The ITVS International Call deadline is quickly approaching on December 9, 2011. Leading up to the date, BTB has profiled several international filmmakers who have received ITVS support. This week, we get to know filmmaker Qi Zhou, who received funding for his documentary Fallen City. The filmmaker joined us via Skype (forgive the quality) from Beijing.
There are several programs focusing on Haiti this week, a year after the country was devastated by a 7.0 earthquake.
In addition to Children of Haiti, which broadcast Tuesday night on Independent Lens, ITVS has profiled issues in Haiti in the past in these two films:
Egalité for All: Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution tells the story of a movement that’s been called the true birth moment of universal human rights.
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Filmmaker Alex Hammond will particpate in a live chat at 12 PM Pacific
BTB is pleased to welcome the director of Children of Haiti, Alex Hammond, for a live chat today, Wednesday January 12 at Noon Pacific (3 PM EST).
Children of Haiti aired Tuesday night on Independent Lens, one year after the devastating earthquake rocked the nation. Log on to the event below and start loading your questions for Alex. We hope to get to them all.
Children of Haiti airs Tuesday on Independent Lens
In the midst of Haiti’s lush mountains and historical relics is an epidemic of over 500,000 orphan children who wander the streets day and night. Known as the “soulless” and forgotten by their own people, they do what they must to survive each day.
Children of Haiti, airing Tuesday night at 10 PM on Independent Lens (check local listings) follows three teenage boys who reflect on their country and their lives, while sharing a common dream of education, government assistance, and social acceptance.
Watch the broadcast and check back in to BTB on Wednesday, January 12 at 12 PM Pacific (3 PM Eastern) for a live chat with the director of Children of Haiti, Alex Hammond.
Regine Zamor is one of the producers of Children of Haiti
This Tuesday, Independent Lens presents the documentary Children of Haiti, one year after the country was rocked by a devastating earthquake. The film follows three Haitian teenage boys who live on the streets as they reflect on their country, their lives, and the hope they have for a better future. Regine Zamor is one of the producers of Children of Haiti and offered BTB this report about the countries recovery efforts a year later, and ways viewers can help.
In just a few days Haiti will commemorate its most recent national holiday, January 12, 2011. As we grow closer to the date people are saying that there have been small aftershocks; some are afraid of the chance of another earthquake, and everyone I have spoken with has expressed that they are feeling anxious — myself included.
The National Center for Media Engagement (NCME) is a recognized leader and catalyst for community engagement by public broadcasting –– encouraging engagement across all platforms. NCME helps public radio and television stations deepen their community engagement efforts through content, programming, evaluation, and new media initiatives. We recently interviewed NCME’s Executive Director Charles Meyer about his strategy in developing an extensive set of resources for the Haiti relief effort as well as other upcoming initiatives. Learn more about how NCME is supporting public media in our exclusive interview below:
NCME Executive Director Charles Meyer
What is the National Center for Media Engagement’s involvement within the Haiti relief effort? How did you go about developing the tools available on your website?
NCME created a Haitian Relief Resources page that aggregates public media links and resources into one-stop shopping for stations that wanted to collaborate with their communities during the crisis. The page serves as an online hub with resources, tools, and tips for stations to use when working with their communities on the issue. And it was important for us to include a widget for stations to share what they are doing with others in the system. In our experience, sharing models of what works — and what doesn’t work – is one of the quickest ways to improve engagement across the system. This effort –– like our effort to aggregate H1N1 resources –– supports our mission to help public media discover, understand and address the needs of their local communities.
Have you received any feedback from public television stations? How are they using the tools to communicate with each other?
Stations usually appreciate anything that makes it easier for them to locate resources and think about how to effectively serve their communities. And stations have shared information about their local activities in the online widget. That not only helps other stations spark ideas and identify smart practices –– it also helps us aggregate information and stories about the amazing impact public stations have at the local level. Telling our compelling collective story is good for everyone.
I noticed there are downloadable PSAs to donate money. How did you go about making these available for public television?
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) worked with the American Red Cross and the Ad Council to make the public service announcements available to stations. At NCME, we were happy to include the link to download the PSAs on our Haitian Relief Resources page. We also worked with the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) to arrange a satellite feed for stations that preferred to record the spots.
Watch these public service announcements available on NCME’s Haiti relief effort resource page:
Nearly a month ago, Haiti experienced its strongest earthquake in more than two centuries, which caused massive destruction and left hundreds of thousands homeless and an estimated 200,000 dead. ITVS’s Voleine Amilcar, a Haitian American, was at the Television Critics Association Press Tour in Los Angeles when the earthquake struck. Read her personal account below about how the tragedy impacted her family and how she remains optimistic about the recovery efforts.
Voleine Amilcar (right) with her cousin who survived the Haiti earthquake.
The library in Carrefour-Feuilles, a town outside the capital, before the earthquake.
The library after the earthquake.
It has been almost a month since the massive earthquake in Haiti and the glare of the media is dimming but for many Haitian Americans the shock and deadly impact of the earthquake still haunts us.
As a Haitian American, I was deeply affected by the massive earthquake in Haiti that occurred on January 12. I was in Los Angeles for work to manage a press conference for an upcoming Independent Lens program, Dirt! The Movie, when I received news of the 7.0 Earthquake. But I didn’t understand the enormity, the level of devastation the quake had caused until I was able to turn the TV to CNN.
The epicenter of the quake was situated about 20 minutes from where many of my relatives lived in Haiti. Immediately I called my parents who live 30 minutes outside of San Francisco to find out if they had heard from family members in Haiti. They had not been able to get through to anyone on their cell phones or house phones. Then the waiting game began and the agony set in as I watched endless images and footage of collapsed buildings and bodies being pulled out of those very familiar cinder block homes and buildings. My mind couldn’t stop racing with the awful possibilities. A wave of despair washed over me when I saw images of the partially collapsed presidential palace. Despite a myriad of corrupt inhabitants, the presidential palace was for many Haitians a source of pride. But the symbolism, a defeated government, could not be ignored. And I thought, Haiti has been brought to its knees.
Three days after the earthquake we received word that my cousins and uncles had survived the quake. One of my uncles lost his home and was transported to the Dominican Republic for an operation on his broken arm. Another cousin sustained a broken leg. Most of my relatives were now homeless. Everyone was accounted for except for a dear woman named Madame Alexi who helped raised me when I lived in Haiti. For days, a dark cloud hung over me as I waited to hear about Madame Alexi’s whereabouts. Was she alive? And how would we ever know if whether she was one of the thousands buried under the rubble? Ten days later we were able to connect with Madame Alexi to confirm that she was safe. Her dream house, which included the room she had prepared for me for my visits to Haiti, collapsed entirely. And now she is among the thousands who are homeless, living in her front yard with the rest of her family staying close to what remains of their house because bodies still litter the streets.
Toussaint Louverture of Haiti.
Since the massive earthquake devastated Haiti two weeks ago, volunteers and organizations from around the world have rallied together in support. Recently, the Hope for Haiti Now telethon, which aired on public television stations and other media outlets, raised more than $58 million in donations.
Despite the massive worldwide effort, the news coverage continues to grow dire –– with rising death toll numbers and reports of missing children and families.
But how much does the world really know about Haiti? While most media coverage mentions Haiti’s severe poverty, little has been told about its revolutionary past and leading role in the human rights movement.
In the clip below of the ITVS film Egalité for All: Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution, learn more about how Toussaint Louverture led the only successful slave insurrection in history. His thoughts transformed the way people thought during the nineteenth century and inspired slaves and abolitionist worldwide.
Everyone at ITVS would like to express our deepest sympathy to all those impacted by this tragedy as well as thank everyone who has supported the rebuilding efforts. The National Center for Media Engagement has also been active in supporting the nationwide public station response in the Haitian relief effort.
Learn more about NCME and their impact >>
Looking to lend your support in the form of a donation? Here are some options:
• Make your donation online at www.hopeforhaitinow.org
• Phone: 877-99-HAITI
• Text: Text “GIVE” to 50555 to donate $10.
• Mail: Hope For Haiti Now Fund, Entertainment Industry Foundation, 1201 West 5th Street, Suite T-700, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Justin Timberlake. Exclusive behind-the-scenes photos by Jeff Kravitz/Film Magic, http://insidecelebpics.com
Last Friday night, public television stations, along with other networks, online broadcasters, and cable television stations across the nation and around the world joined together to air the commercial-free broadcast of the global telethon, Hope For Haiti Now.
So far, more than $58 million has been raised –– and this figure is expected to grow since corporate donations and iTunes purchases have yet to be tallied.
Hosted by actor George Clooney in Los Angeles, musician Wyclef Jean in New York City, and journalist Anderson Cooper in Haiti, the two-hour telethon included performances by Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Coldplay, Jennifer Hudson, Shakira, Mary J. Blige, Madonna, Bono, and others.
Check out the moving performance below of Mary J. Blige singing Hard Times Come Again No More:
Songs from the telethon are available for purchase on iTunes for 99 cents each or the full album for $7.99.
Proceeds from all purchases will go to a number of relief organizations, including the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, the United Nations World Food Program, Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the American Red Cross, UNICEF, and Wyclef’s Yéle Haiti Foundation.
Looking to lend your support in the form of a donation? Here are some options:
• Make your donation online at www.hopeforhaitinow.org
• Phone: 877-99-HAITI
• Text: Text “GIVE” to 50555 to donate $10.
• Mail: Hope For Haiti Now Fund, Entertainment Industry Foundation, 1201 West 5th Street, Suite T-700, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Check out more exclusive, behind-the-scenes photos below from Jeff Kravitz/Film Magic
Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow, and Keith Urban perform on stage.
Cindy Crawford, Reese Witherspoon, Drew Barrymore, and Julia Roberts are ready to answer the phones.