doc it out » Conflict on Film

Sundance 09: Reporter

Agnes Varnum — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 17:21:07 +0000

Yesterday I watched Eric Daniel Metzgar’s newest film Reporter, which follows Pulitzer Prize-winning NY Times columnist Nicholas Kristof as he traverses the world to cover human rights issues and conflict. The primary journey profiled in the film is a 2007 trip to the Congo. That country has been plagued by poverty and fighting between a multitude of local militias that answer to no government. As Kristof is best known for raising the Darfur genocide to public awareness in the West, so he is trying to do again with the Congolese conflict, where some 4 million have died due to fighting, rape and starvation. One of the most tense scenes in the film is when Kristof, traveling with two aspiring reporters and the film crew, meet with one of the leader of the most feared militia, General Nkunda.

Much of the fighting in Congo is a remnant from the Rwandan conflict of 1994. Some Hutus, the aggressors in the genocide there, fled to Congo and angry Tutsi fighters followed to continue the fight. Nkunda and his followers are Tutsi, and so they would have us believe in their meeting with Kristof, Christians on a divine mission. They proudly sport their “Rebels for Christ” pins in one of the few humorous moments in Reporter.

The film paints a comprehensive portrait of Kristof and his work, and filmmaker Metzgar tries to come to grips with the psychological intricacies of how to make people care about such massive inhumanity and suffering. The film makes a case for the importance of reporters continuing to cover these serious and sensitive issues despite the declining revenues of print news organizations. And as if in honor of the world premiere of the film, the Times reports today that Nkunda has been arrested in a joint Congolese-Rwandan mission to quell the lawlessness between their borders. The article has more details on the true nature of Nkunda’s relationship to the Rwadan government than is revealed by Nkunda or Kristof in Reporter, but the new information makes the time spent with him in the film, in retrospect, all the more creepy.

I’m a bit leary of offering a specific opinion on the film at this point because the dearth of serious issue documentaries here at Sundance is overwhelming. This is definitely a well-done film that attempts to reconcile how we in the US can allow such conflicts to continue. I didn’t find an answer in the film, but I appreciated the asking of the question.

More on the film around the web:
Sundance Channel’s Meet the Filmmaker: Eric Daniel Metzgar
Chud Review
Rooftop Films’ Mark Rosenberg’s Review

Whither The Weather Underground?

Agnes Varnum — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:53:39 +0000

There once was a time in American history when ordinary citizens like you and me thought it not only their right, but also their responsibility, to make it known that they disagreed with the actions of their government. While some staged sit-ins, protest rallies and marches, others took more drastic measures. They felt that only dramatic action like bombings would garner the attention of Washington politicos who had heretofore ignored the will of the people. Ring any bells? The idea of armed revolution is nothing new, but the world over, where violence is used as a tool to fight the status quo, we now call the individuals engaged in this activity terrorists.

I’ve seen enough documentary evidence from Colombia, Palestine, Cuba, and the US to think that, while I don’t agree with destroying property or killing people, there are people engaged in these activities who feel so disenfranchised that they can see no other path. Trying to engage in compromise with government is met with silence. Until they start misbehaving, governments pay no attention to them. (I’d be curious if anyone has an example of a time and place where the disenfranchised were actually brought into the fold of discourse.) Were the Weatherman right to do the things they did here in America? No, but there were reasons. They served their time in prison and many have gone on to become thought-leaders, including Bill Ayers. While Ayers is rightfully keeping quiet, please take a moment to read filmmaker Sam Green’s thoughts over at AJ Schnack’s blog and I’d also highly recommend to anyone concerned about Obama and/or Ayers to watch Green’s film The Weather Underground.

If we are to be a civilized society, there can be no justification for protest that results in death. I’m finding it really hard to swallow that the so-called politically right think that it is appropriate to not only smear Barack Obama by using the language “associates with terrorists” but also that Obama, Ayers and others have been met with death threats over the whole thing. Um, excuse me, but isn’t the issue here that Ayers and his compadres set bombs that killed people? And you voice your objection to the Weatherman via a death threat? So in actuality, the only difference between these would-be murderers and the Weatherman is that they acted.

I was watching Colbert the other night and his guest David Gergen noted how abominable it is that the McCain campaign would not stand up and tell their supporters that threatening death to anyone is behavior they won’t stand for. Instead, they continue to stoke the embers and try to hammer home an absurd connection between Ayers and Obama. Yes, we have more important issues to focus on that this one, but this sad story appears to be one more tweet from the canary in the coal mine that something is terribly wrong in our country.

Thank you to the following engaged citizens for their news tips: Chuck Tryon, AJ Schnack and Scott Beiben.

Berends Update

Agnes Varnum — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:09:40 +0000

If you have been following the story of Andrew Berends, a documentary filmmaker who has been detained in Nigeria, you might have felt a sigh of relief as news late Friday was that he had been released. However, it was apparently only a rest period. He was taken back into custody today.

There is a brief note from Andy on the website set up to keep everyone informed, and the folks who are coordinating the publicity and calls to action have noted that continued calling is still needed. All of the details here on numbers and what to say>>

American documentary filmmaker detained in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Agnes Varnum — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:17:00 +0000

Andrew Berends, an established, award-winning American filmmaker and journalist from New York, was detained Sunday August 31st by the Nigerian military along with his translator, Samuel George, and Joe Bussio, the manager of a local bar. Andrew entered Nigeria legally in April 2008 to complete a documentary film.

Andrew was held in custody without food, sleep, or representation, and with limited water for 36 hours. He was questioned by the army, the police, and the State Security Services in Port Harcourt. He was then temporarily released, with an order to the SSS office at 9AM Tuesday morning. The State Security Services has confiscated his passport and personal property. Andrew’s translator, Samuel George, remained in custody over night.

The US State Department is aware of the situation, and an attorney has been retained on Andrew?s behalf. We, Andrew’s friends, family, and colleagues, are deeply concerned that he has been held without cause and are calling for his safe treatment and immediate release.

Ingrid Betancourt Rescued

Agnes Varnum — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:49:20 +0000

The subject of The Kidnapping of Ingrid Betancourt by Victoria Bruce and Karin Hayes has been rescued after being held hostage by Colombian FARC soldiers for 6 years. Betancourt was kidnapped in the midst of a bid to become president of Colombia. She was rescued as part of an undercover sting that included a group of 15, including three American soldiers who were captured when their drug surveillance plane crashed. There are still an estimated 700 people being held hostage by FARC. More on the rescue from the CBC>>

Juliet is in Uganda

Agnes Varnum — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:08:35 +0000

One of the great pleasures of my work is getting to know some fantastic people. A former grad school colleague of mine just sent an alert that she is on the ground in Uganda working for an organization called The World Peasants and Indigenous Organization. In addition to working on a documentary, she is assisting the organization in getting off the ground with its human rights work. From Juliet’s email:

I am writing to you from Kampala, Uganda, as I commence my 2nd week here working with Freddy Wangabo and Pascal Cikambasi for the World Peasants and Indigenous Organization. My first week consisted mostly of major cultural adjustment, including getting over a UTI, getting a first degree burn on a motor bike taxi and contracting a cold However, one week into things, and all is beginning to run smoothly. Freddy, Pascal and I all live in the same compound together, so we spend much time chatting and discussing the many human rights situations that they work on and follow. We have only just begun to touch the tip of the iceberg, but I do know that the work they do, daily, involves many hours and hard work.

You can follow her journey on her blog and Flickr pages. And if you are able and so inclined, you can donate to support her work there. Safe travels Juliet!

A Jihad for Love Opens in NYC

Agnes Varnum — Wed, 21 May 2008 06:56:21 +0000

I received a wonderfully detailed email from producer Sandi Dubowski about today’s US theatrical opening of A Jihad for Love directed by Parvez Sharma. The email has in it all the ways that I can help them, if I’m so inclined, to get the word out about the screening and the film overall. Naturally, one of the action items it to post the info on our blogs, so here it is… I haven’t gotten to see the film, but Sandi’s previous work, Trembling Before G-d, was intriguing and powerful. They have played this film in over 15 countries and have won a slew of awards, so I’m looking forward to it!

[youtube]78jUBRio3So[/youtube]

A quick note to First Run Features: You’ve disabled the embed feature of this trailer on your YouTube post. Big mistake. You aren’t losing a point of sale window by requiring readers of my blog to click through to YouTube. It would make sense to do this if the trailer was only available on your site, but as is, what do you gain except YouTube traffic? Yet, notice how your post of the trailer has 690 views, while the one embedded here has over 11,000. What am I missing?

SXSW 08: The Order of Myths

Agnes Varnum — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 19:44:16 +0000

Margaret Brown’s The Order of Myths, is one of those rare docs that churned up my thoughts and emotions, really getting me thinking about all kinds of issues relating to race and the American cultural landscape. Besides the great cinematography and lavish soundtrack, the film never belies complexity and is all the better for its confusion.

My grandparents live in an upper-middle class neighborhood in New Jersey, which is basically a suburb of New York City. Though the area is quite diverse, their neighborhood happens to be a subdivision that houses mostly only white families. I spent a lot of time there growing up and my first vivid memory of racism happened there. A black family had moved in next door and there were children who I played with. I remember being mesmerized by their beautiful dark skin and what seemed to me then to be exotic features. I went home and said something about wishing that I was black and my grandmother’s response was, “You don’t wish you were black.” No explanation given but the tone and severity and abruptness spoke volumes more than the actual words. It’s a bad thing to be black, according to her but I recognized the prejudice and continue to think of her as isolated in her thinking. Maybe simply a product of a generation.

As I watched Margaret Brown’s superb film, I was struck with profound sadness. It explores the Mardi Gras celebration in her hometown of Mobile, Alabama where the black and white communities hold completely segregated celebrations to this day. Can it be that this kind of racism still exists in our country? Occasionally I wonder if I’m being totally naive and this is one such moment. The film illustrates palpable racism in a way I haven’t seen.

But the beauty of the film isn’t in a stark portrayal, it is in laying bare the complexities. Margaret grew up in Mobile and her mother was a one-time Queen. The filmmaker’s roots are in this world and yet she doesn’t identify with the traditions, the legacies of slave times, that others in her community hold so dear. Whites don’t want to admit that this segregation is a hold-over from slave owning times and can’t understand how black folks can still be effected by it, while the black community sees the legacy of slavery playing out in everyday situations, including Mardi Gras, and rightly continue to be astounded by the injustice of it. Yet all hope isn’t gone.

There have been other strong films recently on similar aspects to this ongoing American story, namely Marco Williams’ Banished and Katrina Brown’s Traces of the Trade, which premiered with The Order of Myths at Sundance. I haven’t posted a Trifecta in a long while, but here it is: three films about race in America that shine a much need light onto this important subject with modern perspective.

Elsewhere:
Cinematical review of The Order of Myths
GreenCine’s Sundance wrap of the film
Spout interview with Margaret Brown

doc it out » Conflict on Film

Sundance 09: Reporter

Related posts

Whither The Weather Underground?

Related posts

Berends Update

Related posts

American documentary filmmaker detained in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Related posts

Ingrid Betancourt Rescued

Related posts

Juliet is in Uganda

Related posts

A Jihad for Love Opens in NYC

Related posts

SXSW 08: The Order of Myths

Related posts