Tag: archive

  • On The Edge: The Femicide in Ciudad Juárez

    on the dge

    On The Edge is a documentary covering the brutal murders of hundreds of poor young women in the border town of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico,murders that have been repeatedly ignored and unresolved by police and governments since 1993, despite the continued and persistent efforts of family members and activists to obtain justice for the victims. Rather than provide an easy, murder-mystery style solution to the crimes, the film sets out to explain the social, cultural, and economic factors that have created this situation where the killings can continue, and continue to go unpunished. In addition to explaining the circumstances, On The Edge situates the Juarez killings in the context of wider political and economic trends, showing the audience that this is not just an isolated phenomenon in one far-off city, but a glimpse at a nightmarish future for much of the world, unless something is done to prevent it. Steev Hise (in person), 58 minutes, 2006, in Spanish and English with English and Spanish subtitles.

    info:http://political.detritus.net/juarez

  • DAUGHTERS OF EVEREST

    daughters of everest

    Daughters of Everest brings a unique flavor to a familiar story: the attempt to climb Mount Everest. In 2000, the first-ever expedition of Sherpa women to climb Everest was organized. This captivating documentary gives a close-up account of the expedition. Although the Sherpa people are legendary for their unmatched skill in mountaineering, Sherpa women are discouraged from climbing Everest, relegated instead into support roles in the climbing industry of Nepal. Told from a woman’s perspective rarely seen on Everest or off, this film is both a dramatic, inspiring absorbing story and an absorbing portrait of the Sherpa community.

    http://www.thirdi.org/~sf/screenings.html

  • SUBLIME FREQUENCIES presents an Asian documentary double feature:

    plate dance

    » More images

      PHI TA KHON: Ghosts of Isan(A Film by Robert Millis/Color/75 minutes)

    Masks and outfits made of rice steamers, shredded rags and clanging bells transform participants of Thailand’s PHI TA KHON festival into ghosts, devils, demons, and spirits unleashed for a bacchanal.  Outrageous wooden phalluses and plenty of rice whiskey heighten licentious behavior as endless addictive MO LAM–Thai country groove music–blasts from makeshift bands in the back of pickup trucks. 

    Meaning ‘ghosts with human eyes’ PHI TA KHON is a folk ghost-festival that takes place every year in Thailand’s Isan province and features ornate masks, strange ceremonies, dancing, khaen and vocal performances, trance drumming, electric and acoustic pin playing, and more . Filmed in Isan in June 2004 by Robert Millis and Richard Bishop.

    For a sample of Phi Ta Khon: Ghosts of Isan, go here
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0VyM6B_v4o
     

    SUMATRAN FOLK CINEMA(A Film by Mark Gergis & Alan Bishop 60 minutes)

    A psychedelic collage of images and sounds from the heart and soul of Sumatran culture. Witness classic Dangdut rock music, street and country scenes, Pop culture, raw TV excerpts, Minang Orchestras, night markets, folk music, and much more wrapped in a 60-minute kaleidoscope complete with an epic soundtrack. Filmed in and around Medan, Padang, Bukitinggi and beyond with some of the most amazing pre-tsunami footage ever captured from Aceh province.

    Shot by Mark Gergis and Alan Bishop on location in 2004 with a segment from Bandah Aceh filmed by David Martinez in 2003.

    For a sample of Sumatran Folk Cinema go here:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weI9CNhihTU

    Mark Gergis is a member of Bay Area groups Mono Pause and Neung Phak and is also known as Porest. Robert Millis is a founding member of Climax Golden Twins. Both have curated CDs for Sublime Frequencies on Asian and other world musics. Alan Bishop heads Sublime Frequencies and is a member of the seminal Sun City Girls. www.sublimefrequencies.com