PROJECTS HCD MEDIA GROUP

Storytelling To Captivate Viewers

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.

CONNECTED

CONNECTED

is the story of Nigerian entrepreneur, Dr. Aloy Chife, and his unrelenting effort to shrink Africa’s digital divide employing his company, Kutana. Less than a decade ago, Dr. Chife returned from the African Diaspora committed to using the power of information technology to level the playing field for the planet’s poorest by deploying the most efficient and advanced technology to improve government’s provision of social services. Today, Kutana’s innovative solutions are being utilized across the continent to bring schools, governments and hospitals into the digital age.

THE FARM 10 DOWN

THE FARM 10 DOWN

One decade after THE FARM: ANGOLA, USA (Oscar nominated 1999; two-time Emmy winner 1999), we go back inside Louisiana’s maximum security penitentiary, to catch up with our characters’ lives. While the theme of THE FARM was “to err is human; to forgive, divine”, we now delve more deeply and find hope for “reconciliation and release”. Angola is America’s oldest and largest prison, with 5,000 inmates, most of whom have received life -, or death-, sentences for violent crimes, and will never leave Angola. THE FARM continues to provide extraordinary opportunities for learning through storytelling.

MAKING MONEY MOBILE

MAKING MONEY MOBILE

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.

THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION

THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION

Liberian author Elma Shaw guides us through her nation’s brutal civil war and the conflicting roles that Liberians played in the destruction of their small, West African nation. Many women served as combatants in rebel factions and were both the victims and perpetrators of unspeakable atrocities. This documentary short is a beautiful and moving tale of the journey these women must make as they resolve to either seek revenge against those who stole their childhoods, or seek forgiveness and reintegration into their communities. They courageously choose to release the darkness in their souls by sharing their intimate stories, in order to, in the words of one, “become a human being”.

(LSPTV)

Louisiana State Penitentiary (LSPTV)

Over 10 years of filming inside the Louisiana State Penitentiary (LSP) in Angola, producing a series of award-winning films, HCD Media has worked with many inmates on a variety of paths, and all have witnessed the transformative power of storytelling in the lives of the men involved. Currently, a small, closed-circuit station broadcasts church services and occasional events to the prison population. Highest Common Denominator Media will support world-class training, programming, experts, technology, and build a 3,000 square foot, state-of-the-art broadcast facility, to be called “Angola Studios”. LSPTv will be run by trained inmate staff and will broadcast educational programming, judicial and life skills training, sports and entertainment, all from inside one of the oldest prisons in the United States.

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