Current Concerns

2008-08-18T19:29:00.002-04:00

INTERNATIONAL / EUROPE August 17, 2008
A Push to Increase Icebreakers in the Arctic
By ANDREW C. REVKIN A growing array of military leaders, Arctic experts and lawmakers say the United States is losing its ability to patrol and safeguard Arctic waters.

We will be releasing a new documentary film STRAIT THROUGH THE ICE on September 2nd which investigates how climate change, and modern icebreakers, are making it possible to open the long-frozen Northwest Passage to international shipping, and what the ecological and geopolitical ramifications might be. Check back in September for more information on this timely film!

2008-05-19T14:26:00.003-04:00

Anniversary of the Catonsville Nine action

NPR remembers the anti Vietnam war protest that took place 40 years ago. On March 17th, 1968, in Catonsville, MD, nine members of the Catholic Church stole hundreds of draft records and set them on fire with homemade napalm. The group came to be known as the Catonsville Nine and later that year was prosecuted and convicted.

INVESTIGATION OF A FLAME is an intimate look at this unlikely, disparate band of resisters who broke the law in a poetic act of civil disobedience.

2008-05-16T14:20:00.005-04:00

Women in Saudi Arabia

A recent article in The New York Times, "Love on Girls' Side of the Saudi Divide", examines the lives of young Saudi women under the strict Islamic laws of their country. With attitudes ranging from rebellious pranks such as dressing as men to venture outside, to an outspoken admiration for their devout brothers and the religious police, these young women offer an interesting portrait of women's place in Saudi society and the effects of the segregation between male and female populations.

In SAUDI SOLUTIONS, filmmaker Bregtje van der Haak, the first Western filmmaker ever granted permission to film the lives of Saudi women, takes us inside this closed society where fewer than five percent of women work. She profiles several women with professional careers and asks them to explain what it means to be a modern woman in a fundamentalist Islamic society.

2008-05-06T11:23:00.002-04:00

Energy at the center of the Pentagon's concerns

The article "The New Geopolitics of Energy" in The Nation highlights how the struggle over energy resources, rather than ideology or politics, has come to dominate the martial landscape and is now the world leaders' main concern.

The film ENERGY WAR reveals precisely how the economic importance of fossil fuels affects international politics and becomes a powerful tool of foreign policy.

2008-04-22T10:26:00.003-04:00

Earth Day 2008

While "green" has become the latest marketing buzz word and Earth Day is celebrated again today, The Washington Post brings up the lack of real changes as US emissions are projected to rise over the next 2 decades. The Guardian environmental blog also raises the question of the relevance of Earth Day and how to prompt lasting lifestyle changes in the general public. Maybe the beginning of an answer can be found in another Guardian article about renewable energy and the Icelandic model.

THE NUCLEAR COMEBACK is the latest Icarus Films release on environmental issues. In a world living in fear of climate change, the nuclear industry is now proposing itself as a solution. Legitimate proposition or preposterous claim? The film goes on a worldwide tour in search of answers, visiting some of the planet's most famous nuclear facilities, including the control room of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

2008-04-17T11:23:00.004-04:00

Beijing's Olympic Stadium, the Bird's Nest, has opened!

The centerpiece of this summer's Olympics has been unveiled to the press yesterday as reported by Reuters via Yahoo.com. This project was developed by Swiss architects Herzog and De Meuron with the help of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. With a bit more than 100 days till the opening ceremony, finishing touches are being completed on the $450 million stadium.

Icarus Films will release in the coming weeks the documentary BIRD'S NEST - HERZOG AND DE MEURON IN CHINA. The film chronicles the development of the Olympic stadium project, exposing complex and often difficult negotiations and communications between two cultures, two architectural traditions and two political systems.

2008-04-14T16:22:00.002-04:00

There's a pill for that!

A Sunday comic strip gives a humorous look on the escalation of drug prescriptions, hence proving the issue is so wide-spread it has become part of our pop culture.

SELLING SICKNESS offers a more serious look at the relationship between drugs and marketing and how the pharmaceutical industry has turned emotions and worries into ailments to treat.

2008-04-14T15:44:00.004-04:00

Shopping for DNA testing in SoHo

The company Navigenics has opened a temporary store in the trendy and luxury brand-friendly SoHo neighborhood hoping to create awareness for their DNA analysis services, reports The New York Times. After parting with $2,500 and a bit of your saliva, you will get a full report on your risks of contracting one of 18 conditions such as cancer, heart attack or Alzheimer's. Navigenics is the latest company to jump into the new lucrative market of genetic testing for consumers.

This new business model is at the heart of TRACKED DOWN BY OUR GENES. The film shows how the scientific breakthrough of DNA mapping is allowing us to trace our ancestors’ footprints, and in a new age of genetic awareness, is generating hundreds of companies offering tests to determine ancestry, paternity, and hereditary diseases.

2008-04-10T10:34:00.004-04:00

Two visionary architects in this month's Vanity Fair

The current "Green Issue" of Vanity Fair magazine profiles two architects and their endeavors to build eco-friendly sustainable buildings and change the way design interacts with the environment.

In the article "Industrial Revolution, Take Two", American architect William McDonough explains his "Cradle to Cradle" philosophy and the concept of "Waste=Food" leading to the idea of a new industrial revolution.

"Natural Phenomenon" explores the new California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, the greenest museum ever built and one of the latest projects by world-renowned architect Renzo Piano.

The films WASTE=FOOD and RENZO PIANO are the ideal companions to these articles.

Through interviews of William McDonough and German ecological chemist Michael Braungart, WASTE=FOOD explores the concept and ideas behind the ecologically inspired new industrial revolution, while as a revealing personal and professional portrait, RENZO PIANO follows three projects at different stages of progress and offers the architect's views on his craft.

2008-03-28T16:46:00.002-04:00

Two Aspects of Dust in the News

While the New York Times wonders if "Star's Dust May Hold Clue to New Planet", the Washington Post warns us on the danger of dust storms blowing around our planet. In both cases, dust is the subject of amazing discoveries by scientists. On one hand, a gap in the dust surrounding a star could bring a new understanding on how planets are formed, on the other hand, the dust circulating around earth could be the sign of a grim future.

The film DUST examines the myriad forms and pathways of dust. It pursues dust to the places where it settles and meets the people who contend with it, including scientists-botanists, biologists, meteorologists, and astronomers.

2008-03-28T15:17:00.006-04:00

And the Pursuit of Happiness...

In its April issue, The New York Review of Books examines the latest (and numerous) books on happiness as well as articles and essays on the subject.

In HOW HAPPY CAN YOU BE?, filmmaker Line Hatland, who admits to not being as happy as she'd like to be, seeks answers to this question by interviewing and showing the work of some of the world's leading researchers on happiness, or "objective well being," including psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists, and neuroscientists.

2008-03-28T14:00:00.004-04:00

Questionable New Trends in Tourism

On March 9th, 2008, an article in The New York Times titled "Slum Visits: Tourism or Voyeurism?" explored the new trend of "slum tours" in developing countries such as India, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico. This latest offer for adventurous tourists raises questions of voyeurism, exploitation and ethics. Tour operators, however, believe they can create awareness and change people's attitudes towards poverty through these visits. They also claim to be sensitive to the situation and give back to the communities financially through donations, by employing locals and fostering entrepreneurial activities such as the creation and sale of souvenirs.

CAN'T DO IT IN EUROPE portrays another tourism trend related to the desire for "more reality." The film follows a group of international tourists as they visit the mines in Potosi—the poorest city in the poorest nation in Latin America—where Bolivian miners work by hand, just as they did centuries ago, to extract silver from the earth.

2008-03-17T16:22:00.005-04:00

Monks’ Protest of Chinese Rule in Tibet Ends in Violence

On March 10^th, in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, 50 Buddhist monks were arrested by police for organizing a peaceful protest against the religious restrictions applied by the Chinese government. Other protests took place the following days, but on March 14^th, what started out as another demonstration in a market place ended in a deadly riot with shops getting ransacked, cars set on fire and at least 10 people killed, as reported by the New York Times. The causes of this violent outcome are still unclear, sources mention that police started beating up the monks thus enraging the Tibetan population, but Chinese authorities have dismissed these claims. This is the largest Tibetan protest against Chinese rule since 1989.

Luc Schaedler’s film, ANGRY MONK, examines the life and work of Gendun Choephel (1903-1951) a legendary figure in Tibet. Choephel was believed to be the reincarnation of a famous Buddhist lama but he eventually turned his back on monastic life and became a fierce critic of his country's religious conservatism, cultural isolationism and reactionary government.

2008-02-29T17:23:00.003-05:00

Chinatown Counterfeiters Are Back in Business After Police Raid

NYPD and agents from the Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement raided three buildings February 26^th, 2008 in what is called the “Counterfeit Triangle” in Chinatown, New York City, seizing an estimated $1 million worth of fake designer items. However, as reported by the NY Daily News on February 27^th, knockoffs of luxury goods were readily available for purchase only a few hours after the raid. Understanding the resilience of the street sellers and how difficult it is to deter them, the authorities have decided to take action against the landlords who have been warned that their tenants were part of illegal activities by trading counterfeited products.

The film KNOCK OFF - REVENGE ON THE LOGO brings us a reflection on branding and globalization through its journey from up the world's longest shopping strip, Broadway.

2008-01-15T12:00:00.000-05:00

Drug Approved for Disease of Questionable Origins

Fibromyalgia, a disease consisting of chronic, vague, and widespread pain, has been a controversial diagnosis. As reported in the New York Times on Monday, some doctors say that it is a response to an emotional disorder which should be treated as such while others claim that it is a legitimate physical disorder and that it should be treated with drugs such as Pfizer's Lyrica.

Lyrica was approved by the FDA for treatment of fibromyalgia last November, despite objections about the severity of its side effects versus its benefits. Since then, sales of the drug have been steadily increasing.

SELLING SICKNESS exposes the unhealthy relationship between society, medical science and the pharmaceutical industry as it promotes not just drugs but also the latest diseases that go with them.

2007-12-04T11:40:00.000-05:00

Make it Right Project for New Construction in New Orleans' Ninth Ward

As reported Monday, December 3 in the New York Times, Brad Pitt recently commissioned thirteen of the country's top architecture firms to design 150 affordable, "green" houses. The houses are to be built over the next two years to house residents displaced over two years ago by Hurricane Katrina. The project is called "Make it Right" and is taking donations from the public online, to be matched, up to $5 million each, by Brad Pitt and the philanthropist Steve Bing.

The team to help with the redevelopment includes William McDonough, one of the two theorists who inspired WASTE = FOOD, a film about major corporations embracing sustainability. Another force involved in the project is Shigeru Ban Architects, whose cheif architect is profiled in SHIGERU BAN.

2007-11-16T17:01:00.000-05:00

Humpback Whale Hunting to Resume in Japan

For the first time since a 1963 moratorium on hunting the animals, the Japanese whaling fleet is soon to launch a large-scale whale-hunt. Although it is ostensibly for scientific purposes, environmental activists plan to track and impair the hunt.

Chris Marker and Mario Ruspoli's THREE CHEERS FOR THE WHALE chronicled the history of mankind's relationship with the largest and most majestic of marine mammals, and graphically exposed their slaughter by the fishing industry in 1973, shortly after the moratorium was effected.

2007-11-15T12:23:00.000-05:00

Concerns Over Global Energy Production Levels

As worldwide demand for oil increses and prices continue to increase accordingly, energy resources are increasingly being used for political leveraging. As reported in the Washington Post on Wednesday, November 14, as governments gain increasing revenues from oil drilling, they also gain increasing bargaining power with the private companies who drill for the oil. This often forces production at below capacity as the private companies simply cannot afford to pay the prices asked by the governments with control of oil producing countries. Because of the decreased production, it appears that within a few years, as energy demand from developing countries increases, the supply will no longer be able to meet demand or the high prices will have to dampen the demand.

ENERGY WAR is a global investigation into the geopolitical dynamics of the world's oil supply. It explores how the governments which control most of the oil are wielding their power on the world stage.

2007-10-11T17:03:00.000-04:00

Calls for Burial of Lenin's Body

Yahoo! News reports that a referendum is being called for to determine whether the embalmed body of Vladimir Lenin, housed in a mausoleum in Red Square for more than 80 years, should be removed and buried. Since the fall of the Soviet government, top officials such as Vladimir Putin have been calling for consideration of whether the shrine to the Bolshevik revolutionary is appropriate.

FOREVER LENIN focuses on the reasons behind and the process of embalming Lenin as well as the maintenance required for the body and budgetary problems plaguing it today.

2007-10-05T16:48:00.000-04:00

College Paper Editor's Ethics Questioned Nationally

After publishing a vulgar comment aimed at President Bush in an editorial column in The Rocky Mountain Collegian, the paper's editor in chief, J. David McSwane was called to a formal hearing. As a question of free speech versus a violation of the paper's code of ethics, the incident is bringing national attention, the controversy even being covered in the New York Times.

A new documentary about a year of publishing one of the nations leading student newspapers, THE PAPER depicts challenges and issues facing college journalists from ethics to access to news sources.

2007-10-02T16:06:00.000-04:00

New Study on Link Between Happiness and Contentment

Shankar Vedantam in the Washington Post on October 1st discusses a new study concerning the effect of positive and negative events on people reporting being "generally happy". A high level of happiness, the article reports, causes an increase in expected happiness and thereby diminishing returns from positive events and increased disappointment in negative events. The article also discusses possible cultural links to attitudes toward happiness as well as genetic predisposition to this condition.

For more information on genetic and cultural links to happiness as well as further discussion on causes of happiness, watch HOW HAPPY CAN YOU BE? by Line Hatland.

2007-08-27T14:59:00.000-04:00

Arrests in Anna Politkovskaya's Murder

The Russian journalist is featured in DEMOCRACY ON DEADLINE, and we have been following the case of her murder closely. The Associated Press reports that "Russia on Monday announced that 10 people have been arrested in the killing of journalist and Kremlin critic Anna Politkovskaya, including law enforcement officers and a Chechen crime boss accused of organizing the slaying."

2007-07-31T10:11:00.000-04:00

The Price of Food Aid in Kenya

As US Congress debates a revised farm bill, poor, hungry farmers in Africa who were promised food for work on an irrigation project are awaiting payment that may never come. The New York Times reports that the Bush administration is advocating allowing purchase of food in foreign countries, to deliver aid quickly and give a boost to local economies. But opposition from agricultural states is firm to the current policy of only shipping US food, which benefits American farmers and shipping interests. The impasse leaves hundreds of thousands hungry and dying.

THE PRICE OF AID goes in depth to the bureaucratic process of US food aid policy.

2007-07-23T11:02:00.000-04:00

Rearming Japan

The NY Times reports that the militarization of Japan is continuing with recent practice bombing of a tiny island in the Pacific. Japan's pacifist constitution bans offensive military action but slowly the country's leadership has turned the tides of public opinion. JAPAN'S PEACE CONSTITUTION explores in depth the political maneuvering that continues.

The article also notes that while the rearming of the country might be understandable given current potential threats, it is "causing anxieties in a region where distrust of Japan has deepened in direct proportion to Japanese tendencies to revise the past," including the massacre of China's capital, Nanjing in 1937, and its wartime sexual slavery. SENSO DAUGHTERS is made by a Japanese filmmaker who reveals this history through eyewitness testimony, which stands in stark contrast to the Japanese denial.

2007-07-23T10:40:00.000-04:00

Golden Lion Goes to Malick Sidebé

According to BBC News, Venice Biennale's prestigious Golden Lion lifetime achievement award has been presented to a photographer for the first time, Malick Sidibé from Mali. "Organisers of the Biennale said Sidibe was 'the signal portraitist of his city and nation and the intimate observer of the Malian musical scene.'" For more on Sidibé, check out Susan Vogel's MALICK SIDIBÉ.