Machiorlatti's Film Draws International Acclaim
This documentary short introduces Michael ("Too Short") Wilder and Yafinceio ("Big B") Harris, two former drug dealers and gang leaders now living in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Once on opposite sides of a street feud that resulted in a tragic shooting death, these former rivals are united in speaking out against gang life and the violence it brings to communities. Their journey of forgiveness, reconciliation, and courage has inspired them to found Peace During War, a youth mentoring program that promotes listening, self-respect, common sense, and education to help change the minds and hearts of youth.
COMMFFEST showcases a wide variety of local, national, and international films. Its main objective is to bring global communities together to increase awareness and understanding that we are more alike than not. Each film represents a voice to share experiences, educate others on their struggles, and discover common bonds of solidarity.
Dr. Machiorlatti's work has been shown at The Big Muddy Film Festival, The St. John’s International Film Festival, Waterfront Festival and the East Lansing Film Festival, where her documentary Copyright and Creativity in the Digital Age earned second place in the documentary category. Her films have also been shown on vagueterrain.net, docupxx.com and lonelyplanet.com, and two of her shorts are in international distribution through the Media Education Foundation. Her work with urban youth on the Kalamazoo Youth Media Initiative resulted in training high school students in video production, teamwork and media literacy. Two of the documentaries won Michigan Association of Broadcaster’s College Competition awards and are now in the collections of numerous Midwest high school libraries. Dr. Machiorlatti is also founding director of Wise Women Media, LLC, a southwest Michigan media production company specializing in documentary and multimedia about social justice, intercultural education, diversity, and community.