Stories about Film from February, 2010
Video: Chile Earthquake through Citizen's Eyes
As the day comes to a close, more videos crop up of the devastating 8.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Chile at 3:30 am. The earthquake, which not only affected the mainland through the ground movements, also generated tsunami waves that set out an alarm throughout the Pacific as different nations prepared for the waves to hit their shores.
365: A video a day from Cartagena, Colombia
Today from Cartagena in Colombia: UNESCO World Heritage Site and a top travel destination we bring you a selection of videos from the 365 video project participants, who are uploading one video a day during 2010.
Belarus: State TV Accused of “Ripping a Whole Sitcom”
Belarus Digest reports that while the Belarusian government explains the recently-introduced internet regulations by the need to fight copyright law violations, the state-run TV is now being accused of “ripping a whole sitcom”: “In the CBS original, shown on E4 in Britain, the main character are called Sheldon, Leonard, Howard,...
Palestine/West Bank: Peace Protesters use Avatar Movie Visuals
Recent protest against land appropriation of the West Bank village of Bil'in included Palestinian and Israeli activists masked as Na'vi characters from the controversial Avatar movie, which they consider anti-imperialist. Video clips posted by NGO “Friends of Freedom and Justice – Bilin” show Israeli Defense Forces using tear gas and...
Bangladesh: A Documentary On A Trans-gender Teenager
Canadian filmmakers Sébastien Rist and Aude Leroux-Lévesque writes in their blog about the making of “Call Me Salma”, a documentary on a Bangladeshi trans-gender teenager. Here is a trailer of the documentary.
Russia: Avatar & North Caucasus – Fiction vs Reality
LJ user burtin posts this comment (RUS) about Avatar: “Interesting that people cry [as they watch] Avatar – while reports from Chechnya and Ingushetia leave them totally indifferent. Even though archetypally the same is happening there – only the people are real, not [computer-generated]. […] If this were happening in...
My Name is Khan – Cultural Politics in India
A look at the Hindi blog-posts related to the Bollywood film 'My Name Is Khan' reveals an interesting fact - that the reactions to this film have more to do with the cultural politics in India than with the aesthetic value of the film itself.
China: Amateur short film satirizes internet censorship
Famous amateur film-maker, Hu Ge, has recently made a new satirical piece on the Internet censorship in China. The 7-minute piece, ‘Animal World: the Home-living Animal’ is styled as an animal-planet type of documentary and has attracted hundreds of thousands of views in a matter of a few days. The...
Italy: Realtime Video of Maierato Landslide
Patrizia Venturino filmed and uploaded the video of the Maierato landslide where a whole hill slid down the slope in the province of Vibo Valentia in Calabria. The clear video shows as the citizens run away from the river of rocks, dirt and trees amid the shouts of the police...
Citizen Video wins George Polk Journalism Award
The citizen video recording the death of Neda, an Iranian woman during the presidential election protests in Iran has won the George Polk Award in Journalism. This amateur and anonymous video spread throughout the world and became a symbol of the Iranian Resistance and citizen journalism.
India: Kavi, The Short Film
Soliloquies Of An Opinionated Mind reviews Kavi, a 19 minute fictional short film (in Hindi), which was recently nominated in the best live action short film category at the 2010 Academy Awards. “Will Kavi be the next Slumdog Millionaire?” – asks the blogger.
India: When Patriotism Equates Vandalism
Dilip D'Souza at Death Ends Fun criticizes right-wing Shiv Shena's protests against the Bollywood film “My Name Is Khan”.
Iran: Demonstration in Isfahan
A film showing the Iranian opposition in the streets of Isfahan on the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. Here are some photos of pro government demonstrations in country.
Open Video: Worldwide Wireside chat with Lawrence Lessig
What is fair use, how does copyright fit into the digital age and how can commentary, teaching, remixing and research with video be freely developed? Tune in on February 25th 6:00pm US Eastern time (GMT -5) to watch and listen to Lawrence Lessig as he discusses these topics at the Open Video Alliance website or check out for screenings in your city.
Guyana: Rodney Film
Signifyin’ Guyana is inspired by “Guyanese filmmaker Clairmont Chung's W.A.R. Stories, a documentary on the life, activism, and death of Dr. Walter Rodney.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Water Noir
“I find it baffling that, decades later, we have not figured out this whole water issue as yet. Water is, after all, essential for life. And while not strictly speaking relevant, it is certainly ironic that we also live on an island”: Tattoo suggests that “they should make a film...
Costa Rica: Online Videos add Humor to Presidential Elections
The Costa Rican Presidential elections are this Sunday and through videos, many Costa Ricans are expressing their concerns regarding the candidates and the future of their country through parody and humor.
Peru: La Teta Asustada Nominated for Oscar
The blogs Sophimanía [es] and Habla Sonia Luz [es] are extremely proud that for the first time in history, a Peruvian film has been nominated for an Oscar for the Best Foreign Film, when La Teta Asustada received the honor.
Spain: Indigenous Film Festival
Canal Solidario writes about the Indigenous Film Festival which will take place in Sevilla, Spain. During the screening, films from indigenous communities inside Nicaragua, Canada and Brazil will be shown and participants will also discuss the role of multimedia and internet tools in protecting cultural diversity.
