At a time when the world is watching Saudi Arabia change, this film listens to voices seldom heard – the women living that transformation.
HER SAUDI VOICE documentary in development
BEATRICE DRAMATIC SERIES
The Bible and Pitch Deck for BEATRICE, a 6 episode dramatic series and legal thriller is complete; the series is based on a documentary I directed on one of the bravest women in the world, Beatrice Mtetwa, a human rights lawyer in Zimbabwe, a lawless country.
Why am I pitching BEATRICE now? Because Beatrice’s story shows that resistance is possible, even when it seems impossible to act or to make a difference. Beatrice’s message to stand up, not stand by is a universal one, and in the world in which we are living, BEATRICE will inspire anyone, anywhere.
View the trailer and doc film:
As Long As It Takes…a feature film or dramatic series about CAPTAIN BILL PINKNEY, An African American Man Who Inspires and Affirms, Life, Love, & Dreams, as he sails solo around the world. The First Black man of any nation to do so…
In 1992, I was there to film Captain Bill Pinkney as I was producing the Peabody Award winning documentary, The Incredible Voyage of Bill Pinkney…Now, I just finished writing the pitch for a feature film, or episodic series, based on Bill’s life and journey. In light of the era we are living in, the Black Lives Matter Movement, and Hollywood seeking stories that defy the stereotypes,
AS LONG AS IT TAKES has it all.
Our fingers are crossed for a deal on this story that matters now more than ever.
Honoring caregivers in the age of coronavirus
#ThatsHomeThatsUS
As a filmmaker, I wanted to find a way to honor the caregivers on the frontlines of the pandemic, while also saying that we’re all in this together. I’ve created a short video with voices from around the world based on Carl Sagan’s “Pale Blue Dot.”
Here’s the link: https://vimeo.com/407558175
I’d be grateful if you’d share via Facebook, Twitter, email, etc. It’s an inspiring message. #ThatsHomeThatsUs
Netflix Series, the Devil Next Door
Working with Tel Aviv based directors, Daniel Sivan and Yossi Bloch, I’m thrilled to see how my producing research contributed to their Netflix series, the Devil Next Door. Was a Cleveland grandfather who is brought to trial in Israel, the infamous Nazi death camp guard known as Ivan the Terrible. Or, was it a case of mistaken identity? Watch trailer here: https://www.netflix.com/title/80201488?trkid=13710079&MSG_TITLE=80201488&lnktrk=EMP&g=D513A6AB848F50EEBCEB3674DF0AE5AD6455331B&lkid=TITLE_TITLE_2
How did America treat new immigrants a century ago?
In republishing Forgotten Ellis Island, my film and book that tells the untold story of how sick immigrants were treated at Ellis Island, we’re reminded that, as a nation of immigrants, America is capable of giving care and compassion to those in need.
The film can be seen on Amazon Prime Video and the paperback book can be ordered here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/109373924X/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_lH7fDbAC757ZX via @amazon
Ellis Island kept families together
Huffington Post published my Op Ed on the 4th of July about how families and children were treated while immigrating through Ellis Island–especially when needing to be separated due to contagious diseases.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-conway-ellis-island_us_5b3bcef7e4b07b827cbba951
The article is based on research for my film and book Forgotten Ellis Island, which streams on Amazon and PBS watch trailer here:
Young South Africans and a film featuring Mandela’s Prison Letters
For the past two years Lorie Conway has been conducting research on the book The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela. Conway has been in direct communication with the publisher (who also represents the Mandela Foundation) about licensing the copyrighted material for use within a documentary film. In November 2019, Siobhan Hodgson, a South African filmmaker and producer, joined the Mandela film team as Co-Story Producer. Conway and Hodgson are developing leads relating to story, “cast,” and production logistics, including procuring the best South African creative team to help actualize the film. A teaser video is currently in production to assist in raising the funds needed to produce the Mandela prison letters film.
In the documentary, a select group, the “cast” of the film, will read, and in some cases, artistically interpret Mandela’s prison letters through song, dance, art, music, and rap. Some filming will be done by the youth collaborators themselves–in their homes, neighborhood, schools, and around many of the Mandela monuments within South Africa. Visuals and imagery will reflect an immediacy and nuance that connects Mandela’s prison letters to our cast member’s own lives — reflecting their struggles in South Africa today, as they read excerpts from his letters, and learn more about his life as a prisoner.
For more information about supporting this film or any information related to it, please email: bostonfilmvideo@gmail.com
Memorial Day Tribute on Boston Common
As the generals ask for 5,000 more troops to serve in Afghanistan, a country where, according to the NY Times Editorial today, Memorial Day, ” the United States has spent 16 years fighting the longest war in its history at a cost of more than $800 billion and 2,000 American lives. Where there is still no peace, and where everything seems to be going backward. Where the Taliban has regained the initiative, attacking as it pleases and expanding its territorial reach, and where other extremists — Al Qaeda and the Islamic State — also have a foothold.”
For the past several years on Memorial Day, over 20,000 flags are planted on the Boston Common, America’s oldest public park founded in 1634. Each flag represents a soldier who died from Massachusetts. Thousands come to pay their respects…here’s a short video I produced a few years ago in tribute.
Screening of Forgotten Ellis Island on Ellis Island, 5/27/17
Looking forward to the screening and book signing event on Ellis Island, May 27th, of my film Forgotten Ellis Island which is in its second run on PBS. So many of the stories in the film resonate with the stories being told today as the debate about immigration continues. Who we are — as a nation of immigrants — informs who we will be in the future.
For information on the screening and tickets, please click here:http://untappedcities.com/2017/05/04/vip-tour-film-screening-at-abandoned-ellis-island-hospitals-with-lorie-conway-author-and-director-of-forgotten-ellis-island/
