Doc Channel frames war in two lenses tonight

March 18, 2012 in children, filmmaker, genocide, Indonesia, journalist, Kosovo, Palestine, peace, photographer, Syria | Permalink

Tonight, the Documentary Channel pairs two documentaries that deliver unique perspectives on conflict.

“War Photographer” (2001), a film by Christian Frei, follows Massachusetts-born James Nachtwey, a world renowned photojournalist and winner of the 2012 Dresden Peace Prize. For two years, the Swiss author/director/producer Frei joined Nachtwey as he documented war and conflict across Indonesia, Kosovo and Palestine.

The Oscar-nominated documentary features an intimate point-of-view technique – a special micro-camera attached to Nachtwey’s own camera.

Nachtwy’s commentary in the trailer from First Run Features NYC is especially chilling in how the audio track could be directly applied to today’s homemade videos posted by the army of citizen journalists of Homs and other cities across Syria.

In “War is not a Game” (2010), director Lode Desmet outlines the ideals set out in the Geneva Conventions and frames them against the reality faced by eight soldiers in different corners of the globe. They experience a fog of war that only grows thicker in the rapidly changing nature of armed conflict.

War Photographer airs at 8 and 11 p.m. ET; War is not a Game follows at 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. ET.

“For me, the strength of photography lies in its ability to evoke a sense of humanity. If war is an attempt to negate humanity, then photography can be perceived as the opposite of war.” – Photographer James Nachtwey

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Come hitch a ride and ‘Fly Over Egypt’

February 14, 2012 in artist, Egypt, filmmaker, immigrant, musician, photographer | Permalink

This one goes out to the artists, the human rights advocates and the hybrids among us.

Amidst the struggle, it feels a little bit like hope.

“Fly Over Egypt” is from The Narcicyst, aka Yassin Alsalman, a Montreal-based author, actor and hip-hop artist, raised by Iranian parents in Dubai. The man is on a mission to challenge stereotypes about Arab people.

Amenian-American artist Bei Ru, a Los Angeles-based producer/DJ who fuses hip-hop with vintage Armenian melodies, produced the video. He said it commemorates “a year of revolution and change in Egypt.”

Directed by Egyptian-American Wesam Nassar, it was shot by Nassar and a group of artists – native Egyptians and those from away – during the year that saw Hosni Mubarak abdicate. It features photography by Ridwan Adhami and Tamara Abdul Hadi. Sundus Abdul Hadi was behind the concept, and Nik Brovkin created the typography.

In the light of day you are more than just a knight 
seeking for a right of way asking is it just to fight
I feel the winds of change, but everything is still the same
Even though I fear the sun, I can only see the reign

It debuted on VIBE in January, extending Happy Birthday wishes to Mas’r – the word for “Egypt” in Egyptian Arabic.

For more on Mas’r as it continues to find its footing on brave new ground, follow journalist Sharif Abdel Kouddous on Twitter @sharifkouddous and the blog Egypt Reports.

Also of interest is today’s Egypt Independent article by Ahmad Shokr, “Was 11 February a failure?”

Shuk’ran to Kouddous for the heads-up.

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

‘Have You Heard From Johannesburg’ series begins tonight on Independent Lens

January 15, 2012 in crimes/humanity, filmmaker, South Africa | Permalink

Watch A Landmark Series on the Anti-Apartheid Movement on PBS. See more from Independent Lens.

“Have You Heard From Johannesburg,” a five-part series documenting the global struggle to end the South African apartheid, begins at 11:30 p.m. ET tonight with parts 1 and 2 on PBS’ “Independent Lens.”

The series is airing nationally on PBS through January, a month that also marks the 100th anniversary of the African National Congress, the ruling political party of South Africa.

Award-winning social documentary filmmaker Connie Field tells the story across five decades of South Africa’s struggle for freedom. She begins with the first session of the United Nations in 1945 and follows the global anti-apartheid movement through to 1990, when Nelson Mandela was set free after 27 years of imprisonment.

Following Episode One, “The Road to Resistance,” Episode Two, “The New Generation,” airs tonight at 12:30 a.m. on MPBN.

Episodes Three and Four, “Selma to Soweto” and “The Bottom Line” will be broadcast very early Monday morning, Jan. 23, beginning at 12:30 a.m. Episode Five, “Free at Last,” wraps the series on Sun., Jan. 29, at 11:30 p.m.

For more information, visit Independent Lens.

Field can be found at Clarity Films; she’s already working on her next film, tentatively called “Martin Luther King Jr. in Palestine.”

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

‘Bouncing Cats’ makes Doc Channel debut tonight

November 19, 2011 in child soldier, children, crimes/humanity, filmmaker, HIV/AIDS, musician, orphaned child, The Voice Project, Uganda | Permalink

What does it take to make a real difference in the lives of others? What if it was as easy as sharing that thing in the world that you really love to do.

For Ugandan Abraham “Abramz” Tekya, that thing is dance – specifically, hip-hop and breakdancing.

Tonight at 8 p.m. ET, the Documentary Channel premieres Nabil Elderkin’s award-winning “Bouncing Cats,” which follows Tekya’s journey – from losing both parents to HIV/AIDS before age nine to creating Breakdance Project Uganda (B.P.U.) to empower, rehabilitate and heal the children of Uganda.

Musician John Legend said the film is really worth seeing:

“I think a lot of times when people depict Africa, they don’t always depict the humanity of the people there. They depict it more just as a problem, as a crisis to be solved – that it’s not a collection of individual human beings.

“It’s hard to make everyone care about things that go on thousands of miles away, and so it’s the job of people that care and the people that know what’s going on to craft a message that will hit home for people … to engage them to help with the solution. And part of the way I think you do that is films like this, where you humanize the Africans … that may seem so distant from us and maybe so different from us, so that you realize that they’re not that different from us.”

– See Legend’s full interview about “Bouncing Cats”

For more information, including future screenings, visit Bouncing Cats and the Documentary Channel.

Finding out why the film is called “Bouncing Cats” is worth tuning in, all by itself.

Caution: Today's video contains sensitive images.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Zambian women reflect the power of storytelling in ‘Where the Water Meets the Sky’

November 8, 2011 in filmmaker, HIV/AIDS, Zambia | Permalink

Today, ViewChange.org is hosting the online premiere of the award-winning documentary, “Where the Water Meets the Sky.”

The film follows the work of international nonprofit Camfed, or the Campaign for Female Education, which fights poverty and HIV/AIDS in Africa by educating girls and empowering women to become leaders of change.

According to Camfed, one way it fulfills its mission is through the transformational power of film storytelling. After its filmmaking-training program began in 2004 in Ghana, Camfed brought it to Zambia. It was there that filmmakers David Eberts and Helen Cotton documented the process.

Written by Jordan Roberts and narrated by Academy Award-winner Morgan Freeman, the film follows a class of 23 women, under the guidance of two teachers, as they create their own film. The students chose an often unspoken, yet deeply familiar focus: the challenges faced by young women who have been orphaned because of AIDS.

Watch the film today on ViewChange.org. The documentary is also being televised this month on LinkTV and the Sundance Channel.

To learn more about this project and how you can lend your support, visit Where the Water Meets the Sky and Camfed.

“A lot of people in the community get caught in the burdens they carry in their hearts. But when they share their stories, those burdens become easier to bear.”
– Frieda, Samfya Women Filmmakers

Tags: , , , , , ,

Two peacekeeping experts visit Maine

October 14, 2011 in Maine, peace, Philippines, Sahrawi people, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Western Sahara | Permalink

Mainers have the chance to hear two perspectives on peacekeeping this month: from Dr. Tim Wallis, executive director of Nonviolent Peaceforce, and Ambassador Charles F. Dunbar, senior lecturer in international Relations at Boston University.

College of the Atlantic (COA) will host alumnus Dr. Wallis for “Nonviolent Peaceforce: Transforming the World’s Response to Conflict,” at COA’s Gates Community Center on Sun., Oct. 16, at 6:30 p.m. He will discuss alternatives to war and the potential created by a nonviolent peaceforce.

Dr. Wallis’ organization, Nonviolent Peaceforce, was founded 2002 as an unarmed, paid civilian peacekeeping force that fosters dialog among parties in conflict and provides a protective presence for threatened civilians. The organization’s current initiatives include peacekeeping forces in South Sudan, Sri Lanka and the Mindanao region of the Philippines.

According to Nonviolent Peaceforce, United Nations (UN) Peacekeepers differ in that they typically lack training in nonviolence; they often serve as armed forces to restrain civil disorder or violence at the request of the UN Security Council; and they are not trained to resolve underlying tensions or conflicts.

Rather than being reactive, Nonviolent Peaceforce states that it is aimed at prevention; it is comprised of civilians trained in nonviolent techniques; and it enables groups to discuss their conflicts in a way that all parties can be heard and tangible solutions can be found.

To learn more about Dr. Wallis’ organization, visit nonviolentpeaceforce.org.

With another perspective on peacekeeping, the Maine Chapter of the United Nations Association – USA is marking UN Day, Mon., Oct. 24, with a talk by Ambassador Dunbar: “United Nations Peace Operations: Much Maligned, Much Needed,” at the Morrell Meeting Room at Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick.

Free and open to the public, the event begins with a reception at 6 p.m., followed by the talk at 7 p.m.

“Since the Cold War, some 45 UN peacekeeping missions have come and gone, with 16 now in place,” said Ambassador Dunbar in the UNA-Maine Summer 2011 newsletter. “A few have succeeded, a few have been tragic failures, most are somewhere in between, but the harsh reality is that national self-interest, donor fatigue and short international attention-spans overwhelm good intentions.”

Ambassador Dunbar served as a state department foreign service officer for more than 30 years in Iran, Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and Afghanistan, and as ambassador to Qatar and Yemen. While a special representative of the UN secretary-general, Dunbar headed a 500-person UN peacekeeping mission that was tasked with organizing a referendum to decide if the former Spanish Sahara would become independent or become part of Morocco, its occupier since 1975.

To learn more about the UN Day event, visit unamaine.org.

Tags: , , , , , ,

NAACP broadcasts Davis ‘Celebration of Life’

October 1, 2011 in advocacy, peace, Troy Davis | Permalink

As hundreds of family, friends and supporters pack Jonesville Baptist Church in Savannah, Ga., for the memorial service of Troy Anthony Davis, thousands more will be able to virtually stand alongside the Davis family.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is broadcasting live the service, “Troy Davis: A Celebration of Life,” beginning around 11 a.m. this morning.

Troy Davis was executed by the State of Georgia at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, Ga., on Wed., Sept. 21, as he proclaimed his innocence to his last moments.

Scheduled speakers include NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous and Amnesty International USA Executive Director Larry Cox.

In an email announcing the broadcast, Jealous wrote, “Even in the face of death, Troy understood how his story could change this country forever. In the days and weeks ahead, we will work to ensure that Troy’s mission is carried out, and the brutal practice of the death penalty is abolished in this country once and for all.

“Troy’s story has touched each of our lives. Please join us [Saturday] as we stand alongside his family in this time of reflection and remembrance.”

The NAACP invites supporters to sign the petition in Troy’s memory, calling for an end to the death penalty in the United States.

The NAACP also released information about ways to assist the Davis family:

Letters of condolence may be sent to:
“I am Troy Davis”
P.O. Box 2105
Savannah, GA 31407

In lieu of flowers, donations may be mailed to:
“I Am Troy Fund”
Capitol City Bank
339 MLK, Jr., Blvd.
Savannah, Georgia 31401

We share with you today an interview with Troy’s oldest sister Martina Davis Correia, recorded Monday with Amy Goodman of “Democracy Now!” Correia speaks about the financial burdens placed on the family of the executed for transportation of their loved one’s body and all final arrangements.

Lastly, we thank the Davis family for opening the service for Troy to the public, and to the NAACP for sharing it with those who could not attend in person. We continue to wish peace to both the Davis and the MacPhail families.

Tags: , , , , ,

Clark convenes ‘Informed Activism’ this weekend

September 22, 2011 in action, advocacy, conflict minerals, Congo, crimes/humanity, photographer, sexual violence | Permalink

This weekend, more than 1,000 students, scholars, policy-makers, activists and representatives from non-governmental organizations are scheduled to gather at Clark University in Worcester, Mass., for a unique international summit, Informed Activism: Armed Conflict, Scarce Resources and Congo.

Clark’s Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies has joined with Jewish World Watch to host this conference to address the relationship between mass violence and “conflict minerals” in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The conference will also see the debut of a photographic essay by Michael Ramsdell, “Power, Prosperity and Hope in Eastern Congo.”

For more details on the summit’s program, speakers and participating organizations, visit the Clark University website.

Tags: , , ,

‘Light in the Darkness’ makes PBS premiere

September 21, 2011 in immigrant | Permalink

In 2008, the Long Island town of Patchogue, N.Y., endured a series of attacks against its Latino residents that escalated to the murder of Marcelo Lucero, an Ecuadorian immigrant and 13-year resident of the village.

“Not in our Town: Light in the Darkness” follows Mayor Paul Pontieri, Marcelo’s brother Joselo Lucero and their Patchogue neighbors in the complex aftermath of the brutal tragedy.

The one-hour documentary makes its MPBN debut at 10 p.m. ET tonight.

Tags: , , ,

Hope remains for Davis in these final hours

September 21, 2011 in advocacy, musician, peace, Troy Davis | Permalink

“Democracy Now!” devoted its entire on-location broadcast today to the fallibility of the U.S. death penalty and the scheduled execution of Troy Anthony Davis by the State of Georgia at 7 p.m. ET.

Host Amy Goodman will also conduct a special broadcast, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. EDT, from outside the prison and execution site in Jackson, Ga.

With a mountain of unresolved doubt in the Davis’ case, supporters are trying to stop the execution:

  • The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is petitioning Chatham County, Ga., District Attorney Larry Chisolm to ask the judge to withdraw the death warrant against Troy Davis.
  • Amnesty International USA is forwarding emails to DA Chisolm and to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, asking the Board to reverse its decision to deny clemency; Amnesty also lists specific contact information for Chisolm; the Board; Local Judge Penny Haas Freesemann; and Georgia Governor Nathan Deal.
  • Death Penalty Focus is hosting a letter campaign to these same parties.
  • The Southern Center for Human Rights has joined six retired corrections officials to ask the Board to reconsider its decision; SCHR has also partnered with Georgia Sen. Vincent Fort in asking officials assigned to the execution to refuse to participate.
  • As I write, SignOn.org is just more than 10,000 short of its goal of 190,000 signatures to stop the execution.

    • Additionally, NAACP and the Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are scheduled to call for intervention to save Davis in a 3 p.m. press conference.

    Amnesty International is inviting Davis supporters to attend a vigil at the church across the street from the prison at 5:30 p.m. and a protest at 6 p.m.; Amnesty is asking participants to wear a black armband inscribed, “Not in my name.”

    In Maine, a “Pray & Fast for Troy Davis” gathering is being held at Monument Square in Portland from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. ET.

    After the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles denied clemency yesterday, Davis requested a polygraph test, in hopes to prove his innocence to Georgia authorities. Today, his request was denied.

    The last hope might be an appeal submitted by Davis’ defense to the Butts County Superior Court, requesting that the execution be blocked; if Butts County passes, the appeal would move on to the U.S. Supreme Court.

    Meanwhile, the family of police officer Mark MacPhail maintains that they believe Davis is responsible for the killing.

    Davis was convicted of murdering MacPhail in 1989; 7 of 9 non-police witnesses have since recanted their testimony and one of the two who has not recanted has been tabbed as the killer by other witnesses that have since come forward.

    Troy’s sister Kimberly delivered a message of thanks from the Davis family in a NAACP video on Sept. 17. See also, NPR’s Songs for Troy Davis.

    Whatever the outcome tonight, we continue to wish peace to the Davis and the MacPhail families.

    Tags: , , , , ,

    « Older entries