The Latest
Interlock Media, Inc. is serving as a fiscal agent and mentor for the following staff projects:
Captives
Director, David DeArville, is working on a documentary on the freeing of the indigenous farmers of Nepal, the Tharu, from debt bondage. It tracks their first taste of freedom and their continuing need for support and training in employment training, education, and health care.
Special Education
Affirming Interlock's continued commitment to equality in education, this new film examines how we can address injustices in the educational system in order to maximize learning, minimize stigma, and promote healthy social relationships for Special Needs students.
Interlock plans to document the experience of two families on the opposite end of the socio-economic spectrum, both seeking resources for their children who have similar moderate behavioral problems and/or attention deficits.
A commitment to caring for Special Needs students in the U.S. is indicative of the fact that Americans in general feel sympathy for the less advantaged and are willing to integrate these individuals into greater society. This is distinct from many cultures, present-day and in the past, which completely disregard, if not abandon, their less-advantaged. Thus, the fact that Special Education even exists in the U.S. breaks new ground in human history.
Special Ed is one of the new frontiers of civil rights, but it is fraught with budgetary woes and conflicting ideologies. The current situation challenges our nation's ability to ensure that every child receives the American promise of a free and appropriate education.
The Children of Sderot
The Israeli town of Sderot is located near the Gaza Strip. Since 2000, the community has been subject to constant attacks by Qassam rockets launched from the nearby Gaza Strip.
Sderot was founded by Mizrahi, Middle Eastern and North African Jews - especially Moroccans and Tunisians. The ruling power in Israel largely is the hands of European Jews, who often look down on the Mizrahi. Thus, the problem Sderot faces is not just the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis - but also the result of interethnic conflict among Israelis.
Who gets hurt the most? The kids, who suffer Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder en masse. The children of Sderot have become the subject of research and exploration in various methods - successful and unsuccessful - for how to treat PTSD.
With strict impartiality, Interlock Media explores the historical, political and social reasons for why and how Sderot was founded and the symbolism it holds today. Our documentary mainly follows the psychological and emotional effects that have been brought upon Sderot's children due to these tragic events. It goes on to explore best practices in trauma therapy as it relates to children in war-torn areas the world over, including their neighbors across the border in the Gaza Strip.
During the summer of 2008, Interlock arranged for a summer camp located in Massachusetts to accommodate a visit from each child in Sderot, thereby allowing them to relax from constant aerial bombardment. In the process, the children individually related their angst and thoughts on camera.
