LA Premier of Shine Global's The Harvest/La Cosecha

2011 was one of Shine’s richest yet in terms of artistic production and growth, and we want to take this opportunity to thank all the artists, our professional colleagues, and friends for their contributions.

After four years, we finally released THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA! We are indebted to our Director/Producer, U Roberto Romano, Producer Rory O’Connor, and Executive Producers Eva Longoria, Alonzo Cantu, and Raul Padilla.  We also want to thank all the activists, politicians, and organizations that stepped up to help child migrant farmworkers.  Among the many successes are:

• THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA was released theatrically this summer after winning 2 festival awards. It also aired on EPIX and is now available on DVD.
• Shine Global contributed to the US Department of Labor’s campaign to change the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to better protect child workers.  This began in 2009, when Labor Secretary Hilda Solis screened THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA trailer to members of government to kick off her campaign to crack down on violators of the FLSA.
• Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard introduced the CARE Act to raise the minimum age of child workers on June 16th, the same day she hosted a screening of THE HARVEST on Capitol Hill.
• Shine created free, downloadable curricula to accompany THE HARVEST for Grade 7-12 classes in English, social studies, mathematics, economics, geography, and health and college courses in history, political science, social justice and public health.  We want to thank the many teachers and pre-service teachers who contributed to its creation.  Take a look and let us know what you think.

It’s also been very exciting to reunite with our WAR/DANCE directors and cinematographer, Sean and Andrea Nix Fine, on the short documentary, INOCENTE, that introduced us to Producer Yael Melamede of Salty Features.  The film is now in post-production, and will air on MTV and Epix this spring.  Please watch the beautiful trailer by clicking here.

2011 also gave us the opportunity to work with talented director Hilla Medalia and producers Diane Nabatoff and Neta Zwebner-Zaibert to raise funds for DANCING IN JAFFA, which will be completed in 2012.  We love this film about a Palestinian dance instructor who returns to his hometown of Jaffa, Israel to teach ballroom dancing to Arab and Jewish 10-years olds, asking them to partner in a final competition.

And there is much more to look forward to in 2012!

Very excitingly, EPIX commissioned Shine to explore doing a film about preventing mother to child transmission of HIV.  We did initial filming in South Africa and plan to raise funds to do a feature length documentary.

Shine is also working with Jet Films to make BMX BOYS, now filming in London.  It tells the story of kids in inner-city London resisting gang pressure by racing BMX bikes and hoping to qualify for the 2012 Olympics.  Finally, we’re in early development on two more projects.  Shine and director Hilla Medalia are exploring funding options for a feature documentary on child brides in India.  The other is a possible film/educational project, tentatively called THE GIRLS FROM YAO, with Fulbright Scholar and Professor, Natalie Jesionka, who’s recently returned from 2 years in northern Thailand.  Natalie works with the Children’s Organization of Southeast Asia to rescue young girls from being trafficked as sex workers.

Make sure to sign up for our newsletter to hear more about all of these projects!

Every one of these stories teaches us about children struggling against very tough odds from an angle few of us would otherwise see.  And every one will potentially change the lives of thousands of other children like them.

Did you miss the Holiday Auction?  Well you’re in luck!  We saved a few items for the New Year’s auction happening now until Jan 19th on CharityBuzz.com

You can have dinner with actor/writer/producer Mike O’Malley and tour the Paramount lot, go to one of your favorite comedy shows, get an interior design consultation from one of the country’s top interior designers, spend a week on the beach in the Hamptons, attend Dancing with the Stars and more!

Check it out at http://www.charitybuzz.com/support/shineglobal

As the producers of THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA, we have always believed in the film’s potential classroom and service organization use in middle schools,

Download the PDF of the Companion Curriculum

high schools and universities. With many years experience both teaching personally as well as working with middle school teachers, however, we knew that the film had to be accompanied by excellent curricula. Collaborating with educators who volunteered their time and experience, Shine Global feels confident that educators at all three school levels will be able to create meaningful classroom and after-school experiences for their students.

The curriculum covers 5 subjects, most for grades 7-12, and incorporates viewing the film with discussion and homework exploring the themes of the film:

• English/Language Arts

• Social Studies

• Economics (Grades 11-12 only)

• Health

• Geography (designed for grade 9 but can be easily adapted for other grades)

We wish to acknowledge the college instructors, middle school and high school teachers, pre-service teachers and students who contributed to the development of these curricula. Without their help we would not have been able to offer these unit plans in Social Studies, English, Economics, Geography, and Health.

We hope that THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA will make a vital contribution to both the cognitive and affective learning of students nationally and internationally for many years to come. We welcome your feedback and that of your students to these lessons.

It’s that time of year!  Shine Global’s annual auction is here with one of a kind experiences and gifts you can’t find anywhere else.  And these gifts are extra special– not only are you getting that once in a lifetime experience but you are helping Shine Global fulfill our mission of ending the abuse and exploitation of children worldwide through the production of inspiring films and media that shine a light on unknown stories and share the voices of unheard children.

This year’s auction takes place on CharityBuzz.com from now until Monday, December 19th – so hurry!  You can win one-of-a-kind experiences with your favorite celebrities, luxury travel, access to VIP events, exclusive set visits and much more!

This auction is made possible by the generous donations of companies that support Shine Global’s mission.

To view all the items go to:  http://www.charitybuzz.com/support/shineglobal

Victor, age 16, hauls up to 1500 lbs of tomatoes in a day in the heat of Florida's summer

Shine Global is dedicated to ending the exploitation and abuse of children worldwide and in this pursuit we make films that raise awareness and effect change on behalf of their well-being.  It was for this reason that we recently released our documentary, THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA, which told the stories of 3 of the estimated 400,000 American child migrant farm workers who work as many as 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, at below minimum wage salaries.  They work legally from the age of 12 in all weather extremes in what is the most dangerous occupation extant for minors.  They earn no overtime and no sick days.

This is legal in America because the Fair Labor Standards Act, enacted in 1938, excluded agriculture and thus left thousands of children unprotected.  Shine applauds US Labor Secretary Hilda Solis for the changes the Department of Labor proposes to make that will close this gap and provide equal protections to minors, whatever their occupation.  We encourage all Shine supporters to educate themselves about the existing legislation and pending revisions and to demonstrate their support for the health and wellbeing of our children.

The proposed rules maintain the current parental exemption and would not apply to children working on their parents’ farm.   They would prohibit hired workers under age 16 from working with certain animals, handling pesticides, working in timber operations, and working in or around manure pits and storage bins. Further, the new rules would prohibit farm workers under the age of 16 from participating in the cultivation, harvesting and curing of tobacco (which causes severe tobacco poisoning) and from operating power driven equipment. The department is also proposing a new non-ag hazardous occupations (non-ag HO) order that would prevent children under the age of 18 from working in grain elevators, feed lots, stockyards, and livestock exchanges and auctions. The DOL is also soliciting comments, and may institute regulations, limiting hired youths’ exposure to extreme temperatures, as well as whether the payment of piece rates to young farm workers impacts their prolonged exposure to potentially harmful conditions.

The full document of proposed changes and the DOL’s justifications can be read at:  http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=WHD-2011-0001-0001

Comments can be made electronically at the above website or by mail to: Wage and Hour Division, U.S. Department of Labor, Room S-3502, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210. Comments should be identified by Document ID: WHD-2011-0001- 0001, RIN 1235-AA06

Read what the reviewers say:

“Straightforward, intimate, and heartbreaking” – Susan Linden, The Los Angeles Times

“In its modest way, calls to mind The Grapes of Wrath” – Mike Hale, The New York Times

“There’s not a wasted frame in U. Roberto Romano’s documentary THE HARVEST, in which he illustrates the real costs of the produce on your grocer’s shelves” – Ernest Hardy, Village Voice

“Expertly filmed with a lot of genuine heart.” – Daniel Johnson, Raleigh Movie Examiner

Every year there are more than 400,000 American children who are torn away from their friends, schools and homes to pick the food we all eat.  Zulema, Perla and Victor labor as migrant farm workers, sacrificing their own childhoods to help their families survive.  THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA profiles these three as they journey from the scorching heat of Texas’ onion fields to the winter snows of the Michigan apple orchards and back south to the humidity of Florida’s tomato fields to follow the harvest.

From the Producers of the Academy-Award® Nominated film, WAR/DANCE and Executive Producer Eva Longoria, this award-winning documentary provides an intimate glimpse into the lives of these children who struggle to dream while working 12 – 14 hours a day, 7 days a week to feed America.

Eva Longoria and Eric Schlosser on the panel at a California Endowment screening of The Harvest/La Cosecha on November 16, 2011

The Harvest/La Cosecha screened at the California Endowment in Los Angeles last night.  Executive Producer Eva Longoria was joined by author Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) and activist Jose Padilla (Executive Director of California Rural Legal Assistance) for a post screening panel discussion on the issues faced by child migrant farmworkers  in the US.

Shine Global would like to thank the California Endowment for making this event possible and the wonderful panelists for expanding on the issues shown in the film.

The Harvest/La Cosecha DVD is now available for purchase from Cinema Libre Studio at http://store.cinemalibrestore.com/theharvestlacosechadvd.html

If you are interested in hosting a screening at your organization, university, or school please contact screenings@cinemalibrestudio.com

In an effort to shed light on the hardships faced by children living in the migrant farm-working community, CenterScene Public Programs is holding a screening of

Author and activist Eric Schlosser, migrant farm-worker advocate José Padilla, as well as actress and Harvest Executive Producer Eva Longoria will be on hand to discuss of the film and the issue.

Event Details

When
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Check-in and Reception begins at 6:00 p.m.
Program Starts at 7:00 p.m.

Where
The California Endowment
Center for Healthy Communities
Yosemite Hall
1000 North Alameda Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

RSVP
This event is free and open to the public but an RSVP is required

Please note that this event will be recorded and made available for viewing within a few days of production.

About CenterScene

CenterScene is a wide-ranging series of public programs organized by the Center for Healthy Communities to raise awareness about the vital issues that affect the health of California’s communities.  Admission and parking are free at all events.  Use of public transportation is strongly encouraged.

Learn more
Visit the Center for Healthy Communities website
Get the map and directions
Read the CenterScene Newsletters
More questions?  Please email rsvpchc@calendow.org

Biographies

Eric Schlosser
author and activist

Eric Schlosser tries to explore subjects ignored by the mainstream media and give a voice to people at the margins of society. Over the years he’s followed the harvest with migrant farm workers in California, spent time with meatpacking workers in Texas and Colorado, told the stories of marijuana growers and pornographers and the victims of violent crime, gone on duty with the New York Police Department Bomb Squad, and visited prisons throughout the United States.

Schlosser’s first book, Fast Food Nation (2001), which was on the New York Times bestseller list for two years, helped start a revolution in how Americans think about what they eat. His second book, Reefer Madness (2003), looked at America’s thriving underground economy. It was also a New York Times bestseller. Chew on This (2006), a New York Times bestselling children’s book, co-written with Charles Wilson, introduced young readers to the health effects of fast food and the workings of industrial agriculture. Schlosser has for almost a decade been researching a book on the American prison system. His next book, Command and Control, is about nuclear weapons.

José Padilla
Executive Director
California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA)

José R. Padilla was born and raised in the Imperial Valley, in a family with farm-worker roots. José received his BA from Stanford University in 1974 and worked as a head teacher with Campesinos Unidos Inc. After graduating in 1978 from Boalt Hall School of Law, he began his legal career with CRLA, advocating for the rights of California’s farm worker and rural poverty communities. 

At CRLA, José focused on immigration, civil rights, and education law, and co-drafted AB 1382, California’s Migrant Education law. In 1984, José became Executive Director of CRLA, overseeing cases on pesticide exposure, housing, labor, rural education, civil rights, immigration and environmental justice, assisting more than 40,000 rural residents annually.

José testified before President Clinton’s Commission on Race, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and various legislative bodies addressing issues of voting and language rights; and, in 2011, he was nominated by California Latino Legislative Cause as one of four California Supreme Court Nominees.

Eva Longoria
Executive Producer “The Harvest” / Activist / Actor

Golden Globe-nominated, Screen Actors Guild Award-winning, and ALMA Award-winning actress, Eva Longoria currently stars as “Gabrielle Solis” on the ABC-megahit, Desperate Housewives.

Longoria is an executive producer, in collaboration with Academy Award nominated Shine Global, of the documentary film The Harvest. The documentary presents the challenges these children face as they are unprotected by law, often working twelve hours a day, seven days a week in temperatures that can exceed 100 degrees, while suffering injuries and exposure to pesticides.

Active in philanthropy, Longoria has received many awards for this work. She serves as the national spokesperson for PADRES Contra El Cáncer, and founded the non-profit organization Eva’s Heroes to name a few. In 2010, Longoria partnered with the California Community Foundation (CCF) to create The Eva Longoria Fund.

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The Harvest/La Cosecha is now available on DVD.   Click here to get your copy now!

The Harvest/La Cosecha is now available on DVD

Watch The Harvest/La Cosecha now on EpixHD.com

Did you miss the premier of THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA on EPIX Wednesday, October 5th?  You can watch it right now online at http://www.epixhd.com/the-harvest/.

Just sign up for a free trial (which also gives you access to hundreds of movies) and start watching.  Also make sure to watch the exclusive video of Executive Producer Eva Longoria talking about her passion to raise awareness for child labor in America and some of the personal stories in The Harvest that are so touching,

EPIX is an all new premium movie service that gives you instant access to hundreds of movies online. Plus, it is a TV channel with On Demand. Best of all, you get TV, On Demand, & online for one subscription from your cable, phone company, or satellite TV provider.