video i Season 12
#1209 – Original Airdate: Mon, April 16th at 10pm
CULTURAL IDENTITY
Featuring films and documentaries highlighting different cultural life journeys
MY NAME IS EDA (Dirs. Katrina Drabkin & Michael Parks)
Tells the story of an indigenous Peruvian woman who feels anger at the people of North America for the injustices brought about by US interests in Latin America. After the elders in her community suggest that protest and anger is not the solution, Eda travels to the US in search of answers. She walks the streets of San Francisco and Los Angeles and notices much sadness in people who are moving so fast that they have become disconnected from their spirits. As a result, Eda feels a new compassion for all people, and realizes that in order to have tolerance in the world, we must start with ourselves. For more information on this film you can visit: assertionfilms.com.
Filmmaker Bio
Katrina Drabkin is the Executive Director and one of the co-founders of Cinefemme. Katrina has produced many of Cinefemme's fundraising events and curated film shows. She is also the director/producer of Gladys Films' Opportunity Bound - Stories of the Harvey Girls, a feature-length documentary film about how a feisty group of waitresses helped shape the American West, and the director of Wrappings, a short film which won a SASA Award, an initiative of the United Nations and screened on PBS in 2006. Katrina has produced television series for PBS, The Travel Channel and The Learning Channel.
VACATIONING IN AFGHANISTAN (Dirs. Aaron Rocket & John Monte)
Features an interview with the filmmakers
Leaving the chaotic city confines of Kabul, Vacationing in Afghanistan enters a world rarely seen by Westerners. While crossing Afghanistan's mountainous region to the enormous Buddha statues left in ruins by the Taliban, two American filmmakers enjoy common bonds with the Afghan people. Through simple interactions between two very different cultures, the war on terror, poverty, and the heroin trade that splash Afghanistan across global news headlines seems to fade away. This film doesn't attempt to address the complex geopolitical maze and problems facing the country, it merely enjoys spontaneous encounters with its people and celebrates the endearing humor of the Afghans. For more about this film go to: thefullmonte.com.
Filmmaker Bio
Aaron Rockett is a Washington DC film maker. Aaron worked at The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS before co-founding thefullmonte.com in 2004. He has shot for The History Channel, edited for Duetche Welle (German Television) and has recently returned from Afghanistan producing for The National Geographic Channel documentary special, Inside the Taliban. He has also produced numerous independent documentary projects and specializes in video production, writing, and editing of documentaries. Aaron is currently the Executive Producer for Verizon Hyper Local News in Washington, DC.
John Monte is a filmmaker and cameraman with 10 years experience working with major broadcast networks. He formed thefullmonte.com in 2004. Specializing in documentary production, John has worked for National Geographic, Discovery Channel, CBC, PBS, BBC, ABC, CBS and NBC. John has also shot, edited, and produced numerous independent documentary projects. John is certified in (HEFAT) Hostile Environment Training through The Rory Peck Trust scholarship. He is a member of NABET Local 31, the Senate Radio/TV Gallery, and The White House News Photographers Association.
SNAPDRAGON (Dir. Sun Tae Hwang)
After college, Hyun hoped to build a new life in America. Although intelligent and optimistic, he cannot find a job that will sponsor him for a green card. As an illegal alien working in a small flower shop, Hyun struggles to keep hold of his dreams. One evening, he meets Judith, an attractive young Caucasian woman in an abusive marriage. As their forbidden affair develops, they find strength and comfort in each other. Hyun's living situation deteriorates after he loses his job and cannot find another. Just as he is about to lose hope, Hyun accepts a risky proposal from an immigration lawyer. But things don't go as expected, and Hyun is forced to drastic measures to try to save them both. For more about this film contact the producer, Jarmo Siimento, at: siimento@yahoo.com.
Filmmaker Bio
Sun Tae Hwang was born in Korea. He studied mass communication at Sogang University. After working in films and videos a few years, he decided to study further as a writer and director at the Academy of Art University, San Francisco, USA. Since then, he has been successfully making projects focused on Asian immigrant issues. His works, American Beauties and Snapdragon went to numerous film festivals and including the Best Short Film Award at San Luis Obispo International film festival and and San Francisco Korean Film Festival.
