Press Freedom Film Festival
To mark World Press Freedom Day, the U.S. Agency for Global Media is holding its first ever Press Freedom Film Festival.
The festival aims to educate audiences on the importance of press freedom around the world and will provide them with a better understanding of the kind of products USAGM’s networks create, as well as an inside look at the media environments in which they operate and the challenges they face reporting in these regions.
Each film will be screened online on the USAGM Facebook page and accompanied by live chat with in-depth information on the target country’s media environment and press freedom trends, behind–the-scenes anecdotes, and further information on the network and the filmmakers. The screenings will also be followed by a conversation with the journalists and network representatives.
Films and the directors’ chats will air every weekday from May 4-8 at 12:00 pm (noon).
Documentaries:
Пусть все горит [Let It All Burn]* – (30 minutes) A film about the electronic music group IC3PEAK, a duo whose concerts are increasing canceled under pressure from the government. IC3PEAK were featured in the last episode of the Current Time series InterNYET after earning the government’s ire with a music video about police violence.
Followed by a conversation with filmmaker Andrey Loshak
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (Current Time)
Screens on Monday, May 4
VOA Connect – (42 minutes) In this compilation of episodes, VOA explores art, food, culture and education in the United States. VOA Connect brings together stories of people across the United States and around the world, from a virtual reality brain surgeon ushering in a new age of medicine to a Vietnam War vet connecting to the daughter he never knew. It’s a place to meet street artists and high-tech innovators, and everyone in between.
Followed by a conversation with VOA Video Journalists Gabrielle Weiss, Arturo Martinez, and Deepak Dobhal
Voice of America
Screens on Tuesday, May 5
Hell and Hope – (60 minutes) A feature program about the lives of Yazidi girls abducted by ISIS terrorists in 2014 from Sinjar province in Iraq. The militants raped, tortured and sold the girls several times while in captivity. Few girls risked their lives to escape, but some of those who succeeded were eventually able to settle in Germany, where they live and work today.
Followed by a conversation with VOA Producer Amish Srivastava and Correspondent Dakhil Elias
Voice of America
Screens on Tuesday, May 5
The Life of Female Fighters in Myanmar’s Arakan Army – (9 minutes) Gives viewers an in-depth, exclusive look into the army of rebels in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. The producers of the video interviewed several female fighters at their base and captured footage of everyday life as a member of the rebel Arakan Army. In addition, they spoke with experts to get outside opinions on the increase in female combatants in Myanmar’s various ethnic conflicts. The documentary also touches on the adverse effects that fighting between the Arakan Army and government forces is having on society in Rakhine state, and prospects for peace talks between the two sides. The feature has garnered over 5 million views on Facebook (and over 10k comments).
Followed by a conversation with Kyaw Min Htun, RFA Burmese Service
Radio Free Asia
Screens on Wednesday, May 6
Alhurra Investigates – ISIS’s Prisoners; Selling to the Highest Bidder – (15 minutes) This episode, which was a finalist in the New York Festivals for Best Documentary: Human Concerns and Best Investigative Report, explores the aftermath of ISIS being driven out of Iraq and the effort to locate kidnapped Yazidi children, many of whom are being trafficked and sold on the black market. The episode also investigates stories of organ harvesting of these young victims.
Followed by a conversation with Ghalia Bdiwe, Alhurra Investigative Reporter
Middle East Broadcasting Networks
Screens on Thursday, May 7
Alhurra Investigates – Iran’s Money Laundering Through Imported Fruit – (15 minutes) This episode shows how Iran seems to be laundering money through the exportation of fruit to Iraq. Iran’s exports to Iraq were growing exponentially, increasing by more than 15-fold. This report shows that in 2017, Iranian exports to Iraq jumped from $2 billion to $8.7 billion. Half of that increase was due to only two products…watermelon and tomatoes. These two products were supposedly exported at a rate that would have made it impossible for Iraqis to consume it all. The report also shows the devastating consequences this exchange has had on Iraqi businesses.
Followed by a conversation with Maan Aljizzani, Alhurra Investigative Reporter
Middle East Broadcasting Network
Screens on Thursday, May 7
Subterraneo* – (30 minutes) explores the birth of the rap and hip hop scene that blossomed during Cuba’s economic crisis that occurred in the aftermath of the Soviet bloc’s disintegration. As economic instability grew so did the Cuban government’s hold over every facet of society. What was already a tight reign over alternative speech grew even tighter. Few, if any spaces were available for dissenting voices. And that’s the time when Cuban youth turned to an underground scene where irreverent, free expression was the mainstay—Cuban Hip Hop was born.
Followed by a conversation with filmmakers Joe Cardona and Magdiel Aspillaga
Office of Cuba Broadcasting
Screens on Friday, May 8
(*) indicates the film’s premiere