Rowing the Cinat; Men’s Ocean, Women’s Calla Lily Field; Desert Brides; In My Father’s Country; and Menstruation have been placed in the Local Viewpoints category. These five films use different topics as jumping off points, but have a common purpose of getting closer to the viewpoints, thoughts, and concerns of the people involved. By getting so close to their subjects, we are privy to the interactions between the group and the outside world, and between members of different classes and genders within the group. From this perspective, we can get a unique viewpoint on how people in each culture themselves view the issues.
Chhaupadi sheds are common in mid- and far-western villages in Nepal. During their menstruation periods, women stay in these sheds which are unhygienic and unsafe, putting them at risk to their health and lives. People believe that women are impure during chhau and will make everything they touch impure. The film is the story of the women who have suffered…
In a remote part of Australia a small homeland community is fighting for its life. The community Elders can see their culture decline and decay as their young keep moving to nearby mining towns for better life. They worry that their ancestral lands ,culture and their people may become weak and lost under the impact of the globalization in 21st…
Miriam El Kwader, a Bedouin wedding photographer and mother of seven, lives in an unknown and neglected Negev village. Through her camera lens, she reveals the most distressing issue polygamy in Bedouin’s marriage system . This is the story of three, relatively educated and independent women, trying to survive, each in their own way in their world – a life…
In my father’s memory, our family had the experience of building a 10- person boat 30 years ago. Father is now the only elder in the family fishing team. Thus, in order to leave the family fishing team a memory of boat building, Father decided to make a new boat after discussing with other members. This film records the stories…
This film documents the boat-building and rowing process from Tao Island to Taiwan, sponsored by the “2007 Dream Project: Rowing 2007 Ocean Etude.” It shows the essence of Tao oceanic culture. The director worked with his good Tao friend, Shyaman Vengaayen, as the curators of an exhibition project about the traditional Tao boat-building culture at the National Museum of Natural…