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George C. Stoney

Directing

Biography

George Cashel Stoney (July 1, 1916 – July 12, 2012) was a pioneering American documentary filmmaker, educator, and a foundational figure in the development of public-access television, often regarded as its "father." Stoney's documentary films, including Palmour Street, A Study of Family Life (1949), All My Babies (1953), How the Myth Was Made (1979), and The Uprising of '34 (1995), explored social issues with a focus on the human condition and the working class. All My Babies, a powerful documentary about childbirth and midwifery in the rural South, was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2002 for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance. As a teacher and mentor, Stoney helped shape future generations of filmmakers, and his contributions to the field were celebrated in the 1999 Festschrift volume of the journal Wide Angle. His legacy continues to influence documentary filmmaking and the role of media in public life.

Known For

The Weavers: Wasn't That a Time
7.8

Documentary about the blacklisted folk group The Weavers, and the events leading up to their triumphant return to Carnegie Hall.

The Weavers: Wasn't That a Time

1982
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This video documents the first cablecast of Austin Community Television (ACTV) in which George Stoney and a group of University of Texas students assembled playback equipment on a hilltop at the cable system's head-end.

First Transmission of ACTV

1972
The Boy Who Saw Through
N/A

A young boy has developed an ability to see through walls, much to the consternation of his stuffy Victorian parents.

The Boy Who Saw Through

1956
All My Babies... A Midwife's Own Story
5.7

George Stoney investigates the living conditions, both good and bad, in the rural, segregated South.

All My Babies... A Midwife's Own Story

1953
We Shall Overcome
7.0

A documentary on the iconic song "We Shall Overcome" and its important legacy in the American Civil Rights movement, echoing all over the world as a recognizable song of struggle against social injustices. Singers and activists talk about its origins, used during a workers strike in the mid 1940's, and how the lyrics and its significance slightly changed in the next decades.

We Shall Overcome

1989
Up Against the System
8.0

People on welfare are rarely heard. What do they go through? How do they feel? How do concerned social and welfare workers feel about the welfare system? What is welfare supposed to do? In this film, welfare recipients and social case workers talk about the problems of being "up against the system." Part of the "Challenge for Change" series.

Up Against the System

1969
How the Myth Was Made: A Study of Robert Flaherty's Man of Aran
N/A

American documentary film-maker George C. Stoney visits the Aran Islands to try and unravel some of the myths surrounding a film that had engrossed him as a youngster - Robert Flaherty's famous documentary "Man of Aran" released in 1934.

How the Myth Was Made: A Study of Robert Flaherty's Man of Aran

1978
Nell and Fred
N/A

Two charming seniors consider the pros and cons of entering a "home". Do old-age institutions fit the needs of those they are designed to help?

Nell and Fred

1971
These Are My People...
8.0

This documentary short is the first film made by an all-Aboriginal film crew, training under the NFB's Challenge for Change Program. It was shot at Akwesasne (St. Regis Reserve). Two spokesmen explain historical and other aspects of Longhouse religion, culture, and government and reflect on the impact of the white man's arrival on the Indian way of life.

These Are My People...

1969
Occupation
8.0

Students seeking greater control over the hiring of faculty occupy the offices of the Political Science Department at McGill University. The film crew lives with the students and follows their action through confusion, argument, dissent, and negotiations with faculty. The result is an intimate view of a student political action.

Occupation

1970
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6.0

A training film showing police officers how to deal with persons who are mentally ill.

Booked for Safekeeping

1960
When I Go - That's It!
N/A

Ex-fisherman Billy Crane in Brampton, Ontario, at an industrial job with regular hours. Here he tells why he left Fogo Island and says he has no regrets. (See also Billy Crane Moves Away.)

When I Go - That's It!

1972
You Are on Indian Land
9.0

The territory of Akwesasne straddles the Canada-U.S. border. When Canadian authorities prohibited the duty-free cross-border passage of personal purchases - a right established by the Jay Treaty of 1794 - Kanien'kéhaka protesters blocked the international bridge between Ontario and New York State.

You Are on Indian Land

1969
The Uprising of '34
10.0

Textile workers recall with pride the long- suppressed story of the General Textile Strike of 1934 when 500,000 Southern mill laborers walked off their jobs.

The Uprising of '34

1995
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7.0

Tenants of public housing in Ottawa challenge the process of managing public housing projects in meetings with federal, provincial and municipal officials.

I Don't Think It's Meant for Us...

1971
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7.0

The history of American transportation from the horse and buggys of yesteryear to the progression of the motor car.

The American Road

1953
VTR St. Jacques
9.0

This short film was an experiment in using video recordings and closed circuit television to stimulate social action in a poor Montreal neighbourhood. A citizen's committee filmed people's concerns and then played back the tapes for the community. Upon recognizing their common problems, people began to talk about joint solutions. It proved an important and effective method of promoting social change.

VTR St. Jacques

1969
Birthright
4.0

Chicken farmer John Lloyd learns the importance of blood tests when he gives his pregnant wife a dose of the clap after a one-night fling with a lonely waitress.

Birthright

1951
The Invader
7.0

PSA about the history of Syphilis and the medical treatments used to combat it that's meant to raise the public awareness of the dangers of this insidious modern plague and the necessity of blood screenings and treatments.

The Invader

1955
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N/A

Targeted toward police officers, this film discusses personal and emotional problems related to the job. Made with Cleveland Police Dept.

Under Pressure