Bill Meyer Debriefing On The *Anti-Oscars*: The 2008 Progie Nominations

PROFIT MOTIVE AND THE WHISPERING WIND:

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Hidden In Plain Sight


The newly formed James Agee Cinema Circle has announced this year’s nominations for the Progie Awards honoring the best in progressive cinema. The group is named after the noted playwright, author and longtime writer for The Nation, James Agee, and is charged with advancing the awareness of progressive cinema. Members include such names as Ed Rampell (Progressive Hollywood), Prairie Miller (WBAI Radio), Gerald Horne (Houston University), Victor Navasky (The Nation), Paul Buhle (Brown University) and many other noted writers. Hidden In Plain Sight


Rampell premiered the Progies in an article that first appeared last year in The Progressive magazine. This year’s nominees, submitted by the members of the James Agee Cinema Circle, were announced by Rampell on the Thom Hartmann radio show.

The 20 categories are named after prominent names in the film world. Awards include Best Progressive Film, named after Dalton Trumbo, noted victim of the Hollywood blacklist; Best Progressive Activist named after Marlon Brando; Sergei award (after the great Soviet director Eisenstein) for Best Lifetime Achievement; Renoir (after Jean Renoir) for the best anti-war Film; and several other appropriately named awards.




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Some of the films nominated for progressive awards this year include “Milk,” “Che,” “The Visitor,” “Waltz With Bashir,” “Battle In Seattle” and “Wendy and Lucy” for Best Picture. The nominees recognize artistry and commitment to progressive ideas in the film industry. Phil Donahue’s “Body of War,” the Katrina documentary “Trouble the Water,” and popular films such as “Gran Torino,” “The Changeling,” “Frost/Nixon,” “War, Inc.,” and “Wall-E” all received nods from the progressive writers.

Winners will be announced on the Hartmann show one week before the Feb. 22 Academy Awards.

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Bill Meyer writes about progressive cinema for the People’s Weekly World and is a member of the James Agee Cinema Circle.