Stories about Film from May, 2007
Lebanon: Rich Arab Rap Song
Lebanese blogger Leila links to a hilarious rap song by what is apparently a rich Arab.
Sierra Leone: State Led Prostitution, Diamond Tales, And More
After three years of peace following eleven years of civil war, Sierra Leone is engaged in concerted efforts to attract investors. The efforts, which are led by the the government of Sierra Leone and the the Department of International Development in the UK, involve a campaign, Sierra Leone: Back in Business. Sierra Leone, like many other African countries, is guilty of "state led prostitution" in its attempts to bring investors back into the country, argues Sweet Sierra Leone.
Kuwait: What Kuwaitis Did This Week?
It's been yet another busy week for Kuwaiti bloggers who give us a break down of their day to day activities. While one contemplates why he should register to attend a film festival, others are visiting relatives and friends, ordering lunches in, comparing hypermarket prices and scrutinising Google Earth for places they didn't know existed in their country. Abdullatif Al Omar has more.
DRC: Congolese Curious About Money Ocean's 13 Stars Raised for Darfur
Bien au Bout… writes about his neighbor, Karim, who asked to be shown photographs of Brad Pitt and George Clooney (Fr). Apparently, Karim was listening to the BBC and heard about an event in Cannes organized by Ocean's 13 stars Pitt, Clooney, Matt Damon and Don Cheadle that raised $9.2...
Nepal: The Mount Everest Buzz
Every mountaineering season, Mount Everest attracts hundreds of climbers from all over the world. Sherpas are key to successful ascent, but they do not get due credit.
Cameroon: Nkuma, a new movie about female genital mutilation
Dibussi Tande reviews a new Cameroonian movie, Nkuma: “Nkuma is a simple but interesting film which shows that FGM is a complex issue which is more than just about the sexist agenda of patriarchal Africa. It also has the merit of steering away from off-putting preachy and moralistic discourse aimed...
Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Drummer Muhtadi Thomas
Geoffrey Philp features Trinidad multi-media artist Elspeth Duncan as she talks about the experience of working on a Leda Serene documentary about Master drummer Muhtadi Thomas: “I asked him if he would open our filming session in the same way that he opens his drumming sessions, with his hands playing...
Venezuela: Glover's Film to be Financed by Government
Tomas Sancio reacts to the news that the Venezuela government will help finance a movie project by Danny Glover about the Haitian revolution led by Touissant L'Overture. He writes in his blog, Venezuelan Politics, “You have to be really irresponsible to approve such an expense when the same newspaper reports...
Russia: Documentary on Litvinenko at Cannes
Sean's Russia Blog writes more on the Litvinenko case – and on the documentary on the subject to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday.
D. R. Congo: Park Rangers Attacked, Flying over Katanga, Music meets Social Activism, and Ants 2 – Brian 0
Access to the Internet in the Democratic Republic of Congo is gradually improving (World Bank figures suggest there are already over 6 million users), but will remain prohibitively expensive as long as service providers are dependent on satellite connections. In such a context, it should come as no surprise that there are only a handful of Congolese bloggers. Chatrooms and instant messaging are very popular, however, and with the influence of the Diaspora, it’s easy to imagine that many more young Congolese people will soon be following the footsteps of pioneers like Cedric, perhaps blogging in Lingala, Luba, Kikongo and Swahili as well as French.
India: We are talking Bollywood
If you can't beat them, join them appears to be the motto of Eros, which distributes Bollywood films outside India. Eros has decided to partner with YouTube and has created a Bollywood Channel. Eros will share its content and in the process make some money. Krishworld writes: This is the...
India: Reviewing Protocols of Zion
Dispatches from Zembla on a documentary called Protocols of Zion. “Most of the footage and interviews shown in the film are truly frightening and to ignore them as works of a lunatic fringe will be a serious mistake. Having said that, the film doesn't really get into really troubled waters,...
Russia: Chechnya Documentary
A Step At A Time links to a Zarema Mukusheva’s Crying Sun: The Impact of War in the Mountains of Chechnya documentary on Google Video.
Kuwait: Iraq Invasion Home Video
Lebanese blogger Mark posts links to two home videos made by a Kuwaiti mother, which bring back a chilling reminder to the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
Central African Republic: Bangui International Human Rights Festival
The first Bangui International Human Rights Film Festival (Fr) starts on May 22 with the support of the French organization Alliance and the EU, writes the blog of the Alliance for Democracy and Progress.
Korea: 518, Gwangju Massacre
It was 518. A number Koreans don’t forget. Blogs were filled with ‘518’ for several days in order to commemorate the Gwangju Massacre (Gwangju Democratizaion Movement) on the 18th of May, 1980. A blogger, thirdtype, posted a five minute video clip and the stories of the deceased. Bloggers, like qts,...
Tanzania: Bongoland (film) update
Latest update on the Tanzanian film, Bongoland: “After watching Bongoland, the former prime minister remarked that it was a very good movie and wishes that most people in Tanzania could see it…”especially the youth”. Chemi run into the Prime Minister in Cambridge Mass. where he is pursuing studies at Harvard...
Self reflection and the search for meaning in the Ugandan Blogosphere
The Ugandan bloggers are having an existential crisis of sorts. The self-examination among the Blogren, as they’ve started calling each other, began in January when several bloggers objected to the establishment of Uganda Bloggers Happy Hour and the Uganda Best of Blog awards.
Uganda:
Observations about the Ugandan blogosphere from the makers of Ugandan Blogumentary: “[Blogren] the term was invented and introduced by the Ugandan blogger the 27th comrade on February 6. 2007 to respond to his fellow citizens (please correct us if we’re wrong). What the blogrens have in common is their love...
Japan: The Ongoing Geisha Saga
Marie Mockett from Japundit gives an update on the dispute over violating the privacy of Mineko Iwaaki in “Memoirs of a Geisha.”
Lebanon: The Lebanese Oscars
“The Murex d’Or 2006 ceremony finally held last week, after few months delay, at the Casino du Liban.The Murex D’or, also known as the Golden Murex Award, is one of the most important award ceremonies which takes place in Lebanon and honors Lebanese and Arab personalities who play a major...
