Andy, your idea about getting the TIG DVD into schools sounds like a great idea for the Omidyar Network $25k challenge. Why not draft a one page precis? Perhaps pull together a few reading resources as well...? I guess I should check the website to get my copy, eh?
Safe travels -- Acela is fun -- almost makes you think we have modern rail transport in the US ;P Lars -- devarts.org Connecting visual artists to create a better world On 3/24/05 12:02 PM, "Andy Carvin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Movie Review: Local Voices, Global Visions > > I'm riding on an Amtrak Acela train through snowbound Connecticut right > now on my way to the National Model United Nations Conference, where > I'll be addressing a group of 500 youth delegates who are conducting a > mock World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). To psych myself up > for the talk, I brought along a DVD of TakingITGlobal's new documentary, > Local Voices, Global Visions. I got the DVD in the mail just before I > left for India a few weeks ago, so this was my first chance to see it. > > If I could snap my fingers and burn 100,000 DVDs in a flash, I would > send a copy of this documentary to every K-12 school in the United > States, then snap my fingers some more until they turned raw so schools > and youth groups around the world could have a copy as well. This > 45-minute documentary, produced entirely by young people, does an > astounding job at capturing what's at stake with WSIS, which will have > its second summit this November in Tunisia. And it demonstrates the > vital role that youth can play in policymaking, whether related to the > digital divide or other important policy goals. > > The video profiles groups of young people from around the world -- > Sierra Leone, Nigeria, India, the Philippines, Canada and Tunisia -- as > they organize national youth campaigns to mobilize young people into the > WSIS policymaking process. The documentary is broken down into segments, > each one profiling youth activists and their work in their home country. > We get to know Andrew Benson Greene and his colleagues in IEARN Sierra > Leone as they teach their peers to use digital technology and create > music as part of their country's post-civil war healing process. In > Nigeria, 'Gbenga Sesan leads a national campaign to educate youth about > the importance of participating in digital divide policymaking. In > India, we meet a young woman who has opened up her home to a local > orphanage so she can teach children computer skills. And in Tunisia, we > learn about Marouen Mrahi, Rim Nour and their fellow engineering > students as they galvanize Tunisian youth to participate in the next > WSIS summit, which will take place in their home town of Tunis. > > The documentary reaches its climax in Geneva during the first WSIS > summit in December 2003. The young people profiled in the video, along > with hundreds of other youth activists, organize seminars, participate > in summit plenaries, and demonstrate ICT projects to government > ministers. The summit is the culmination of more than a year of > activities around the world, but it's quite clear that these young > people have no plans of wrapping up their activities once they go home. > For one thing, they've got another WSIS summit ahead of them in November > 2005, but beyond that, you get to see how these young people are laying > the groundwork for long-term initiatives to bridge the digital divide in > their home countries. > > I've met many of the young people profiled in this documentary in > person, so it's great getting to see them in the spotlight, but it's not > just because I know them personally. (Full disclosure -- TakingITGlobal > is a strategic partner of the Digital Divide Network, and I donated some > photos from the Geneva summit for the documentary.) Watching them speak, > organize local campaigns and take action, I couldn't help but think > these young people are truly the leaders of tomorrow. In all > seriousness, I wouldn't be at all shocked if one of them - or even more > - end up becoming heads of state in their home countries. They have > charisma, leadership skills, articulateness and a profound grasp of > policy issues. Not only does this video document the role of youth in > WSIS, it documents national leaders in the making. > > Beyond the amazing people profiled in the video, there's the high > production quality as well. TakingITGlobal produced it on a Mac laptop > running Final Cut Pro editing software (I note with some pride, as these > tools are my own documentary weapons of choice), with all the work done > by young people. Twenty-one-year-old Jarra McGrath traveled the world > shooting the film, with TakingITGlobal's Nick Moraitis collaborating as > co-editor and as narrator. Even the music is produced by youth, most > notably the songs recorded by IEARN Sierra Leone. The documentary is a > perfect example of how young people can be producers of high-quality > content, from video editing to interstitial animations to the > Hollywood-quality DVD jewel box packaging. > > I do have one complaint, though; the documentary is not available > online. If you go to the video's website > (http://www.wsisyouth.org/movie), there's a short clip, but otherwise > only contact information for purchasing copies. That's a real shame -- > it would be an enormous public service to make the documentary, or at > least more clips, available for noncommercial and educational use. > > Otherwise, I can't say enough about this documentary. I am so inspired. > It's reinforcing the creative buzz I felt during my recent trip to > India, where I produced two documentary shorts on my laptop. My mind is > racing with ideas, locations, editing tricks: I'm just dying to get out > in the field and make more documentaries now. > > But my short-term goal may have backfired. I intended to watch this > video to get psyched for my speech later today, yet I may have to scrap > my entire presentation for the conference. I'm almost - almost - tempted > to shut up and let this documentary do the talking. With Local Voices, > Global Visions, the youth of TakingITGlobal articulate the importance of > WSIS better than I ever could with just an old-fashioned speech.... -andy > _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
