Scenes from a Parish
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Images
Website
http://www.scenesfromaparish.com
Topics
Health: Nutrition/Malnutrition
Human Development: Children, Poverty, Urban, Volunteering
Human Rights: Sexuality, Social Exclusion
Politics: Ethics & Value Systems
Project Geography
US: Massachusetts
International: North America
Identity Niches
Disability Culture, Gay/Lesbian/Bi/Transgender, Latino, Religious
Budget
Raised to date: $150,000.00
Estimate to complete: $100,000.00
Total Estimated Budget: $250,000.00
The budget numbers above are accurate as of 05/08/2009
Status
Distribution
Media Type
Video
Project End Use
Theatrical
Outreach/Engagement Plan(s)
James Rutenbeck and Lisa Smithline have crafted a national outreach campaign that will include a limited theatrical release and engagement with progressive faith-based organizations across the U.S. The strategy will include the development of a anti-hunger tool kit which can be used by other communities to develop similar programs in their own neighborhoods. The campaign will also include the use of new media, as other faith communities respond to the film, and share their own dialogues on race and ethnicity.Funders
| Name | Amount | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latino Public Broadcasting | $50,000.00 | 11/01/2007 | |
| Abbot & Dorothy H. Stevens Foundations | $9,000.00 | 10/23/2007 | |
| Sundance Documentary Fund | $25,000.00 | 07/19/2007 | |
| Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities | $15,000.00 | 10/18/2006 | |
| Our Sunday Visitor Institute | $20,000.00 | 04/27/2006 | |
| LEF Moving Image Fund | $18,000.00 | 06/03/2004 |
Location
106 Oliver Road
Newton, MA, 02468
Short Synopsis
When a young, irreverent priest arrives at Saint Patrick Parish in Lawrence, Massachusetts, he discovers the unexpected—boiling ethnic tensions in a changing working-class community. Filmed over four years, Scenes from a Parish tells the wildly diverse personal stories of Father Paul O’Brien and his unruly flock, as they struggle to hold onto faith in the face of desperate circumstances.
Description/Treatment
Scenes from a Parish is a feature length documentary that premiered to critical acclaim at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in April 2009. Filmmaker James Rutenbeck and his team spent four years documenting the personal stories of a diverse group of characters--from young immigrants finding their place in a new country to older Anglo parishioners--some trying to preserve the past, others struggling to engage with their new Latino neighbors. One of the film's stories explores parish priest Paul O'Brien's anti-hunger project--a 1.5 million dollar meal center which since its opening in October 2006, has served 365,000 meals to people in need. Scenes from a Parish portrays O'Brien's effort to raise funds, identify those in need and convince resistant parishioners that there is indeed hunger in their neighborhood.
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