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front seat chronicles

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Tag Archives: devon k. lee

blog post, Episodes, Episodes |

February 6, 2014

| Sowelle

1st Grade Picture

Written by Cam Montgomery Jr., and featuring Ginger Marin and Brandon Espy, this episode deal’s with a mother’s fear of losing the child she raised.

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allen l. sowelle, brandon espy, cam montgomery jr., devon k. lee, front seat chronicles, fsc, ginger, josh feiman, lgbt, marin, peter cirino, transgender | Comment
blog post, Episodes |

June 6, 2013

| Sowelle

A straight couple argue over values and intolerance.

 

 

In episode three season three, and our third installment on the topic of same-sex marriage, a young woman confronts her boyfriend over his seemingly intolerant behavior.

Written by Karli Kaiser, co-directed by Karli and Devon K. Lee, this episode features Mia Eden and Kinyumba Mutakabbir.

 

 

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african-american, devon k. lee, discrimination, gay marriage, homophobia, interracial, karli kaiser, kinyumba mutakabbir, marriage equality, mia eden, prejudice | Comment
blog post, Episodes |

June 6, 2013

| Sowelle

“The World deserves to know how much I Love You.”

http://blip.tv/front-seat-chronicles/the-traditionalist-6598891

In this episode addressing Marriage Equality, Shawna tries to convince her fiancée Victoria, that they deserve a wedding.  There’s only one problem….
Written and Directed by Allen L. Sowelle, this episode features Elvina Beck and Joni Colburn.

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allen l. sowelle, devon k. lee, elvina beck, front seat chronicles, gay marriage, joni colburn, lesbians, love, prop 8, same-sex, women | 1 Comment
Episodes, Video |

September 18, 2012

| Sowelle

A biracial daughter wonders what’s wrong with her family.

 

A father has a heart to heart talk with is daughter about racial bigotry.  Written by Trey Mendez, and directed by Devon Lee, this episode also features our very own, Kevin D. Bailey, Mary Harris, and introducing Leilani Jones as Crystal.

 

Articles on raising biracial children.

An interesting article on biracial parenting.

A Harper’s article about an East Indian Mother being confused for as the Nanny.

Washington Post article about the rise in bi-racial births over the past decade.

A White Male perspective on raising a Black Child.

A Black Mother’s concerns about raising her mixed heritage child in a predominantly White neighborhood.

A wonderful book for adoptive parents on raising healthy children of color in a race conscious world.

 

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bigotry, devon k. lee, front-seat-chronicles, interracial, josh feinman, pic, racism | Comment
Episodes, Video |

June 5, 2012

| Sowelle

When her daughter gets into college, an immigrant mother’s worst fears come true.

 

In this episode of FSC, directed by Devon K. Lee, written by Allen L. Sowelle, and featuring Karla Zamudio and Gabriela Banus – an immigrant mother is conflicted when her daughter gets accepted to college.

 

At some point our country – a nation of immigrants – will have to have a serious conversation about Immigration.  On one side is a belief that left unchecked we open ourselves to challenges on security, and risk losing our National Identity.  They say that illegal immigration drains our economy as it lowers academic performance and American worker productivity.   The other side posits that our diversity makes us stronger as a nation, and that the US has a long and proud history of opening our arms to anyone seeking freedom and a better way of life.  For them, the focus should be on improving our immigration laws, not demonizing those who willfully do the work, most of us are unwilling to do.

One side points to the billions of dollars immigrants send back to their home countries instead of circulating back into our already weaken economy.  Yet the other side highlights that 40% of the Fortune 500 companies were either created by an immigrant or the child of an immigrant.  And that undocumented immigrants alone paid $11.2 billion in US taxes for 2010, while multi-billion dollar American businesses hide their true earnings.

So do we hold people or their children accountable for breaking our laws, while letting employers and society off the hook for exploiting cheap labor?  Or do we accept the contributions of us all, accept the varying narratives and biographies that have contributed to one of the strongest nations on Earth?

I, for one, believe we can do it all the above.  After all we are the United States of America.  We can secure our borders while also securing a future for those who succeed academically, those who rise above and beyond given extraordinary circumstances.  We can act on a dream of a more prosperous union, where we value Human Rights for all, where we give dignity to all, and where we hold true to the Founding Fathers’ calling “E Pluribus Unum.”  From Many, One.

comments welcomed.

allen sowelle, show creator

 

 

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allen swell, devon k. lee, dream act, educación, education, front seat chronicles, fsc, gabriela banus, illegal immigration, immigration, karla zamudio, latina, pic, university | 5 Comments
Episodes, Video |

May 14, 2012

| Sowelle

A veteran confesses about his haunting combat experience

 

After returning from visiting his dad, Ricky confesses a troubling story about the War to his Grandfather.

 

Writer/Director:  Allen L. Sowelle, Lucas: Jean Glaudé, Ricky: Demetrius Butler.

When a Nation commits itself to War much is asked of its young men and women in uniform.  Along with a willingness to give the ultimate sacrifice, they are also asked to accept a reality like no other often times with no clear lines of demarcation between “winning the hearts” and staying alive.     Few are prepared for the “fog of war.”

This week series producer Josh Feinman asked writer-director, and Army veteran, Allen L. Sowelle about his haunting script, “Don’t Mean Nothing.”

JF: First off, some people may be surprised to learn that you’re a Veteran.

AS:  Yeah man, over six years active duty.  Stateside and abroad.  One thing to be clear though, I never had to face some of the challenges this generation has had to face.  My work was in a different theater, with different rules.

JF: This is the third FSC episode on Veterans coming home, not ready for the deafening din of civilian life. You seem to have an affinity for Veterans issues.  Is this by default or by design?

AS:  Definitely by design.  I know we try as a Country to honor their sacrifice, but too, too often we come up short.  No Servicemember should have to worry about keeping their property, finding employment, or how to navigate a host of health issues that may have followed them home.  Whether the scars are physical or psychological, we owe them as many healing hands and healing hearts as possible.

JF:  With Ricky and his grandfather Lucas, who are these characters to you?

AS:  Ricky is that kid that no one explained the moral and emotional extremes of armed conflict to.  He wasn’t in the infantry or an elite unit, he’s just a kid trying to support our efforts when suddenly the unexpected comes point-blank.  His grandfather Lucas is molded from the cast of my uncles and men like them who returned from Vietnam with the attitude of the only way you survive is by turning it off – the haunts, the sounds, the smells, you turn it off.  “Don’t Mean Nothing,” came from a book I read about some Marines at Khe Sanh.  If there was ever a moment that encapsulated what our Vietnam Vets went through it is the Battle of Khe Sanh.

JF:  What do you hope viewers get from this story?

AS:  Before people who’ve never served start another drumbeat to War somewhere, they should either spend some time at a VA hospital, or with the families of those who never made it back whole.  Listen to their stories, feel their absence.  And if that’s okay with you that’s one thing.  But, if it’s not, then you better be damn sure about the objective, and about your commitment to our brave sons and daughters upon their return.  Freedom isn’t Free, and all of us should be proud to pay for it one way or another.

JF:  As the series creator, what do you see next for Front Seat Chronicles?

AS:  Some sponsorship would be cool.  Half joking, but I’m serious about opening the aperture, shining more light on the diversity of faces, places, and voices that make up the American Experience.  In order to keep going it’s gonna take financial resources we now don’t have. So we’ll see.  Some sort of sponsoring an episode up to sponsoring an entire season would be significant.

But so far, especially with your help Josh, we’ve gotten a nice tapestry of narratives, and FSC is definitely a writer’s and actor’s medium.  I’d love to see more people involved, sharing biographies.

 Got a story to tell?  Hit us up in the comments section.  We’d love to hear from you.
Inform and Inspire.  Peace.

 

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devon k. lee, drug addiction, iraq, katherine barcsay, michael robert kelly, ptsd, trey mendez, veterans, vets | 4 Comments
Episodes, Video |

May 3, 2012

| Sowelle

A 10 year-old girl comes to grips with her disease.

 

Written and Directed by Devon K. Lee.  Featuring – Evelyn Kang as Lori, and Richard Lee as Roger.

 

One thing I appreciate about this series the most, is being introduced to the diverse challenges people face, regardless of background or creed.   As writer/director Devon K. Lee was putting this very personal episode together, it was illuminating to learn that Lupus – a chronic autoimmune disease, can damage any part of the body (skin, joints, and/or organs inside the body).  Moreover, it  disproportionately affects Asians, Latinos, and African-Americans, and more than 90 percent are women between the ages of 15 and 45.

According to the Lupus Awareness and Research site, with lupus, your immune system cannot tell the difference between foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses, and healthy tissues.  So lupus creates auto-antibodies to attack and destroy healthy tissue, soften causing pain, inflammation, and tissue damage.  It is a disease of flares and remissions.

Perhaps most illuminating was to discover that there are more people affectedly Lupus than by AIDS, Cerebral Palsy, Cystic Fibrosis, and Multiple Sclerosis COMBINED.

We at Front Seat Chronicles, PIC.tv, and One Economy cannot stress enough, how valuable early screening can be for you and your family.   Thanks for caring.

Below are resources offering support while answering important questions about Lupus.

Lupus fact sheet – http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/lupus.cfm#b

Lupus Foundation of America – http://www.lupus.org/newsite/index.html

The Lupus Initiative – http://www.thelupusinitiative.org/content/educational-resources

WebMD – http://lupus.webmd.com/guide/lupus-support-resources

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asian, devon k. lee, evelyn kang, health issues, kids, korean, lupus, parenting, rich y. lee | 3 Comments
Video |

March 7, 2012

| Alley Pezanoski-Browne

Episode 9: Don't Go

As Sandra prepares to visit family back in her native China, her American-born husband Wayne discovers her true motives.

Writer/Director: Devon Lee
“Sandra”: Yi Tian
“Wayne”: Eddie Lee

Read more about the episode in this interview with Writer/Director Devon Lee.

Resources for immigrants to the United States

One of the most complete resources for new immigrants to the United States is the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website. There you will find:

  • Citizenship resources
  • Resources for families
  • Green Card resources
  • Resources for working in the U.S.
  • Humanitarian Benefits Based resources
  • Ways to avoid scams
  • Accommodations for People with Disabilities
  • Welcome Guide in 14 different languages including:
    • English
    • Arabic
    • Chinese
    • French
    • Haitian Creole
    • Korean
    • Polish
    • Portuguese
    • Russian
    • Somali
    • Spanish
    • Tagalog
    • Urdu
    • Vietnamese

Other resources for recent immigrants

  • Immigration Direct | Simplifying Immigration
  • National Immigration Law Services
  • Interfaith Legal Services for Immigrants
  • Services, Immigrate Rights, & Education Network
  • Avvo: Expert Advice When You Need It Most
  • Tax help for Immigrants
  • Child Support for Immigrants
  • Help for Immigrant Victims of Abuse
  • Chinese American Service League
  • Five Myths About Immigration in the U.S.

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asian american, assimilation, chinese, devon k. lee, eddie lee, immigration, marital problems, pregnancy, yi tian | 5 Comments

Recent Posts

  • The Inside Scoop: Writer-Director Carl Seaton February 21, 2015
  • The Hate That Hate Made February 21, 2015
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  • Anniversaire (subtitled) February 26, 2014
  • La Garde (subtitled) February 25, 2014
  • Dis Moi (subtitled) February 12, 2014
  • Dis Moi February 8, 2014
  • Meet the Parents February 7, 2014
  • Love U, Mean It February 6, 2014
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  • Home
  • Filmmaker Interviews
    • INside Scoop: a conversation with writer/actor Monique Carmona
    • An Interview with uber-producer Cassandra Cooper
    • The Inside Scoop: Writer-Director Carl Seaton
    • An FSC interview with “Friend Me” actor Kaci Hinds
    • A conversation with “Back to the Front” writer Jason Lambert
    • Filmmakers and Yankee die-hards – Bradd Bowden and Josh Feinman
    • Salvation Release writer/director – Nikol Hasler
    • An FSC Interview with writer/director Teddy Gyi
  • About the Series
  • The Creative Team
  • Episodios en Español
    • La historia de mi vida
    • Cada 15 Días
    • ¿Qué vas a decir los niños?
    • Me Aceptáron
  • Set Life
    • Set Gallery
  • FSC Gallery
  • Contact us
  • All Episodes

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