Family court documentary SUPPORT? at Atlanta film fest this weekend
A documentary on the American child support and family court system will be shown at the Peachtree Village International Film Festival (PVIFF) in Georgia this weekend.
Producer/director Angelo Lobo says he made SUPPORT? System Down to, “give a voice to millions suffering through custody battles and losing sight of their children, in many cases forever!”
The film is educational and provocative, and Lobo hopes to spark a call to action. He insists that reform is much-needed in the family courts. “How is it that society accepts the idea of ’standard visitation’ which often allows children of divorce or separation to see their beloved parent, usually fathers but sometimes mothers, only 4 days a month, if that? It’s not enough time,” said Lobo.
One recent child support case reported on CNN (8/11/09) supports the film’s premise that something is seriously wrong with the system. Georgia’s Frank Hatley spent a year in jail for owing back child support reimbursement although he is childless. The system knew that Hatley was not the father, yet incarcerated him anyway. Hatley was recently released from jail after his case came to the attention of a human rights group who intervened on his behalf.
SUPPORT? includes interviews with parents, professionals, family rights advocates and equal parenting activists like New York’s John Murtari of akidsright.org. After refusing to eat or drink voluntarily while incarcerated for child support arrears, Murtari was fed via Nasal-Gastric tube for 123 days. The film also includes Harry Crouch of the National Coalition for Men, California Men’s Centers and PaternityFraudDNA, Glenn Sacks of Fathers & Families in MA and yours truly.
Murtari, who watched the film with Karen DeCrow when it played in New York and who plans on attending the Atlanta showing says, “Karen DeCrow [Syracuse area, former President of NOW], who I believe is one of America’s legendary feminist icons, will appear in the new documentary movie Support? System Down expressing the views of millions of Americans. We have a serious problem of our families being torn apart by a broken system in Family Court.”
Crouch said, “During the production of this film the producer, Angelo Lobo, was rejected from court houses, refused interviews, and even threatened. It appears a concerted effort has been to suppress his film too, though I trust the film’s showing in the Atlanta Film Festival will be the first of many showings regardless of political pressures to bury the truth about the family (in)justice system.”
You can see SUPPORT? System Down at Underground Atlanta’s Event Loft this Satuday, September 26 at 4:00 pm. A single film viewing pass is just $3.99. Buy your ticket here. MAP Due to the recent flooding in the Atlanta area I’ve included this road closure map.
Watch the movie trailers HERE.
Subscribe to my family rights articles by email or RSS.
- Tortured for child support – part one
- Tortured for child support – part two
- Tortured for child support – part three
- Tortured for child support – part four
- Dirty little secrets of domestic violence programs
- Abducted child’s father faces prison for peaceful protest
- Family Rights 101: Why is there a fathers rights movement?
- Family Rights 101: Where can I learn more and hear victim stories?
- Parental alienation information and support
- Equal custody advocates offer help to unmarried and divorcing parents
| More from Teri Stoddard
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September 23rd, 2009 at 9:00 pm
You are a wonderful woman Teri and a terrific woman leader. IMHO.
All these groups are wonderful. All these men are terrific leaders.
And this is fantastic news.
September 23rd, 2009 at 10:03 pm
thank you Julie, very much.
September 24th, 2009 at 12:16 am
A great effort, Teri, and my appreciation too to all the sound MRAs who took part.
No doubt the resistance to the message, its information gathering and dissemination will continue with little opportunity given to it’s wide screening. It needs international distribution. The TV companies are unlikely to buy it and show it. Mind you, Australia’s SBS is a probable candidate. They ‘go against the grain’ here, often showing controversial programmes that the ABC and commercial channels would not even consider. Odd, really, when one considers that SBS is the most tangible ‘product’ of Australia’s Multicultural wallahs.
More power and success to Mr Lobo.
By the way, Teri, it is good to see you back here on MND. Being as our Editorial Board has no female voice, you are needed on the front -page front line.
September 24th, 2009 at 9:31 am
Wow! This is a real day-brightener!
Kudos to Mr. Lobo, and thanks to Teri and the other strong voices speaking out on behalf of men and their families, and more broadly, for true equality and justice.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
So, how did it go?
September 27th, 2009 at 8:50 am
Awesome expose’ of ‘what’s wrong with our divorce industry!’. Angelo could easily have devoted another 5 or 8 hours to documenting the problems in the American Divorce Empire and still not touched on all of it… to compress it into 72 minutes is sheer genius!
At the shwoing in Atlanta:
Vern Mills (yours truly) representing Fathers 4 Justice Georgia, Karen Wagner representing National Parents Rights Association Georgia and a number of other Notable Notables.
John, it was great to meet, you ROCK!!! Sheila, absolutely, I’d be happy to work with you on your project and speak at your convention!
IAF, yes absolutely we can work together on future projects!
Hoo Yah!!!
Gunner Retired
Falsely Accused Father & Disenfranchised Parent
Ga State F4J Coordinator
NPRA Research Geek
FCRA/AFRA/BHS Armorer
and of course KITTENS DADDY!!!
September 27th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
One of the main problems with the family court system is that anyone not involved with it does not know how corrupt it is and how it routinely violates the basic human rights of not only fathers and men, but women too and how it uses children to fund the careers of a lot of government crooks
Exposing the corruption will do a lot to bring about change. Showing people the “Gestapo tactics” used by these evil bastards will evoke sympathy and ins some cases, getting, otherwise disinterested people to actually stand up and help us.