Indie Lens, ITVS & PBS NewsHour Host Chat on Bhutto Doc & Women’s Leadership

On Wednesday, at 2PM ET / 11AM PT, ITVS, Independent Lens, and PBS NewsHour will co-present a live chat on the Independent Lens documentary Bhutto and women’s leadership.

On Monday, ITVS President Sally Jo Fifer announced the launch of Women and Girls Lead — a new public media initiative designed to educate audiences in support of women and girl’s leadership and development around the world. The documentary Bhutto is the first film connected to the multiyear initiative.
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Tags: Al Qaeda, Bhutto, documentary, live chat, obama, osama bin laden, Pakistan, PBS

Flood-Ravaged Pakistan Struggles to Survive

The recent floods in Pakistan have taken a devastating toll on the nation, affecting as much as a quarter of the country. So far, the death rate has climbed to an estimated 2,000 and the overall damage has affected approximately 20 million Pakistanis.

Women and children have been the worst affected, as millions await aid and protection. Touring the wreckage last weekend, UN. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the floods the worst destruction he had ever witnessed.

The flooding, which began in late July, brings suffering to an area already rife with political turmoil. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari was recently criticized for taking a trip to Europe to meet with leaders in Britain and France. Critics slammed the trip as “insensitive” and called it a “joy ride.” President Zardari most recently decided to forgo any celebration of the 63^rd Anniversary of Pakistan’s independence last Saturday, August 14.

All news to date indicates that the situation in Pakistan is likely to worsen before it improves. A harsh truth to the already high casualty figures is that many more towns and villages, not accessible by communication, will likely have greater losses to report in the weeks ahead. Relief and recovery efforts will certainly remain the highest priority in Pakistan long after the floodwaters recede.

As Pakistanis — an especially high percentage of them women and children — face this unprecedented catastrophe it is important to remember the forces of strength and survival that have been produced from that nation. Benazir Bhutto, one of history’s most resilient leaders, inspired millions in times of struggle. The nature of such leadership is what rallies a country in times of crisis, and it’s certainly worth remembering such a historical figure now.

Slated to run this season on Independent Lens, Filmmaker Duane Baughman’s, Bhutto, chronicles the life of the first woman in history to lead a Muslim nation.

Tags: Aid, Bhutto, Floods, Pakistan, Relief, UN

Pelosi, Other Luminaries Gather to Celebrate Bhutto

Dennis Palmieri is director of communications for ITVS, and led the team that produced the Washington D.C. premiere of Bhutto at the headquarters of the National Geographic Society on June 29th. He reports from the event:

Last night, ITVS hosted the Washington D.C. premiere of the landmark new documentary Bhutto, about the life, career, and tragic death of one of the world’s most dynamic leaders — and the first woman ever to lead an Islamic nation — Benazir Bhutto.

The film debuted at Sundance 2010 to rave reviews and Independent Lens series producer Lois Vossen quickly moved in to secure Bhutto for next season; it will air in March 2011 in celebration of Women’s History Month.

But last night, Bhutto belonged to official Washington. Nearly 400 invited guests, members of Congress and the Washington diplomatic corps, journalists, and other notables were regaled with reflections and remembrances of Ms. Bhutto’s life and work.

The pinnacle of the evening though, was a surprise appearance by another dynamic woman leader, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who took the podium during introductory remarks to share memories of her friendship with Benazir (watch the Speaker’s remarks below).

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Tags: Benazir Bhutto, CPB, documentary, ITVS, Judy Woodruff, NewsHour, Pakistan, PBS

Kashmir: An Explosive Eden

The ever-embattled territory of Kashmir in the Himalayas is again in the news, as representatives from Amnesty International arrived there this week to investigate reports of human rights abuses lodged against both Indian and Pakistani combatants. In the 21 years since the Muslim insurgency against Indian rule in the region erupted, between 50,000 and 100,000 people have been killed.

Coincidentally, Project Kashmir premieres on Independent Lens tonight (check local listings). In this beautiful and cogent new show, producers Geeta Patel and Senain Kheshgi sneak their cameras into Kashmir to observe the secretive and anxious lives of the region’s inhabitants, and to look for clues to what started the conflict — which could become nuclear at any time — and how religious and national allegiances can seemingly immunize people to their own most human instincts for survival.

The filmmakers’ journey is especially moving when they find themselves pulled in separate directions by their own divergent ethnicities. Patel — an Indian American Hindu, and Kheshgi — a Pakistani American Muslim find their own friendship eroding as they begin personally identifying with opposite sides of the struggle.

Catch the film tonight on PBS, and watch this exclusive behind-the-scenes footage for a glimpse into this beautiful and deadly region >>

Tags: hindu, India, kashmir, Muslim, Pakistan