August 23rd is the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade. To many of us, the slave trade might seem dead and buried– after all, it was abolished in most Western countries in the 19th century. However, despite the bans, modern slavery is a reality today in almost every continent – whether it’s forced labour, child slavery, debt bondage or sex trafficking. Free the Slaves estimates that there are currently 27 million people in the world being exploited for unpaid labour – a large proportion of them women and children.
Here are a few videos on various forms of slavery, past and present:
- Niger – Slaves: In the African state of Niger, an estimated 870,000 people are born into slavery. They spend their entire lives belonging to a master, who can beat, rape or sell them at will.
- Unearthing Secret America: early American history is brought to life through some tremendous archeological finds; slave quarters at Monticello and Williamsburg introduce us to a secret world for the first time.
- Trafficking – Demand and Supply: Three true stories that highlight the poignant side of the crimes committed against women and children through three different kinds of people-trafficking.
- Dean & Annette: Desperately in need of female intimacy Dean goes to a brothel, where he chooses working girl Annette. His moral conscience is stirred when he discovers that Annette has been ‘trafficked’ into the UK and forced into prostitution. Guilt-ridden, Dean is determined to help her…
- Yoruba Tree: an intimate documentary about the legacy of slavery in Cuba, as seen through the experience of someone who practices the Yoruba religion.
Every August the YoungCuts Film Festival provides a platform for the current generation of independent filmmakers. Check out the new YoungCuts Film Festival channel for exciting short films from talented bright young things featured in the 2007 festival – on Babelgum from August 18th.
Here’s a selection of some of the most intriguing shorts on the channel:
- Live Love Work Play - An animated comedy from Brazil: “you have the power to change”…
- Tinkerers sharpening service – A documentary in which a couple reflect on their life as itinerant knife sharpeners. Nominated for Best Documentary at the 2007 YoungCuts Film Festival.
- Good Night. Sleep Tight – Being a child can be dangerous if you have something a witch wants! Nominated for Best Animated Film at the 2007 YoungCuts Film Festival.
- Avarice - A drama in which a paranoid man wins the lottery.
- An Inconvenient Penguin Death March – Penguins seek revenge for Global Warming! Winner of Best Animated Film at the 2007 YoungCuts Film Festival.
“Disappearing Worlds” might sound a touch dramatic, but some of the stories we’ve uncovered this month are pretty alarming: whole countries at risk of drowning; villages literally crumbling into the sea; natural wonders ravaged for profit; tribal communities losing their way of life and homes too… all lost, forever. Some of these situations have to be seen to be believed. So to shed some light on the theme, and in view of International Day of the World’s Indigenous People tomorrow on August 9th, we’ve put chosen a selection of fascinating documentaries that’ll take you to the heart of the issues, from Sweden to Mongolia: for more clips on the theme, see our Films & Festivals page.
Marcus Aurelius said “Loss is nothing else but change, and change is nature’s delight”. As the world continues to change at a dizzying rate, are these “disappearances” the natural price to pay for the advancement of civilization? Or should we be trying to limit the erosion of the world as we know it?
In the last of the series we talk to one of the nominees in the Animation Category:
Andy London, nominated for A Letter to Colleen
1) Why did you choose to enter this particular film for the Festival (if you’ve made others)?
It seemed like we had a chance at large exposure and we liked the innovative way to show our film.
2) How did the Babelgum Online Film Festival differ from other film festivals that you’ve entered in the past?
Simply being online was something unusual and new. Also the unusual voting system. It was more democratic. Usually our films win awards and/or get recognition more randomly.
3) Will you enter again next year? If so, what will you do differently in terms of format, subject, style, now that you’ve seen the other films in this year’s festival?
Yes, we will enter again next year. We will submit an excerpt to an animated feature we are working on. It will be the same world as A Letter To Colleen but a different technique – probably a combo of traditional hand drawn and cut out animation.
