Women in Hollywood are mad as hell and they’re not going to take this anymore, to paraphrase the classic film, Network. They’ve already taken a fierce stand against sexual assault, harassment and gender inequality as part of the #MeToo movement, which includes Hollywood’s Time’s Up campaign. In May, women brought their message to Cannes, France,…
If you don’t like raunchy, subversive humor, Ali Wong’s new comedy special on Netflix, “Hard Knock Wife,” is not for you. And if you’re a mom who embraced the glow of pregnancy, passed up the epidural and found breastfeeding to be a higher calling, this is also not for you. But if you’re a mom…
These past few months, Latinx family pride and Black excellence dominated Hollywood with the blockbuster releases of “Coco” and “Black Panther.” And now, Asian Americans are about to have our day with “Crazy Rich Asians.” When the trailer came out in late April, it took social media by storm. Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) like…
If you’re familiar with using pop culture to spark social change, it’s no surprise to see major awards ceremonies like the Oscars, hard-hitting documentaries or high-budget historical films with rock star casts spotlighting social justice. But the latest movie sparking a social justice phenomenon may surprise you: It’s a teenage romantic comedy. Love, Simon, was…
Awards season always spotlights the social justice sector, and that’s why it’s important nonprofits pay attention to events like the Oscars. What made this year’s 90th Academy Awards celebration so special was the focus on policy issues, instead of political jokes. While the rhetoric of previous Oscars has been full of jabs from Hollywood’s elite…
At the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, Bob Redford emerged from the mist as Jacob Marley, forcing us to confront the ghosts of our past and our future. Eric Garner was among the most prominent ghosts from our past. For both a feature film, Monsters and Men, and a documentary, Crime + Punishment, Garner’s death in…
At AndACTION, we help nonprofits think strategically about how cultural moments spurred by film and television can strengthen advocacy-based communications. Hollywood’s TIME’S UP campaign, a follow-up to the #MeToo movement, changed the color and the conversation on the Golden Globes red carpet. Standing in solidarity with women, attendees donned all-black ensembles to declare the clock…
In the frame of art imitating life, the entertainment industry allows its viewers to celebrate the immigrant in all of us. Television shows like Fresh Off The Boat, Master of None, Jane the Virgin and Superstore, and movies like The Big Sick, reveal the unique experiences of people who leave their homelands for the promise…
A superhero film breaking box office records doesn’t sound, well, out of the box. What makes this “smart-aleck” superhero who exacts revenge on his enemies unique, however, is the fact that he’s also fighting cancer. In fact, the action begins when Ajax, the antagonist, offers Deadpool an experimental treatment for a cure. While Hollywood has…
The West Wing, an NBC political drama that ended in 2006, remains a Netflix staple with a serious fanbase. The West Wing Weekly, a podcast started by the show’s lead Joshua Malina, analyzes each episode, often adding political commentary or inviting guests (in this week’s episode, former Secretary of Education John King) to draw parallels…