[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 31, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E17-E18]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING JOHN TWEEDY OF LANDLOCKED FILMS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 31, 2006

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mr. 
John Tweedy on the success of his documentary film-making company, 
Landlocked Films. His work is deserving of recognition for its superb 
quality, emotional realism, and the depth and diversity of its subject 
matter. John Tweedy's Boulder-based independent documentary video 
company is co-owned and run in collaboration with his wife, Ms. Beret 
Strong.
  Tweedy's films have won both national and local awards and have been 
screened at film festivals both in the U.S. and abroad, as well as 
being broadcast on over 100 Public Broadcasting System affiliates in 
the U.S. and Canada. Before moving to Boulder, Tweedy received his law 
degree from Stanford University Law School and an M.A. in Sociology 
from Brown University. In addition to practicing law and making films, 
he has worked for the court system of the Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands on Saipan. His films are as broad-ranging as his 
background and are inspiring and evocative.
  ``Lieweila: A Micronesion Story,'' is an apt example of Tweedy's 
ability to render a compelling history through his art. Using 
historical footage, old photographs, and the voice of a Refalawasch 
narrator, Tweedy helps an indigenous people give their history and 
describe their struggles with colonialism and modernization, creating 
an educational and inspirational film experience.
  His films on the education of children include ``Song of Our 
Children,'' ``The Dance of Conversation: Strategies for Encouraging 
Children's Language Development,'' and ``Training 3, from C to B: Age 
Transitions for Kids with Special Needs.'' John actively participates 
in local education, serving on the boards of Sojourner Charter School, 
Horizons Alternative School, and Kids Connections.
  In another film, ``Streams of Gold,'' Tweedy makes himself a subject 
of his own filmmaking. Traveling to southern Ecuador, Tweedy uncovers a 
piece of his own history by documenting the story of an Andean gold 
mining town in which his grandparents lived and worked for nearly 30 
years. The result is a personal and informational film that has much to 
say about economics and the modern world.
  Landlocked Films also produces videos profiling non-profit 
organizations, schools, and companies in a way that projects more heart 
than glitz. Each of the promotional videos is designed and produced as 
a mini-documentary, allowing the viewer to experience the organization 
from the inside out. Among recent promotional efforts are ``Mothers 
Acting Up,'' showing this organization's actions to redefine

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the priorities of our national government, and ``Teaching from the 
Heart: Celebrating Ten Years of Horizons Alternative,'' a film that 
guides the viewer from the school's founding with archival footage 
through the present with student interviews.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in expressing our 
gratitude to John Tweedy for making films that speak to our community 
socially, culturally, and artistically. We thank him for his film 
achievements and look forward to appreciating his films for many years 
to come. I wish him, his wife Beret, and his children, Paige and 
Marcus, good health and happiness in their future.

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