Stories about Film from August, 2010
Zimbabwe: Mugabe and the White African
Mugabe and the White African, is a documentary that chronicles the plight of Mike Campbell – a white African in his fight against the government of Robert Mugabe.
Morocco: Hating TV Dubbed in Arabic
Moroccan blogger Mohamed Mouad explains why he hates television shows which are dubbed in Arabic.
Japan: Anime Director Satoshi Kon's Last Message
Anime director Satoshi Kon died of pancreatic cancer on August 24th, at the age of 46. Kon's final message that was posted to his website resonated with fans around the world that mourn his passing.
Russia: Lake Baikal and James Cameron
Vadim Nikitin of FPA's Russia blog believes that Lake Baikal would be a “good fit” for James Cameron's “passionate environmental activism.”
Chile: Miners record on a video their living conditions
Through a video camera lowered down to them, the 33 trapped Chilean miners have recorded their living conditions in the refuge that kept them alive for the 21 days before they were found. In the video they send messages to their families and explain how they spend their days.
China: Fujian Netizen, Fan Yanqiong, Released from Prison
The last of the Fujian 3 netizens still in prison, Fan Yanqiong, was quietly released today on medical parole with nearly a year remaining on her sentence. Watch He Yang's new documentary on her story, as well as that of netizens You Jingyou and Wu Huaying, below the jump.
Taiwan: Who Needs A Founding Father?
Does Dr. Sun Yat-sen deserve the title of “the Founding Father of Republic of China (R.O.C)”? Is he really a flawless idealistic political leader and the hero behind the revolution that overthrew Qing Dynasty? The myth around Dr. Sun has been under scrutiny in Taiwan where people largely do not identify themselves as “Chinese” anymore.
Ghana: Sex Scenes in Ghanaian Movies
Nana Bosu notes that in an effort to appeal to African moviegoers and distinguish their films from Nigerian films, Ghanaian movie-makers include steamy sex scenes in their movies.
Venezuela: Rapper Defies New Ban Against Violent Images
Venezuelan rapper OneChot is using social media to distribute his video criticizing the violence in Venezuela in days after president Chavez declared a month long ban on media's use of violent images, triggering an investigation surrounding the video's release.
Burundi: At Rainbow's end
Christopher Redmonds blogs about the shooting of a new movie in Burundi: “The film is based on the true story of a man who fled to Tanzania in 1972 after coming home to find his wife and daughter murdered.”
Kenya: A Donkeymentary: Through the eyes of a donkey
Do you know what is a donkeymentary?: “It is basically a documentary with donkeys. Through the Eyes of a Donkey is a new film about Lamu, a small island just off the Kenyan coast, with about 24,000 people, some 6,000 donkeys, and just 2 cars.”
Video: Music videos under 99 USD
In an industry where expenses keep rising, making and promoting a music video can get tough. The 99 Dollar Music Video website gives bands and filmmakers a chance to shine with creative videos, shot in one day, edited in one day and costing no more than 99 US Dollars.
Egypt: Youth using social media to close the gap
Thirty young Egyptians joined hands to produce 10 social advertisements, aimed at social reform. Marwa Rakha takes a closer look at the “Closing The Gap” project, and shares some of the videos produced in this post.
Europe: Stranger Festival Film Submissions
The Stranger Film Festival is looking for creative short documentaries by youth (younger than 30) from European and neighboring countries in a variety of topics regarding European narratives. Submission deadline is on September 1st. via
Mexico: Citizen video and Drug Trafficking
Mexican bloggers debate whether citizen videos and pictures showing graphic violent crimes are an answer to what some say is the mass media's resistance to cover drug trafficking related violence or if it is just another way to spread fear and terror.
South Africa: The Liberation of Afrikaans
Sean Jacobs writes about a new film by a South African filmmaker Dylan Valley called Afrikaaps, which focuses on the neglected roots of the Afrikaans language.
Africa: African movies I would like to watch
Mighty African writes about new African movie he would like to watch: “First off…Themba is a South African movie with the tag line – A boy called Hope…Next up, we move to Kenya where we have a German-Kenyan collabo called Soul Boy…On to Bongo land [Tanzania], we have Lovely Gamble.”
Open Video Conference at New York City in October
The Open Video Conference at New York City in October 1st and 2nd, 2010 will explore the future of online video in different areas such as technology, creativity, business, public policy/law, education and activism.
Advocacy Video Toolkit Feedback
WITNESS is working on a Video Advocacy Toolkit and would like your input. With this information they would improve on the toolkits and make sure they cover most of the needs of people who work with or wish to work with video for advocacy purposes.
Thailand: 14th Thai Short Film & Video Festival
Wise Kwai's Thai Film Journal blogs about the 14th Thai Short Film & Video Festival which will open this month. In relation to the recent political chaos in the country, the festival will exhibit short films from other countries that deal with post-conflict stories.
Video Contest: Internet for Peace
The Internet has been nominated for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. As part of the ongoing debate on the contribution of Internet to our society, Condé Nast and Google Ireland have joined to organize this video contest and the winner will have the opportunity to travel and get their video featured on Italian MTV.
