MEDIA FORWARD CONSULTINGAllison Milewski provides innovative arts and media education consultant services to a range of national media organizations and award-winning filmmakers, including Independent Television Services (ITVS), PBS LearningMedia, Latino Public Broadcasting, HBO Documentary Films, and Tribeca Film Institute.
MediaForward educational resources, interactive media literacy projects, teaching and screening guides, community engagement projects, and professional development workshops provide innovative media resources for cultural organizations, media production companies, youth-development organizations, public schools, crisis intervention programs, and filmmakers. For more information about past and current projects and our consultant services, contact us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Email: |
*Images are the property of the makers of 'Children of Giant', PBS Learning Media and Latino Public Broadcasting
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CHILDREN OF GIANT
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* All images and designs are the property of Tribeca Film Institute
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IF GOD IS WILLING AND DA CREEK DON'T RISECurriculum Designer/Writer: Allison Milewski
Clients & Partners: Tribeca Film Institute and HBO Documentary Tribeca Youth Screening Series 2010 Five years after Hurricane Katrina, Spike Lee returns to New Orleans to find a city riddled with contradictions as massive development initiatives and political restructuring are simultaneously rebuilding the city and threatening the survival of its communities and culture.
With a focus on the civic collapse that preceded Katrina, the devastation from the levee failures following the storm, and most recently, the unrivaled environmental devastation from the BP oil disaster, If God is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise examines the rights and responsibilities that governments, corporations and individuals have in protecting our communities and safeguarding our natural resources. |
*Images are the property of Map Your World and its project partners
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MAP YOUR WORLD
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*All images for REBEL are the property of Iguana Films
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REBEL: LORETA VASQUEZ
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*Images are the property of
PBS Home Video
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THE LIFE AND TIMES OF FRIDA KAHLOEducator Guide Designer/Writer: Allison Milewski
Clients & Partners: Latino Public Broadcasting, PBS Learning Media, AND PBS Home Video The Life and Times of Frida Kahlo offers an intimate look at the revolutionary and complex artist and individual. It also presents valuable insight into Mexico's culture and history; the emergence and impact of contemporary art movements and styles; and the conflicting yet contiguous mix of politics, social unrest, and cross-cultural elements that influenced art and artists' experiences during the time Frida lived and worked.
Through this curriculum collection, students consider what makes art political and discuss the political argument "the personal is political”, which came to prominence through the feminist movement of the 1960s. The film and class discussion will be used as a jumping-off point to debate the relevance of the term “political art” to Frida Kahlo’s work, and to create self-portraits using Frida Kahlo's work as inspiration. |
*Images are the property of PBS Learning Media and Latino Public Broadcasting
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RUBEN SALAZAR: MAN IN THE MIDDLEEducator Guide Designer/Writer: Allison Milewski
Clients & Partners: Latino Public Broadcasting, Voces, Paradigm Productions, and PBS Learning Media Ruben Salazar: Man in the Middle, is an investigative look at the life and mysterious death of pioneering journalist Ruben Salazar. At the heart of the story is Salazar's transformation from a mainstream, establishment reporter to primary chronicler and supporter of the radical Chicano movement of the late 1960s.
In this lesson plan, students will learn about the life and journalism of Ruben Salazar; consider the principles of journalistic objectivity and advocacy journalism and the social, economic, and political factors that contribute to journalistic bias; and examine the current state of journalism and the role that objectivity and bias play in reporting. |
*Images are the property of Independent Television Services, PBS, WNET, and Show of Force Productions
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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN THE USA:
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*Images are the property of PBS Learning Media and Latino Public Broadcasting
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OROZCO: MAN OF FIREEducator Guide Designer/Writer: Allison Milewski
Clients & Partners: Latino Public Broadcasting, Voces, Paradigm Productions, and PBS Learning Media José Clemente Orozco was one of the primary artistic innovators of the twentieth century. His work was an expression of his experience, and it bore witness to the seismic changes and volatile social and political landscape of his era.
Using video excerpts from the documentary OROZCO: Man of Fire and the remarkable story of José Clemente Orozco as a guide, students will: explore what it means to bear witness; learn about José Clemente Orozco and how his art bears witness to the social and political events that unfolded during his lifetime; understand the role of muralism in promoting ideas that reflect society and foster dialogue; and design an individual or group mural that bears witness to an important issue in their community. |
*Images are the property of Tribeca Film Institute and the film makers
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THIS TIME NEXT YEAREducator Guide Designer/Writer: Allison Milewski
Clients & Partners: Tribeca Film Institute and the Rockefeller Foundation This Time Next Year tracks the resilience of the Long Beach Island, NJ community for one year as they rebuild after 2012’s Hurricane Sandy. Using a mixture of verité, first-person accounts, and the residents’ own footage This Time Next Year is a poetic documentation of a shore community as they battle local politics, cope with personal tragedy, and band together in the face of transition.
Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Katrina are generally referred to as 'natural disasters', but the devastation that occurred during and after both of these events was caused, in part, by a failure in social systems and structures. Although these two events are unique in themselves, by comparing and contrasting some of the causes and consequences of each disaster it is possible to gain a greater understanding of the social, economic, and environmental forces at work. |
* All images are the property of Independent Television Services and AFTERIMAGE PUBLIC MEDIA
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THE ISLAND PRESIDENTCurriculum and Discussion Guide Collection co-Writer: Allison Milewski
Clients & Partners: Independent Television Services and AFTERIMAGE PUBLIC MEDIA The Island President explores the global politics of climate change and the ethics of government and industry. President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives confronts a problem greater than any other world leader has ever faced — the literal survival of his country and everyone in it. After leading a pro-democracy movement against a brutal regime — surviving repeated imprisonments and torture — Nasheed became president of this low-lying country, only to encounter a far more implacable enemy: the rising ocean. Two standards-aligned lesson plans explore climate change and human rights, accompanied by three short film modules.
Click here to view the curriculum and learn more about the project. |
In 2012, the 'Half the Sky Curriculum Collection' received the endorsement of The National Council for the Social Studies
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HALF THE SKY:
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* Images are the property of Brooklyn Historical Society
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IN PURSUIT OF FREEDOM
Advisory Committee Member: Allison Milewski
Clients & Partners: Brooklyn Historical Society, Weeksville Heritage Center, U.S. Department of Education Underground Railroad Educational and Cultural Program, and Curriculum Writer Tracee Worley In Pursuit of Freedom is a multifaceted public history initiative that includes a website, three exhibitions, historic markers, walking tours, an original theatre piece, scholarly symposia, education curricula, and a commemorative public art work. Through these components, the project engages metropolitan and national audiences by tracing the history of abolitionism and anti-slavery activism in Brooklyn, providing new resources for preserving, interpreting and advancing public understanding of this dramatic and significant chapter in American history.
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* All images and designs are the property of Independent Television Services and Tribeca Film Institute
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AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN LEAD: FILM SERIESCurriculum Advisor: Allison Milewski
Clients & Partners: Independent Television Services and Tribeca Film Institute This collection features three films about extraordinary African American Women leaders: Daisy Bates: The First Lady of Little Rock, The Interrupters, and The Black Power Mixtape 1967 - 1975. The first lesson examines the role of civil rights activist Daisy Bates in the historic desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. The second lesson considers the role of contemporary women leaders in addressing and diffusing violence through the lens of Ameena Matthews--a former drug-ring enforcer who now uses her skills as a violence interrupter to intervene in conflicts in her community. In the final lesson, students examine the struggle and legacy of Angela Davis and her profound impact on liberation movements around the globe.
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*Images used with the permission of Paradigm Films & ITVS
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THE STORM THAT SWEPT MEXICOCurriculum Designer/Writer: Allison Milewski
Clients & Partners: Independent Television Services (ITVS), PBS, and Paradigm Films The Storm that Swept Mexico tells the story of the Revolution of 1910, the first major political and social revolution of the 20th century. The three national standards-aligned Educator Guides allow high school and college students to connect these definitive historic events with issues that resonate in contemporary Mexico as well as the students’ lives and communities today. Explore the role women played in the Revolution, examine what it means to be a leader, and investigate the social impact of art through the three video modules excerpted from the film.
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*All images are the property of KIMIKAT productions
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WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME?Curriculum Designer/Writer: Allison Milewski
Clients & Partners: KIMIKAT Productions Mention Uganda to most people and the images that come to mind are often of AIDS, poverty, civil conflict, child soldiers, ruthless dictators, and warlords. But Uganda, like most of Africa, is far more diverse, complex, engaging, and vibrant than the images the American media would have us believe. Using Kimi Takesue's documentary Where Are You Taking Me? and the Lesson Plan as a guide, students will have the opportunity to challenge their own expectations and preconceptions about cultures other than their own. They will also consider how different approaches to documentary film making and visual storytelling can alter our expectations and understanding of each other and the world. Educator guides and lesson plans developed in partnership with filmmaker Kimi Takesue.
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* All images and designs are the property of Independent Television Services
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WASTE LANDCurriculum Designer/Writer: Allison Milewski
Clients & Partners: Independent Television Services (ITVS) Women and Girls Lead Community Classroom Collection Developed as part of the ITVS Women and Girls Lead initiative, the Waste Land Educator Guides challenge students to consider the connection between human dignity and human rights and if (and how) art can transform society. Students examine these issues through the lens of Vik Muniz’s art project Pictures of Garbage, created in collaboration with workers from Brazil’s landfills. The lessons also investigate the factors that contribute to extreme levels of poverty among women and children in Brazil and around the world, and they inspire action around these topics within school classrooms, youth-serving organizations, and the broader community.
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TRIBECA YOUTH SCREENING SERIESCurriculum Designer/Writer: Allison Milewski
Clients & Partners: Tribeca Film Institute and HBO Documentary The Tribeca Film Institute Youth Screening Series provides NYC public school students with free access to riveting documentary films and educators with engaging educational resources to help integrate the themes and topics of the film into classroom curricula. Films in the 2010 series featured three HBO documentaries: Josh Fox's Oscar nominated GASLAND and Jennifer Arnold's A Small Act. The Study Guides and Educator Supplements were developed for Tribeca Film Institute in collaboration with HBO Films.
Click below to view the Educator Supplements and Study Guides for:
GASLAND by Josh Fox A SMALL ACT by Jennifer Arnold |
