Food and Society Policy Fellow’s Short Film Selected for Film Festival

MediaRights, a Project of Arts Engine, launches its fifth annual MEDIA THAT MATTERS FILM FESTIVAL with premiere screenings at BAMcinematek and an online launch June 1. In “Young Agrarians,” Johanna Divine, of Flagstaff, Ariz. profiles the next generation of farmers.

HBO’s Manhattan headquarters will also host a VIP awards ceremony celebrating the winning filmmakers work on May 26. Sixteen provocative, short, social-issue films make up this year’s festival and range from fast-paced musical animations to insightful personal documentaries that offer new perspectives on the war in Iraq, racial identity, global warming, gay rights, civil liberties, sustainable agriculture/development, drug addiction and more.

The festival includes a year-long program of web streaming, DVD distribution and screenings around the country intended to connect audiences to inspiring, independently and youth-produced short films that spark debate and action. Tickets to the June 1 premiere screenings at BAMcinematek are $10 and are available at the BAM Box Office (718.636.4100) or through http://www.movietickets.com.

For more information about MediaRights, visit http://www.mediarights.org or call 646-230-6288.