Just Matters

The people responsible for the safety and health of our loved ones are paid less than parking lot attendants, and rarely receive health insurance or other benefits. According to PHI, home care workers in the US, like Vilma, are 89% female and make a median annual income of $13,300.

JustFilms, part of Ford’s Creativity and Free Expression program, is a longtime partner of the Sundance Institute and supported seven films in 2017.

How can creative and documentary work help build a fairer and more just society?

The Culture Lab and Race Forward offer five questions and a tool kit to help social change and media makers become better storytellers. 

America Divided, a new documentary series from EPIX, explores narratives around inequality in education, housing, healthcare, labor, criminal justice and the political system.

Ford Foundation staff recap Episode 5 of America Divided and discuss domestic workers' rights and voter suppression

Ford Foundation staff recap episode 4 of America Divided and discuss the influence of big money in politics and protecting the rights of undocumented immigrants. 

The Ford Foundation recaps episode 3 of America Divided, a docu-series about rising inequality in the United States.

The documentary When Two Worlds Collide captures the conflict between indigenous communities determined to protect their tribal lands, and government-supported business interests eager to open those lands up to oil drilling, mining, and clear-cutting.

The Ford Foundation recaps episode 2 of America Divided, a docu-series about rising inequality in the United States.

The first episode of America Divided, a new documentary series from EPIX, explores three issues of American inequality: our nation's broken criminal justice system, the Flint water crisis, and housing issues in New York City. 

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, discusses why he created the web, why access to the Internet is a human right, and what it really means for the Internet to be open “for everyone" following a screening of Foreveryone.net, a documentary by Jessica Yu about his great invention. 

JustFilms director Cara Mertes spoke to filmmaker Morgan Neville about his film, The Music of Strangers.

An interview with filmmaker Nelson George on his experience documenting Misty Copeland's historic rise to become the world's first black principal dancer at a major international ballet company.

An interview with the filmmaker of Wilhemina's War, the story of an African American grandmother living in the rural south and fighting to help her granddaughter survive the health risks and social stigma of living with HIV.

Interview with the filmmakers of (T)ERROR on the very real consequences of counter-terrorism surveillance and what we’re willing to sacrifice in the fight against terrorism.

Interview with filmmaker Stanley Nelson on his Black Panthers documentary and its relevance to #BlackLivesMatter and racial tensions today.

Ford staff recount their most memorable social justice moments from the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.

Cara Mertes reflects on 5 years of JustFilms, and looks ahead to the next phase of immersive storytelling.

Good Pitch makes the filmmaking community stronger and builds a broader capacity for collaboration.

Remembering the extraordinary Grace Lee Boggs.

JustFilms director, Cara Mertes, shares how CITIZENFOUR is an example of how filmmaking can be an act of justice.

This event demonstrated how arts and culture, including film, dance, and music serve as a central means of self-expression and political activism for LGBT people of color.