New from Daniele Watts: Muted
Posted on February 28, 2015 at 8:00 am
Actress Daniele Watts stars as missing teenager Crystal Gladwell in Muted, winner of the 18th annual American Black Film Festival short film competition, showing on HBO throughout March 2015.
Muted follows Lena Gladwell, played by Chandra Wilson (Grey’s Anatomy), a mother whose world is shattered when her teenage daughter Crystal disappears. Lena attempts to enlist the help of the press and the police. Expecting the full support of law enforcement and local media, Lena quickly learns the painful and tragic lesson that all missing persons are not created equal.
Watts says of the movie, “I appreciate the filmmakers Brandi Ford, Rachel Gould, and Tara Tomlcevic for telling a story about complicated issues that are difficult to talk about. People may not be aware that biased media coverage continues to shape the way people are perceived or not perceived in America. As American society becomes more aware of the ways that a history of racism has shaped, and continues to shape our perceptions, we can open the door for greater clarity, compassion and understanding.”
Muted was written by Brandi Ford, produced by Tara Tomicevic and directed by Rachel Goldberg.
is available this week on DVD. The documentary reveals the unique and distinctive qualities of one immigrant group’s experience, and how these qualities, over time, have shaped and challenged America. Unlike other immigrant groups, many Italians did not come to America to stay. At the turn of the 20th century, most came to work, earn money to support their families, and eventually return home. Nearly half of the first generation Italian immigrants returned to Italy. For those that made America home, their struggle to maintain a distinct Italian culture was guided by ideals of family that had always been at the center of their lives. In the Italian family, the needs of the collective came before the individual – a value system often at odds with American ideals of freedom and personal choice. While the power of the Italian family became a source of strength, it also bred suspicion, popularized in popular media as a dark, criminal element. The Italian gangster group known as the “Black Hand” was able to prey on the insularity of the Italian immigrant community’s distrust of authority and outsiders. This clash of culture echoed through generations of Italian Americans and, as they entered positions of political, social and cultural influence, left its mark on the American landscape.
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