Stories about Film from September, 2009
CEE: History, Nationalism and Identity
Marietta Le of Remainder of Budapest writes about issues of history, nationalism and identity in Hungary and other states of Central and Eastern Europe.
Jamaica: Gully Gaza
Active Voice offers an insight into the Jamaican “Gully Gaza phenomenon”.
Venezuela: Expectations for the Oliver Stone Documentary
The trailer for the documentary called “South of the Border” from U.S. filmmaker Oliver Stone, which profiles Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, has been a topic within Venezuelan blogosphere.
Israel: “Ajami” Reveals Nuanced Look at Israeli Society
The film "Ajami" was the big winner at last night's Ophir Prizes and will continue on to international audiences as Israel's foreign film nominee for the 2010 Academy Awards. Israeli bloggers comment on the film, which touches on coexistence between people of different religions.
Trinidad and Tobago: film partners
The Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival blog offers notes from a panel discussion of “the future of co-productions in the Caribbean”, with contributions from filmmakers and other creative professionals.
USA: Pilgrimage into the Wild
Numerous fans of the best-selling book Into the Wild make the treacherous journey to the exact location in Alaska where its main character died in an abandoned public bus. Thankfully, many live to blog about it too.
Trinidad and Tobago: tranquil temple
Now Is Wow Too posts a tranquil, meditative video filmed near the famous Temple in the Sea in central Trinidad. “In the background, water laps, a bird sings in the tree and a woman sings in the Temple.”
Japan: Lecture on Manga, Anime and Otaku
Jean Snow points us to Patrick Macias's lecture at California State University, made available as a podcast episode: ‘Theoretical Perspectives on Manga, Anime and Otaku‘.
Taiwan: Kaohsiung set to screen film amidst controversy
The Kaohsiung Film Festival came under pressure from China over its decision to screen The Ten Conditions of Love, a documentary about exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer. As a result the Kaohsiung City Government decided to screen the documentary in advance of the film festival. Echo Taiwan criticises the Kaohsiung...
Video: Call for submissions in Democracy Now Challenge
As the winners of the 2009 Democracy Now Challenge enjoy their reward in the USA, the submission period for the 2010 edition of the contest is opened to allow people from all over the world to complete the phrase "Democracy is..." in a video.
China: The Founding of a Republic
As a celebration of the upcoming 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on 1 October, the all-star epic “The Founding of a Republic” will be screened tomorrow, on 17 September. The film has stirred a heated discussion on the Internet – not for the film itself, but for the nationalities of the stars.
Lebanon: Lebanese Bloggers React to Israeli film “Lebanon”
Lebanese bloggers have offered a mixed reception to another Israeli film about the Jewish state's 1982 invasion of its northern neighbour. Conspicuously titled "Lebanon", the autobiographical film is set entirely in a tank as it recounts the Israeli military's involvement in the conflict.
Trinidad and Tobago: filmmakers speak
The Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival blog posts short interviews with filmmakers Dalton Narine, Mariel Brown, and Jaime Lee Loy.
Suriname: a word for freedom
“It’s hard for me to imagine a language or dialect without a word for ‘freedom'”: Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp reviews a new documentary film about the Surinamese poet Trefossa.
Indonesia: Controversial new film law
Indonesia's Parliament has recently approved a new film law which drew strong reactions from the local movie industry. It is feared that the law would legitimize the government's tighter control over creativity and self expression in the industry.
Japan: In Response to ‘The Cove’
Lisa Katayama at Tokyo Mango blogs about an update about the dolphin killings in Taiji from the Oceanic Preservation Society, the organization behind the documentary ‘The Cove’.
Arab Women… Minors Until They Die
Though blessed with inner strength that enables them to deal with the shackles of their culture, some Arab women are dealt with as minors who will never reap the fruits of adulthood. Marwa Rakha brings us the voices of two bloggers who dared to speak up.
Slovenia: Film Director Andrej Košak
Adventures in Wheelville translates excerpts from “a nice little interview with Slovenian film director, lecturer (at the very cool new private art academy here called AVA), and blogger Andrej Košak.”
India: How To Stop Online Movie Piracy
Soumyadip at Cutting The Chai discusses ways to curb online movie piracy, which is affecting the Indian movie industry.
China: Crowdsourcing subtitle translations
Activist Tan Zuoren, little-known outside China, is the inspiration for a new documentary from artist Ai Weiwei and his Sugar Jar posse. Featuring civil rights lawyers Liu Xiaoyuan and Pu Zhiqiang, Chinese netizens have since begun transcribing and translating subtitles for the film.
Morocco: Casa Negra to Represent Morocco at Oscars
Moroccan film, Casa Negra, has been chosen to represent Morocco at the 2010 Academy Awards (Oscars). The blogoma reacts to the movie in this post.
