CAST THE FIRST STONE – THE MOVIE
CAST THE FIRST STONE is a feature documentary about the most powerful story in history performed by men and women for whom it is perhaps most relevant. Intercutting the lives of the actors with the ‘making of’ footage as well as scenes from the play performed, the film explores the deeper meaning of Christ’s message and its particular relevance to men and women who have acknowledged their sins against their fellow man and are serving some of the longest sentences in the world. An intimate powerful view of redemption in real time, it is as much an insight into the life of the incarcerated as it is a chance to deepen ones understanding of Christ’s teachings.
Two years of rehearsals; learning lines and roles, acting skills, set designs and costume making, exploded in single performance at the Prison as a gift to the world by real people, yes incarcerated people, but real people in challenging circumstances. The people Jesus would have attracted. The result were extraordinarily heart wrenching. There were Christians and Muslims, believers and agnostics, Jews and atheists, but regardless of their background the performance and preparation for it, served to guide each of them on their own personal path of redemption. They dedicated themselves so that they might do more than just act the parts, but honor the roles for which they were chosen.
The burden of sin weighs heavy, but the teachings of our story, as powerful today as they were 2000 years ago, serve to enlighten and inspire people everywhere. In a place with little hope of freedom, where 95% of the men who enter the gates perish, the story of a man who sacrifices his life to save the wretched of the Earth, resonates in every man.
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Gates Foundation Premiers “Making Money Mobile” at Global Savings Forum
Capturing the game-changing power of cellular telephones to deliver financial services to the poor in earthquake ravaged Haiti, teams are building on models developed in Kenya and elsewhere in Africa. Commissioned by the Sundance Institute and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, this short piece highlights the potential of low-cost cellular technology to serve the poor.
For the latest mobile banking news read the New York Times piece “I’ve Seen the Future (in Haiti)” by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Nicholas D. Kristof.
“Connected” Producer Mara Batlin on CNBC
Discussing technology and the poor on Executive Vision…
Included in the roundtable are some of technologies finest leaders: Stewart Baker (Former Assistant Secretary for Policy at the Department of Homeland Security, Current Partner Steptoe & Johnson LLP), Jeff Weiner (CEO LinkedIn), Caterina Fake (Hunch & Flickr Co-Founder), Ashok Vemuri (Member of Executive Council and Head-Americas, Infosys), Jeong Kim (President, Bell Labs), Carlos Dominguez (Cisco Senior Vice President) and Nicholas Negroponte (MIT Media Lab, Co-Founder).
Learn more about how you can use “The Farm: 10 Down” as a tool for social change! Screen the film in your community and click HERE to download our complimentary facilitation guides!
LSPTv Promo Trailer
LSPTv will be the first inmate-run, prison-based television station in the nation. HCD will build a broadcast studio and provide media training for inmate staff. LSPTv will produce programming of interest to the large community of Americans affected by our criminal justice system. Programs will include Fathering Behind Bars, Re-Entry Preparedness, Sports, Legal Literacy and more. CLICK BELOW TO WATCH THE PROMO TRAILER!
Highest Common Denominator recently talked to Ebonyjet.com about LSPTv. Click here to read the article entitled, “In Louisiana, America’s Toughest Inmates Produce Compelling Television”.
A Special 10th Anniversary Edition of “The Farm: Life Inside Angola Prison” and the 2009 sequel, “The Farm: 10 Down” are now available for purchase on the Highest Common Denominator website.
Click here to visit the store!
Gabriel City
The facts are shocking. The United States imprisons more people than any other country in the world. This affects over 30 million people – victims of crime, incarcerated persons, and family members alike. In response to this, HCD Media Group has launched Gabriel City, an online community for the millions affected by the criminal justice system.
Louisiana State Penitentiary Television (LSPTv)
LSPTv will be the first inmate-run, prison-based television station in the nation. HCD will build a broadcast studio and provide media training for inmate staff. LSPTv will produce programming of interest to the large community of Americans affected by our criminal justice system. Programs will include Fathering Behind Bars, Re-Entry Preparedness, Sports, Legal Literacy and more.
The Road to Redemption
Our short film looks into the hearts of young women who were combatants in Liberia’s long and brutal civil war, as they seek to heal their deep wounds and rebuild their shattered lives. It celebrates these women who are working to build a secure future for this beleaguered African nation, using storytelling to heal, and to prevent future conflict.
Connected
CONNECTED is the story of Nigerian entrepreneur, Dr. Aloy Chife, and his unrelenting effort to shrink Africa’s digital divide and level the playing field for the planet’s poorest by employing his company, Kutana. The film will follow Aloy as he launches new projects and works to export software solutions to Sri Lanka (the first technology transfer from Africa to an Asian market) and takes Kutana public, listing it on a global stock exchange.
Kaia Stern, Director of the Prison Studies Project at Harvard University sent us this letter written by Eddie Ellis, the Director of Metro Prison Ministry. The letter addresses the power of language and the desire for those in prison to be identified as people.
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Our Mission
Our mission is to harness the universal power of storytelling to captivate viewers by presenting and celebrating acts of courage and forgiveness, inspiring others to transform their own narratives.