Larry v. Lockney
(56 minutes) USA
Directors/Producers: Mark Birnbaum and Jim Schermbeck

Description:

A west Texas town begins mandatory drug testing of their sixth through 12^th graders. One man, Larry Tannahill, says, "No, not my son." Standing alone by his moral decision that costs him job and home, the third-generation cotton farmer asks the ACLU to help fight for his son's Fourth Amendment rights–pitting one man against his neighbors in a historic legal case study on the Bill of Rights.

Biography:

Mark Birnbaum produces, directs, shoots, and edits documentaries and documentary-style business films. His film subjects have ranged from issues of peace and justice to healthcare to dancing salsa. Birnbaum has worked at PBS stations in Maryland and Dallas where he shot and edited miles of film. He spent a decade directing commercials and corporate films. In the mid-eighties, he set up Mark Birnbaum Productions and shifted his focus entirely to documentaries. He has received the Peabody Broadcasting Award.

Jim Schermbeck has been a community organizer in Texas since 1977. His work has included staff positions with both Public Citizen and the National Toxics Campaign. From 1996 to 1999 he was Executive Director of Downwinders At Risk, and wrote and

produced several short documentaries on the environmental and public health risks of burning hazardous waste in cement plants. Best known of these is Danger Downwind, which was funded by the American Lung Association of Texas.

Contact Information:

Mark Birnbaum Productions
13221 Purple Sage
Dallas, TX 75240
E-mail: mark.birnbaum@pobox.com
URL: www.markbirnbaum.com