The ‘Vishwaroopam’ Ban: Attack on Freedom of Speech?

The screening of Kamal Haasan's big budget Bollywood movie Vishwaroopam was banned in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu after Islamic organizations protested the depiction of the Muslim community. Actor-Director Haasan is fighting the matter in court and many have condemned the ban as an attack on freedom of speech.

An ‘Evolution in Thinking’ in Afghanistan

Afghans and some foreign observers claim that Afghanistan is a vastly different country now than it was under the Taliban. Few of these observers can tangibly explain exactly what they mean by this change apart from pointing to the number of students in school, the proliferation of TV channels and the improved road networks... [I]t’s the evolution in thinking and expectations that has made Afghanistan such a different place now than it was a mere 10 years ago.

France: NGOs Condemn Privatisation of Public Domain

Seven European free culture associations issued a statement [fr] protesting against a public-private partnership between the French National Library BNF and Proquest database [fr], whose aim is to digitize a large amount of Public Domain works and privatize them with an exclusivity period of commercialization of ten years. Activist Philippe...

Skills of a Chinese Police Porn Examiner

Alia from China Beat puts together a picture about the work and requirement of being a police Porn examiner in China: To be a porn examiner, one has to be an “outstanding, well-behaved and highly politically-sensitive” police officer who “won’t have any problems after watching porn materials.”

Cuban Filmmakers Take Over Digital Technologies

In Cuba, filmmakers and new directors have started to take over new technologies to keep down the costs of production of audiovisual effects, and to tell stories that would otherwise not have seen the light of day.

“How Are You in Bamako ?” A Conversation with Awa in Mali

Anne Morin and Awa Traoré exchange on daily life in Bamako, fragile wages, cost of living and political uncertainty as the war rages on in the country.

2012: A Year of Revolt and Social Change in Francophone Countries: Part 2

This second part of our 2012 review in the Francophone world features civil rebellion and governance problems in Togo, Chad and Madagascar, citizen initiatives in Senegal, fight for more transparency in public affairs in Cameroon and ongoing debates on social issues in France.

Peruvian Cinema 2012

On December 2012, blog Cinencuentro had its yearly survey [es] about the best Peruvian film on 2012, where the winner was [es] documentary “Lima Bruja” [Witch Lima]: that aims to rescue that other side of popular music from our city, the one of the neighborhood jaranas [parties] and its mosts...

Ecuador: “Children of the Jaguar” Documentary Wins National Geographic Prize

"Children of the Jaguar" is a vivid documentary that helps us to reflect on the damage caused by multinationals who attempt to exploit the oil reserves of the Ecuadorian Amazon forest and on the constant struggle by local inhabitants to defend their lands.

China's Low Budget Film “Lost in Thailand” Breaks Box Office Records

The movie about two rival business managers has become the most commercially successful Chinese film to date. Via Beijing Cream.