On Monday May 19th the Through A Lens Darkly production team held its first Outreach Partner meeting which began with a "virutal welcome" from Dr. Deborah Willis.

Hosted by the Sharese Bullock at the Listen Up! offices in midtown Manhattan, the Through A Lens Darkly "Cyber Summit" included representatives from over a dozen media arts organizations including The Active Citizen Project, Arts Engine, iii Eye Digital, Jacob Burns Film Center, Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center, National Black Programming Consortium, POV/Youth Views, and Renew Media/Tribeca Film Institute. The day long Cyber Summit included presentations by photographers, Accra Shepp and Marilyn Nance. Irene Villasenor of POV/Youth Views – lead off the afternoon session on "Media Literacy" by relating how many young people are making connections with social issues and community organizing by using creative media.

(l) Thomas Allen Harris takes a snapshot of the Pinderhughes family at Danny Simmons' Corridor Gallery in Brooklyn prior to a panel discussion for the "Positivity" Photography Show curated by Jamel Shabazz. "Positivity" is an exhibition of 12 female and 12 male emerging photographers, whose works reflect positive outlook and hope. (r) Curator Jamel Shabazz and photographer Russell Frederick respond to audience questions during June 28th Corridor Gallery event.

Thomas Allen Harris leads a scripting meeting with Editor, Kim Miille, writing consultant, Paul Carter Harrison, and producer, Ann Bennett.

Thomas Allen Harris meets with Orlando Bagwell, Director of the Ford Foundation Media, Arts and Culture program between sessions at the 2008 Beyond Broadcast conference that explores the evolution of participatory digital public media. This year's theme was Mapping Public Media: How are media makers using online mapping and visualization tools to tell stories and engage communities?

Thomas Allen Harris greets New York Governor David Pattern at a west side Harlem night spot. "As a young photographer in New Y0rk, I had photographed the Governor at various events around Harlem such as the ground breaking for the Schomburg in the late 1980's. It was great to see him again and tell him about Through A Lens Darkly."

Beginning Post Production

Today Kim Miille came in to meet with us. Kim is an editor and my mentor St. Clair Bourne introduced us a while back. I have learned that even though it will be a while before we hire an editor, it great to meet with the people you think you'll work with - as this business is all about relationships. I really liked Kim's energy and the way she describes her working process - which is very intuitive and from the heart. Its very much the way I work though as a producer/writer/director, I also engage in deep research and preproduction. Kim didnt go to school to learn editing but trained on the job working with such greats as Sam Pollard (who edited my last film - Twelve Disciples of Nelson Mandela). After our meeting she came into our edit room and our editing intern Brian Kyallo screened a cut of the new trailer he is cutting for an upcoming grant application. Kim gave us great feedback on trailer pointing out a photographer who is featured in the film and suggesting that we develop her character to provide the grant panel with an idea on how the film would unfold. This is Brian's second day working here (he is a filmmaker from Kenya who is here on a Ford Foundation scholarship & we are very happy to have him here. Brian was besides himself after Kim's suggestions and comments saying that he learned so much in just 20 minutes. This kind of magic, (diasporic) connection and synchronicity is what I love about filmmaking.