Inspire Films is proud to award the 2008-2009 Inspire Grant to Benjamin Singer for his documentary, The Throwaway War. Singer is a Northwestern University junior majoring in Radio/Television/Film and Political Science. His film will premiere at the 2009 Symposium on Social Issue Media.

Find out more about The Throwaway War and also about past Inspire Grant films by clicking on “Our Films.” And Congratulations to Benjamin!

Nearly one hundred participants comprising professors, community members, guests, and students of all disciplines attended Northwestern University and Inspire Films’ first ever Symposium on Social Issue Media (SSIM), held May 8-10, 2008. The weekend-long event brought activists, producers, directors, authors, and journalists from all over the country to Northwestern’s Evanston campus to engage with students in a critical examination of film and television’s relationship with social policy and social issues.

On the opening night, keynote speaker Kathy Eldon’s speech, as well as a screening of Northwestern student Alberto Roldan’s film Aquellos (made possible by the 2007-2008 Inspire Grant), got SSIM off to a great start. Both events were well attended and provided a starting point for discussion of media ethics, representation, and responsibility that would continue through the remainder of the symposium. The symposium schedule was chock-full, with guest panelists sharing their work and experience through lectures and Q&A sessions; an exhibit featuring student artwork that addressed social issues; ongoing screenings of films submitted by students from various schools and universities; and mealtimes where participants and guests had the opportunity to network and discuss issues in greater depth. In addition, master classes taught by guests Gordon Quinn, Giovanna Chesler, Anna Gomberg, and Erin Raether provided pre-registered participants with the opportunity to get firsthand experience learning strategies and techniques for photojournalism, web projects, media campaigns, and radio.

The symposium’s slogan, “Move Beyond the Screen,” reflected an aim to build relationships and cultivate ideas that would translate awareness into meaningful action. SSIM 2008 turned this goal into a reality by bringing together individuals who share an interest in combining media with social change, and also by providing a crucial forum for interdisciplinary engagement between students and experts. Inspire Films is excited to say that SSIM 2008 was a rousing success, and we hope that you’ll join us again in 2009.