Laura Paglin films in the news...
By Simone Barros
City News
In the midst of furious political protests over teacher unions’ collective bargaining rights and the national debate of America’s lag in education especially in poor and minority communities, the 35th Cleveland International Film Festival presents the film, “Facing Forward” highlighting the solutions taking place right here in a Cleveland charter school...
By Andrea Simakis
The Plain Dealer
When software entrepreneur John Zitzner approached Cleveland filmmaker Laura Paglin about shooting a documentary about a fledgling charter school he'd helped start on the city's East Side, she was intrigued. But first, she laid down some ground rules: She would have "complete creative control" and act as an independent entity. And it "wouldn't be creating a glorified PR piece," she says...
By Sam Allard
Neighborhood Voice
In James Baldwin’s 1961 essay collection, “Nobody Knows My Name,” the author insisted black parents sent their children to white schools in the South not out of ideals or convictions.
“They want the child to receive the education which will allow him to defeat, possibly escape, and, not impossibly, help one day abolish the stifling environment in which they see, daily, so many children perish” he wrote...
Film Threat
“No Umbrella: Election Day in the City” was shot during the course of Election Day 2004 in Cleveland’s predominantly African-American East Side. Only three voting booths were delivered, which proved to be woefully inadequate for the extraordinary voter turnout. The gridlock at the polling center was compounded by rain, creating a wealth of ill-will among those forced to wait up to two hours to vote...
Screen Magazine
Before the 2004 election, Laura Paglin had no intention of filming an emotional political documentary. She certainly had no dreams of screening one at the Sundance Film Festival or as part of the documentary shorts program at Chicago's Midwest Independent Film Festival....
The New York Times
7:30 PM (Cinemax) NO UMBRELLA: ELECTION DAY IN THE CITY
An octogenarian councilwoman takes on polling-place breakdowns, an unresponsive bureaucracy and a just plain angry electorate...
Los Angeles Times
No Umbrella: Election Day in the City - 7:30 p.m. Cinemax
Filmmaker Laura Paglin finds frustration and disenfranchisement in one impoverished Cleveland precinct during the controversial 2004 presidential election...
Air America ‘Ring of Fire’
In this audio interview, Laura Paglin, producer/director of the mini-documentary 'No Umbrella', describes the fiasco she encountered on election day 2004 in a poor, black precinct in Cleveland...
OpEdNews
No Umbrella - Election Day In The City, director Laura Paglin's documentary chronicling 2004 Election Day troubles in one of Cleveland's poorest neighborhoods, makes its television debut Thursday, November 9th, 7:30 PM (EST) 10:30PM (PST) on the Cinemax cable network...
By Joe Gandelman, Editor-In-Chief
The Moderate Voice
Just two weeks from today Americans go to the polls.
And, hopefully, when they do there won’t be scenes similar to those captured in No Umbrella: Election Day In The City by a simple, hand-held camera that immortalized a combination tragedy, outrage and grim comedy that unfolded on Nov. 2, 2004 in one of Cleveland, Ohio’s poorest neighborhoods. The people turned out in droves to vote and found they couldn’t...