Winter 2009: Register

Hanh, an HIV-positive widow in Vietnam, started a self-help group called Immortal Flower to give people living with HIV/AIDS a place for support, counseling and health care.

Courtesy apowerfulnoise.org

Movie Making

Emory alumni bring inspiration to life on film

By Paige P. Parvin 96G

Empowering women is the theme driving a recent documentary, A Powerful Noise, created in part by two Emory alumni.

The film weaves together the stories of three women from different parts of the globe who have refused to be victims and are taking action in their own lives. One is fighting forced labor practices in Mali; another is an HIV-positive AIDS activist in Vietnam; and the third is a Bosnian refugee who has founded a women’s organization to work for peace between Serbs and Bosniaks.

As coproducer and editor, Jennifer Fineran 94C 97G worked from her home outside New York City, editing the footage while other members of the crew shot on location. A graduate of the Film Studies Program, Fineran has worked on a number of projects for television, but this was her highest profile film to date. Coincidentally, the director is Tom Cappello 03G, also a film studies alum.

One of the best parts, Fineran says, was working closely with translators in the U.S. to make sure the women’s words were right—a process that lent surprising depth and perspective to their stories.

“The project was a real gift,” Fineran says. “As a professional, I am an editor, but I also took a personal interest in the theme of empowering women.”

A Powerful Noise has received considerable acclaim and will be screened at more than four hundred theatres nationwide, including several in the Atlanta area, on March 5, 2009, followed by townhall-style discussions about women’s empowerment. For more information, visit www.apowerfulnoise.com.

Also in theatres is Delgo, an independent, animated feature film created by Marc Adler 95B 96MBA. Adler, who founded the strategic technology firm Macquarium while a student at Emory, spun off Fathom Studios to give the animated film industry a run for its money.

“In the journey to create Delgo, our team set out to construct a world and characters with a unique visual style different from other animated features,” Adler says.