Pan Left Productions

Wednesday, 26 October 2011 21:27

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Along the border, news reports about immigration are easy to come by. The government's stance is well documented, but what isn't heard that often is the voice of the community.

For the past four years, Mary Charlotte Thurtle has been at the head of a non-profit organization determined to provide a voice to the community and promote equality in the media.

Situated behind the Derechos Humanos office on South 6th Ave. is Pan Left Productions. This non-profit organization started in 1994 when two Media Arts students from the University of Arizona donated the equipment they had been given to shoot a documentary. Since then Pan Left has emerged as a membership-based production company that provides its members with the tools needed to produce their own short films, news reports or public service announcements.

In order to get the equipment for a shoot, a member must submit a proposal at a production meeting. If the other members approve of the idea, then the project is underway. Dues of 10 dollars a month are also paid by those who can afford it.

"What we're aiming to do is give a voice to the community, to the people that you don't often hear from," said executive director Thurtle. "We have a lot of projects that our members do that are important."

Projects like "Yo Soy Testigo," or "I Am a Witness" in English, which is a 24-hour hotline where citizens can call and report suspected law enforcement abuses, or the Homeless Youth Project where young citizens provide insight about what it is like to be homeless in Tucson.

Recently, Pan Left's most notable production has been Under Arpaio, a documentary about the movement against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Starting in November, the film will be toured around the country.

Pan Left also provides free media literacy classes and workshops where they teach members how to communicate effectively using the media. They also provide low-cost media services to outside organizations, providing the camera equipment along with editing and production knowledge. Pan Left also creates pieces for federal public defenders.

"It's a good way of humanizing a person for the judge," she said. "And as far as I know all the pieces we worked on for the public defenders have received time served sentences instead of the years they were facing."

Many of Pan Left's members have no formal training and are self-taught. Thurtle is a former archaeologist who started by volunteering on a Pan Left piece.

"I was interested in documenting some of the people I worked with," she said. "I've been with Pan Left since 2000 and have been the executive director since 2007."

Every project done by Pan Left can be found on their YouTube account.

"It used to be that people heard about us through word of mouth," said Thurtle. "But now more people are seeing our videos on YouTube and recognizing what we're doing. We're providing a place for people to tell their stories in a very community-oriented way."

Written by Matt Lechuga You are reading Pan Left Productions articles

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