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[genusanimaus-blog]

Three stories in one

The film Elemental by filmmakers Vaughan-Lee and Roshan is the story of three different people tackling different environmental problems in different parts of the world. In one story we see an ex-Indian governor tackling the notorious pollution problem in the Ganges river, in another story we follow the activism of a young Dene First Nation mother who is trying to get the Tar Sand oil company out of her community which has been ravaged by them and in the final storyline we follow a Australian inventor who wishes to get his invention patented, an invention which he believes will combat the problem of global warming.

The story is rather unique in that not only does it tell three completely non-related stories in one film but it tells them in a rather incoherent and mixed up way. One moment we see the story of the former Indian governor struggling to get public support for anti-pollution activities and just as it seems that the story is reaching a climax, the film then shifts to one of the other two stories and that cycle repeats.

I had mixed reaction towards this kind of storytelling as I'm sure others had as well. For one it's really disappointing for the film to constantly show sections of a story and make it seem as if the film is coming to a conclusion only to have the movie suddenly switch to another part. By the time we are back to that specific story, I'm more focused on the previous story segment that the film showed and I have to adjust myself again once more. On the other hand though this method did keep me more focused on what was going on in the overall film as I needed to constantly pay attention in order to understand the overall message of the film or else I'll be lost. Whereas if the film showed the three storylines separately, I'm pretty sure that there will a more likely chance that I will drift off into my own thinking rather focusing on the film. Either way I did enjoy this film very much and each story did interest me especially since I wish to do the same such activities in my career later on.      

[genusanimaus-blog]

A perspective of GMOs

The documentary "GMO OMG" is made by amateur filmmaker Jeremy Seifert and it basically goes over his personal journey to find out more about the negative effects of the production of genetically modified food products. Along the way he learns more about how corporations, like Monsanto, have practically created a monopoly on food production which involves vast government subsidies which gives these companies impunity whenever they threaten farmers who refuse to abide by their laws.

It's obvious to anyone that watched the documentary that the film's "call to action" is to demand both governments and large food corporations to give transparency to consumers by letting us know if there is GMO in the food that we buy. And to encourage the audience to buy food that is local and organic over contemporary food. However, while I felt that the film did a good job of introducing the topic of GMO to a general audience (most of whom have never even heard of the term "GMO"), it felt short of providing deeper information to those (like me) who already have a certain level of knowledge about the controversy over the use of GMO. I still have questions about the whole lab rats tests (ignoring the fact that humans are more resilient to toxic Bt than rats are) which Seifert only briefly went over in the later part of the film. Don't get me wrong, I'm not pro-GMO at all but I simply felt that the arguments that Seifert gave are hardly more detailed than the typical shout outs that I hear in a usual anti-GMO protest crowd.

Now granted I understand that GMO OMG was probably created for the larger general audience and not for someone like me and that's understandable. But with a film like this which has a very low production value and hardly any exposure to the greater media, I highly doubt that many people will came to see this film willingly and those who did probably already know at least this much on the topic of GMO.  

[genusanimaus-blog]

A film with a propaganda

It was obvious to me from the very beginning that Pandora's Promise was going to be a very controversial film as soon as I read the description on the pamplet that we had received which gave me the idea that this film was taking a very pro-nuclear stance. And as soon as I saw the film, I was completely right in my guess. Like many I had big problems against the film on many stance, but the biggest inaccuracy that the film portrayed has to be the fact that the film tries to label the people that it had shown as scientists and former anti-nuclear activists who have changed their positions over time when in truth none of the people it portrayed had any significance in the anti-nuclear movement or were promenent nuclear scientists.  

[genusanimaus-blog]

Expedition film

Expedition was very different from previous films in that it mainly was a film that focuses on the surrounding environment rather than on a specific topic. It clearly shows this by focusing more on landscapes and animals that the crew encounters and melancholy music throughout the film. This is justified by the fact that the director hoped to get a 19th century feeling which focuses on nature rather than a just another environmental documentary.

[genusanimaus-blog]

Unity College president Steve Mulkey at the reception.

[genusanimaus-blog]

Camden IFF reception at Sunday night.

[genusanimaus-blog]

Greed, corruption, resource curse and African oil

Big Men was, by far, my favorite film thus far that I've seen here in CIFF. I loved how the film presented itself as this on the ground journalism which gathers raw stories of political corruption, corporate greed, environmental destruction and human rights abuse as it's actually happening while in the process. It also gives fairly detailed informations about the history of the oil industry in Nigeria and how the state has taken complete control of the resource since it's discovery in 1956 and how almost none of the wealth has gone to the average Nigerian. Now with the recent discovery of offshore oil in Ghana, a small oil company called Kosmos is now attempting to profit out of this new found wealth. However some people are worried if oil will simply be the next gold, the next resource curse. With the Opposition party winning the election in 2008, the new government of Ghana is now much more strict with companies like Kosmos, who is now facing financial instability. Big Men is also a pretty unique in that it's very neutral in its presentation since it's obvious that the oil company is not completely presented as the big bad guy, neither does it show the opposition party of Ghana or the militants of Nigeria as completely good. By doing so it's forcing viewers who are actually interested to look more into the issue before making a decision unlike other documentaries who tackle similar topics, which usually gives a very one-sided view on the issue and tries to get audience to support it's side of the argument.

[genusanimaus-blog]

Healthcare emergency

The film tells the story of the NGO Remote Area Medical (RAM) effort to bring its "no cost" healthcare service to a rural town of Bristol, Tennessee. It goes over how most of the residents don't have access to healthcare service due to the low income of the community. RAM overcomes this by giving away it's service free to the people of Bristol. The film was interesting in that the film makers managed to capture the events of how politics over healthcare has badly affected communities like Bristol but yet wasn't very political in its presentation. It this way that Reichert and Zaman can reach a large audience of all beliefs espically at a time when healthcare has become extremely polarized.

[genusanimaus-blog]

A man and his windmill

The film William and the Windmill was an inspiring story about William Kamkwamba who gained international fame when he managed to build a windmill from scratch to feed his village in rural Malawi. It was very interesting to see William, a young man who grew up in a small African village, interacting and getting used to his new fame as well as adjusting to his new life as he goes to high school in South Africa and college in the United States. While I did liked the film overall, I did feel that it was the weakest of all the films that I have seen thus far since it focuses a little too much on small events that William does that could have been cut from the film. Still enjoyable in the end.

[genusanimaus-blog]

Hardships of 3rd world street children

These Birds Walk (TBW) is a very insightful film giving a very personal story of orphan children in Pakistan. Instead of a another documentary talking about the issue, TBW showed the issue by filming individual stories of several different children as it portrays their everyday struggles as it actually happens. As Tariq pointed out in the Q&A section after the film, the director did not talk much about socioeconomic issues since he felt that will turn away from the more human side of the story that the film was trying to capture. And while we can criticize how emotional appeals takes away from finding realistic solutions, the fact is also true that emotional narratives gets large sections of the population interested in an issue and with a large support you're bound to get people who are actually dedicated towards the issue.

[genusanimaus-blog]

The effectiveness of black and white filming

Pablo's Winter was an excellent film about a man named Pablo who is suffering from over-smoking and years of exposure to mercury due to his former job as a miner. The film explores the current situation of Pablo and other remaining miners left in the small Spanish village by showing their experience during their last 40 years of life. One unique aspect that the film uses to portray its story is the use of black and white filmography. The way it uses it gives the audience a sense of nostalgia and loss, as the film uses a old medium that has long been out of use. In this way the filmmakers are able to show the melancholy of both Pablo and his town's past by showing rather than just informing.