Global Voices
Global Voices and the WORLD Channel Celebrate Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month
This May, Global Voices and the WORLD Channel celebrate Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month with four documentaries that highlight voices and stories from across Asia.
Starting with Please Vote For Me from China, the month continues on to Japan with 4 and Young Yakuza, and comes to a close with New Year Baby, set in Cambodia. In addition to their exclusive WORLD broadcasts on Sunday nights at 10 PM, these four episodes will be available for viewing online post-broadcast on the PBS Video Player. A comprehensive overview of the 2011 series and a calendar of online events may be found here.
Watch Please Vote For Me on Global Voices this Sunday at 10PM on the WORLD Channel.
Check out the trailer after the jump >>
Global Voices Returns on Sunday with Shayfeen.com
ITVS and the WORLD Channel present the 4th season of the International Documentary Series Global Voices on Sunday, May 1 with the documentary Shayfeen.com. The film examines Egypt’s last round of elections, prior to the historic protests in 2011.
On Monday, ITVS announced the lineup for the fourth season of Global Voices, which will air exclusively on the WORLD Channel.
International Call Profile: Simon Chambers
Filmmaker Simon Chambers
As the new International Call deadline quickly approaches (December 10, 2010!), BTB is highlighting past recipients. This week, we turn to filmmaker Simon Chambers and his film Cowboys in India which will air on Global Voices next year. The film follows one tribe’s fight to rescue a sacred mountain from a multinational mining company. For those interested in applying for International call, take a look at the application and join the Facebook group to keep up with developments.
Beyond the Box: How did you get involved with this film?
Simon Chambers: I’ve been going to India for a long time and had a great curiosity about the country and I just wanted to spend more time there. India is one of those places I had an immediate affinity for.
Cowboys in India will air next year on Global Voices
There were a bunch of tribal people in a remote part of India and they were fighting with bows and arrows to stop a British mining company from chopping the top off their sacred mountain. An anthropologist who knew the area well asked if I would accompany him. He said he had been getting various threats from the company.
So I originally thought I would go there and make a film with him and use him as a main character. While on the trip, I met the two main characters of my film, Satya and Daya. They were my driver and my guide.
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Made in L.A. Arrives on Global Voices
Made in L.A. airs this Sunday on Global Voices
Follow the remarkable story of three Latina immigrants working in Los Angeles sweatshops as they embark on a three-year odyssey to win basic labor protections from a trendy clothing retailer. Catch Made in L.A. this Sunday, September 26th on Global Voices on PBS WORLD (check local listings).
In intimate observational style, filmmakers Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar tell a story about immigration, the power of unity, and the courage it takes to find one’s voice. The film was a regular in our Women’s Empowerment screenings last month and we’re delighted to bring it to you on Global Voices this Sunday.
Revisiting Borat Territory
What happened to the villagers who were misled into appearing as backward and ignorant Kazakhs in the film Borat?
We find out in Carmen Meets Borat, airing Sunday, September 5 on Global Voices on PBS WORLD. Director Mercedes Stalenhoef follows the life of 17-year-old Carmen, who dreams of skipping town for a better life in Spain.
Her plans to emigrate are spoiled, however, when an American film crew arrives to shoot Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.
The village is used in the movie to show where the main character comes from, and Borat depicts the villagers as primitive caricatures › Continue reading
Thunder in Guyana Strikes Global Voices
Power Couple: Janet Rosenberg and Dashing Cheddi Jagan
How did a 77-year-old Jewish woman from Chicago become the president of a South American country?
In Thunder in Guyana, airing this Sunday on Global Voices on PBS WORLD, filmmaker Suzanne Wasserman offers a compelling explanation.
Wasserman grew up fascinated by her glamorous cousin Janet, a Chicago native, who at 23 fell in love with a handsome dental student from a country no one in her family had even heard of. Together, the political power couple became known as the founders of modern Guyana, and in 1997, Janet Rosenberg became the first American-born woman to lead a nation.
Throughout the film, Wasserman uses interviews, family photos and archival footage to tell the story of her remarkable cousin: a tale of life-long love, political intrigue, and struggles to bring progressive policies to an adopted country.
The Forensic Files: Team Qatar’s Alex Just
Alex Just, second to the right, leads Team Qatar
Premiering Sunday, August 1 on Global Voices on PBS WORLD, Team Qatar introduces us to the world of competitive high school debate. Five team members from the Muslim nation of Qatar rally behind debate veteran Alex Just, who was only 22 when the film was shot. A former president of the Oxford Union, Just joined BTB for a conversation about the film. Note: Team Qatar is currently available for download to own and download to rent on iTunes.
First off, let’s go over the rules. This is not a debate or formal argument of any kind. At no point during the course of this conversation should you feel the need to contest anything I say or ask with fact, logic, or reason. Do you agree to these terms, Alex?
Yes. That sounds fine to me.
When was your first competitive debate?
When I was in high school, I was 13 and we had a debate club. On the first Friday of term, they have meetings for new members. And I can’t quite remember all of this, but my debate coach claims they had a game where you had to talk about any subject for a minute and I gave a speech about sausages. I spoke for a full minute and impressed my debate coach Mr. Wylie enough that he worked with me for six years and made me the debater I am today.
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The Politics of Your Morning Fix
Filmmakers Nick Francis and Marc Francis
Filmmakers Nick Francis and Mark Francis revisit their documentary Black Gold, which will air on Global Voices this Sunday, July 18th on PBS WORLD. The documentary traces one man’s fight for a fair prices of coffee in an eye-opening expose of the $80 billion coffee industry.
A few weeks ago, we met up with Tadesse Meskela the main character in Black Gold who was in London for a coffee trade show. He said “every week people contact me from around the world after seeing the film – they want to buy coffee directly.”
While Black Gold has been on release internationally since 2006, we continue to receive emails all the time from people who want to arrange screenings or who have recently seen the film.
People often say that they hadn’t questioned the story behind their instant cup of Nescafé or their Frappucino at Starbucks. This ongoing feedback underlines how critical it is to ensure that the issues of trade justice don’t slip off the international agenda.
Can a Human Being Be Illegal? Thoughts on Immigration through Film
"The New Americans" from Global Voices on PBS WORLD
The national dialogue on immigration has reached a fever pitch in recent weeks, with many municipalities declaring boycotts of Arizona over the recent enactment of a strict immigration law that critics say amounts to little more than institutionalized racial profiling. Some Arizonans, in response, have sworn to boycott the cities that demonized their state. Regardless of your position on the law, the truth is that immigration is an issue at the forefront of international debate and legislation, as the increasing mobility of humanity makes borders ever more easily crossable as people search for social and economic opportunity.
Even in the UK, Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s flippant retort to a citizen angry about Eastern Europeans flooding into Britain sparked a backlash that may have cost him the recent election there.
Much of the debate turns on what rights are afforded a person just for having been born in a particular nation, and what are refused to a person for not having been. Even that is being parsed, as Arizona considers withholding citizenship and birth certificates to children born to undocumented immigrants on U.S. soil (although this contravenes the U.S. Constitution and may not survive the courts if passed).
"Tia and Marco" from the online series FUTURESTATES
Truly understanding the particulars of immigration requires a knowledge of individuals involved in the transformative process of emigrating or immigrating — often to a foreign land, often without knowing anyone or even possessing a familiarity with customs and language, and often either fleeing persecution or poverty. In turn, they often contribute to the rich cultural fabric of their adopted country. Some evidence indicates immigration boosts a nation’s overall economy, while there is similar data showing that some states absorb an uneven share of the costs for immigrants without healthcare or jobs.
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(What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding?
It’s that time again, indie film people. We’ve got a slate of international documentaries for the new season of Global Voices just itching to get all over your eyeballs. Global Voices was the first original series to launch on PBS WORLD three years ago, and we think it’s really hitting its stride.
The season debuts on Sunday, May 9 (Happy Mother’s Day!) on PBS WORLD (check local listings) with Teacher, a lyrical new documentary by Leslie Wiener-Legrand and Nick Hector about a former drug addict in Ho Chi Minh City who is now dedicated to helping the homeless street children of that city battle HIV and AIDS.
"Teacher" premiering Sunday, May 9 on PBS WORLD
We’re not going to lie, the lineup this season is pretty impressive. The films cover the globe from Serbia, Jordan, Romania, Armenia, Qatar, and beyond, offering viewers in the U.S. a chance to look inside the lives and hear the perspectives of people whose experiences are utterly different from their own. In a time of myriad global challenges, it can be helpful to get to know our global neighbors and rediscover our common humanity. And while there are plenty of serious sociopolitical topics covered in these films, there is also a healthy dose of humor, too. (Keep up with the series on our Global Voices Facebook page.)
Watch a preview of Teacher airing this Sunday, May 9th on PBS WORLD >>
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