One World filmfest focuses on protest and revolt
The Ottawa Citizen
Eleven new feature documentaries will premiere in Ottawa this week as the 22nd annual One World Film Festival gets underway. The four-day event will also include previews of new work by local media artists, an opportunity to meet filmmakers from the U.K. and the U.S., and attend workshops on crowd funding and female child soldiers.
This year the theme of the festival, which focuses on human rights and the environment, is “Raise Your Voice.”
“We chose this theme because of the number of very strong films in the program that depict scenes of protest and revolt,” said program manger Pixie Cram. “It also suits the motif of the individual rising up in the face of a challenge to make a difference in the community.”
The festival runs Oct. 13 to 16 at Library and Archives Auditorium, 395 Wellington St.
One World Film Festival to host visiting BBC journalist and filmmaker Ruaridh Arrow
Ruaridh Arrow will be in Ottawa on October 14th to present his documentary on
Gene Sharp, the unknown American Academic who penned numerous books on
non-violent struggle, and who has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Arrow’s documentary, How to Start a Revolution, was discussed by Elizabeth
Renzetti of the Globe and Mail on page A2 of Saturday’s paper:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/elizabeth-renzetti/to-start-a-revolution-readgene-
sharps-primer-on-peaceful-protest/article2195375/ .
The timeliness of How to Start a Revolution has particular resonance for North
Americans, when one considers how quickly the Occupy Wall Street movement is
spreading its way across the continent. There is now an Ottawa chapter, with a
protest planned for Saturday October 15th.
Read more on the OttawaStart website: One World Film Festival to host visiting BBC journalist and filmmaker Ruaridh Arrow
Metro Minute at One World film fest
TRACEY TONG | METRO OTTAWA
For more than two decades, the World Inter-Action Mondiale has been raising awareness about social issues through its annual One World Film Festival.
The festival returns Friday through Sunday at Library and Archives Canada at 395 Wellington St. with 10 new documentaries over three days. “Documentary films have the power to expand what people know about the world they live in,” said festival co-chair Carolyn Elliott-Magwood.
More on the Metro Ottawa website: Metro Minute at One World film fest
Tonight: Final Night of the 20th Annual One World Film Festival
Friday, October 30th
Library and Archives Canada
395 Wellington Street
Doors Open at 5:30/Screenings Begin at 6:00PM
Evening Pass: $12.00/$10.00 (Students and Seniors)
www.wiam.ca
6:00PM /
THE MOST SECRET PLACE ON EARTH – THE CIA’S COVERT WAR IN LAOS
A film by Marc Eberle (Germany)
52 min., 2009
The Vietnam War was the most intensely televised war ever. However, next door in neighboring Laos, the longest and largest air war in human history was underway, which eventually made Laos the most bombed country on earth. The Secret War was the largest operation ever conducted by the CIA, yet to this day, hardly anyone knows anything about it. Critics call it the biggest war crime of the Vietnam War era and point to striking similarities to the present conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan; similarities that were tested and set in motion back in Laos in the 1960s. In The Most Secret Place On Earth, key players of the Secret War- former CIA agents, American pilots, Laotian fighters and war reporters – take us on a journey into the physical heart of the conflict: Top secret Long Cheng, where the CIA built its headquarters in 1962. It was from this base that the Secret War was largely planned and executed. As the war dragged on, Long Cheng became the busiest airbase in the world and a major center for the global opium and heroin trade. As we journey into Long Cheng for the first time – the site has been off limits to the outside world since the end of the war in 1975 – the film reconstructs the gripping story of the operation and illustrates its relevance to current American conflicts.
BREAK
7:30PM /
Good Fortune
A film by Landon Van Soest (USA)
73 min., 2007
GOOD FORTUNE explores how massive, international efforts to alleviate poverty in Africa may be undermining the very communities they aim to benefit. Through intimate portraits of two Kenyans battling to save their homes from large-scale development organizations, the film presents a unique opportunity to experience foreign aid through the people it is intended to benefit.
In the rural countryside, Jackson’s farm is being flooded by an American investor who hopes to alleviate poverty by creating a multi-million dollar rice farm. Across the country in Nairobi, Silva’s home and business in Africa’s largest squatter community are being demolished as part of a United Nations slum-upgrading project.
Interweaving meditative portraits of its characters, GOOD FORTUNE examines the real-world impact of international aid. With a broad scope and intimate style, the film portrays gripping stories of human perseverance and suggests that the answers for Africa lie in the resilience of its people.
Followed by:
WaterCan
3 short films – 1 min.
Featuring the winning entry, H2Slow by Ottawa-native William Barber, these one-minute videos were run as a contest by the locally-based non-profit organization WaterCan.
Presentation by :Gary Pluim, Executive Director of WaterCan and George Yap Program Director, WaterCan.
BREAK
9:30PM /
The Choir
A film by Michael Davies (Australia)
88 min., 2008
South Africa in 1994 was in the grip of massive social change. The transition from dictatorship to democracy also ushered in a massive crime wave that rocked the country. The Choir explores the consequences of this social upheaval in the struggle for humanity and redemption through music in South Africa’s biggest prison.
Shot over six years by Emmy award winning Australian filmmaker Michael Davie, the story follows a group of inmates – led by wily ex-bank robber Coleman – finding strength in the community of the prison choir. Coleman takes under his wing a rebellious and angry young prisoner, Jabulani Shabangu whose eventual release back onto the streets of Johannesburg is fraught with poverty and despair before his returned to prison.
Under the tough love of the choirmaster, Jabulani learns to respect others and behave with discipline. Mirroring their homeland’s struggle to deal with the past and forge a new identity, The Choir is testament to the power of music and self-belief.
20th Annual One World Film Fest Opens with Rhino
Source: Gaia Kit, Earth’s #1 resource for wildlife filmmakers
The prize-winning documentary Milking the Rhino (2009), directed by David E. Simpson, will kick off the 20th annual One World Film Festival Thursday at Library and Archives Canada. The first documentary to explore wildlife conservation from the perspective of people who live among animals in the wild will air at 9:30 p.m on Oct. 15.
For the full story and movie trailer, visit the Gaia Kit blog: 20th Annual One World Film Fest Opens with Rhino
The 20th Anniversary of the One World Film Festival Presents the 2009 Opening Night Screening of Us Now
The 20th Anniversary of the One World Film Festival Presents the 2009 Opening Night Screening of Us Now followed by a presentation with Shauna Sylvester, Director of Canada’s World and ForeignPolicyCamp
Thursday, October 15th
Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa
Doors open at 5:30 pm. Film starts at 6:00 pm.
Admission for the full evening of three films and speakers is $12.00/$10.00 for students. See Festival line-up: wiam.ca/downloads/OWFF_Program2009.pdf
Us Now takes a look at how internet communities could transform the way that countries are governed. It tells the stories of the online networks whose radical self-organizing structures threaten the fabric of government forever. ForeignPolicyCamp is an innovative unconference conference that is using social media tools to get Canadians to rethink Canada’s role in the world.
For more information contact:
Jolynn Sommervill: jolynn@wiam.ca
Micheline Shoebridge: michelines@magma.ca
WIAM office: 613-238-4659
www.wiam.ca
One World Film Festival official program released
The official program for the 20th Anniversary of the One World Film Festival! On Program 1, you will find information on the festival’s schedule and all of the screenings, as well as contact information. On Program 2, you will find a detailed write-up of each of the films, giving you the chance to learn more about each film and the powerful stories they tell.
Go to the One World Film Festival blog to download the program.
