Impact Film Festival 2008

Narrated by Annette Bening, this film follows female Senators such as Barbara Boxer, Hilary Clinton and Blanche Lincoln in the Capitol, on the road, on the campaign trail and even in their kitchen, exploring the issues, advantages and disadvantages of being a female politician in today’s political climate.

When Claude Gerstle, a surgeon and athlete, suffers a tragic bicycle accident that leaves him paralyzed from the neck down, he and his daughter, Jessica (former producer, Dateline NBC), embark on a moving odyssey to track down the thinkers, politicians, crusaders and nay-sayers at the heart of the federally funded stem cell research quagmire. Featuring Micheal J. Fox, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Orin Hatch, Sam Brownback. World Premiere.

IMPACT's featured narrative film, Battle in Seattle is an all-star, edge-of-your-seat glimpse at the 1999 WTO demonstrations in Seattle, told from the perspective of protesters, police, and city officials. "Compelling and impassioned with powerful performances." - Jeffrey Lyons / NBC’s Reel Talk

In a film that works as series of living portraits, twenty prominent African Americans of various professions, disciplines and backgrounds offer their own stories and insights on the struggles, triumphs and joys of black life in this country and manage to re-define "blacklist" for a new century in the process.

A comprehensive look at Lee Atwater, the blues-playing rogue whose rambunctious rise from the South to Chairman of the GOP made him a household name. He mentored Karl Rove and George W. Bush while leading the Republican Party to historic victories and transforming the way America elects its Presidents. Featuring Ed Rollins, Michael Dukakis, Tucker Eskew, Howard Fineman, Mary Matalin, Sam Donaldson and more.

Water is the essence of life, sustaining every being on this planet. Without water, there would simply be no plants, no animals, and no people. But the global water supply isn't just at risk, it's already in crisis. FLOW: For Love Of Water highlights the local intimacies of an emerging global catastrophe: African plumbers reconnect shantytown water pipes under cover of darkness to ensure a community's survival; a Californian scientist forces awareness of shockingly toxic public water sources; a ‘Big Water’ CEO argues privatization is the wave of the future; a “Water Guru” in India sparks new community water initiatives in hundreds of villages; a Canadian author uncovers the corporate profiteering that drives global water business. With an unflinching focus on politics, pollution and human rights, FLOW: For Love of Water ensures that the precarious relationship between humanity and water can no longer be ignored. While specifics of locality and issue may differ, the message is the same; water, and our future as a species, is quickly drying up. Armed with a thirst for survival, people around the world are fighting for their birthright; unless we instigate change, we face a world in which only those that can pay for their water will survive. FLOW: For Love of Water, is a catalyst for people everywhere: the time has come to turn the tide and we can't wait any longer.

Ripped from the headlines, Freeheld is a touching and compelling story about one woman who fights for domestic partnership while struggling to survive lung cancer. Forced to leave her job because of her diagnosis with the disease after 25 years spent serving Ocean County, New Jersey, Lieutenant Laurel Hester is committed to changing state law and leaving her pension to her loving partner, Stacie. Acclaimed director Cynthia Wade weaves a gripping and tender documentary that is filled with courage and hope for all of the LGBT community in the struggle for equal rights. Academy Award winner for documentary short subject.

“I.O.U.S.A.” is a documentary film that explores the United States’ current economic situation, including the country’s ever growing federal debt, over extended entitlement programs and increased foreign competition. As the baby boomers prepared to retire, an economic disaster of epic proportions awaits. In this non-partisan film, director Partick Creadon demystifies the nation’s financial practices and policies. “I.O.U.S.A.” drives home the message that when armed with the facts and figures, the American public can hold accountable those entrusted with the grave responsibility of running the country.

It began in 2001 as a wild idea by a Scot and an Austrian -- to give homeless people a chance to change their lives through an international street soccer competition. The word went out on the streets. Five years later, 20,000 homeless people from 48 countries were training hard and competing to represent their country in the 4th Annual Homeless World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa.