Join us for a Be The Media! workshop with filmmaker Gavin Guerra prior to our “Let the People Decide” discussion/strategy session at 7 PM!
Learn about crafting a narrative through dialogue, and the art of editing with archival footage. Gavin will share his experience as a first time director, and how relying on his instincts were key. Join in a discussion with the filmmaker about creating a framework for a documentary designed for impact!
More from Gavin Guerra
“Upon learning that I was taught next to nothing about the Civil rights Movement, and that many of the heroes of that era were unknown to me, I became particularly intent on telling the story of a leader in Mississippi during the 1960’s named Bob Moses. Moses is a legend in the movement that most people outside of it have never heard of. His focus was voter registration of the poor, uneducated black population in Mississippi. He felt that voting was the key to unlocking political power and self-determination. The focus of the film shifted when the US Supreme court gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013, enabling states to enact sweeping new voting regulations that can potentially disenfranchise millions of eligible voters. The aim of the project now is to tie the fight for voting rights of 50 years ago to the current voting struggles that are happening today. By connecting the dots over the years we will illustrate how once the barriers to voting were removed a new game of manipulation and demographic courtship began. The goal is to educate the electorate and help preserve the stories of the elder, front line activists of the civil rights movement as they enter their 70s and 80s.”
BIO: Gavin Guerra
With 30 years experience creating award winning visual effects for feature films and television “Let The People Decide” is Gavin’s directorial debut. In 2013 he was in the audience for a presentation by the cast of “Roots” when they asked the crowd “What are YOU doing to advance the cause of racial equality and social justice in the world today?!” Let The People Decide was born out of that challenge. After 6.5 years of production, the film made it’s successful debut at the 2019 Margaret Mead Film Festival and now in the COVID age of social distancing the film is making it’s impact felt “virtually” through community screenings such as these. Gavin resides in Weston, CT with his wife and young daughter.
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Sponsored by iEAR Presents! and the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Rensselaer, made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.