THETHROWAWAYS
THE THROWAWAYS is a documentary in production, funded and backed by Kickstarter supporters!
About- Trailer
- Updates
- Ira's Videos
- Production Team
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- Contact
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About
I am an invisible man. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids; and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.
Ralph Ellison
Invisible ManTHE THROWAWAYS tells the story of homeless filmmaker and activist Ira McKinley, documenting his quest to shed light on the struggle of people living on the margins of society and to challenge a system that oppresses them. McKinley aims to pull the curtain back for viewers and expose how the current economic crisis is having a devastating effect on those who have become throwaways, invisible to most, discarded by a system that has failed them.
But THE THROWAWAYS isn’t just an illumination of marginalized people at their weakest moments, it is a call to action, it is the story of directly engaging in the struggle for economic and social justice. McKinley is not satisfied with simply exposing injustice, but pushes further, fighting for real changes seeking true transformation of his community in the South End of Albany, NY.
THE THROWAWAYS traces McKinley’s past from his upbringing in Ithaca, NY, where at the age of fourteen his father was shot by police, to a prison cell in Staten Island during the September 11th attacks, to his chance at redemption when he learns camera and editing skills at a small public access television station in Northampton, MA.The film then follows McKinley as he joins the Occupy Wall Street protest just a week after the encampment is launched at Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan. As the movement spreads across the country, we journey with him as he travels to occupations in Atlanta GA, Washington DC, Durham, NC, Detroit, MI and McKinley’s hometown of Ithaca, NY, where he uncovers a city grappling with a string of suspicious shootings of young black men at the hands of police. McKinley eventually returns home and becomes an organizer and leader at Occupy Albany, bringing the gritty firsthand perspective of person who has spent the majority of his adult life living at the bottom of the 99%.
THE THROWAWAYS broadens the scope of the issues and the potential solutions by including the voices of some of America’s most visionary thinkers as they share their thoughts with McKinley on the re-imagining of inner city America. Conversations with Michelle Alexander, Cornel West, Grace Lee Boggs, Van Jones, and Marjora Carter confront the realities of life in our most distressed urban neighborhoods, a reality most would rather turn away from. These exchanges aim to breakthrough the stagnant despair with voices of hope, proposing a revolution in thought and action as an inevitable and necessary starting point in reclaiming our communities.
THE THROWAWAYS weaves McKinley’s personal narrative of survival with the stories of a mass movement rising up to challenge greed and corruption on Wall Street and in Washington. Speaking with his family members and neighbors on street corners, sidewalks and stoops, McKinley reveals the prevailing attitude in many inner-city neighborhoods that governmental systems and elected officials have failed, and that real hope lies in the power of the people.As he strives to make a difference, McKinley also confronts the unavoidable stories of his troubled past and engages in the fight against his own personal demons. We bear witness as he struggles to make positive change by organizing, occupying and standing up to make his voice heard.
Ultimately THE THROWAWAYS aims to empower those who have been rendered invisible, to amplify the stories of those living on the fringes of a society that has rejected and forgotten them. It is a story of survival, of a person who resists against being discarded and refuses to be thrown away.
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Trailer
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Updates
- Dec 2011Thank you all!!! We've come so far this year!!! We're in the final stages of production and need your help to complete filming.Please click the paypal link below to support THE THROWAWAYS.If you'd like one of our kickstarter rewards but missed the campaign... just say so in the note when you give.Aug 2011
We've been so busy!!! That's a good thing --Keep up with the latest by following our facebook updates here: http://www.facebook.com/throwawaysmovieJun 2011Thank You!!! We did it!!! Thanks to you we have officially reached our kickstarter goal!!!May 2011-This is an important first test for the throwaways-- This project will only happen if you all want to help us make it happen. If we don't reach our kickstarter fundraising goal in the 60 days we end up with nothing.-Thanks to everyone who has donated to the project on Kickstarter!!!!! so far we have raised $1400 in the first 24 hours!!!-The Throwaways Kickstarter Campaign is officially underway! Our goal is to raise $10,000 for our first round of production in only 60 days.Apr 2011-The plan is to use the trailer to help raise funds for production! -Trailer is up! Already we've getting so much positive feedback from on the trailer from our growing number of supporters.Mar 2011Have a look at our incredible team-- http://throwawaysmovie.com/#e42/custom_plainWith so much interest in the project-- it's been easier than we ever could have imagined to assemble an amazing team/crew with diverse and valuable experiences in filmmaking.Feb 2011So much interest in our project through our new facebook page! And from people who are from all over the world!!! Jan 2011-- With each day we are documenting powerful stories and getting incredible footage. This is a story that needs to be told!Jan 2011THE THROWAWAYS tells the story of homeless filmmaker and activist Ira McKinley, documenting his quest to shed light on the struggle of people living on the margins of society and to challenge a system that oppresses them.
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Uploads
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Production Team
- Ira McKinley (Producer/Director) is a Air Force veteran trained as a Medical Material Handler, he started his activism early on when he participated in Act Up in Ithaca, NY in the 1980’s. During the winters of 2007/2008 he started a Homeless Arts Showcase inspired by his fifteen years being homeless himself in Northampton, MA’s Pulaski Park. McKinley has won Northampton Arts Council’s grant for an “Emerging Film Maker” (2009); as well as Producer of the Year for Northampton Community Television (2009). McKinley is currently a cameraman for the Sanctuary for Independent Media and Troy, NY and continues his activist work with his collaborative Social Change in Mind, a network of organizations and individuals seeking social justice within the Capital Region.
Bhawin Suchak (Producer/Director) is a filmmaker, educator and digital media producer who works with emerging technologies as tools to promote expression, communication, and connection. He co-directed Free To Learn, a feature length documentary about radical education and has produced, directed and edited several short documentary films. Bhawin is the founder and program director of Youth FX, a summer filmmaking program for inner-city teens based out of Grand Street Community Arts. He has been a media arts teacher at The Albany Free School for 12 years, and has worked with youth in digital film production and multimedia at several locations including: Sanctuary for Independent Media, Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood, Ark Charter School, and with the Museum Club afterschool program at The New York State Museum.
Jay Wilcox (Producer/Director) is an indie media filmmaker working for social change through video. Has worked with Ralph Nader, Amy Goodman, Dennis Banks, along with numerous members of the Green Party during the last election co-directing campaign commercials. Jay is a founding member of Hudson Mohawk Independent Media Center and the Troy Sanctuary for Independent Media.
Branda Miller (Creative Consultant) is an internationally recognized media artist and educator, dedicated to explore new visions and support independent voices. A tenured Professor of Media Arts at Rensselaer, she has played a key role in the shaping and development of the MFA interdisciplinary arts program and the BS Electronic Media and Performing Arts program. She is also an Emmy award-winning editor who has worked extensively in the media industry of Los Angeles and New York City. Branda has developed numerous media literacy/community arts projects, and is a co-founder and Arts and Education Coordinator Media Alliance at The Sanctuary for Independent Media in North Troy.
Jim de Sève (Creative Consultant) is an award-winning film and media-maker. He produced and directed the documentaries including Burying the Saints; and Tying the Knot (2004) which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, won eleven festival awards, including Best Documentary at the 2004 Frameline Film Festival and has screened in 70 U.S. cities, 110 festivals and 21 countries. He was Director of Photography for Seeds (2005). Jim has received grants from Jerome Foundation, the Marcelle Foundation, the Stonewall Community Fund, the Independent Feature Project and the New York State Council on the Arts. His work has been broadcast on TV in the U.S. (HereTV, LOGO), Italy (FOX), France (Canal+), Germany, France, Argentina, Brazil, Denmark, Poland, Japan and New Zealand. Jim is on the faculty at Union College in Schenectady, NY where he teaches film production. He also conducts yearly workshops at the Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy, NY. He sits on the board of New York Media Alliance.
Victoria Kereszi ( Assistant Camera) is an artist, photographer, documentary filmmaker, curator, community media organizer, and educator. Victoria previously worked at Manhattan Neighborhood Network, a flagship community media operation, where she began as the Youth Programming Coordinator and eventually became the Director of Programming. She is the founder and curator of Eye Am: Women Behind the Lens, a women's memoir television series and traveling festival at Anthology film archives. Victoria received her MA from NYU's Gallatin School with a concentration in Documentary Film and Gender Studies. She currently lives in Troy, New York where she recently received her MFA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Electronic Arts Department.
Andrew Lynn (Creative Consultant) is a media worker living in Troy, NY. He received an MFA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2002, and has been working as a community artist and educator since. Currently he teaches digital media at Hudson Valley Community College, co-coordinates The Sanctuary for Independent Media and is the founder and co-director of the Troy Bike Rescue. From 2004-2007, Andrew was the Youth Education Coordinator at Manhattan Neighborhood Network – a public access television station, where he helped initiate the Youth Video Exchange Network and facilitated numerous youth-lead productions.
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Support
- Jan 2012We're in the final stages of production and need your help to complete filming.Please click the paypal link below to support THE THROWAWAYS.If you'd like one of our kickstarter rewards but missed the campaign... just say so in the note when you give.
