Stories about Film from September, 2012
China: A New Breed of Sino-foreign Film Co-productions
China Hearsay republished an article from Agenda Magazine about various “tricks” to get into the China film market by making use of the system of Sino-foreign film co-productions. The issue at stake is, if there is two versions of the same film catering the China and western market, can we...
Jamaica: Storm Saulter on Film & New Media in the Caribbean
The 2012 Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival continues this week and one of the most high-profile regional attendees is Storm Saulter, the Jamaican director whose first feature film, Better Mus’ Come, received critical acclaim upon its release in late 2010. In this post, he talks about his new offering, filmmaking in the Caribbean and how new media is helping to change the landscape.
Documentary on Salvadoran ‘Guerrilleras’ Turns to Crowdfunding
Photographers Rebecka Bíró (Sweden/Spain) and Victoria Montero (Argentina) have teamed up to create 'Guerrilleras' a documentary and photography project about the experience of women in the guerrilla during the Salvadoran Civil War (1980-1992).
Armenia: Reflections on Homosexuality and Fascism
Unzipped: Gay Armenia reflects on Brotherhood, a 2009 Danish film about homosexuality and fascism, in the context of the neo-Nazi firebombing of D.I.Y., a gay friendly bar in Yerevan, earlier this year.
Video: Mini-Documentaries Showcase Venezuelan Artists
Through their YouTube account, the creative team Mostro Contenidos has released a documentary series called 'Memorabilia', where they present a collection of short interviews with Venezuelan personalities who have stood out -nationally and internationally- in film, entertainment, and the arts.
Japan: Film Festival to Celebrate Peace Day
On Peace Day, 21 September, the UNITED FOR PEACE FILM FESTIVAL 2012 will be held in Yokohama, Japan. Students from around the globe have entered five minute videos – watch some now.
Albania: Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival
The Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival 2012 opens in Tirana today. This is the third time that the festival is being held; this year's theme is “TALK TO ME – multilingualism and communication”; the program of the three-day event is here.
Russia: Omsk Telecom Temporarily Bans YouTube
For roughy seven hours earlier today, Rostelecom's customers in Omsk were unable to access YouTube. The short-lived ban prompted a flurry of panicked online activity, including urgent tweets [ru] from the city's most vocal netizen, Viktor Korb. The short-lived ban was apparently in response [ru] to YouTube hosting clips from the film “Innocence...
Sudan: YouTube Banned After Protesters Burn German Embassy
Angered by the trailer of a movie which insults Prophet Mohammed, made by an Egyptian in the United States and posted on YouTube, Sudanese protesters burned the German Embassy in Khartoum. Netizens weigh in as Sudanese authorities block access to video sharing site YouTube.
South Korea: Golden Lion Winner ‘Pieta’ Reveals Society's Dark Side
The Golden Lion award-winning Korean film 'Pieta', which is also South Korea's submission for the 2012 Academy Awards (in the foreign-language film category) has sparked social media buzz and ignited various public discussions in the Korean blogosphere this week.
Iran: Much Ado About Anti-Islam Movie
The Iranian government and protesters in Tehran joined in calls demanding for the US government to condemn anti-Islam movie, The Innocence of Muslims. The film has led to furious protests in several countries.
The Netherlands: Balkan Snapshots Festival 2012
Balkan Buro, a Dutch non-profit “dedicated to providing a platform for artistic and cultural encounters between Western and Southeastern Europe,” announces the Balkan Snapshots Festival 2012, which will take place in Amsterdam on Sept. 21-23: “three nights of music, creativity, movies and inspiring debates!”
Japan: Kansai Queer Film Festival Kicks Off
Japan's 7th Kansai Queer Film Festival kicks off in Osaka this weekend September 15-17, and will be held in Kyoto on October 12-14. It celebrates and shows various films that focus on diverse gender and sexuality issues around the world.
Kosovo: “Cinematic Darkness Knows No Nation”
At Kosovo 2.0 blog, Belgrade-based journalist Dušan Komarčević writes – here and here – about his July 2012 trip to Prizren, Kosovo, to attend the DOKUFEST International Documentary and Short Film Festival: […] The cinemas were filled with movie lovers from Kosovo, Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia,...
Video: San Cristobal Volcano Eruption in Northern Nicaragua
YouTube's Citizentube has a playlist of user submitted videos showing the dramatic volcanic eruptions of September 8th in Nicaragua. The San Cristobal volcano, the tallest in this Central American country, erupted at 9:02 am on Saturday, releasing steam and ash and causing authorities to evacuate more than 3000 people from Chinandega.
Africa: Children Film Education and Jobs
Our Africa is a project which lets children across Africa film education and jobs in their countries the way they see them.