Teaser for New Documentary "The American Question" Challenges Americans To Question Whether They Are Part Of The Problem

Award Winning Director and co-creator of The American Question James Kicklighter

A year after the historically divisive 2016 elections, a new documentary is challenging Americans to stop blaming others and question how their own decisions and actions shape the contours of our society and our country. 

By asking questions about family, money, religion, civics and more, the film gets viewers to question whether the divisions in our society truly stem from group dynamics, or if we're all part of the problem as individuals.

A trailer for the film has now been released  to audiences worldwide.

The Trailer:

"The American Question," produced by Guy Seemann – a political veteran and entrepreneur who's lived all over the world and directed by James Kicklighter – a Hollywood filmmaker raised in rural Georgia, profiles dozens of Americans from across the political, economic and social spectrum in search of these answers, going far deeper than just getting people together to find some superficial common ground.

The film explores this question through the lens of history, deteriorating civic education and evolving culture rather than rehashing the 2016 election. 

• After conducting dozens of interviews of people from different walks of life all across the country, the creators believe something much bigger is at work, and that it has the potential to threaten the status of America as a superpower.

"We found that our divides had nothing to do with the election," Seemann said. "Fights spring up over core values which are supposed to unite us as a nation. Religion, speech, equality, opportunity -- these concepts kept coming up over and over again."

"This is a unique period in time, but the identity crisis we're feeling is part of a cyclical pattern in this country. After our nation unites to defeat a common enemy – the imperial British, slavery and secession or the Nazis, we tend to lose our cohesiveness. This time, though, we have to address this issue or our status as a cohesive entity – let alone a superpower – is under threat," he added.

Kicklighter continued, "there's a set of values that define what it means to be an American. I heard people from all corners of the country saying the other side did not have their interests in mind. A fascinating pattern unfolded about the broader culture here, and we are trying to figure out what's causing it and what it means."

"What's dangerous is when someone comes to a different set of conclusions based on their ideological perspective and pegs the other as an enemy simply because the other doesn't agree with their individualized ideology," Kicklighter said. "I hope The American Question helps people recognize that their neighbor is as American as they are. That's the starting point we need to get to," he said.

With entire communities in crisis due to this breakdown over America's core values, the filmmakers are looking to spark a national conversation to encourage viewers to rethink how they themselves approach their own life decisions as well as their perceived differences with their neighbors. 

• Seemann, Kicklighter and their national team want to enable them to reconcile over the shared values laid out in the founding documents which have helped the country overcome adversity since its founding.

Political Scientist, Producer and co-creator of the American Question Guy Seemann

SOURCE: The American Question

Related Video:

Nicki Minaj Stars In H&M's Magical Holiday Film

(PRNewsfoto/H&M)

The H&M's 2017 Holiday campaign film will star Nicki Minaj alongside Jesse Williams and John Turturro. Directed by Johan Renck, the film tells a story of a parallel fantasy world filled with memorable characters and a universal message of caring for one another.

A modern take on the classic fairytale, the film centres around a heroic little girl who tracks down the evil brother of Santa Claus in order to save the holiday season from his selfishness. 

(Image courtesy of H&M)

Nicki Minaj stars as the mother of the little girl as well as the fabulous fairy named the Wisest Thingy, while Jesse Williams plays the dual role of the father and the supernatural Fastest Fairy, and John Turturro takes on the part of both Santa Claus and the evil brother of Santa Claus.

"I love the film's over all empowering message. I love seeing this young girl become the champion that lives in all of us. There's always magic in the air during the Holidays," says Nicki Minaj 

"It's exciting to see our festive designs come to life together with such inspirational talents. They definitely added some extra magic to the film and we hope that our customers will love how the fashion is presented throughout the holiday season at H&M," says Pernilla Wohlfahrt, H&M's Head of Design and Creative Director.

(Image courtesy of H&M)

The Teaser Film:

• The full version of the Holiday film will go live on hm.com on November 28th.

SOURCE: H&M

Bonus Videos:

More Related Pictures:

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Ted Naifeh to Kickstarter Heroines Graphic Novel

The Heroines Cast

Ted Naifeh, creator of Princess Ugg and Courtney Crumrin, is set to launch a Kickstarter in partnership with Space Goat Publishing for his latest passion project, Heroines. 

The campaign will focus on the Heroines graphic novel -- a digest-size, perfect-bound collection of all eight issues of Heroines totaling over 200 pages of content. It will be published under Space Goat's Backpack Editions.

"All my life, I've been a fan of superheroes in one form or another," said creator Ted Naifeh. "And I've always wanted to explore the genre, to see if I could tease out something new. Working outside the mainstream and with readers directly on Kickstarter gives me the creative freedom to do just that."

Ted Naifeh's Heroines

Heroines tells the tale of Marcy Madison--fresh out of college, blessed with brains, boundless optimism, and a nifty superpower. Marcy's greatest ambition is to make the world a better place. And what better way to do that than become a superhero? But Marcy soon finds the world of superheroes an impenetrable boy's club, mired in pessimism, and more than ready to dismiss her. 

• Determined to blaze her own trail, she sets out to find like-minded heroines,fellow outsiders who want to do things their own way. But if there's one thing more dangerous than fighting evil, it's rocking the boat.

The story of Heroines is currently only half told. The crowdfunding campaign is to raise funds for the second story arc and the manufacturing of the graphic novel. 

(image via Fresh Comics) 

There are a variety of tiers for fans of Naifeh's work in this Kickstarter campaign, including the option for backers to receive signed copies of original #1s of Courtney Crumrin, Princess Ugg, and Heroines as well as cameos in the graphic novels--and even commissions available only for Kickstarter backers.


MORE ABOUT SPACE GOAT PRODUCTIONS:
Created in 2006, Space Goat Productions has 150 years of combined experience producing comic books, tabletop games, video games, commercial art, and concept design. 

They have worked on global brands and produced commercial art with Blizzard Entertainment, Riot Games, Marvel Comics, DC Entertainment, Disney Interactive, Nike, Universal City, Penguin, Capstone, Scholastic, and more. 

Their new tabletop game division, Space Goat Play, launched with the Evil Dead 2, Terminator, and The Howling board games to critical acclaim. 

• For more information please visit spacegoatpublishing.com, merchgoat.com, and on Facebook at facebook.com/spacegoatpublishing

(image via Fresh Comics) 

MORE ABOUT TED NAIFEH:
Bursting onto the scene as co-creator/illustrator of goth romance comic Gloomcookie, Ted Naifeh is best known for Courtney Crumrin, the multi-volume horror-fantasy adventures of a tween curmudgeon witch and her warlock uncle. 

In 2014, Ted wrote and illustrated Princess Ugg, the adventure of a barbarian princess going to princess finishing school. 

• Courtney Crumrin has been nominated for several Eisners, and remains a popular mainstay on the shelves of discerning comics shops. 
• Princess Ugg has garnered much praise from the comics community and beyond.

SOURCE: Space Goat Productions

Will Your Dog Eat Your Steak Dinner?

If you tell your dog not to eat the steak, will he obey you?

You throw a perfectly cooked sizzling steak on your dining room table. Then you step away for a bottle of wine. As you head towards the cellar, you pause and look at your dog. You wag your finger and say, "Buster, do not eat this steak!" Buster looks back at you hungrily, eying your juicy hunk of sirloin.

"Buster will make a decision based on what he wants," says Perry Marshall, founder of Natural Code LLC. "And when you leave, he's going to decide whether to obey you or not. However, the situation turns out, he's doing something that no computer can do – which is to want something, then choose whether to take it or not."

This attribute, Marshall insists, is exclusive to living things. Computers don't do it. Rocks and molecules don't either. The aspect of will, which every pet owner and parent is all too familiar with, is what divides living from the nonliving.

Marshall seeks to unravel life's mystery with a $5-million Evolution 2.0 Prize. "If you trace life to its very beginnings, you'll find that information in DNA is the central mystery. It's the original set of choices. Nobody knows how we got from chemicals to code. But we intend to find out."

Marshall's private equity investment group, Natural Code LLC, suspects that the same physical principle that animates life today may have also given rise to the digital instructions in the very first cell.

"If we can solve this, Artificial Intelligence stands to make a giant forward leap. Because for the first time, we might be able to make computers that program themselves, much as living things do," says Marshall.

Evolution 2.0 Prize, funded by Natural Code LLC

• The Evolution 2.0 Prize takes its inspiration from Peter Diamandis and his Ansari X Prize for Space Flight. It was a $10-million challenge which resulted in a successful launch of a reusable manned space capsule into orbit, twice in two weeks.

"We all know that when you talk to Siri or Alexa, there's nobody 'in there.' Everyone knows Siri is just a hunk of silicon. But what if we had a living algorithm? What if your iPhone or computer could do what your dog does? That will transform everything," Marshall says. "It will spawn new billion-dollar industries."

• Details about the Evolution 2.0 Prize are available here. 
• All submissions must be received online.

SOURCE: Natural Code LLC

The Video:

'Trump And The Media – Year One': The New Yorker's Ryan Lizza On A Dizzying Political Year

Ryan Lizza, Washington correspondent for The New Yorker, will be in conversation with Piya Chattopadhyay, host of CBC Radio’s Out in the Open, for the CJF J-Talk in Toronto on December 4. (CNW Group/Canadian Journalism Foundation)

Ryan Lizza, Washington correspondent for The New Yorker, offers his insights on the tumultuous relationship between the Trump administration and the media at The Canadian Journalism Foundation's J-Talk, Trump and the Media – Year 1, on December 4 in Toronto.

Lizza's reporting made headlines this summer when then-White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, a.k.a "The Mooch," made a profane-laden call to him, demanding to know who was leaking information to the press. 

• Lizza will be in a conversation with Piya Chattopadhyay, host of the CBC Radio's Out in the Open.

"Ryan Lizza is on the frontlines of trying to navigate the new realities for journalists covering an unconventional president, in a world in which journalism, commentary and distrust are at the fore," says Chattopadhyay. "I look forward to talking with Ryan about how he cuts through all the noise in his increasingly divided country."

Lizza has covered the last four presidential campaigns, profiled a number of powerful political figures and brings deep understanding to the most unsettling year of a U.S. presidency.

• This event is part of the annual J-Talks series that explores pressing media issues.

WHEN: 

• Monday, December 4
• Doors open: 6:30 p.m. 
• Discussion 7:00 p.m. 
• Reception 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: 

• TMX Broadcast Centre, The Exchange Tower, 130 King St. W., Toronto
• General admission: $25
• Student tickets (ID required. Limited availability): $15
• Buy tickets

Ryan Lizza

About Ryan Lizza:

(via Canadian Journalism Foundation J-Talks)

RYAN LIZZA is the Washington correspondent for The New Yorker, and also an on-air contributor for CNN. Before joining the magazine, in 2007, he was a political correspondent for The New Republic, from 1998 to 2007, and, before that, a correspondent for GQ and a contributing editor at New York. 

He has also written for the New York Times, Washington Monthly, and The Atlantic Monthly. 

• Since 1998, he has covered most of the country’s major political stories, including the last four Presidential campaigns, and has written many political profiles for The New Yorker. 

His awards include the 2012 National Press Club's Hood Award for Diplomatic Correspondence, for his article “The Consequentialist,” and the White House Correspondents' Association’s Aldo Beckman Memorial Award, for a series on Obama’s Presidency and reelection campaign. 

His article “Making It” was a 2009 National Magazine Award finalist, and his 2010 article “As the World Burns” received honorable mentions from the Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting and the National Press Foundation Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting of Congress.

Piya Chattopadhyay

About Piya Chattopadhyay:
(via Canadian Journalism Foundation J-Talks)

PIYA CHATTOPADHYAY is the host of CBC Radio's OUT IN THE OPEN, an adventurous and wide-ranging weekly one-hour program about the nitty-gritty of real life. Each week, Chattopadhyay and her team look at how one big topic is affecting regular people, and invite listeners to join the conversation. 

Prior to that, Chattopadhyay worked as a guest host for TVO's The Agenda. Additionally, she spent more than a decade in the field as a news reporter here in Canada, and was often on the road, reporting from abroad on numerous assignments for CBC. 

• She has reported from Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, India, the U.K. and France, to name but a few. 

In 2007, Chattopadhyay decided to take on a new adventure and moved to Jerusalem where she first freelanced for CBC, PRI and the BBC, before taking on the role of Middle East Correspondent for Fox News Radio. 

• During her three years in the region, she travelled to numerous countries, covering stories ranging from war and conflict, peace and politics, to coping and everyday life.

SOURCE: Canadian Journalism Foundation