Political Film Society
Encyclopedia
The Political Film Society is a nonprofit corporation that exists to recognize Hollywood films
Political cinema
Political cinema in the narrow sense of the term is a cinema which portrays current or historical events or social conditions in a partisan way in order to inform or to agitate the spectator...

' ability to raise awareness in political matters in the world
World
World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth....

. Film makers (directors
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...

) are the ones who are awarded by this organization. The Political Film Society awards directors as a way of encouraging the industry to make the public audience more aware of the political issues facing their world today.

The Political Film Society was founded in 1986 in Honolulu, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

. It was originally an idea of the Hawaii Political Studies Association. The headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...

 of the society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...

 were moved from Honolulu to Hollywood in 1998 after it became a nonprofit organization.

Leaders

Each year, at an annual meeting of members, three persons are elected to serve on the board of directors. The board, in turn, chooses the Chief Executive Officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...

. Michael Haas, who also serves on the board, has been the CEO of the Political Film Society since its inception. Other board members elected in 1998 are Stanley M. Castillo and Eric Dacumos.

Members

Members are selected by the board of directors. Those interested to become members must contact the society through mail
Mail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...

 or email
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...

 to join. Members in good standing are allowed to vote each year on the films up for the awards that the society hands out for the winners. There are around 200 members all over the world as of February 2008.

Awards

The Political Film Society awards movies each year with the Political Film Society Awards
Political Film Society Awards
The Political Film Society Awards are handed out each year by the Political Film Society. Each year, films that best promote political consciousness are selected in four categories; democracy, exposé, human rights, and peace. In addition, the Society can give special awards...

. These awards are given out to movies in five categories: Political Film Society Award for Democracy
Political Film Society Award for Democracy
The Political Film Society Award for democracy is given out each year to a film that promotes, educates, and raises the awareness level of the public in the specific areas of democracy and freedom. This award has been handed out by the Society since 1988...

, Political Film Society Award for Exposé
Political Film Society Award for Exposé
The Political Film Society Award for exposé is given out each year to a film that has an investigative depth into a subject matter and often exposes surprising information on the subject. This award has been handed out by the Society since 1988...

, Political Film Society Award for Human Rights
Political Film Society Award for Human Rights
The Political Film Society Award for human rights is given out each year to a film that deals with struggle for human rights in both fictional and non-fictional stories. This award has been handed out by the Society since 1987...

, Political Film Society Award for Peace
Political Film Society Award for Peace
The Political Film Society Award for peace is given out each year to a film that deals with the struggle for peace in both fictional and non-fictional stories. This award has been handed out by the Society since 1987...

, and the Special Award. The awards are nicknamed The Stanley Awards after Stanley M. Castillo, an original member of the Political Film Society's board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...

 who died in 1998 due to cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

.
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