American Guns in Mexico

In 2009, we reported on the large number of guns being bought legally in the United States and smuggled across the border into Mexico, where they are arming the drug cartels that are terrorizing the country. Today, the Washington Post published an year long investigation into the issue, tracing the guns used in Mexican cartel violence to specific dealers in the United States, most of them located in Texas. Read the article from the December 13, 2010 issue of the Washington Post here. And below watch the video story we produced for the New York Times in April 2009.

Renaud Brothers produce three part series on Juarez, Mexico for the New York Times

 Thousands of Mexican federal troops and police are trying to stem the drug violence in Juárez. We went there to find out how well the troop surge is working, and how the drug violence is effecting average citizens. All three stories are posted here. 

Reel Civil Rights Film Festival to feature Renaud Brothers film Little Rock Central: 50 Years Later

Little Rock Central High School, is the only only functioning school in the United States designated a national historic site. Our friend Spirit Trickey and the staff at the Central High Museum do an amazing job, and we are happy our film about Central High School is a part of one of their upcoming programs. http://www.nps.gov/chsc

Celebrate Black History Month at the Third Annual “Reel” Civil Rights Film Festival at Market Street Cinema. Sponsored by the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, the festival features documentaries and films related to past and current civil and human rights issues in the United States and abroad. The festivalis free and open to the public.

Renaud Brothers film Little Rock Central: 50 years Later shows at 4 PM Saturday, February 7th, 2009. http://www.marketstreetcinema.net/

BAM to screen Renaud Brothers Film on MLK Day

We are really excited that BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) will be honoring, Minnijean Brown Trickey, one of the original Little Rock Nine on MLK day January 19, 2009. As a part of the event Minnijean will introduce our film Little Rock Central: 50 Years Later. http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=852

This year, BAM welcomes keynote speaker Minnijean Brown Trickey, a seminal figure in the civil rights movement who entered American history books as part of the “Little Rock Nine,” a group of students who faced mobs and armed soldiers while attempting to desegregate Little Rock, Arkansas’ Central High School.

Following the event in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas will present free screenings of the acclaimed documentary Little Rock Central: 50 Years Later, which provides a candid look at the lives of contemporary Central High Students.

Watch Dirty Driving: Thundercars of Indiana

If you get a chance this Thursday check out a new documentary that we worked on called Dirty Driving. The film is produced and directed by Jon Alpert and takes place in the midwestern former industrial boom town of Anderson, Indiana.

Auto racing is an obsession in Anderson, Indiana. Even with local auto factories closing down and jobs being lost, the town's residents continue to flock to the local speedway every Friday night--and its drivers continue to pour their dwindling resources into their Thundercars. Since the closing of a GM plant and the loss of 33,000 jobs, the once-thriving town of Anderson now stands witness to empty factories, shuttered stores and abandoned homes--but also to packed houses at Anderson Speedway where people put their troubles on hold to watch the cacophony of screeching tires and crashing metal as drivers vie for Thundercar supremacy.

With the few manufacturing factories that are left in the US moving overseas, and with the auto industry in a deep crisis this film could not be more relevant. Jon Alpert does a great job of telling the tough story of the people most effected by this crisis, like our friend in car #26 Sammy Hawkkins, while taking the viewer on the wild ride that is Thundercar racing.

http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/dirtydriving/index.html?ntrack_para1=insidehbo4_image

Renaud Brothers Edit new HBO Film: Section 60 Arlington National Cemetery

We couldn't be more proud than to have edited and been involved with the new HBO film Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery. Section 60 is Directed and Produced by Jon Alpert, who has served as an executive producer on Renaud Brothers films like Dope Sick Love.

Called "the saddest acre in America," Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery is a burial ground for U.S. military personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, a place that epitomizes the honor of service and the cost of war. Alperts film is a moving verité special that commemorates the lives of the deceased and the mourning of their survivors.

The film airs throughout November on HBO, make it a point to watch it and tell everyone you know about it. http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/section60/index.html

Renaud Brothers Produce Video for New York Times

We have recently returned from Beijing with the US Paralympic Team. This was an historic year for the US team which included the first wounded veterans from the Iraq War. Check out a story we did from Beijing on US swimmer, Melissa Stockwell, for the New York Times. Melissa became the first female amputee of the war when her humvee hit a roadside bomb near Baghdad, and later became the first Iraq War veteran to make the US Paralympic team.

http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=d54ae703c026d0aa452bd1219d92e6fef791d0e1