National Media Market - Part 2

The National Media Market was a great success for Choices. We met a lot of new and current customers and learned a great deal about what today's educational market is looking for in video content. Attendees were especially excited about our new titles including "City of Bees", "Concrete Revolution". "Letters From Iran", "Awakening" and "Reckless Indifference".

Overall it was a great trip and we hope to back again next year! To learn more about the National Media Market visit their website - www.nmm.net

National Media Market

Choices is at the National Media Market this year which is being held in Mesa, Arizona. Many educators, librarians and other savvy folk attend this conference to find out the newest content out there. Choices is presenting its new titles there along with showcasing our customer favorites. When we have time, we'll let you know more of what's happening here in sunny (and very hot) Arizona.

Extended Interview with Brandon Hein

Here is the link to an extended interview with Brandon Hein that director William Gazecki conducted. The interview discuss a wide range of topics and updates to the film "Reckless Indifference".

Watch the Interview.

New Release - Through My Eyes

We are pleased to announce "Through My Eyes" will release on Septemember 20th. This film on Rwandan youth was produced by Eric Kabera who also directed another Choices title "Keepers of Memory".

Through My Eyes follows the youth of Rwanda today, who use the arts to help move the country forward ten years after the genocide. By expressing themselves through dance, poetry, music and painting, the teens, many of whom lost parents and family members during the conflict, are able to deal with the emotional and physical trauma they endured.

The film documents how through organizations and group activities, these creative talents not only honor those that perished but also confront new problems affecting the country such as poverty and AIDS. By focusing on what they can accomplish by working together in creative endeavors, the youth of Rwanda prove that art can not only benefit those around them but ensure future generations have a brighter future. From acclaimed director Eric Kabera (Keepers of Memory).

Running Time: 44 minutes

Subject areas: Africa, Rwanda, Art, AIDS, Poverty, Genocide, History

Awakening Trailer

Here is the trailer for our new release "Awakening".

View Trailer

New Release - Awakening

We're pleased to announce that our newest release - Awakening: Empowering Women Through Microloans will be released on September 5th. Here is the synopsis.

Awakening documents the social and economic empowerment of women in Afghanistan and India whose roles have traditionally been restricted by their cultures. Awakened to new possibilities through education and access to micro-loans these women are redefining their roles in society. In Bihar, India’s poorest state, Sister Mary Lobo organizes village women into groups where they learn to save small sums and invest their capital as a group. In Afghanistan, the nation’s first woman-led micro-finance institution believes the nation’s long-term success is dependent on women’s economic freedom.

We hope to have the trailer posted soon.

Reckless Indifference - Press Release

As promised, here is the press release for Reckless Indifference.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Marisa Spears

Phone: (310) 203-0606 ext. 18

Email: mspears@slextreme.com

Choices Releases Film on Controversial Felony Murder Case

Los Angeles, CA (August 15, 2006) - Choices, Inc. proudly announces the release of Reckless Indifference, an inside look behind one of the most controversial murder cases in recent memory. A searing indictment of the American legal system, the DVD features a new, updated Epilogue, along with an exclusive full-length interview with Brandon Hein available on the Choices website, www.choicesvideo.net. Hein was convicted under California's felony-murder law and has spent the last ten years in a California state prison, a sentence which law professor Alan Dershowitz terms "an outrage...I believe it's cruel and unusual punishment."

Reckless Indifference tells of a classic suburban nightmare of teens, drugs, parents, and prison. After a backyard brawl resulted in the death of a Los Angeles Police Department officer's son, the ensuing trial sent four teenage boys to prison for life without the possibility of parole, even though only one committed the crime. Described as a "heart-wrenching story [that] you will find yourself thinking about long after you've seen it," the film was recently named an Editor's Choice by Video Librarian magazine.

The documentary also reveals the naïveté, guilt, and denial of middle-class families caught in the criminal justice system. The prosecution exploited a little-known law to maximum effect. The "felony-murder rule" states that anyone present during the commission of a felony where death occurs is automatically liable for First Degree Murder. Four teenage boys - only one of whom wielded a weapon - now sit in Level IV Maximum Security State Prisons for the rest of their lives. This tragic story begets a "powerful portrait of suburban America, and the illusions suburbanites have about crime,

Choices Releases Award-Winning Film on

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punishment, the safety of their neighborhoods, and most of all, about their own children," says critic David Ralston of Movie Gurus. With revealing interviews with legal expert Alan Dershowitz and family members from both sides, Reckless Indifference presents a case study of a true American tragedy.

Larry Rattner, co-president of Choices, commented, "We look forward to bringing this important film to a larger audience." Choices, Inc. will release Reckless Indifference on DVD August 15, 2006. The DVD includes a lesson plan and guidebook for educators. SRP is $49.95, and orders may be placed at our website, www.choicesvideo.net.

About Choices:

Choices, Inc. is a specialty distributor of quality documentaries, educational programming, and feature films. The company believes that documentaries are highly effective teaching tools, and provides both lesson plans and guidebooks as a resource for educators. More information is available online at www.choicesvideo.net.

Newest Acquisition - Awakening

Choices is pleased to announce our latest acquisition Awakening. This documentary explores how the use of microloans is changing the lives of women in India and Afghanistan by offering them the means to financial prosperity.

To learn more about this unique film, visit the filmmakers' website here to watch the trailer and get more info.

We plan to release the film in the early Fall of 2006.

Reckless Indifference

Reckless Indifference, our latest DVD, is scheduled to release on August 15th, 2006. I've attached the cover of the box art along with the press release for the film. We hope to have an interview with the director, William Gazecki, very soon.

Welcome to Filmmakers Corner!

Welcome to Filmmakers Corner! This new blog will serve as your one stop spot for news, reviews and everything else exciting happening in independent film. Filmmakers Corner is sponsored by Choices, a distributor of documentaries, feature films, and educational videos based in Los Angeles.

For more information about Choices, visit our site http://www.choicesvideo.net

Very soon, we will post our first interview with a director of one of our upcoming releases.

Please feel free to post your comments!

Best,
John Gruber