Stories about Film from January, 2009
Iran: Watch “Rick Steves’ Iran”
Watch Rick Steves’ Iran film here.
Madagascar's resourceful kids
This week, two videos from Madagascar show us how children make do with their situation and rise above it using ingenuity, creativity and a bit of daring. First is Toky, who makes tin cars out of waste materials, and the other is the Green Boy, a kid who makes a living in the streets not by begging, but by showing off his acrobatic skills.
India: Reactions to Slumdog Millionaire
If you have not heard about Slumdog Millionaire then you must have missed all the buzz and the word of mouth publicity the film has got over the past few weeks. This surprise “underdog” film that almost did not make it to the movie theaters has won 4 Golden Globe...
Nigeria: Nollywood Babylon at Sundance Festival
“Nollywood Babylon” is a feature documentary about the explosive popularity of Nigeria’s movie industry popularly known as ‘Nolywood.”
Iran: 6000 paintings in a film
Pars Arts writes about Reza Dolatabadi's Khoda,a five minute film comprised of more than 6000 paintings produced over two years. You can watch the film here.
Philippines: World War 2 History in Indie Film
The acclaimed indie film Concerto: Davao War Diary depicts the interaction of a Filipino family with Japanese soldiers during the Second World War. Concerto, set in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, is based on true events. The film's trailer can be viewed on YouTube.
Russia: Notes on the Crisis, Movies
Megan Case writes about her trip to Russia: “Our friends had stories of their workplaces downsizing, several had been given an extra “vacation” (without pay) or received a pay cut. There seemed to be fewer cars on the road, which is only good for traffic and the environment, but a...
Egypt: Bloggers Divided over Geert Wilders
Amsterdam Appeals Court decided that Geert Wilders, Dutch MP, will be put on trial for his views on Islam. Wilders, and his movie had caused a huge anger wave last year, with both sides denouncing each other. While Perwin Ali thought he deserves to be tried, An Egyptian is blogging for his release.
Nepal: Bollywood Movie Banned Over Buddha Birthplace Row
A Bollywood movie titled ‘Chandni Chowk To China’ was banned in Nepal because a narrator in a scene suggested that the Buddha was born in India instead of Nepal. Badmas comments: “Such false information to the world through bollywood movie has made Nepalese people think, ‘Enough Is Enough’.”
Nigeria: Future Awards Winners 2009
Read this to know the winners of Future Awards 2009 in Nigeria.
Video: Slumdog Millionaire and the Indian Slums
Our new volunteer author for video, Ruchika Muchhala, writes in the Channel 19 blog about Slumdog Millionaire, a film set and filmed in Mumbai, India, which recently won 5 out of 6 Critics Choice Awards and also won all four of the awards it was nominated for at the Golden Globe Awards. This film has sparked debates about how it shows life in India's slums, and the attraction it holds for foreigners.
India: Much Ado About Slumdog Millionaire
Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan wrote on his blog that India has been portrayed as the Third World's dirty underbelly in Danny Boyle's film Slumdog Millionaire. Aditi Nadkarni at Desicritics has different take on this.
Chile: Videoblogging daily life
From Chile, Paloma Baytelman brings us snippets of daily life and other not-so-common events through her videoblog. Santa driving a bus, voting, and harrassment by costumed characters are only part of what she has uploaded on her site.
Cuba: Dealing with Racism
As a documentary on racial discrimination in Cuba is released, Havana Times.org republishes a mainstream media article on the debate, while Babalu Blog says: “I guess this reporter figured out that the overwhelmingly white leadership and the overwhelmingly black prison population in Cuba was not just a coincidence after all.”
Russia: Fate of Mennonites during Stalin
Otto's Random Thoughts publishes a review of a documentary film on the fate of Mennonites in Stalin's Russia.
Belarus: Minsk meets Hollywood
Andrei Khrapavitski of Belarusian American Blog shares his impressions of Defiance the first Hollywood blockbuster about Belarus – a story of World War II partisans – to hit international moviescreens.
Czech Republic: Havel and Klaus documentaries
Dr. Sean's Diary reviews two TV-documentaries of respectively Czech leaders Vaclac Klaus and Vaclav Havel.
Morocco: “We are all Hamas”
Allal El Alaoui posts a brief screenplay written about the ongoing attacks on Gaza.
