Davis Media Access

Two local filmmakers have had their work chosen for screening as part of the “Current Visions” segment of the Sacramento Film Festival. Both produced their projects at Davis Media Access.

The festival and Current TV—an international cable network created by Al Gore--created a partnership to promote local filmmaking. Documentaries chosen and premiered at the Festival will be uploaded to Current.com and
will also be considered for acquisition by the network.

Deborah J. Whitman is a documentary filmmaker who operates Whitman Productions and is currently founding an environmental non-profit called Environmental Voices. Two of her documentary shorts will be featured as part of Current Visions. “Sky Lines” explores the phenomenon of “chem trails” and attempts to bring public attention to the health affects of these chemicals, while “No Life on Earth” examines the consequences of clear cutting.

Martha Teeter is a retired biochemistry/biophysics professor from Boston College who moved to Davis with her family in 2001. Her documentary, “The Wiyot Language Story” tells the story of how the Wiyot people who settled Humboldt Bay around 400 AD were nearly destroyed by massacres in 1860 during the Gold Rush. The film also explores how Teeter’s brother, Karl Teeter, reconstructed their language from the last native speaker in the 1950s for his doctoral thesis from UC Berkeley. “My brother died in April 2007,” Teeter said. “At his funeral, there was a bouquet from the Wiyot Tribal Council offering condolences. That bouquet inspired me to uncover the connections and to tell their story.

“Today, the Wiyot are recovering their language and their culture against all odds, thanks in part to my brother's work and the UC Berkeley Linguistics Department,” Teeter added. “Here at home, DMA's support in honing my skills and in providing training and equipment has been invaluable, and I am very grateful.”

All three films air as part of the Sacramento Film Festival on Saturday, April 5 at 4 p.m. at the 24th Street Theater in Sacramento. They will also air on DCTV (channel 15 on the Comcast system) at a future date. All of us at DMA congratulate Deborah and Martha on their accomplishments!

For more information, visit sacramentofilmfestivalcom or call (916) 475-9616.