The Institute and filmmaker Paul Wagner are working on two film projects: Faith in the Hood and The Great Democratic Revolution.

Faith in the Hood

Faith in the Hood is a documentary film series about churches and faith-based organizations in “Southeast,” the poorest community in Washington, D.C., and the people they serve.

Part I, The God of a Second Chance, was completed in 2006 and focuses on the lives of two men: Sleepy, a teenager dealing with issues of sexuality and responsibility to his girlfriend, is a member of The House, a Christian after-school program for teenagers. Richie, a reformed crack addict trying to help his addicted wife, is a member of Community Action Group, a recovery program for adults sponsored by a local Catholic church.

The God of a Second Chance premiered in the Fall of 2006 at the Virginia Film Festival. Reviews of the film appeared in The Daily Progress and C-Ville Weekly.

Sleepy and Jennifer	Richie

Part II, to be completed in 2007, will utilize film footage of a wide range of churches and organizations in Southeast, including Afro-centric Christian and Muslim denominations, and will incorporate commentary from leading scholars and commentators on the role of faith in inner city communities like Southeast.

The Great Democratic Revolution Series

The Great Democratic Revolution Series, currently in the planning and development stage, will examine the prospects and challenges for both emerging and established democracies in the world today. Inspired by the first great observer of modern democracy and the author of the classic Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville, the series explores the viability of emerging democratic societies in Africa and Asia, the health of the “mature” democratic cultures of America and Europe, and the prospects for democracy in a world where democracy is both established and embattled. The series was awarded a scripting grant by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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Paul Wagner is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker best known for his documentaries about American history and culture. They include Out of Ireland: the Story of Irish Emigration to America, Miles of Smiles: the Untold Story of the Pullman Porters, and The Stone Carvers, about Italian-American craftsmen that won the Academy Award for Best Short Documentary. His feature film, Windhorse, tells a story of young Tibetans struggling for freedom under the Chinese government and was filmed clandestinely in Tibet and Nepal.