Dogtown Redemption nominated for a 2017 Emmy Award

 
 

I’m thrilled and humbled to announce that Dogtown Redemption is one of five films nominated for a 2017 Emmy in the Outstanding Business and Economic Documentary category! 

When I started this film almost 10 years ago, I had no idea what an incredible impact and reach its message would have. While we’re grateful for the nomination, we want to do everything we can to win.

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This nomination is an affirmation that the stories of people like Landon, Jason, and Hayok matter.

With Love and Light,
Amir Soltani

City Forcing West Oakland’s Alliance Metals to Close on August 20, But Supporters Argue Recyclers Have No Safety Net

 
 

Sam Lefebvre of the East Bay Express writes: Ask David Larks what he does for a living, and the twenty-year Oakland resident says he recycles. He earns about $1,200 a month selling bottles and cans three to four times a week to Alliance Metals, the red brick building decorated with scrap-metal sculptures in West Oakland’s Dogtown neighborhood. An elderly Black man who used to lay tile professionally, Larks stood next to his bike in front of Alliance recently while his phone charged inside. “If this place closes,” Larks said, “I don’t know what I’ll do.”

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AMC Bay Street Hosts Screening of Dogtown Redemption Documentary for Emeryville Community

 
 

The E'ville Eye writes about our recent screening for the Emeryville Community: "An estimated 125 Emeryville residents and neighbors turned out on Sunday to watch a documentary that directly intersected their own lives. The documentary featured familiar locations in West Oakland and Emeryville including Pixar, City Hall, Pet Club and Rudy’s Can’t Fail Cafe as it followed the lives of several recognizable individuals experiencing homelessness in our community. The film documented how they subsist off of the meager earnings from scavenged recyclables redeemed at nearby Alliance Recycling."

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Q-and-A: 'Dogtown Redemption' Recycling and Homelessness Documentary Will Have West Oakland Debut This Saturday

 
 

Express writer Nick Miller recently chatted with Amir Soltani: "The producer and co-director of documentary Dogtown Redemption is letting it all out. He’s passionate. He’s frustrated. He’s disappointed. Why? He made a film about poor recyclers in West Oakland, thousands of low-income or homeless people who shuttle shopping carts full of bottles and cans every day. These recyclers sell their finds off at Alliance Metals, a recycling center that’s been part of the west side fabric for decades, and earn a decent nut. But Alliance is scheduled to close in August..."

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