Lisa Hasko, site coordinator for The Film Connection, sees film as a positive way to use the media to promote social change. Photo Credit: Lisa Hasko

Lisa Hasko describes The Film Connection as "A socially conscious version of Netflix." Netflix is an online DVD rental service, where customers pay for rentals on a monthly basis. The Film Connection, an initiative of Mercy Corps, started in 2003 in Seattle, Washington as an offshoot of a book club formed by a group of social entrepreneurs.

The Film Connection, presently US based, offers films online which are then mailed to your doorstep. Currently the service is completely free of charge, based on an honor system to return and care for films. The Film Connection, however, focuses and promotes the idea that films can inspire discussion, as well as civic awareness, global engagement and positive social change.

Q: Why do you think film is a valuable resource?

Lisa Hasko: In our culture we have been trained to use the media, so I see The Film Connection as a positive way to use the media to promote social change. Youth in the U.S. especially are so comfortable with media and accustomed to using it, rather than forcing other ways of educating them about these issues, I see this as educating them in a way they already use.

Do you notice any differences between International films versus U.S. films?

In our culture we have been trained to use the media, so I see The Film Connection as a positive way to use the media to promote social change.

The way stories are told is the biggest difference. I've found that at our core human experiences are very similar. It's our history, politics, religion, and social constraints that change the story and how it is told. Our issues cross-culturally are similar but the ways they are presented are different. This allows individuals, especially here in the U.S. to gain perspective on places like Iraq, where mostly all we hear about is war and violence, but through films we can see we have the same core values and issues.

Are there any trends you have seen in films?

Most recently the trend has been "green films." But in general people seem to like films that are controversial, push your buttons, or get you inspired.

What do you mean specifically by "green films?"

I mean there is this whole genre of films that touch on environmental issues - anywhere from climate change to conservation to global development and the environmental movement. There are governmental critiques and films that cover ways you as an individual can create positive change. Inconvenient Truth is a good example, as is Who Killed the Electric Car.

Where do you get the films you provide?

We work with distribution companies, aiming for smaller, independent organizations in order to build partnerships with them. Occasionally the companies or someone with a film will donate, but we most often buy them. We currently have over 600 titles and 2500 members.

How successful is The Film Connection when it comes to the goal of promoting civic awareness, global engagement, positive social change, and promoting discussions?

In general people seem to like films that are controversial, push your buttons, or get you inspired.

This is something we are currently looking at to improve. Right now the only way we receive feedback is through postings on the website and emails. They are usually positive write-ups from educators, bookstores, or small communities who are very appreciative that The Film Connection exists. However, since we are so focused on promoting discussion we are currently creating a new interactive-based website. This will include a social network with online discussions for people to fully engage in the issues brought up in our films. Hopefully the new site will be up by fall or early winter.

Besides the new website what other changes are you looking at for the future?

In the future, The Film Connection is going to be part of Mercy Corps' monthly giving program. Rather than being completely free, it will be an added bonus for donors involved with Mercy Corps. This is also a way for the donors to be connected and directly involved with the organization, more than just donating. For educators and those a part of Global Citizen Corps, The Film Connection will still be free. We are also looking at ways to hold people accountable for the films they check out. Although in some ways it is nice to be on the honor system, we do get broken films, lost films etc. So we hope to send out notices in the future, like a library, and eventually ask for some kind of donation of either the film or money.




To learn more about The Film Connection and to browse the film library, visit www.thefilmconnection.org.




Contributed by Cami Martin, a writer for Global Envision. Cami has a BA in English from the University of Oregon and works for Mercy Corps.

To read another Global Envision article about film, see Global Envision Film List.



Return to top