Forerunner Film Festival

This engaging documentary gives new meaning to the term ‘role model.’ Normally we think of children learning from their elders, but here is the story of an 11-year-old girl who is already inspiring adults to make a difference.

When she was just 5, Hannah Taylor spotted her first homeless person in the back alleys of Winnipeg. This experience not only troubled her but it drove her to do nothing less than change the world, leading to the establishment of the impressive Ladybug Foundation. Under Hannah’s leadership, that charity has raised over a million dollars, literally making change for those lacking life’s basic needs.

As this absorbing documentary shows, Hannah insists on being seen as normal, but clearly she possesses an extraordinary can-do attitude. Her message is disarmingly straightforward, coming as it does from “little kid type theories”: “share a little of what you have and always care about others.” Whether it’s organizing Big Boss lunches, speaking to students or to a prime minister, Hannah’s capacity to help others is huge, unflagging, and, ultimately, humbling. We all have a lot to learn from Hannah’s Story.

2007, 29 min

http://www.nfb.ca/collection/films/fiche/?id=54288

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Tags: Biography, Documentary, Social Justice // Add Comment »

In a small New Zealand coastal village, Maori claim descent from Paikea, the Whale Rider. In every generation for more than 1000 years, a male heir born to the Chief succeeds to the title.

The time is now. The Chief’s eldest son, Porourangi, fathers twins – a boy and a girl. But the boy and his mother die in childbirth. The surviving girl is named Pai.

Grief-stricken, her father leaves her to be raised by her grandparents. Koro, her grandfather who is the Chief, refuses to acknowledge Pai as the inheritor of the tradition and claims she is of no use to him. But her grandmother, Flowers, sees more than a broken line, she sees a child in desperate need of love.

And Koro learns to love the child. When Pai’s father, Porourangi, now a feted international artist, returns home after twelve years, Koro hopes everything is resolved and Porourangi will to accept destiny and become his successor.

But Porourangi has no intention of becoming Chief. He has moved away from his people both physically and emotionally. After a bitter argument with Koro he leaves, suggesting to Pai that she come with him. She starts the journey but quickly returns, claiming her grandfather needs her.

Koro is blinded by prejudice and even Flowers cannot convince him that Pai is the natural heir. The old Chief is convinced that the tribe’s misfortunes began at Pai’s birth and calls for his people to bring their 12-year-old boys to him for training. He is certain that through a gruelling process of teaching the ancient chants, tribal lore and warrior techniques, the future leader of their tribe will be revealed to him.

Meanwhile, deep within the ocean, a massive herd of whales is responding, drawn towards Pai and their twin destinies.

When the whales become stranded on the beach, Koro is sure this signals an apocalyptic end to his tribe. Until one person prepares to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the people…the Whale Rider.

http://www.whaleriderthemovie.com/

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Tags: Drama, Reform // Add Comment »

THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK exposes the tragedy taking place in Darfur as seen through the eyes of an American witness who has since returned to the US to take action to stop it.

Using the exclusive photographs and first hand testimony of former U.S. Marine Captain Brian Steidle, THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK takes the viewer on an emotionally charged journey into the heart of Darfur, Sudan, where an Arab run government is systematically executing a plan to rid the province of it’s black African citizens. As an official military observer, Steidle had access to parts of the country that no journalist could penetrate. He was unprepared for what he would witness and experience, including being fired upon, taken hostage, and being unable to intervene to save the lives of young children. Ultimately frustrated by the inaction of the international community, Steidle resigned and returned to the US to expose the images and stories of lives systematically destroyed.

An INTERNATIONAL FILM CIRCUIT release of a BREAK THRU FILMS production in association with GLOBAL GRASSROOTS & THREE GENERATIONS.

COMING TO SELECT THEATERS STARTING JULY 25TH, 2007

http://www.thedevilcameonhorseback.com/

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The Corporation is an incredibly strong documentary film that breaks down the concept of ‘corporation’ comparing it to the profile of a psychopath. Using humor, factoids and interviews from an impressive panel that includes commentators, such as Michael Moore, Naomi Klein, Noam Chomsky and CEOs from some of the world’s biggest companies, the film traces the history of corporations. It reveals to us how corporations managed to have arrived at a place where they may be compared to a psychopath.

From the film we learn that the corporation is, after all, a legal entity that has the same rights as a human being under the present law. However, unlike an actual human who has to answer to the people around him, the corporation is only accountable to its bottom line, suggest the filmmakers.

Read the full review here: http://www.movieweb.com/movies/film/83/2383/review397.php

Corporate ownership and control of economics superseds the power of the government and is the greatest threat to personal freedom on the earth. This is an important film for people to see……

Paul Weigel

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Ecological Footprint with Mathis Wackernagel

The Australian state of Victoria’s plan to measure their ecological objectives. A good explanation of the term which has become widely used.

EPA has worked with the Global Footprint Network to develop a documentary film about Ecological Footprint. This resource, “The Ecological Footprint: Accounting for a Small Planet”, is available for download in Windows Media file format here:

http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/ecologicalfootprint/about/documentarydvd.asp

Tags: Documentary, Environmental // Add Comment »

The Film: “Ecological Design: Inventing The Future” is in many ways the progenitor and precursor of Genius Loci Gallery. A winner of multiple independent film awards, this documentary has dropped a stone in the pond of the world’s conciousness, the effect of which are ripples that are beginning to mount into much larger waves. One of these very substantial “ripples” is the book: “Design Outlaws” now in its fifth printing. We encourage you to avail yourself of this rich compendium of some of the greatest minds that this century – and for that matter -
any century has known. Enjoy and discover some new pathways to a more liveable future…

http://www.geniusloci.com/eco.html

Tags: Documentary, Environmental // Add Comment »

2007, 80 min – National Film Board of Canada

In Toxic Trespass, intrepid filmmaker Barri Cohen launches an investigation into the effects of the chemical soup around us. She starts with her 10-year-old daughter, whose blood carries carcinogens like benzene and the long-banned DDT. Then, Cohen heads out to Windsor and Sarnia: Canadian toxic hotspots, with startling clusters of deadly diseases.
Here, everyone seems to know children who have suffered respiratory illnesses, leukemia, brain tumours and other illnesses. And on the Native reserve of Aamjiwnaang, ringed by Sarnia’s “chemical valley,” the film reveals a startling birth rate problem that officials just can’t ignore.

Cohen journeys into toxic nightmares all too common in industrialized countries. She meets passionate activists working for positive change, along with doctors and scientists who see evidence of links between environmental pollution and health problems. And she learns how quickly barriers can go up when anyone tries to even ask questions about the connection betweeen toxins and serious health problems.

Perhaps most appalling – and funny, in their own twisted way – are the roadblocks Cohen encounters when she tries to get information from federal officials. One tells her his department is “planning to discuss the plans.”

This moving documentary is empowering and leavened with wry humour. Carried by Cohen’s passion for truth and her disarming openness, it is essential viewing for anyone concerned about the effects of pollutants on our – and our children’s – very DNA. Toxic Trespass is accompanied by a comprehensive guidebook for educators, activists and concerned citizens, produced by the Women’s Healthy Environment Network.

http://www.nfb.ca/collection/films/fiche/?id=54100

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U.S.A., 2007, 93 mins, Color – Documentary

Irena Salina’s cautionary documentary is determined to stir things up. Water, the quintessence of life, sustains every creature on Earth. The time has come when we can no longer take this precious resource for granted. Unless we effect global change, impoverished nations could be wiped from the planet. Roused by a thirst for survival, people around the world are fighting for their birthright.

Under the cover of darkness, African plumbers secretly reconnect shantytown water pipes to ensure a community’s survival. A California scientist exposes toxic public water supplies. A “water guru” promotes community-based initiatives to provide water throughout India. The CEO of a billion-dollar water company argues for privatization as the wave of the future. A Canadian author pops the cork on bottled water, unveiling the disturbing realities that drive profits in the global water business.

Flow: For Love of Water is an inspired, yet disturbingly provocative, wake-up call. The future of our planet is drying up rapidly. Focusing on pollution, human rights, politics, and corruption, filmmaker Salina constructs an exceptionally articulate profile of the precarious relationship uniting human beings and water. While each community’s challenges are unique, the message is universal–the time to turn the tide is now.
In Theatres Aug/Sept 2008 – don’t miss it.
Director(s): Irena Salina
Executive Producer: Stephen Nemeth
Producer: Steven Starr

http://flowthefilm.com/about.php

Tags: Documentary, Environmental, Science and Technology // Add Comment »

U.S.A., 2007, 90 mins, Color – Documentary

Most Americans know we’ve got a problem: an addiction to oil that taxes the environment, entangles us in costly foreign policies, and threatens the nation’s long-term stability. But few are informed or empowered enough to do much about it. Enter Josh Tickell, an expert young activist who, driven by his own emotionally charged motives, shuttles us on a revelatory, whirlwind journey to unravel this addiction—from its historical origins to political constructs that support it, to alternatives available now and the steps we can take to change things.

Tickell tracks the rising domination of the petrochemical industry—from Rockefeller’s strategy to halt ethanol use in Ford’s first cars to the mysterious death of Rudolph Diesel at the height of his biodiesel engine’s popularization, to our government’s choice to declare war after 9/11, rather than wean the country from fossil fuel. Never minimizing the complexities of ending oil dependence, Tickell uncovers a hopeful reality pointing toward a decentralized, sustainable energy infrastructure—like big rigs tanking up on biofuel at Carl’s Corner Texas truck stop, a new Brooklyn biodiesel plant serving three states, a miraculous Arizona algae-based fuel farm, and the Swedish public voting to be petroleum free by 2020.

Sweeping and exhilarating, Tickell’s passionate film goes beyond great storytelling; it rings out like a bell that stirs consciousness and makes individual action suddenly seem consequential.

Director(s): Josh Tickell
Screenwriter(s): Johnny O’Hara

http://www.fieldsoffuel.com/

See the Trailer – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOsQILZFJE8

Tags: Documentary, Economy, Environmental, Science and Technology // 1 Comment »

U.S.A., 2008, 85 mins, Color and Black and White – Documentary

The “classification universe” is invisible to most of us, yet the production of governmental classified secret documents involves millions of people. And government secrecy is growing, vastly outpacing the circulation of open information. The statistics, as much as can be gathered, are staggering. In a single recent year, the United States government classified about five times the number of pages added to the Library of Congress; the cost is about eight billion dollars a year–just to keep secrets secret.

Now, 70 years after the builders of the bomb created a national information security system and just a few years after 9/11, a government secrecy crisis is looming. The combination of a declared war on terrorism and the curtailment of civil liberties sets the stage to ask some critical questions. When does security erode, rather than enhance, democracy? Can burying too much information actually undermine national security?

Secrecy, the stylistically elegant and provocative new film by Robb Moss and Peter Galison, explores the hidden world of national security policy by examining the many implications of secrecy, both for government and individuals. Combining animation, installations, a mesmerizing score, and riveting interviews, the film takes us inside the inverted world of government secrecy as we share the experiences of lawyers, CIA analysts, and the ordinary people for whom secrecy becomes a matter of life and death.

Director(s): Peter Galison, Robb Moss

http://www.secrecyfilm.com/

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U.S.A., 2008, 85 mins, Color Documentary

Wake up, America! We’re on the brink of a financial meltdown. I.O.U.S.A. boldly examines the rapidly growing national debt and its consequences for the United States and its citizens. As the Baby Boomer generation prepares to retire, will there even be any Social Security benefits left to collect? Burdened with an ever-expanding government and military, increased international competition, overextended entitlement programs, and debts to foreign countries that are becoming impossible to honor, America must mend its spendthrift ways or face an economic disaster of epic proportions.

Throughout history, the American government has found it nearly impossible to spend only what has been raised through taxes. Wielding candid interviews with both average American taxpayers and government officials, Sundance veteran Patrick Creadon (Wordplay) helps demystify the nation’s financial practices and policies. The film follows U.S. Comptroller General David Walker as he crisscrosses the country explaining America’s unsustainable fiscal policies to its citizens.

With surgical precision, Creadon interweaves archival footage and economic data to paint a vivid and alarming profile of America’s current economic situation. The ultimate power of I.O.U.S.A. is that the film moves beyond doomsday rhetoric to proffer potential financial scenarios and propose solutions about how we can recreate a fiscally sound nation for future generations. Pointedly topical and consummately nonpartisan, I.O.U.S.A. drives home the message that the only time for America’s financial future is now.

Director(s): Patrick Creadon
Screenwriter(s): Patrick Creadon, Christine O’Malley, Addison Wiggin

http://www.agorafinancial.com/iousa.html

Tags: Documentary, Economy, Government // 1 Comment »

The documentary, broadcast on HBO throughout November & December 2006, exposes the dangers of voting machines used during America’s mid term and presidential elections. Electronic voting machines count approximately 90% of America’s votes in county, state and federal elections. The technology is also increasingly being used across the world, including in Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe and Latin America. Filmed over three years this exposé follows the investigations of a team of citizen activists and hackers as they take on the electronic voting industry, targeting the Diebold corporation

“Hacking Democracy” uncovers incendiary evidence from the trash cans of Texas to the ballot boxes of Ohio, exposing secrecy, votes in the trash, hackable software and election officials rigging the presidential recount.

Ultimately proving our votes can be stolen without a trace. “Hacking Democracy” culminates in the famous ‘Hursti Hack’; a duel between the Diebold voting machines and a computer hacker from Finland – with America’s democracy at stake.

“Hacking Democracy” was Executive Produced by Sarah Teale & Sian Edwards of

Teale-Edwards Productions LLC

http://www.hackingdemocracy.com/

NEWS:

Diebold Machines Miscount New Hampshire Primary

New Hampshire’s 2008 primary election used Diebold “Accu-Vote” machines to scan and count 80% of the votes. These are the same machines that were hacked by the famous Finnish hacker Harri Hursti in “Hacking Democracy”. The hand recount of New Hampshire’s paper ballots has already revealed unexplained machine miscounts in Hillsborough County, NH:

The New Hampshire statewide hand recount was begun by Democrat candidate Dennis Kucinich and Republican candidate Albert Howard amid “serious and credible reports, allegations and rumors about the integrity of Tuesday’s results”

Follow the story on Bev Harris’ BlackBoxVoting forums, and at BradBlog

Tags: Documentary, Government // 1 Comment »

Twan Huys, Director 2006, 45 min (not to be confused with the erotic book by the same name)

Somali-born author, political activist and critic of Islam, Ayaan Hirsi Ali became world famous when her collaborator, Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh, was murdered by a radical Islamist. Hirsi Ali wrote the screenplay for Van Gogh’s “Submission”, a provocative short film critical of Muslim treatment of women. Filmmaker Twan Huys follows Hirsi Ali as she endures death threats and travels to the United States, where she takes a job at a conservative think-tank and is named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential persons of the world.

Fore more information about Hirsi Ali see another Forerunner Project web site : www.wisdom-radio.com (You Can Fight City Hall)

and here:

http://www.sundancechannel.com/films/500315295

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Djanta, a bright young female student, returns to her parent’s village at the behest of the pastor who raised her since she was a child. There, she is surprised to find that her family wishes to marry her to a man to whom she was betrothed as a baby. Djanta runs away from the village, returns to university and sets about to free women from traditional constraints. But is this even possible?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1039893/

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Alliance for Justice has produced a provocative short documentary entitled Quiet Revolution. Hosted by Emmy award-winning actor Bradley Whitford. The film features U.S. Senator Barack Obama and describes how an increasingly influential movement on the far right has waged a sustained war on the Constitution as we know it. Ultra-conservative politicians, judges, professors and activists would overturn decades of precedent to shred the fabric of popular laws protecting workers, consumers and public health, expand executive power at the expense of basic civil liberties, and impose a narrow social agenda on the rest of the body politic.

http://www.afj.org/for-nonprofits-foundations/resources-and-publications/free-resources/film-quiet-revolution-1.html

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The Women of Tibet film project consists of three one-hour documentary films revealing potent historical moments of past and contemporary Tibet. The films touch on themes of women’s endurance and their struggle for freedom, social justice, peace, and human rights. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Himalayas, the Women of Tibet film trilogy shows the strength and perseverance of a people dedicated to the principles of peace, non-violence, and compassion.

http://www.womenoftibet.org/pages/index.php

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Strong Love is the story of world-class weight lifter Jon Shapiro and his childhood sweetheart Holly James, both of whom were born with Down syndrome. This documentary follows the couple over the course of three years, starting with their decision to get married. Their challenges, their triumphs, and their complex, sometimes surprising relationships with family and friends are at the heart of this inspiring film.

http://www.bonnieburt.com/movies/strong-love.html

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Their country asked them to kill. Their hearts asked them to stop.
From West Point grads to drill sergeants, from Abu Ghraib interrogators to low ranking reservist-mechanics; soldiers in the US Army today reveal their deepest moral concerns about what they are asked to do in war.

AWARDS:
Best Documentary | Salem Film Festival (2008)
Finalist – Best Documentary | Denver Film Festival (2007)
Best Film – Conflict and Resolution Category | Hamptons International Film Festival (2007)
Best Documentary | Rhode Island International Film Festival (2007)
Best Documentary | Foyle Film Festival, Northern Ireland (2007)

See the trailer: http://www.socfilm.com/

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Boy, what a frustrating film to watch….even though it is very good and has been a part of my collection for a number of years now. Still, it’s hard to see the good guy, the little guy, beaten up by the big guys. Here’s one story where Goliath beats David.

Anyway, this was an interesting supposedly- true-life story of how Preston Tucker got a raw deal form the Big Three car-makers of the day, and by the government after he built a much better automobile in 1948. The film details how the big boys made sure Tucker’s company never sold any of those cars.

As mentioned, it’s maddening to watch at times, to hear lies and false charges brought against a man who had the right ideas about car safety and engineering and was way ahead of his time.

The 1940s atmosphere in this film is very good and the old music is fun to hear, too. The cinematography is great, too, with some tinted vintage-type color at times. It looks wonderful on DVD.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096316/

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A classic story of one person making a world of difference.

More details here…..

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113862/

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“God afton, herr Wallenberg” is perhaps one of the most emotionally engaging films I have ever seen. Even though it’s a good film, it deals with a difficult topic of the Jewish concentration camps and the systematic destruction of a people. Wallenburg, stands against the powerful Nazis at great risk he rescues many Jews who would have been killed otherwise. He is a good example of a forerunner.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099673/

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Mr. Gowariker has selected an incredible cast with Aamir Khan in the lead. He makes an stunning performance as the village rebel, Bhuvan. He tries to unite the village in a struggle for life against the greedy Britons. The Britons exploit the villages by collecting lagaan (tax). This means that most of the harvest surplus is gone and there is just enough left for food for the farmers themselves. It’s a classic war between “David”, the native villagers of India, and “Goliath”, the powerful and greedy Britons. But what makes it really interesting is that this war is fought in a Cricket arena. This is a challenge from the Britons, who are well known with Cricket, against the village, where most people have never laid eyes upon a cricket bat. If the villagers win, there will be no lagaan at all, for three years! And if the Britons win, they will collect triple lagaan, which will mean the end of the village. The stakes could not be higher!!

I can’t remember a movie being this thrilling and having so much life in it. And the music has a huge impact thanks to the great voices of Udit Narayan, Lata Mangeshkar etc. And the dancing is a chapter in itself! Few or none will leave this movie not remembering the song “Mitwa, sun Mitwa”. It is a must see for everyone, inside and outside of India. And this movies has been totally righteously nominated for an Oscar too, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it goes all the way to the top. It has my vote! It gets 10 out of 10 from me. Excellent!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0169102/

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“Romero” is about injustice in the world but presents this theme without “preaching.” It draws in the viewer through the excellent performance of Raul Julia (rest his soul! he is missed!). “Romero” is also about class differences and the intolerance of the powerful towards social change. It’s a great film for teaching Americans about what life is like in the rest of the world. It’s a Hollywood film that managed not to go Hollywood.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098219/

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In the days when ships measured themselves by yardage of sail and bank of cannon, knowing your north-south latitude was easy. Finding your east-west longitude however (and keeping your ship off the reefs) was hit-and-miss. That could get you killed. The cure was to know the time in London, precisely, but keeping time accurate on a rolling ship was tougher than keeping milk fresh; pendulum clocks need stable ground, and pendulum clocks were all they had.

Queen Anne (Br., 1665-1714) had another idea: a 20,000 pound-sterling prize to anyone who had a solution. Problem was, no one expected a country carpenter cum-clockmaker to do it. John Harrison (Michael Gambon) was that carpenter, and it became *his* problem–a three-decades-long problem. It would also pose one for Rupert Gould (Jeremy Irons) two centuries later, as a marriage-busting, sanity-breaking obsession over restoring Harrison’s neglected prototypes: clocks that could keep time at sea better than the quartz-timed digital you might be wearing now.

“Longitude” weaves seamlessly–almost–between the two eras, tracking the exertions and miseries of John Harrison and Rupert Gould with the same kind of synchronicity Harrison spent half his life pitching to astronomers who had scarce respect for the tinkerings of a hayseed. Michael Gambon’s passionate performance as John Harrison is truly Oscar-calibre, eclipsing Irons–but only because the tunnel-visioned Rupert Gould is hardly a vehicle for the memorable. Too bad this was “only” a TV mini-series. As a theatrical release it would have lent due reknown to a scarce-remembered true epic of genius.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0192263/

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Review Summary

The Long Walk Home is a recreation of a troubled era in American history. The time is 1955; the place, Montgomery, Alabama. When Rosa Parks, an African American woman, is arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man, it is the first volley in the great Bus Boycott, organized by Dr. Martin Luther King in order to desegregate the Birmingham transportation system. The boycott is a decided inconvenience for Miriam Thompson (Sissy Spacek), a well-to-do white woman. Now, Miriam must drive to the black section of town to pick up her maid Odessa Cotter (Whoopi Goldberg) and bring her to work. Outside of her own social circle, Miriam realizes for the first time just how privileged, sheltered and self-centered her life has been. What brings this fact home is the realization that Odessa has literally been raising two families: the Thompsons’ and her own. Odessa has also sacrificed her own health and wellbeing to serve her employers without question or complaint. Awakened to the true inequities of “Separate But Equal”, and impressed by Dr. King’s edict of nonviolent resistance, Miriam joins the boycott. This stirs up the racist feelings harbored by Miriam’s husband Norman (Dwight Schultz), who at the behest of his goonish brother Tunker (Dylan Baker) joins the Klanlike White Citizen’s Council. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/29947/The-Long-Walk-Home/overview

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“This movie had to win Best Picture.” I think it’s one of the best epics of all time. It masterfully tells one of the most important stories of the 20th century, that of India’s struggle to free itself, spearheaded by one of the most extraordinary men of all time, Mahatma Gandhi. I would be hard pressed to name anything lacking about it. Direction, cinematography, costumes, they’re all great. And Ben Kingsley! Without a doubt his portrayal of Gandhi is one of the best performances of his career, if not THE best. Playing the pacifist Indian lawyer-turned-leader couldn’t have been an easy task, and I don’t think anyone could have pulled it off as well as he did. This movie deserves all the praise anyone gives it and more. Excellent.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083987/

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This film is in no way a documentary, but the filming style and plot line lend to its feeling so. Sally Field’s acting in this movie is impeccable. She becomes Norma Rae. We see her fear, her disgust, her anger at the mill’s treatment of its employees, and the passion she has for what she believes in. Although the best known scene from the movie is her standing at the mill with the “Union” sign, I believe the most memorable scene is towards the end when she talks to her children, telling them what to expect. The movie tends to turn away from her children, but this scene focuses in on her relationship with them. Beau Bridges is great, and the character of the Union leader (can’t remember his name) is terrific. The sexual tension between Norma Rae and he is palpable. I strongly recommend this film to any Sally Field fans, or anyone interested in social issue films.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079638/

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This is a very powerful film from the wonderful Phillip Noyce (The Quiet American) and its based on the shameful history in Australia where aborigine children were taken by force from their families and tribes to camps and taught to be servants. In the film 3 sisters escape and venture to walk 1,500 miles back to their tribe. The title refers to a fenceline that stretches for thousands of miles and the girls follow it. The wonderful aborigine actor David Gulpilil (Walkabout) plays a scout that is tracking the girls and Kenneth Branaugh plays an officer that is in charge of the whole operation. I guess the main flaw in the film would be the middle where most of the walking takes place and the film really slows down but its not a major complaint. The 1,500 mile trek is expertly paced and the film is by no means dull. Rather, its fascinating! The real footage that we see at the end of the film is so powerful that the whole essence of what you have just watched becomes even more devastating. This is more than just an important film, its a documentation of an ugly and shameful part of Australian history. A must see!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252444/

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For filmmaker Rob Stewart, exploring sharks began as an underwater adventure. What it turned into was a beautiful and dangerous life journey into the balance of life on earth.

Driven by passion fed from a lifelong fascination with sharks, Stewart debunks historical stereotypes and media depictions of sharks as bloodthirsty, man-eating monsters and reveals the reality of sharks as pillars in the evolution of the seas.

Filmed in visually stunning, high definition video, Sharkwater takes you into the most shark rich waters of the world, exposing the exploitation and corruption surrounding the world’s shark populations in the marine reserves of Cocos Island, Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.

In an effort to protect sharks, Stewart teams up with renegade conservationist Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Their unbelievable adventure together starts with a battle between the Sea Shepherd and shark poachers in Guatemala, resulting in pirate boat rammings, gunboat chases, mafia espionage, corrupt court systems and attempted murder charges, forcing them to flee for their lives.

Through it all, Stewart discovers these magnificent creatures have gone from predator to prey, and how despite surviving the earth’s history of mass extinctions, they could easily be wiped out within a few years due to human greed.

Stewart’s remarkable journey of courage and determination changes from a mission to save the world’s sharks, into a fight for his life, and that of humankind.

http://www.sharkwater.com/index.php

Tags: Documentary, Environmental, World Issues // Add Comment »

Jean Dominique might have been just another impressionable and hard-working radio personality/journalist in Haiti had it not been for the fact that the country was, and more than likely still is, caught in the quagmire of political unrest and violence always in the air. Because of repression, of military coups, of democracy becoming like something of an inside joke in countries outside of Haiti (the US saying they would give aid on one hand while on the other the CIA making sure the military dictators stood in reign), Dominique had no choice as a voice of reason for some semblance of order to reach the people. Free speech is a big theme running throughout The Agonomist, probably the most politically charged film Jonathan Demme has ever made (and second only to Philadelphia, for its time period, as being the most timely), as the independently run Haiti radio station becomes like a battered wife, sustaining lots of bullet-holes on its exterior, occasionally with some of its workers being thrown in jail or the equipment being destroyed, depending on who’s suddenly taken control of the country.

So that’s one side that makes the film compelling, is the whole facet of the power of some voice reaching the people, of ideas being stirred by more than just simplistic entertainment as opposed to the run-of-the-mill tactics of the Haitian government(s) at their worst, which is to keep them shut out and afraid. You can tell the bitterness through Dominique’s dark sarcasm interviewed while in quasi-exile in the early 90s. But there’s another side to Dominique’s saga that makes him such an important figure, and such a worthy subject for Demme, which is that before free speech can even really be seen as something permanent there has to be stability, some real sense of hope, that there can be trust in those in power to not be like rough-and-tough Stalinists and give the people a real say. One sees however, and this is what adds to its timeliness given the state of Iraq, is the fragility of democracy in a country where power by militaristic means is the easy route. Aristide is, for quite a few years, seen as a figure-head of peace and leadership, and one of the key struggles was his reinstatement in the country as the president.

But then one sees little by little the cracks showing (there’s a great scene with an audio interview with Dominique asking tough questions to Aristide), corruption within the folds of the government, and soon enough it starts all over again- with harsher results for Dominique, who continued to stand up against just as sinister (if not more insidious) a threat than militaristic dominance: corporations. Demme’s approach to telling this story is important because he keeps Dominique as such a smart, amusing but critical force in his interview segments that the storytelling has to come back around to him, as someone who is an outsider to the social unrest but embedded in giving some spirit through his speech. In a sense it’s a very bleak film, where there is no answer given to what will come of the Haitian people, the peasants who have tried to flee the country, or are beaten down or killed, or who sometimes do revolt, and there’s still no way to know if there can be democracy.

Yet it is positive- and thanks to Wyclef Jean’s surprising score energetic- about the possibilities of charging up a national consciousness; without Dominique and radio Haiti when it was on it is questionable whether or not it would’ve made a difference as far as historical changes to the infrastructure, yet there was a presence, some kind of critic ala philosophers in Greece who could say ‘hold on, what the hell is going on?’ It’s absorbing documentary film-making all the way.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377031/

Tags: Biography, Documentary, Social Justice // Add Comment »

2001- 7 children, 7 hates, 7 different lives, 7 possibilities, 1 meeting and 1 million chances to peace. “Promises” is a shiny and wonderful documentary about the conflicts between Israel and Palestine showed by children. It’s extraordinary to see them talking about the conflicts: they repeat their parents’ opinion until the director B.Z. suggests a meeting. Some agree; others no. And the great moment of “Promises” is their meeting, when they’re just kids: playing, eating, laughing, talking, crying… That meeting waves to peace. It seems to be the solution adults don’t want to see. “Promises” is great, one of the best movies I’ve ever seen in my whole life. 10/10.

Details here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0282864/

Tags: Biography, Documentary, Social Justice, World Issues // Add Comment »