Stories about Film from April, 2010
Benin: Iyanda's diary in Benin
Funmi's diary about her visit and filming experience in Benin: “After all the mystery and hushed tones l had experienced during the research about the holy Aruosa church, l had expected a much more impressive building but the church was pretty nondescript.”
Russia: “Burnt By the Box Office”
Vadim Nikitin of Foreign Policy Association's Russia blog reviews the reactions to Nikita Mikhalkov's Burnt by the Sun 2, “Russia’s most expensive movie.”
Ghana: The Premier of Professor Azumah Nelson documentary
Ghanaian blogger Mac Jordan attended the the premiere of Professor Azumah Nelson‘s documentary, “ZOOM ZOOM – The Career of Azumah Nelson.” The documentar is written and directed Sam Kessie; a Ghanaian film-maker based in Atlanta, USA.
Africa: Driving With Fanon
Driving with Fanon is a new film by a South African artist Kwena Mokwena. It is about violence, memory and the human condition in post-colonial Africa.
China: New Avatar theme song inspired by forced evictions
Avatar director James Cameron admits he found inspiration for the film in China, and Chinese viewers saw a common story from today's China being told in the film. Somewhere in between, mashup artists have now imagined a theme song for Avatar as one might have been sung in Chinese.
Ukraine: Chernobyl's 24th Anniversary
April 26 marked the 24th anniversary of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Ukrainiana writes about a 1990 movie, “an irony-packed perestroika-era drama offers an X-ray of Soviet crisis mismanagement.” Chernobyl and Eastern Europe reviews three documentaries on the catastrophe. Michael Forster Rothbart‘s Chernobyl photography project is featured in zReportage online magazine...
India, Bangladesh: The Distinctiveness Between Two Bengals
Before 1956, Bengali cinema meant cinemas from West Bengal (India) but the trend become distinctive afterwards in both the Bengals. Fahmidul Haq at Communication and Culture of Bangladesh comments that “the distinctiveness between two Bengals is getting clearer as time passes.”
Russia, Poland: The Truth About Katyn
Steve Bandera of Kyiv Scoop writes about Andrzej Wajda’s 2007 film Katyń, which has been shown twice in Russia in the past few weeks (reactions from the Russian blogosphere are here) – and comments that the truth about the massacre is “only coming out now in the former Soviet Union...
Colombia: Video remixing and Presidential Elections
Remixes: From Hitler, to Chris Crocker and Pinky and the Brain, Colombian fans show their Presidential candidates support by remixing videos to help their campaigns and mock the oposition's candidates.
Colombia: Recovering traditions and culture of the Senu people
Through short videos, the indigenous people of the Senu tribes in Colombia have been interviewing members of their community and capturing stories on food: the traditions, the recipes and the meaning behind what and how they eat.
India: First Bengali Cinema Available At iTunes
Muhammad at Cadet College Blog is excited to report that Suman Ghosh's Dwando (2009) created history by being the first Bengali Cinema available for rent at iTunes.
Japan: Toilet terror
Pink tectacle has a collection of pictures on legendary ghost Hanako-san, a spooky young girl that haunts school restrooms across Japan.
Gabon: African actor in Chinese martial art movies
Do you know Luc Bendza? He is probably the only African to take part in Chinese martial art movies.
Russia: Bloggers Discuss Andrzej Wajda's “Katyń” Movie
For the first time in Russian history, Andrzej Wajda's “Katyń” (2007) has been aired on Russian public television channel “Kultura” -- thus leading to online discussions on Stalin regime, historical truth, humanism and Russian-Poland relations.
