is a much different definition for success. “I have two mottos for 2017, and they are ‘I am doing the best that I can, and ‘I am going to leave it all on the floor’.”
Rodriguez was tearful in detailing what the ACLU recognition meant to her as a Latino representative. “For those of us who make our living in Hollywood, the images that affect our fellow humans are our responsibility. So I accept this award and in doing so accept my responsibility to present a positive image to all those who look to me for inspiration. I will never stop trying to make this country a place where people of all races and ethnicities can feel accepted,” she said.
As for Apatow, he wasted no time in wishing the worst for Trump. “Do you feel weird? We so want there to be a pee tape,” he said, in reference to the infamous dossier rumored to detail incriminating sexual activity on Trump’s part when he was in Russia for the 2013 Miss Universe Pageant.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by David Buchan/Variety/REX/Shutterstock (9254974bb)
Judd Apatow
ACLU SoCal’s Annual Bill of Rights Dinner, Inside, Los Angeles, USA – 03 Dec 2017
Apatow also made observations about the wave of sexual harassment scandals hitting Hollywood since the Harvey Weinstein story broke. “I don’t understand all the masturbating that’s happening out there. I don’t get the idea of masturbating in front of other people. Isn’t the point of masturbating is that you’re alone? Nobody is judging you. Why do you need someone else there? It’s such a lack of imagination,” said to huge laughs from the crowd. “I was so happy when Charlie Rose and Matt Lauer got caught, I said ‘Thank God. Not another Jew’ “. Shortly after his appearance and acceptance speech, Apatow returned to the stage and pledged $50,000 in honor of his upcoming 50th birthday this week. It was matched later in the evening by Participant’s David Linde on behalf of Jeff Skoll and his company.
Producer-director Reginald Hudlin also received a Bill Of Rights Award after a rousing performance by Common and Andra Day of “Stand Up For Something,” the anthem from Hudlin’s current directorial achievement Marshall; the song was written by Diane Warren and is getting lots of Oscar buzz. Hudlin did a shout-out to Warren, who was sitting in the audience next to actress Frances Fisher, with both wearing #StandUpForSomething shirts.
Legendary United Farm Workers of America activist Dolores Huerta, herself the subject of Dolores, an Oscar-hopeful documentary this year, received a standing ovation upon receiving the Lifetime Advocate For Justice Award and led the audience in a spirited chant of “We’ve Got The Power! People Power!”
Mandatory Credit: Photo by David Buchan/Variety/REX/Shutterstock (9254974eq)
Martin Sheen and Jane Fonda
ACLU SoCal’s Annual Bill of Rights Dinner, Inside, Los Angeles, USA – 03 Dec 2017
Fonda was last to come up after being introduced by her Grace And Frankie co-star Martin Sheen, who said of the star-activist, “One heart with courage is a majority.” She recounted how the ACLU has been with her all her life. “So has the FBI,” she laughed. “After this election I felt like I had been hit by a truck, but when in doubt become an activist.” Fonda received the Ramona Ripston Liberty, Justice and Equality Award and quoted a line from poet Pablo Neruda to describe the determination and confidence she still has after nearly 50 years of social work and protest. “They can cut all the flowers but they can’t hold back the Spring”.
My mom and her dear friend Annette May with Colin Kaepernick.
Me, Anette May, Maxine Waters and my mom.
Andra Day SLAYS “Stand Up For Something” with Common.
Comment + PermalinkBy Tim Gray
CREDIT: COURTESY OF OPEN ROAD FILMS/RELIANCE ENTERTAINMENT
Recent news about Hollywood has centered on jaw-dropping behavior (Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, et al.). So it’s nice to remember that there are decent people around, making movies that do good work.
Open Road’s “Marshall,” about Thurgood Marshall, and Universal-DreamWorks’ “Thank You for Your Service,” about real-life Iraq war vet Adam Schumann, are awards contenders, but they’re also going beyond that. Each film has done outreach to dozens of groups, to entertain and to help make a better world.
Producer Paula Wagner says if people are aware of Marshall, it’s because he won the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case and he was the first black justice on the Supreme Court. But the film takes place in 1940, early in his career before those milestones. “Nobody knew this case,” says Wagner, “but it touches on issues that we’re still dealing with,” including racism, anti-Semitism and a legal system that is often more hindrance than help.
The film landed with Tom Ortenberg and Open Road. Tang Media bought the company in August, just as “Marshall” was getting ready for release. Luckily, Donald Tang likes the movie and supported their plans for 100-plus screenings over several months. “Marshall” has been shown to church groups, law schools and to such companies as J.P. Morgan Chase and Apple to encourage conversations about corporate diversity.
A key target has been schools. One example: On Oct. 2, the movie was screened for 1,100 Southern California students. That was one day after the Las Vegas massacre, and emotions were high; the movie (directed by Reginald Hudlin, scripted by Jacob Koskoff & Michael Koskoff) helped the students focus their thoughts and feelings and started conversations about positive action. “It was one of the most moving experiences of my life,” Wagner says.
Similarly, “Thank You for Your Service” has stirred up emotions and gratitude at more than 50 screenings for veterans, their families and lawmakers.
Jason Hall, writer-director of “Thank You,” learned a lot about post-war experiences when he wrote the 2014 “American Sniper,” directed by Clint Eastwood. So for the new film, about the hurdles that vets face when they return home, he reached out to vets to set up screenings before the Oct. 27 opening.
Hall knew the film would stir emotions, “but their reaction wasn’t what I anticipated,” he says. “When you get a lot of them in a room, it became a shared communal experience.”
A recent screening on the Universal lot confirmed this, with animated vets remaining long afterwards to talk with Hall and discuss the film with each other. War veterans often have trouble conveying their experiences, both in battle and in the return home — and they don’t want people to worry.
“This movie does their talking for them. One veteran said, ‘You told our story; this experience is behind a wall that nobody else knows about.’”
Another key screening was for U.S. Secretary of Veteran Affairs David Shulkin and his team. The film’s depiction of VA hospitals in 2008 isn’t flattering; after the screening, VA workers vowed to use the film to get improved conditions and better funding.
The film will be shown next week for the Congressional Veterans Caucus in D.C. The co-chairman of that group is Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), a Vietnam vet who’s been working to secure better care for veterans with TBI and PTSD. He believes the film can personalize those struggles better than any words can.
These movies are not alone. With “Wind River,” for example, Acacia Entertainment has severed ties with the Weinstein Co. and any profits formerly earmarked for TWC will now go to the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center. Open Road’s “The Promise” and its companion documentary “Intent to Destroy” were made as pet projects of Kirk Kerkorian, with all producer proceeds going toward the goal of raising awareness of the Armenian genocide.
Yes, people in Hollywood can be vile. But there are others who are working to make things better.
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