Madonna to Introduce Her New Film "I Am Because We Are"

[Gonzo Gardener]

I just received an email from Michael Moore announcing...

Madonna is coming to the Traverse City Film Festival!

That's right, the most successful female recording artist of all time -- and an all-round genuine human being and humanitarian -- will take to the stage of our newly-restored historic State Theatre and present her brand new film, "I Am Because We Are," as part of our fourth annual film festival. It will all take place on Saturday night, August 2, at 7 p.m. -- and 540 lucky people will get to be there for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Madonna will introduce the film and then participate in a question and answer session with the audience at the end of the screening. It will be a very special night for the film festival and we are honored by her acceptance of our request to make Traverse City the Midwest premiere of her powerful new documentary.

"I Am Because We Are" is Madonna's personal journey and meditation on the people she has met through her work in one of the poorest countries on earth -- Malawi. Located in southern Africa, Malawi is ravaged by poverty and disease. The film is both heartening and heartbreaking as Madonna gives us a window into a world we know little about.

Madonna film tickets on sale, tentatively, on Saturday, June 7. We will release the actual details next week.

[Gonzo Gardener]

1. .

:kick:

[PeaceNikki]

2. Website with trailer here:

http://www.iambecauseweare.com/

[Gonzo Gardener]

8. Thanks for the link!

:hi:

[Suich]

3. I saw Madona on Nightline last night.

There are over 1 million orphans and the Malawi government is reluctant to let them be adopted. The baby she is trying to adopt now, David, was being raised by his 8 year old sister.

Good for her for making the documentary!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Fire Walk With Me]

4. She's re-created herself yet again.

And I don't buy it. Judy Tenuda is still right: Madonna is a mattress with a microphone. Now figuratively, not so literally any more.

[Deja Q]

5. Well, nobody's perfect...

If she was, she'd be a literal mattress with a microphone forever... :evilgrin:

And I'm presuming she only sings with that microphone...

[PunkinPi]

7. why still?

"Now figuratively, not so literally any more."



edit: bold error due to pbkac (problem between keyboard and chair :)).

[Fire Walk With Me]

14. Still whoring for attention.

[nytemare]

6. Madonna worked with Annie Lennox on the "Sing" campaign.

23 female artists were on board to help promote the use of vaccines on HIV positive women in Africa that can prevent their children from getting the disease, and to help treat those with HIV/AIDS.

It is inspiring that Madonna is raising even more awareness with a film. Thanks for posting, or I may not have heard of it.

:hi:

The link for the song video and a short docuclip are posted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K2Q59eT2Us

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEgITHUaTc4

[Gonzo Gardener]

24. Great links...

Thanks for adding them!

:hi:

[SPKrazy]

9. Hey Haven't Seen You Around!!!

:hi:


sounds interesting


:hug:

[Gonzo Gardener]

17. Hey, hey, it's SPK!!!

It does sound interesting... and I'm really going to miss working as a volunteer at the TC Film Fest this summer. It'll be the first one I've missed, but the trade off is...



drum roll, please...





































a 2 week visit to SUNNY SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA instead!!! :bounce:

I'm looking forward to seeing a few dear old friends and super excited about the possibility of meeting CalPeg and Kitchen Witch while I'm there!

And you're right, I haven't been around much. I've got my summer calendar booked with adventures so, I've been busy trying to complete projects around here now so, that I can play hooky for the next 3 months! I'll try to check in regularly to say hi and post pics, but you won't see much of me until after Labor Day.


It's nice to see you're still here! :pals:

How YOU doin?!

[JackBeck]

10. Can't wait to see this documentary.

And good luck with this post. Madonna is hated on DU. I find it hilarious that so-called feminists on DU rejected Randi Rhodes and got all apoplectic when she called Hillary a "fucking whore", yet pretty much have called Madonna the same thing in the lounge on more than one occasion.

[Scooter24]

11. I hope I get a chance to see it,

We're going to see her in concert in a few months. Hopefully the movie costs a lot less than what we're paying for the concert tickets :)

[JackBeck]

12. Consider yourself lucky

if you avoided the adoption threads when Madonna initially started the process with David.

Many of us who were also adopted were mortified at the disgusting things written here.

[The Straight Story]

13. Glad I missed that

My wife was adopted, if you have a link to that thread I will show her.

[JackBeck]

15. The thread search was a lot more user friendly until google took over.

So I don't have links, but can without fail let you know that the conversation centered around how Madonna should have just given the biological father the resources to raise the child that he placed in an orphanage, rather than adopt David. The term that was thrown around was how Madonna "stole" the child.

Use any of those words if you want to do a google search. Wish they would bring back the previous search option. So much easier.

[Fire Walk With Me]

16. I Am Because We Are

and so can you!

[JackBeck]

18. Kids orphaned by parents who died from HIV are hilarious.

Maybe you can see past the 20 year-old joke you posted above and for one moment join others, including Madonna, that understand many of us are not laughing, but fighting to initiate change.

[Fire Walk With Me]

19. Loudly, very visibly, very selfishly.

I can seriously do without those primary Madonna aspects. I love me some social activism, especially for under-funded causes, but few things put me off of charity like someone shining a spotlight upon themselves. There are plenty of instances of charity and activism without self-promotion.

It's just another stunt. It's cheapening and patronizing. I sincerely doubt that she, Disney, and other self-oriented corporations can do any genuine good (without shilling their product in the process).

Anonymity would be nice, for a change. It's possible to do.

[JackBeck]

20. You walk a very American fine line.

How often in our culture would someone pay attention to something that wasn't highlighted by a celebrity? Democrats love these during an election season. Bruce, Black Eyes Peas, Jon Bon Jovi, Elton...etc..

Or rather, should we immediately discredit a cause just because the person shining the light on it happens to be in the spotlight?

But ultimately, is the disgust just because it is Madonna? I think so. It's only because it's Madonna.

It takes the celebrity to raise consciousness. Otherwise, Magic Johnson wouldn't need to plaster his mug on HIV meds billboards.

[Fire Walk With Me]

21. A humble celebrity, fine, bring it on and sing it from the mountaintops.

No problem there! I don't detect an ounce of humility in Madonna. :shrug:

I've been desperately attempting to sell impeachment as yet another 200 billion dollars are about to go out of our pockets, into the pockets of Bush and friends. If it takes a "leader" to motivate the masses into any amount of action, then please allow someone to lead us into freedom from being so very fucked over...in France they riot if things change too much...us, we we are sheep being very visibly fleeced. By Madonna, by Bush; we get the "leaders" we allow. The irresponsibility in this country is going to -have- to change. Someone else is not going to solve these problems for us.

There are many doing brilliant work, anonymously, or at a very low-key level. Shall we discuss them? I'm all for grassroots discussion of valid issues and actions. I won't post further regarding Madonna.

[JackBeck]

26. I was unaware of Malawi until Madonna.

And I'm an HIV Health educator here in the US. At a non-profit grassroots organization that struggles to stay alive every month.

I am doing this anonymous work that you speak of and I am thrilled that Madonna is bringing what little attention she can to these orphans, in spite of the deflections that you and others would rather send up to distract from the ultimate goal.

[Fire Walk With Me]

28. Good for you for doing the work.

Bad on you for ignoring my legitimate criticisms.

[JackBeck]

30. You lost my respect here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=7761247&mesg_id=7762763

[Fire Walk With Me]

32. Sorry, I'm done discussing her, or are you purposely ignoring my request?

You could be spending time doing something positive. I'm off to find something. Regards for your work, sorry you won't listen to legitimate criticism where it's well-deserved.

[JackBeck]

34. What was the request?

[Fire Walk With Me]

35. I do believe that you are earning an ignore.

[JackBeck]

36. I keep looking upthread for a request

and I can't find one.

If you can find where I'm ignoring your request, than I will apologize.

[Gonzo Gardener]

22. THANK YOU, JackBeck...

well said, sir. :pals:

[Lorien]

29. Amen JackBeck

I've met many celebrities and have many friends and former co-workers who work with them on a daily basis. You can't paint them with a broad brush-they are all as different as we are. "Almost" and "one time" celebrities often want attention for themselves, but true celebs are over it, and usually want to do something more with their lives because they are acutely aware of how shallow show business is. I think this is the case with the vast majority of them that get involved with various issues and charities. I have one close friend who is a celebrity in his own field and he HATES talking about himself at all anymore, because he does so many damn media interviews that he's almost sick of himself. He always says "I don't want to talk about me. Let's talk about you, or anything else if you like..." Many people I've met who are in the media spotlight seem to be of much the same mind. If you ask them anything about themselves their eyes glaze over, but if you want to discuss an issue that's close to their hearts, that's a whole other matter. Many celebs DO contribute anonymously to causes because they don't want it to be about them. I have a cousin who chairs an awards show for Native American actors and artists, and many non-Native actors donate to her foundation but don't attend the awards show because they fear that attention will be drawn away from the struggling Native artists it honors and given to them instead. But others realize, as you have pointed out, that sometimes the only way to get an issue into the public eye is to give their voice to it. It's a harsh reality; unknowns are never given the bullhorn in this country. It's a fact, whether or not anyone wants to accept it.

[Lorien]

23. Do you really think that as many people would view the documentary

if an unknown produced it?

I've seen PILES of GREAT documentaries from the Academy-all of them by very talented unknowns. Only about 2% of them ever get into most theaters. Using ones celebrity to draw attention to an important issue is the very best possible use of celebrity, imho.

[Gonzo Gardener]

25. "Using ones celebrity to draw attention to an important issue...

is the very best possible use of celebrity, imho."

I concur, thank you!

[Fire Walk With Me]

27. That's a good outline regarding one of the sickenesses of our society.

In a sane culture, they would be considered, and treated like, the virtuous persons they are. People wouldn't have to see a film to wish to create change, to help each other.

(Perry Ferrel described me well, but not directly/personally: "Scratch a cynic, find a romantic.")

[Lorien]

31. That society is a utopian one that doesn't exist

the only way to change reality it to work with the flawed world that we have been given. We can't change the nature of those around us since we only have power over ourselves. I applaud anyone who uses the gifts they've been given or the successes they've earned to make our sick society and planet a little healthier.

[Fire Walk With Me]

33. But if the sickness itself calls others to work, is the work impure by default?

Yes.

I'd trust Kucinich, for example.