films & television

The engaging characters and powerful stories of debate in feature films have captured film festival awards, Golden Globe nominations and other honors.  The clash of powerful oratory is a driving force behind such successful current and past series as Law & Order, The Practice and Boston Legal. ALOUD partners have appeared on BET, the History Channel, MTV, as well as Reality Shows including Charm School, The Scholar, and MTV's Real World Sydney. The unique nature of these intellectual athletes produce a compelling story that makes natural allies of the Associated Leaders of Urban Debate and the producers of feature films in the effort to produce urban education reform.   While only a handful of projects have actually been produced, they represent an important feature of building a debate community. 

A collaboration with ALOUD can be a win-win for filmmakers.  Parents, teachers and other stakeholders need more exposure to the transformative power of debate and a picture is worth a thousand words.  That is ALOUD's mission.  Feature films need new audiences and social justice themes are a riveting way to lengthen the run-of-engagements.   If you are interested in producing a television show or feature film on debate, please send a CV with your filmmaking history, the ara where you would like to shoot and a story concept to aloudhq@gmail.com or contact one of ALOUD's local partners by visiting our Debate in Your Community page.  If you are looking for a subject for your next documentary, ALOUD can suggest compelling storylines, strategies for extending run-of-engagement, curriculum add-ons, DVD extras and characters of interest.   Here are some past projects that captured the imagination of the general public.

This affable romantic comedy is about a young Jewish Latina (Gina Philips) who receives a scholarship to Harvard because of her debating skills.  Jordan Landa is not your average Latin girl. She has dreams - big ones. As a rising star in the debate world her elusive dreams seem finally within her grasp. But when the "perfect guy" from her past reappears, so do her desires for a life she thought she didn't want. for more information, visit http://loveanddebate.com or go to the Love & Debate Facebook page. 

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DEBATERS REPRESENTING ALOUD PARTNERS, BALI AND THE IMPACT COALITION FEATURED ON PBS"Women, Power and Politics: A Rising Tide?"WATCH CLIP

 

One of television's most critically acclaimed programs, the Peabody Award-winning drama series 'The Wire' continues to challenge viewers with a "cop show" unlike anything on air. The fifth and final season of 'The Wire' centers on the media's role in addressing - or failing to address - the fundamental political, economic and social realities depicted over the course of the series, while also resolving storylines of the numerous characters woven throughout the narrative arc of the show.  Ome of the final episodes of the season featured the Balitmore Urban Debate League. Bill Zorzi, writer, for The Wire  explained "I wanted to find something that showed Namond excelling in the school environment, and the Debate League fit the bill, hands down. It was the first thing that came to mind. I've seen what the program does for kids, how they can turn around by taking part, become interested in things that they could never imagine being   interested in. I would say I'm a pretty cynical observer, too. There's something real there that caught my eye.

 

Drawing inspiration from the true story of a temperamental debate coach who molded the students of a small East Texas college into a formidable team that gave Harvard's squad a run for their money in the 1930s, Denzel Washington's The Great Debaters features the director himself as the ambitious educator, and Forest Whitaker as the resentful father of a student whose loyalties now lie almost exclusively with his coach. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

 

Functioning 'Midst Dysfunctional: Hal Hefner [Reece Thompson] keeps trying to function in a dysfunctional family. His parents have separated; his Mom Juliet [Lisbet Bartlett] periodically moves in a lover [Judge Pete, as played by Steve Park] and his son Heston [Aaron Yoo]; and Hals angry, violent older brother Earl [Vincent Piazza] could be semi-certified as a Misfit. It is thus no great surprise that Hal has turned into a high-schooler who stutters both verbally and emotionally. He is not so much looking for answers to life's big questions as looking for answers to ANY questions. Meeting top-notch Debating Team star Ginny [Anna Kendrick] gives him a REASON to try to improve his life. He is not always successful at his attempts (one of which is joining the Debating team at Ginnys insistence), but his WILLINGNESS to start making really sincere EFFORTS to improve is what is important.