The Lottery (2010 film)
Encyclopedia
The Lottery is a 2010 documentary film
about the controversy surrounding public and charter schools in the United States
, directed by Madeleine Sackler. The film was produced by Blake Ashman-Kipervaser, James Lawler, and Madeleine Sackler. The cinematographer was Wolfgang Held (Brüno
, Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
, Children Underground
).
and the Bronx in the months leading up to the lottery for Harlem Success Academy
, one of the most successful charter schools in New York City
. The film explores the debate surrounding the education reform
movement. The film highlights the opposition from the teachers' unions to charter schools (as they are usually not unionized), and the contest between charter and public schools for building space.
, said she was inspired to make the film by news footage of a charter-school lottery at the Harlem Armory in 2008. This is her first film project.
in April 2010, as part of the "Tribeca Talks" panel.
The Lottery was released in cinemas on 7 May 2010, and on DVD
on 30 May 2010.
, arguing that it "will create and energize charter supporters by the thousands."
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about the controversy surrounding public and charter schools in the United States
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
, directed by Madeleine Sackler. The film was produced by Blake Ashman-Kipervaser, James Lawler, and Madeleine Sackler. The cinematographer was Wolfgang Held (Brüno
Bruno
Bruno is a male given name. It is derived from the Germanic word brun meaning "brown". It is also one of the most frequent Italian surnames. It also occurs very frequently in continental Europe and parts of Brazil as a given name for men and boys...
, Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
Some Kind of Monster (film)
Some Kind of Monster is a 2004 documentary film featuring the American heavy metal band Metallica. It shares its name with the song "Some Kind of Monster" from Metallica's 2003 album St. Anger....
, Children Underground
Children Underground
Children Underground is a 2001 documentary film directed by Edet Belzberg.Homeless children are the casualties of Romania's recent history. In an effort to increase the nation's work force, former communist leader Nicolae Ceauşescu outlawed contraception and abortion in 1966. Thousands of unwanted...
).
Synopsis
The film follows four families from HarlemHarlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
and the Bronx in the months leading up to the lottery for Harlem Success Academy
Harlem Success Academy
Harlem Success Academy Charter School is the foundation of Success Charter Network, Inc. Its students, most of them starting with disadvantages, have been consistently achieving some of the highest test scores in the state...
, one of the most successful charter schools in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The film explores the debate surrounding the education reform
Education reform
Education reform is the process of improving public education. Small improvements in education theoretically have large social returns, in health, wealth and well-being. Historically, reforms have taken different forms because the motivations of reformers have differed.A continuing motivation has...
movement. The film highlights the opposition from the teachers' unions to charter schools (as they are usually not unionized), and the contest between charter and public schools for building space.
Participants
- Geoffrey CanadaGeoffrey CanadaGeoffrey Canada is an African American social activist and educator. Since 1990, Canada has been president and CEO of the Harlem Children's Zone in Harlem, New York, an organization which states its goal is to increase high school and college graduation rates among students in Harlem...
is the President and CEO of Harlem Children's ZoneHarlem Children's ZoneThe Harlem Children's Zone is a non-profit organization for poverty-stricken children and families living in Harlem, providing free support for the children and families in the form of parenting workshops, a pre-school program, three public charter schools, and child-oriented health programs for...
, which The New York Times MagazineThe New York Times MagazineThe New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
called "one of the most ambitious social experiments of our time." - Cory BookerCory BookerCory Anthony Booker is the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Booker is a former Newark City Councilman...
is the mayor of Newark, New JerseyNewark, New JerseyNewark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
. He is a member of numerous boards and advisory committees that are committed to education. - Candice Fryer is a teacher at Harlem Success Academy 2Harlem Success AcademyHarlem Success Academy Charter School is the foundation of Success Charter Network, Inc. Its students, most of them starting with disadvantages, have been consistently achieving some of the highest test scores in the state...
. - Betsy GotbaumBetsy GotbaumBetsy Gotbaum was the New York City Public Advocate. She was elected as Public Advocate for New York City in 2001, and reelected in 2005. A longtime civic leader, she is the third woman elected to a citywide post in NYC history. Because she ran unopposed in the 2001 and 2005 elections, Betsy...
was New York City Public Advocate from 2001 to 2009. - Meredith Gotlin is the Principal of PS29 in the Bronx.
- Joel KleinJoel KleinJoel Irwin Klein was Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, the largest public school system in the United States, serving more than 1.1 million students in more than 1,600 schools...
was the New York City School ChancellorNew York City School ChancellorThe New York City Schools Chancellor is the leader of the New York City Department of Education, the agency that handles New York City's public schools. The current Chancellor is Dennis M. Walcott, who began his tenure on April 18, 2011 after the resignation of Cathie Black on April 7, 2011...
from 2002 to January 2011. - Jim Manly is the Principal of Harlem Success Academy 2.
- Eva MoskowitzEva MoskowitzEva S. Moskowitz runs Harlem Success Academy and is a former City Councilmember in New York City.- Education, teaching, and family :...
is the founder and CEO of Success Charter Network, which runs the Harlem Success Academies. - Jessica Reid is a teacher at Harlem Success Academy 2.
- Susan TaylorSusan L. TaylorSusan L. Taylor is an American editor, writer, and journalist. She served as editor-in-chief of Essence from 1981 through 2000. In 1994, American Libraries referred to Taylor as "the most influential black woman in journalism today".-Early life:Taylor was born in the Harlem neighborhood of New...
was editor in chief of Essence MagazineEssence (magazine)Essence is a monthly magazine for African-American women between the ages of 18 and 49. The magazine covers fashion, lifestyle and beauty with an intimate girlfriend-to-girlfriend tone.-History:...
from 1981 to 2000. She founded the National CARES Mentoring Movement, whose goal is to recruit one million adult mentorsMentorshipMentorship refers to a personal developmental relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps a less experienced or less knowledgeable person....
. - Dacia Toll is the President and co-CEO of Achievement First, which runs seventeen charter schools in Connecticut and New York.
- Paul ToughPaul ToughPaul Tough is a writer and broadcaster. He is the author of Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America. He grew up in Toronto and was educated at the University of Toronto Schools...
is an editor at The New York Times MagazineThe New York Times MagazineThe New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
and the author of Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America.
Production
Sackler, a 27-year-old graduate of Duke UniversityDuke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, said she was inspired to make the film by news footage of a charter-school lottery at the Harlem Armory in 2008. This is her first film project.
Distribution
It was shown at the Tribeca Film FestivalTribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
in April 2010, as part of the "Tribeca Talks" panel.
The Lottery was released in cinemas on 7 May 2010, and on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on 30 May 2010.
Reception
Frank Scheck of the Hollywood Reporter noted that the film is "hardly objective in its stance", but said that it would be "of vital interest to anyone interested in the topic." Errol Louis in the New York Daily News compared it to An Inconvenient TruthAn Inconvenient Truth
An Inconvenient Truth is a 2006 documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate citizens about global warming via a comprehensive slide show that, by his own estimate, he has given more than a thousand times.Premiering at the...
, arguing that it "will create and energize charter supporters by the thousands."