Trade is more important than aid
October 29, 2007
One of the greatest things that developed nations can do to help developing nations is engage in fair trade, and given that coffee is the most valuable commodity we trade worldwide after oil, it represents an industry that for many poor farmers represents their only way out of poverty. But while we in the developed nations continue to pay outrageous prices for fancy Starbucks coffee, the price paid to coffee farmers remains so low that many have been forced to abandon their coffee fields. How can this be? This paradox is most evident in Ethiopia, which, ironically, is the birthplace of coffee. In the documentary Black Gold, we follow the story of Tadesse Meskela, a man on a mission to save his tens of thousands of struggling coffee farmers from bankruptcy. As his farmers strive to harvest some of the highest quality coffee beans on the international market, Tadesse travels the world in an attempt to find buyers willing to pay a fair price. The film follows Tadesse’s journey to London and Seattle, the centers of power in the multinational coffee industry that is controlled by multinational corporations, commodity traders, coffee exchanges, and trade ministers. The film reveal the many challenges that Tadesse and his farmers face in their quest for a humane and lasting solution for the coffee farmers. For Meskela, “Trade is more important than aid.” Wake up and smell the coffee industry. It’s time for a change.
Podcamp Boston 2
October 18, 2007
PodCamp Boston 2 takes place on Friday through Sunday, October 26-28, 2007 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center before VON Boston. Download the excellent Guide to Podcamp Boston 2 which contains everything you need to know including the schedule and session descriptions. Some of the amazing things about Podcamp Boston 2 include the depth and bredth of the sessions, the networking opportunities, and the fact that except for a small fee for the Saturday night party, it’s all free. Come learn, share, network, and enjoy the weekend.
Here’s a list of sessions I think will be of interest to filmmakers:
Information R/evolution
October 17, 2007
Here’s the sequel to Michael Wesch’s Web 2.0 … The Machine is Us/ing Us, which I blogged about a while back and another example of using the medium of the web to communicate ideas about the web, I’m sure this one will spread just as the first one did. Thought provoking, yes, but it still takes a book like The Wealth of Networks or Understanding Media to get the complexities of the issues across.
New Media and a Smile in New Hampshire
October 4, 2007
Join me and fellow panelists Kevin Anderton and Steve Garfield at the New Hampshire Film Festival on October 12th from 1:30 to 3:30pm for a panel titled “Future Now: New Media and the Modern Filmmaker” at the Portsmouth Public Library. The session, to be moderated by John Herman, will explore the creative and cultural intersection of filmmaking and new media. Bring your ideas and questions to share.
Later the same day at 4:15pm my new short, Smile Boston Project, screens at the Music Hall along with Front Wards, Back Wards. Hope to see you there!
A Conversation with Les Blank
October 3, 2007
While I was at the Woods Hole Film Festival this summer I had a chance to sit down and have a conversation with documentary filmmaker Les Blank. We spoke about his new film All In This Tea, his experiences with Werner Herzog, why he self distributes, and which of his films he considers his favorite. The interview, titled A Conversation with Les Blank, appears in the newly re-launched Independent (the publication formerly known as The Independent Film & Video Monthly, which ceased publication with the demise of the AIVF).
Shadow of the House is a rare and beautiful gem
October 1, 2007
This weekend at the Newburyport Documentary Film Festival I has the pleasure of seeing Shadow of the House, an intimate documentary by Allie Humenuk that presents a portrait of photographer Abelardo Morell. The film shows his process and daily life behind the work without interpreting it for you, presenting no experts telling you about the importance of Morell’s work, instead, you see that for yourself, as if you had walked into a beautifully mounted exhibition without placards or a program.
