Dear friends,

We are so excited about our Windrider Summer Online Film Series — kicking off with Windy Wednesdays in June.

June 3, and every Wednesday throughout the month, we will offer an amazing short film — streamed for free on the Windrider Website! Directors Craig Detweiler and John Marks (“Purple State of Mind”) will weigh in on the films and their themes; The award-winning authors, filmmakers and blognoscenti will spearhead a weekly blogstorm related to that week’s film. We hope you will join us.

Here are the films we will be featuring in June:

· June 3: A Sheep On The Roof

Filmmaker, Remy Schaepman

This amazing six-minute animation by Remy Schaepman will not only amaze you with its artistic excellence, but will stimulate your thinking in a deep and meaningful way. Schaepman graduated from the Institut Sainte Geneviève in Paris, France, and offers his expose on the paradox between the envy of change, the fear of novelty, and the cowardice that may result from the latter.

· June 10: American Made

Writer & Director, Sharat Raju

American Made

A self-described descendent of poets and artists, Sharat Raju was raised in a family and culture with a rich tradition of storytelling. After completing his undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan, Raju graduated from the American Film Institute (AFI) with a master’s degree in directing. “American Made”  is Raju’s thesis project, a 25-minute journey of exquisite filmmaking, starring a young Kal Penn. The film tells the story of the Singh family, stranded on a desert road. With themes touching on identity, assimilation and understanding, “American Made” has garnered more than 17 awards, including the prestigious Angelus Film Festival Grand Prize.

· June 17: Unhitched

Filmmakers, Ben Wu and Erin Hudson

Unhitched

Filmmakers Ben Wu and Erin Hudson weave a compelling story about a community tucked away in a northern California redwood grove, the Fairie Ring Campground and RV Park (one of the only options for low-income housing in the area). Wu and Hudson graduated with master’s degrees in film from Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., and through this amazing work ask the questions, “Where is our ‘home’?” and “Who is our community?” I remember being on the “Best Documentary” jury at the 2005 Angelus Film Festival, where this 12-minute project touched all of us and was chosen as the winner.

· June 24: Replacement Child

Director, Justin Lerner

The Replacement Child

Winner of the Directors’ Choice Award at the 2008 Angelus Film Festival, “Replacement Child” will keep you lingering in thought long after the credits roll. Filmmaker Justin Lerner completed the master’s program at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) film school. In “Replacement Child,” we see Todd Turnbull coming home. After a year in a juvenile center, he returns to his backwoods roots, repentant and deeply religious. But all too quickly, he faces a lose/lose decision: to let his friend die, or break his oath of non-violence and take matters into his own hands. In just over 20 minutes, we travel a tough-but-rewarding journey with this young man. The film will undoubtedly inspire a terrific blaudience discussion.

Won’t you join us every Wednesday in June? The films are amazing, and we expect the conversation to be exceedingly “windy.”

-John Priddy