Stories about Film from May, 2009
Egypt: Cairo Refugee Film Festival
Integrating refugees in society is the aim of a film festival with a difference. Marwa Rakha learns about the Cairo Refugee Film Festival, being held from June 16 to 20 from the event's blog through a fellow blogger, and shares her findings in this post.
Russia: Farewell to Actor Oleg Yankovsky
Renowned Russian actor Oleg Yankovsky, 65, died in Moscow on May 20 and was buried at Novodevichiy Cemetery two days later. Thousands of fans came to the Lenkom Theater to bid farewell to him. LJ user drugoi re-posted AP photos from the memorial event, and LJ user leosat wrote about it.
Guadeloupe: In May 2009, keep May 1802 and May 1967 in mind
2009 will definitely be a "new" year in Guadeloupe - at least judging from a pun that people used as their New Year's wish, since in Creole "new" is pronounced "nef" and "nine" is also pronounced "nef". The first social movements in December 2008 foreshadowed the massive mobilization which took place from January until March 2009, which resulted in 45 days of an all-out strike on the island. Although an agreement was signed, the situation still has not been properly settled - and May, traditionally a month of protest in the French and Guadeloupean social history, is particularly hot this year.
India: Perspectives on Growing up in India
Thanks to the Adobe Youth Voices program, young people in different parts of the world are having the opportunity to experiment with audiovisual equipment and tell their stories from their perspective. Such is the case in India, where youth from many different schools and slums have been making videos to show the world that surrounds them and their concerns.
Paraguay: Animated Film “Sebastian's Voodoo” Wins at Cannes
Paraguayans are celebrating that one of their own, filmmaker and animator, Joaquin Baldwin, took home first prize in the Online Short Film competition held in conjunction with the Cannes Film Festival. The submitted film, Sebastian's Voodoo, was created using computer animation and beat out 9 other finalists during the online vote
Kuwait: Cinema Censorship, Quality Woes and Limited Telecom Services
Following the Kuwaiti elections and all the previous political drama, bloggers are now focusing their energies on entertainment and technology posts, with Cinescape, the Kuwaiti national cinema company monopoly, taking the brunt of the criticism from younger viewers due to quality control and censorship woes. Also in this post, a blogger laments the limited telecom services available in the country.
Malawi: Malawi Election Coverage Using ICTs
A video from PenPlusBytes about using Information and Communication Technologies to cover Malawi Elections 2009.
Zambia: Support a Zambian filmmaker in an online film contest
Support a Zambian filmmaker in an online film contest: “Zambian filmmaker Chansa Tembo has been named a finalist in the U.S. Embassy’s inaugural Democracy Video Challenge online film contest. Mr....
Azerbaijan: Respect
Fighting windmills? Take a pill comments on the system of Hormet or “respect” in Azerbaijan. In a post which defines how corruption and connections work in the countries of the...
Kuwait: On Angels and Demons
Kuwaiti blogger ZDistrict reviews Dan Brown's blockbuster Angels and Demons in this post. “I really recommend this movie, but I’m assuming if watched in Kuwait it will be really chopped...
South Korea: May 18
May 18 is the 29th anniversary of the Gwangju Democratization Movement. Ask a Korean! translated a review on a movie, May 18, which touches upon the media representation of democracy...
Africa: The Grid and Mobile Phone Documentary
White African writes about the Grid, a mobile social network in Tanzania and Hello Africa, a documentary about mobile phone culture in Africa.
Video: 48 Hour Young Lions YouTube Contest and others you can join
Tonight could be your chance to make it big in the online video field, almost anywhere you live. All it takes is 48 hours to make, upload and get as many votes on your video, and you could go to the Cannes Film Festival. If you can't make it on time, don't worry: following is a list of other contests open for participants from all around the world.
Trinidad & Tobago: Seeing the Signs
“It matters not how many skyscrapers, malls, American chain restaurants or chemical plants a country has…if [it] possesses at least five or more of these signs of underdevelopment and tyranny,...
Paraguay: Short Film “Sebastian's Voodoo” Finalist at Cannes
Paraguayan animator Joaquín Baldwin is a finalist for his film “Sebastian's Voodoo” in the category “Short Film Corner” at the Cannes Film Festival. Mike Silvero of Sin Ánimo de Ofender...
Russia: Translation of Baymurat Story
Jost A Mon translates Roman Gruzov's Bolshoi Gorod text (RUS) about Baymurat, “an unlikely star” of the Russian internet, mentioned on GV back in April – here: “… a poorly...
Japan: Motion graphics videos
GilCrows suggests that motion graphics is drawing attention on the Japanese video sharing website Niko Niko Douga [ja]. In the post, also a ranking of the best videos uploaded to...
Japan: Japanese electro-pop and clubs
If you are interested in “Tokyo & Japan's clubs, electro-pop, and Shibuya-kei-related scenes”, check out Chipple.net (in English): a “Japanese music, movie release and event announcement blog”.
Costa Rica: Band Releases Citizen Collaboration Video
Costa Rican band Malpais has released the video for their first single of their latest CD. What makes the video of The Butterfly Effect different is that it includes video clips that were sent in by their fans and uploaded on their website. This new video, part of the Un Dia Lejano (A Day Far Away) album was released online.
World Videos: “Swine Flu” Perspectives, Humor and a Grain of Salt.
Videos tend to reflect people's states of mind at a set moment in time. People react different ways in the face of crisis, and for all those who have been reading, viewing and absorbing information on the "Swine Flu" (properly known as Influenza A virus subtype H1N1), it might get complicated not only to sort out factual information from rumors, but also to deal with the new restrictions and recommendations. Some find a way to share their state of mind through videos, and this is what I bring to you today: thought provoking, skeptical, musically inclined, creative and humorous videos.
