2008 Woodie Awards
Don't Stop the Presses - Ever
Renegade freedom-of-the-press crusaders are captured in documentary by Valley College filmmakers.
Maggie Ownbey
Issue date: 9/28/05 Section: Valley Life
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The artist-activists who ran the Peace Press from 1967 to 1987 faced many obstacles and challenges-but nothing stopped them from exercising their right to free speech through the power of print.
In that spirit, a little crash and burn of a mini-DV wasn't about to stop the documentary, "With a Purpose...PEACE PRESS: the People's Printing Collective" from screening for an eager audience at its world premiere at the Mainstage Theatre.
More than 100 audience members watched a sneak preview of the feature-length film by Valley College students and faculty Saturday night while they waited for small miracles to help the technical difficulties along.
"The computers kept crashing when we attempted to burn it on DVD for screening purposes," said the film's director, producer and principal writer, media arts professor Joseph Daccurso. "The crew made a valiant try to re-constitute things in a timely manner so it could at least be run from a computer to be brought to the theatre."
The crew Josephine Dell'Anno, Anika Marinelli, Rachel Tucker, Randy Yap, Chris Wexler, Don Lewis II, Shervin Ahdout, and Daniel-Todd Villegas, all directed studies media arts students, have logged close to 750 hours each to complete the documentary.
Daccurso spoke to the students, faculty and peace press alumni waiting patiently in the audience, giving a behind-the -scenes look at the making of the documentary along with his director's commentary-sort of like a live DVD bonus feature.
"The purpose of this film is to shake people out of their slumber," said Daccurso. "Hopefully it will be an awakening."
The filmmakers had to go to 'Plan C,' however showing a shorter test video of the film. If this rough cut is a sample of what's to come, then we are all in for an fascinating journey though an important time in Los Angeles when alternative points of view were finally given a voice.
Through the collective memories of former Peace Press members we learn how they printed for writers like Howard Fast, who was blacklisted during the McCarthy witch hunts and gave Timothy Leary a place to write about tuning-in and dropping out.
"I get to look back and see all the hard work we did," said co-founder Bob Zaugh.
Daccurso says that while looking to book another venue in the very near future-this semester-they will continue to tweek a few things on the film.
"Since it's a Valley connected project we would prefer showing it here-at least first," said Daccurso. "And [we] hope everyone will give the film a second chance."
In that spirit, a little crash and burn of a mini-DV wasn't about to stop the documentary, "With a Purpose...PEACE PRESS: the People's Printing Collective" from screening for an eager audience at its world premiere at the Mainstage Theatre.
More than 100 audience members watched a sneak preview of the feature-length film by Valley College students and faculty Saturday night while they waited for small miracles to help the technical difficulties along.
"The computers kept crashing when we attempted to burn it on DVD for screening purposes," said the film's director, producer and principal writer, media arts professor Joseph Daccurso. "The crew made a valiant try to re-constitute things in a timely manner so it could at least be run from a computer to be brought to the theatre."
The crew Josephine Dell'Anno, Anika Marinelli, Rachel Tucker, Randy Yap, Chris Wexler, Don Lewis II, Shervin Ahdout, and Daniel-Todd Villegas, all directed studies media arts students, have logged close to 750 hours each to complete the documentary.
Daccurso spoke to the students, faculty and peace press alumni waiting patiently in the audience, giving a behind-the -scenes look at the making of the documentary along with his director's commentary-sort of like a live DVD bonus feature.
"The purpose of this film is to shake people out of their slumber," said Daccurso. "Hopefully it will be an awakening."
The filmmakers had to go to 'Plan C,' however showing a shorter test video of the film. If this rough cut is a sample of what's to come, then we are all in for an fascinating journey though an important time in Los Angeles when alternative points of view were finally given a voice.
Through the collective memories of former Peace Press members we learn how they printed for writers like Howard Fast, who was blacklisted during the McCarthy witch hunts and gave Timothy Leary a place to write about tuning-in and dropping out.
"I get to look back and see all the hard work we did," said co-founder Bob Zaugh.
Daccurso says that while looking to book another venue in the very near future-this semester-they will continue to tweek a few things on the film.
"Since it's a Valley connected project we would prefer showing it here-at least first," said Daccurso. "And [we] hope everyone will give the film a second chance."
