MAKING WAVES

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Making Waves

Images

Anita Defrantz and US Women's Crew Team, 1972

Topics

Environment: Rivers
Human Development: Urban, Youth
Human Rights: Race Politics, Social Exclusion

Identity Niches

African American, Asian American, Caucasian, Disability Culture, Latino, Student, Women, Youth/Teen

Budget

Raised to date: $70,700.00
Estimate to complete: $200,000.00
Total Estimated Budget: $270,700.00
The budget numbers above are accurate as of 04/23/2009

Status

Production

Media Type

Video

Project End Use

Key Personnel

Frances McElroy
producer / director

Frances McElroy, Producer/Director, is the founder of SHIRLEY ROAD PRODUCTIONS (www.shirleyroadproductions.org), an award-winning, nonprofit video/film production organization, incorporated in 1991. Frances has over twenty years experience in developing and producing programs for public television and the nonprofit sector. She is currently producing/directing a one-hour documentary for public television called MAKING WAVES (working title) which looks at diversity in the sport of rowing through the very different experiences of two African-American rowers. With the support of the Willian Penn Foundation and others, MAKING WAVES (wt) interweaves key historical moments in the sport’s past with the stories of contemporary rowers who are working to further diversify this historically white sport. Also in production is STRATHMERE, a documentary about a small barrier island town whose community and way of life are threatened by economic and environmental forces. The documentary is being co-directed and co-produced with Ann Tegnell and has received support from the Philadelphia Foundation.

Other recent projects include MIRROR DANCE (2005; co-producer / co-director with Maria Rodriguez), a one-hour documentary for PBS about Cuban twin sisters whose once inseparable relationship was torn apart by international politics. The documentary was supported by ITVS, Latino Public Broadcasting, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Philadelphia Foundation, the 5-Country Arts Fund and the Montgomery County Foundation. It premiered on the national PBS series INDEPENDENT LENS in 2005 and was recently acquired by the PBS Digital Channel’s series GLOBAL VOICES. It has screened at numerous international film festivals, including the Havana Film Festival, and at distinguished community venues such as the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center, The National Museum for Women in the Arts, and the Cuban Interest Section, Washington, DC. MIRROR DANCE received a CINE, Society of Professional Journalists First Prize for Documentary Excellence, and an award of merit from LASA (Latin American Studies Association).

BALLYCASTLE (2004; producer/director) is a half-hour documentary about Philadelphia-based artist Stuart Shils, whose life was transformed by his encounter with a remote Irish village. It premiered on Independence Public Media’s PHILADELPHIA STORIES 4. It was distributed nationally by the American Public Television Network and WHYY (PBS/Philadelphia). The program won a 2004 CINE Golden Eagle Award and First Prize for Documentary Excellence from the Society of Professional Journalists. Funders include the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Leeway Foundation, Claneil Foundation and the 5-County Arts Fund. AN ANGEL IN THE VILLAGE (1999; producer) is a documentary about Philadelphia-based, Chinese-born artist and activist Lily Yeh. The program was presented on PBS by ITVS and the Central Educational Network. It received the 2000 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award for best cultural program, First Prize for Documentary Excellence from the Society of Professional Journalists and a Gabriel Award. Project funders include ITVS, The William Penn Foundation, Philadelphia Foundation, The Phoebe Haas Charitable Trust, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Philadelphia Independent Film and Video Association. She also produced/directed the Emmy nominated OUR FOOD OUR FUTURE (2001) which looks at new ways of addressing food, farm and nutrition challenges. It was distributed nationally by the American Public Television Network. In 1998, she produced AFTER SUNDAY for Partners for Sacred Places which works to protect historic sacred buildings which also house vital community service programs. THE SKY: USE IT OR LOSE IT!, a live action/video animation she produced was a finalist in the New York Festivals' 1999 "Short Film Category."

Ms. McElroy has also produced videos for a range of nonprofit educational, community and advocacy organizations.From 1981-1991, Ms. McElroy was Director of Program Development and a producer/director at WHYY-TV (PBS/Philadelphia). In 1988, she directed the international public television INPUT conference. She served on the INPUT American program selection committee, as a reader for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Screenwriting Fellowship, an evaluator for the ITVS Digital 99 and LInCS initiatives and an instructor at the Scribe Video Center. She is a founding member of the Philadelphia Independent Film/Video Association Board of Directors. She received a 1998 Window of Opportunity Award from the Leeway Foundation as a documentary artist and an artist's residency to attend the 40th Annual Robert Flaherty Seminar. Ms. McElroy was a member of Senator Edward M. Kennedy's Senate staff for ten years. Her B.A. in history/political science is from Rosemont College.

Ann Tegnell
editor
Ann Tegnell is an Academy Award nominated producer-director and editor, and dedicated collaborator. Her producer-director-editor credits include the Emmy nominated KNEE DEEP with Sharon Mullally (National APT distribution and PBS-WYBE Philadelphia Stories 4), CROSSTOWN with Miriam Camitta (PBS-WYBE Philadelphia Stories 1), and A Family Gathering with Lise Yasui (Academy Award Nomination, PBS - The American Experience, Gold Hugo, Cine Gold Eagle, Gold Apple Awards). As editor, Ann’s credits expand to include the ITVS supported documentary Mirror Dance (PBS - Independent Lens), BALLYCASTLE (PBS/National APT distribution, WYBE Philadelphia Stories 4), The Curse of Tutankhamun (The Discovery Channel), W.E.B. De Bois: A Biography in Four Voices (PBS), SUSUMU: A Tone Poem in Three Movements (Silver Hugo), and MUSICAL KIDS (Best National PBS Arts Program, PBS-WHYY).

Years of freelancing as PD and editor on countless media projects for corporations, nonprofit organizations, production groups and other independent makers has kept everything together. To facilitate these projects, Ann has had an on-going partnership with Hall Media Productions where her non-broadcast accolades include top honors in the AXIEM, Telly and Creative Summit Awards. Recent work with Glenn Holsten of glennfilms includes innovative documentary-style marketing pieces for Merion Mercy Academy, St. Francis de Sales Catholic School, PIFFARO - The Renaissance Band, The University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School, The American Association of Museums, and 24 individual portraits of the 2007+2008 Pew Fellows in the Arts.

Ann has four collaborations currently in the works: Making Waves with Frances McElroy, supported by theWilliam Penn Foundation, the Independence Foundation and others, looksat access, affordability and diversity in the sport of rowing; ¿DÓNDE ESTÁN? The Disappeared Children of El Salvador, with producers Maria Rodriguez and Katherine Pyle and co-funded by Latino Public Broadcasting, tells the story of three children, now adults, who were separated from their families during the Salvadoran civil war and now search to reclaim their lost identities; The General's Daughter with Glenn Holsten tells of artist Lily Yeh's personal journey to China to uncover her father's past and the meaning of their relationship; and STRATHMERE with Frances McElroy, which explores the value, and fate, of a quirky South Jersey shore town.

Prior to beginning her freelance career, Ann was associate producer / editor for the weekly ABC-WPVI PRIME TIME show, received an MFA in Communications from Temple University where she made eight award-winning films in four years, and a BA Summa cum laude in Film from San Francisco State University. Ann teaches regularly at the Scribe Video Center in Philadelphia and contributes many hours to mentoring young media makers. She is a founding member of The Philadelphia Independent Film & Video Association, having served on the Executive Board and chaired the PIFVA Cash and In-Kind Subsidies.

Ann is president and co-founder of extendedPLAY inc., a non-profit educational media group. www.extendedPLAY.org

Outreach/Engagement Plan(s)

MAKING WAVES (WT) will appeal to a diverse audience of viewers interested in character driven stories and in topics which touch on race, gender and class issues. Viewers also include those who are interested in the sport of rowing, which is growing from Boston, to Oklahoma City, to Oakland, especially among high school students and older rowers who care about the sport’s link to health, fitness, and the environment. The primary goal for MAKING WAVES (wt) is a PBS strand such as INDEPENDENT LENS. Alternatively, distribution will be explored with the American Public Television Network and with WHYY (PBS/Philadelphia) or NJN (New Jersey Network) with which I have already begun exploring possible collaboration. A further outlet for program outreach is the US Rowing Association web site which links to related athletic and educational organizations. Through DVD and various still-to-be-identified distribution platforms, the documentary will also be available to schools, libraries, community and recreational groups as a way to encourage interest in the sport among urban youth. A goal of the film is to encourage dialogue among stake holders including educators, urban officials and community leaders about how to make the benefits and public resources associated with rowing more available and affordable for everyone.

Funders

Name	Amount	Date
PA Partners in the Arts	$4,036.00	09/29/2008
Shirley Road Productions - board	$1,500.00	06/09/2008
Independence Foundation	$5,000.00	12/06/2007
William Penn Foundation	$50,000.00	09/21/2007
PA Partners in the Arts	$4,505.00	08/28/2007
Shirley Road Productions - board	$1,000.00	06/07/2007
various individuals	$1,650.00	03/01/2007
Pennsylvania Humanities Council	$3,000.00	02/08/2007

Location

108 Shirley Road
Narberth, 19072

See Google Maps

Short Synopsis

Through the personal experiences of several rowers from diverse backgrounds, MAKING WAVES (60:00) looks at the challenges and tensions facing this historically white, tradition-bound sport as it rubs against efforts to increase access, affordability and diversity in the sport. Representing the sport's storied past and potential future, the individual stories interweave with an historical arc which marks the sport's evolution in terms of class, gender and race.

Description/Treatment

On Philadelphia’s Boathouse Row -- a cluster of Victorian-era private clubs -- great rowers and Olympic champions have trained for 150 years. From this unique perspective, MAKING WAVES examines the challenges facing this historically white, tradition-bound world as it confronts urban reality.

The captivating sight of needle thin racing shells slicing through a tranquil river masks the contradictions running beneath the surface. A beautiful sport to watch, rowing is demanding, rewarding and highly beneficial to those who participate. It is also seen by some as elitist, exclusionary and overwhelmingly white. Despite its origins as a working man’s sport, rooted in transportation and warfare, rowing has developed into a pastime inaccessible to many Americans -- including many urban public school students. While the last twenty years have witnessed an influx of women and recreational rowers of all ages, class is still an issue and the sport has still not aggressively reached out to minorities. Some claim the future of the sport is at stake if it doesn’t start drawing from a wider pool of athletes. In response, US Rowing -- the sport’s national governing association -- recently acknowledged that, for many Americans, rowing is “off limits” and the organization has begun taking steps to redress the inequity.

MAKING WAVES (WT) explores the challenges facing the sport through the personal experiences of several rowers from diverse backgrounds who represent the sport’s storied past and potential future. Their stories interweave with an historical arc which reveals key moments in the sport’s evolution in terms of class, gender and race. Storytellers include JB Kelly, grandson of the 1920s blue collar Olympian John B. Kelly, Sr. Kelly, the son of Irish immigrants, was a bricklayer whose notable rowing achievements helped open up the sport in terms of class. Dwayne Adams, one of the few African American rowers on the Schuylkill River, lost his eye in a drug shootout. No longer able to play other sports, Dwayne was given a “second life” and struggles with the rowing establishment to share his love of rowing with inner city youth. Anita DeFrantz, a pioneer African-American rower, was also a member of the first women’s Olympic crew team in 1976. Today, as Vice President of the International Olympic Committee, Anita is working to open the sport to rowers who “look like me.” In telling their stories, MAKING WAVES (WT) uses a largely undocumented yet highly visual sport to stimulate needed conversation about larger issues of race, class and gender.

DESCRIPTION / TREATMENT

MAKING WAVES (WT) begins on a hot July day in 2008. Dwayne Adams has organized a 26-mile rowing marathon to call attention to Breaking Barriers -- an organization he founded to increase diversity in rowing. On this day, he has partnered with the Schuylkill Navy, the 150 year old organization which governs all the activities on Boathouse Row. The scene captures the atmosphere surrounding the marathon and introduces some of the characters who participated -- including several youngsters from his learn-to-row program. As we follow Dwayne on one of the laps, he reveals how ten years ago, he was caught in the cross fire of a drug shootout, leaving him with only partial vision. It was through the Philadelphia Adaptive Rowing Program that he first had the chance to row. Dwayne constantly struggles with the established, overwhelmingly white rowing community in an effort to find an affordable, consistent home for his program. The Schuylkill Navy officers admit diversity is an issue. But while organizing dozens of regattas throughout the year, including its own 150th birthday celebration, supporting Dwayne’s dream is not a priority. Their support is frustratingly intermittent.

Meanwhile, Anita DeFrantz travels to Philadelphia from Los Angeles to give the keynote address at the Schuylkill Navy’s 150th Anniversary Banquet. At 6:30 am on a cold dark morning, backlit by Philadelphia’s shimmering skyline, a four-women shell pushes off from the dock for a quiet row on the Schuylkill. The pacing is calm and steady as Anita’s voice over explains why she calls rowing the “noblest” of sports. To the rhythmic beat of the oars slicing through the dark water, she says of rowing: “You learn about decision making. You learn about teamwork, which is important, especially for girls.” While studying law in Philadelphia in the 1970s, she joined the storied Vesper Boat Club which was and is dedicated to creating Olympic champions. There she trained to become a member of the crew team which won the Bronze Medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics -- the first time women rowers participated in the Games. An early leader in equalizing class on the river, the Vesper Boat Club had just opened its doors to women, despite much disagreement among male members. So Anita was a pioneer both in terms of gender and race. Over ABC News footage of her actual race, Anita dramatically recounts her experience as a member of the 1976 Bronze Medal Olympic team and how it helped break the gender barrier, but left “unfinished business.”

This scene segues to an encounter with Cianni Mendez, a twelve year old girl being mentored by Dwayne Adams. As a young Latina rower from the inner city, her experience represents the future and, perhaps, the survival of the sport. Her story shows how various institutional barriers prevent rowing from embracing the true range and potential of America’s athletic ability. Cianni says “The first time I seen them on the water, I fell in love with the sport.....before I started rowing, I was never in a boat and never went to the river.” She wants to be a pediatrician and her mother sees rowing as the path to a scholarship. Unable to find an ongoing home on Boathouse Row, Dwayne must search to find space and time for Cianni to train. “It’s hard,” he says. “It’s the politics they have down there....it’s almost like the run-around...it’s almost like they want to discourage you.”

Robert Kidd is another character who presents a rare, yet strong perspective from the national rowing community. He is a US Rowing Association board member who, in 2007, created US Rowing’s Diversity Task Force. He is also a major force behind the Jack London Aquatic Center in Oakland, California which runs a successful learn-to-row program for young urban women.

The documentary raises questions about basic fairness and equal access to opportunity. All across the country, rowers utilize our public waterways, yet many youngsters and adults who live within walking distance of them are not afforded the opportunity to participate. Will the private boathouse culture adapt to accommodate efforts to diversify the sport and make it more accessible and affordable? And if it doesn’t do so, is the future of the sport at stake? Will young rowers such as Cianni be given the opportunity to enjoy the considerable benefits of rowing? And, ultimately, just who does the river belong to?

Begun in early 2007, with a $3,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, I was able to begin researching and developing the story. The PHC grant also let me begin identifying archival materials key to visualizing the story. With a $50,000 grant from the William Penn Foundation, I began many months of off-camera background interviews with observers and individuals involved in the national and Philadelphia region’s rowing scene. The grant also let me complete primary videotaping which continued through 2008. Pending the receipt of completion funding, I will begin the anticipated four-five months of editing in late spring or early summer.