Egypt & Democracy Front and Center on Global Voices

As the 2011 protests in Egypt lit up Tahrir Square and ultimately ousted President Mubarak, ITVS revisited Shayfeen.com last February with a live chat in partnership with PBS NewsHour. The discussion included the filmmakers, subjects of the doc, citizen journalists, and educators from around the globe.

You can scroll through a replay of the chat below and use it as a pre or post discussion guide to Sunday night’s broadcast of Shayfeen.com on the WORLD Channel.

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Tags: democracy, Egypt, pbs newshour, PBS World, shayfeen, world compass

Global Voices Returns on Sunday with Shayfeen.com

ITVS and the WORLD Channel present the 4^th 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.

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Tags: Egypt, Global Voices, PBS, PBS World, world compass

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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Tags: Arizona, Global Voices, immigration, law, PBS World, the new americans, tia and marco

Filmmaker Profile: Klaartje Quirijns, THE DICTATOR HUNTER

Dutch filmmaker Klaartje Quirijns first met Reed Brody and Souleymane Guengueng when the two men were sitting under a map covered with mug shots of dictators from around the world. Brody, a human rights lawyer, pointed to one of them and said, “This is one of the most brutal dictators you probably never heard of: Hissene Habré of Chad… And we want to bring this man to justice.” Guengueng was a survivor of that dictatorship who lost his sight in prison. Quirijins knew immediately that she had to tell their story.

Quirijns grew up in the Netherlands and has spent her career making films about subjects ranging from life in prison, war criminals, street kids and the war in Kosovo. She is known for making films that tackle impunity, often set against the backdrop of America and Europe’s role in international politics.

“Morality and justice are murky waters to swim in. The more I started to get involved, the more layers I saw in this story: religion, sacrifice and the miscommunication between people, countries and continents,” she says.

Hissene Habré, the former leader of Chad, is charged with killing thousands of his own countrymen in the 1980s. The documentary follows Brody on his relentless seven-year quest to bring Habré to justice. It is also a portrait of Brody, who sacrifices money and time with his family to pursue the case. Quirijns says her films explore where people come from and why they do what they do. “Who is this man? Is he a Don Quixote or is he vain, arrogant or just naïve?” she asked. Quirijns hopes viewers will draw their own conclusions.

In the three years spent filming THE DICTATOR HUNTER, Quirijns became as obsessed as the characters in her film with the Habré case. “I remembered waking up in the hospital after surgery when I was ordered to stay in bed for a week, but then I saw an email from Reed that Habré was arrested. With no budget for the film yet, I decided to go to Dakar that same evening.” She kept filming, despite violent outbreaks in Chad throughout the production.

“The Habré case is a wake-up call to dictators in Africa and elsewhere, that if they commit similar atrocities they could also face justice one day—not only by special court, but also instigated by ordinary individuals.”

THE DICTATOR HUNTER will have its U.S. television premiere on Sunday, April 26 at 10 PM on Global Voices on PBS World (check local listings).

Watch a video preview below:

Tags: Chad, dictators, PBS World