Blowin’ Up Documentary to be Broadcast on PBS’s POV on October 21

On Thursday, April 11, AABANY hosted a screening of “Blowin’ Up,” a documentary that explores the complex realities of sex work in New York City and the compassionate approach of a human trafficking court in Queens County.

Now on October 21, 2019, at 10 p.m. the full length feature documentary about the Queens Human Trafficking Intervention Court will be having its national broadcast on PBS’s POV (Point of View).

The film features AABANY member Honorable Toko Serita, Queens Supreme Court, as well as other heroines of the Human Trafficking Intervention Court, that work with victims of sexual exploitation who face prostitution-related charges.

We encourage everyone to mark their calendars to see this powerful film. Check your local PBS station for it’s scheduled air time in your neighborhood by clicking here!

We thank Judge Serita for sharing this information with AABANY.

POV: Call for Projects to Combat Hateful Rhetoric Locally

From POV:

As POV’s Community Engagement and Education team, we know that so many of our partners are experts at engaging their communities around issues of local and national importance. With that in mind, we wanted to share this exciting new initiative with you. Open Society Foundations has announced a new rapid-response initiative to support community organizations combatting hateful rhetoric. Since November 8, the Southern Poverty Law Center has received over 700 reports of “hateful harassment and intimidation.” The Open Society Foundations initiative is an effort to move swiftly to address this urgent problem, providing support designed to encourage and empower communities to resist the spread of hate and strengthen services and protections for their most vulnerable neighbors.

Projects must be:

  • Responsive to a specific incident, threat or risk and benefit frequently persecuted populations;
  • Timely, urgent, and concrete—the event or situation you are responding to requires immediate action that is well thought out with a clear set of goals and outcomes that can be achieved within six months.

Applicants’ organizational strengths must include the following:

  • Positioning in their community as a trusted resource, led by the communities they serve and responsive and accountable to those communities;
  • Commitment to serving persecuted populations and the values of inclusion, diversity, fairness, and equal protection;
  • Longstanding track record of serving persecuted populations, protecting civil rights, and/or fighting against racism and discrimination.

The Open Society Foundations initiative aims to serve direct resources quickly to organizations that are well positioned to provide support, services, technical assistance, and outreach to individuals and organizations dealing with acts of hate.

We encourage our partners to apply to this unique opportunity and stay in touch with the Community Engagement and Education team as your work progresses.

Learn More HERE.

http://dgjigvacl6ipj.cloudfront.net/media/swf/PBSPlayer.swf

The Department of Community Engagement and Education at POV, the social issues documentary film series on PBS, presents Give Up Tomorrow, a documentary about a sensational murder case from the Philippines in which a 19-year-old student is sentenced to death despite overwhelming evidence of his innocence. The film will broadcast nationally on Thursday, October 4th at 10pm on POV (check local listings here).

At the May 22 production of “Revisiting Vincent,” one of our Community Presenters that were present at the event was POV, the documentary program on PBS.  They kindly took the time to edit together the video footage taken at New York Law School.  For those who were there, you can relive the power and impact of the performance and the engaging talkback that followed, led by Hon. Denny Chin and Dean Frank Wu.  For those who missed it, now is your chance to see what everyone has been talking about.  Thanks to POV for making this happen!

“The Learning” Coming to POV

AABANY was one of the Community Partners for the screening of the documentary “The Learning” at the Asian American International Film Festival, now in its 34th year.  The seemingly endless rain did not dissuade the hearty souls who came out on a damp Sunday afternoon to see the film, showing at the Clearview Chelsea Cinema on West 23rd Street.

The film chronicles a year in the lives of four Filipino women who are recruited to teach in the schools of Inner City Baltimore.  They leave behind their entire families, friends and loved ones to pursue opportunities that are open to them in America, enduring the challenges of a different place and culture, and reaping the benefits and consequences of their choices.  The film is at once sad and funny, disturbing and enlightening. The film succeeds in drawing the viewer into the lives of each of the teachers and revealing the stark contrast of their lives here and back home in the Philippines.

If you missed the screening, make sure to catch it on POV on PBS, on September 20.  Check your local listings.