Saturday, December 16, 2006

BIODIVERSITY ART FILM FESTIVAL FOR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Enigmata Creative Circle, Inc.
Department of Education, District of Camiguin

BIODIVERSITY ART FILM FESTIVAL FOR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS
September 13-14, 2005

I. Executive Summary

Camiguin is an island off the beaten tracks which makes it an advantage for its natural biodiversity. One specific project for environmental education students is creative education through popular media.

Enigmata in partnership with Cultural Affairs Office of Mr. Sonny Noel in Marawi State University (MSU) launched a biodiversity art film festival in schools. It was part of the MSU world cinema project in Mindanao where they sponsored more than a hundred films to choose from mostly related to environmental issues, value formation, culture and the arts. Mr. Sonny Noel provided the films including the LCD projector and DVD players.

Enigmata organized several film showing with specific schools in five municipalities. Due to limited time and resources only a few schools in the most convenient geographic locations were able to enjoy this opportunity. The logistical support were not also adequate in some areas when LCD is not available or sound system is not good. This is the first experiment which we hope to improve given the proper logistical support and appropriate venue. The proceeds of the show was used to cover logistical requirements and transportation fees.

A few of the most favorite movies include; Colours of Paradise, God’s Must be Crazy; The King of Masks; Whale Rider; Two Brothers, among others.

A short discussion or interaction happens after the film between the audience and the facilitator which shows the impact of the movie on the students. In the case of a large audience, a discussion with the teachers was helpful.

II. Participants
The biodiversity art film festival was conducted in 18 schools involving 2,278 students and teachers

Mambajao - 2 schools
Mahinog - 4 schools
Guinsiliban - 6 schools
Sagay - 2 schools
Catarman - 4 schools

Below are the participating schools and number of students during the film showing:
Mambajao Mahinog Guinsiliban Sagay Catarman
Mamabajao CS 552 CAMPHS 133 Guisiliban CS 169 Sagay CS 224 Catarman NHS 159
CPSC 102 Binoni ES 22 Alangilan ES 121 Bugang ES 60 Alga ES 45
Mantigue ES 35 Liong ES 89 Catarman CS 260
Mahinog CS 227 Butay ES 29 Catibac ES 46
Cantaan 12
Guinsiliban ES 113

III. Film Showing
These are some of the chosen films for the activity.

The Color of Paradise
1999 - Iran - 81 min. - Feature, Color

AKA Color Of God
Ranghe Khoda (Farsi title)
Director Majid Majidi

Genre/Type Drama, Family Drama, Childhood Drama

Themes Love for Nature, Living With Disability, Fathers and Sons, Orphans, Down on Their Luck, Single Parents

Set In Tehran, Iran, farm country

Produced by Varahonar Co.

Release Mar 24, 2000 (USA)

Released by Sony Pictures Classics


Oscar-nominated Iranian director Majid Majidi (Children of Heaven) brings another compassionate tale of childhood innocence to the screen with this touching fable. Eight-year-old talent Moshen Ramezani evokes gut-wrenching sadness as well as adoring love and spiritual connection with life, nature, and God through his vulnerable performance as the blind Mohammed. The supporting cast is impressive: Hossein Mahjub as the boy's father is despondent, abrasive, and spiritually bereft yet not unsympathetic. Pain over his own abandonment and the repressed love for his son shine through. Salime Feizi is delightful as Mohammed's "beautiful Granny," convincing and moving as a joyous beacon of love in his life. The senses are used gracefully in Majidi's work: sound and touch are vital to Mohammed's sightless world, so the director captures the staccato drill of a woodpecker, outstretched hands "catching" the winds, and tangible "reading" of river rocks as a lyrical language in the imagination of a resourceful child. Although the protagonist is blind, Majidi doesn't shortchange the audience on the diverse visuals of Iranian life and its terrain: misty forests, glorious farmland, the urban streets of Tehran, and wool dyeing with the colors of wildflowers. The Color of Paradise (1999) is a feast of raw emotion, tactile imagery, and bravura filmmaking from a part of the world too long in the dark. — Lisa Kropiewnicki

Two Brothers
2004 - UK / France - 108 min. - Feature, Color

Director Jean-Jacques Annaud

Genre/Type Adventure, Family-Oriented Adventure, Animal Picture

Themes Finding a Way Back Home

Filming location Cambodia, Thailand

Produced by Pathe Renn Prod., TF1 Films Prod. / Two Brothers Prods.

Release Jun 25, 2004 (USA)

Released by Pathe / Pathe Distribution / Universal Pictures


Like The Bear, director Jean-Jacques Annaud's acclaimed animal picture released 15 years prior, Two Brothers offers a family-friendly epic as told through the eyes of its four-legged protagonists, who, in this case, are sibling tiger cubs Koumal and Sangha. Though a life in the jungles of French colonial Indochina circa the 1920s seemed certain, the cubs are separated shortly after their birth when the notorious hunter Aidan McRory (Guy Pearce) kills their father. Koumal is whisked away to a circus, where he is cruelly beaten into submission and forced to perform tricks to earn his keep. Sangha fares better at first — he lands in the posh estate of a French government official who wants the big cat to serve as a companion for his lonely son, though a series of unforeseen circumstances ultimately finds Sangha in the hands of a man determined to turn him into an aggressive prizefighter. Understandably, neither tiger is happy with his arrangements, and both escape captivity in hopes of returning to the jungle. Unfortunately for them, the prospect of two loose tigers is hardly comforting for the locals, who quickly demand that McRory kill the cubs before they threaten the safety of the village. Once McRory finds the tigers in their natural habitat, however, he faces a crisis of conscience he hadn't thought possible. Two Brothers also features Jean-Claude Dreyfus and Freddie Highmore. — Tracie Cooper


Whale Rider
2002 - New Zealand - 105 min. - Feature, Color

wrong search result? more matches HERE

Director Niki Caro

Genre/Type Drama, Family Drama, Feminist Film, Childhood Drama

Themes Under Water World, Questioning Gender, Generation Gap, Underdogs

Tones Lyrical, Bittersweet, Compassionate, Earthy, Meditative, Wistful

Moods Triumph of the Spirit

Produced by A the Works Ltd. / Apollo Media / Pandora Film / South Pacific Pictures

Release Jun 6, 2003 (USA - Limited)

Premiere 2002 09 09 (Toronto International Film Festival)

Released by Newmarket Films


Beautiful underwater photography and an excellent lead performance from Keisha Castle-Hughes make Whale Rider a heartfelt drama with a spiritual core. The ancient tale of Paikea is felt throughout this well-worn story line, refreshing with images of cool blue water and nuanced with intricate tribal carvings and tattoos. Though set in present day, Hughes exudes a timeless quality with both the powers of a mystic and the devotion of a little girl. As her beloved and stern grandfather, Rawiri Paratene is effectively blinded by pride so that he can't see the answer is right in front of him. Their bond is a strong and subtle one as they each possess a strong-willed independence that yearns to be tested. Vicky Haughton holds things together emotionally as the nurturing grandmother, and Grant Roa provides the modern alternative to chiefdom as the lazy Uncle Rawiri, although he too gets a chance at redemption. The colorful costumes, makeup, and skin markings are well rendered, especially when placed in the context of the poignant scene at Pai's cultural program at school. The ethereal soundtrack by Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance sets the otherworldly mood while also making the slow pace more tolerable. It's worth noting that the New Zealand dialect of English is difficult to understand at times, but the images are so powerful that some lost dialogue doesn't detract much from the story. — Andrea LeVasseur


The King of Masks
1996 - Hong Kong / China - 101 min. - Feature, Color

AKA Bian Lian
Director Wu Tianming

Genre/Type Drama, Family Drama, Period Film, Childhood Drama

Themes Down on Their Luck, Orphans

Tones Compassionate, Earnest, Poignant

Produced by Beijing Youth Film Studio / Shaw Brothers

Release Apr 28, 1999 (USA)

Released by Goldwyn Pictures

This tender Chinese tale of an aged street performer who begins teaching a young child is filled with warm humanity but not imbued with undue sentiment. It is set about seventy years in the past and centers on elderly Wang Bian Lian, who travels the street performing with his pet monkey. Just looking at him it would be hard to tell that he is a master of the rapid changing face masks technique that characterizes Sichuan opera. He came to the streets thirty years before, after his wife abandoned him, and now he seeks to pass on his technique to a young boy. Liang, a well-known actor specializing in female roles wants to learn the skill, but Wang politely refuses to teach him. Wang finally gets his candidate when he buys "Doggie," a young child from a starving family. Doggie's presence adds renewed zest to Wang's life. One day the child falls ill and Wang sells one of his few priceless heirlooms to save him. This leads him to learn that Doggie is not a 'he' at all. Wang still cares, but he is heartbroken for only a boy can learn the face-changing skill. Doggie begs him to let her stay and to teach her to be an acrobat. He agrees to this and continues looking for a boy. One day, Doggie accidentally burns up Wang's boat. Horrified, she flees into the city only to secretly return later with a baby that she had rescued from kidnappers. Wang, not knowing who bestowed the gift of the child, is delighted. Unfortuantely the child's wealthy parents learn that he has it. Wang is arrested and sentenced to death. Fortunately, Doggie is determined to save him. — Sandra Brennan

Nowhere in Africa
2001 - Germany - 141 min. - Feature, Color

AKA Nirgendwo in Afrika (Original Foreign title)
Director Caroline Link

Genre/Type Drama, Family Drama, Period Film

Themes Starting Over, Immigrant Life, Culture Clash, Women During Wartime

Tones Reflective, Sweeping, Compassionate, Poignant, Affectionate, Earnest, Earthy

Produced by Bavaria Films / Constantin Film / MC-One / MTM Medien & Television / Television München Produktion

Release Dec 27, 2001 (Germany) / Mar 7, 2003 (USA - Limited)

Released by Constantin Film / Optimum Releasing / Zeitgeist Films

A family on the run for their lives finds themselves in a beautiful but utterly unfamiliar world in this drama based on the autobiographical novel by Stefanie Zweig. Walter Redlich (Merab Ninidze) is a successful Jewish lawyer living in Germany during the rise of the Third Reich. Aware of the increasing dangers of remaining in Germany, Walter seeks exile on a farm in Kenya, while his socially prominent wife, Jettel (Juliane Koehler), and his young daughter, Regina (Lea Kurka), stay behind, as does his father, Max (Gerd Heinz), and Jettel's sister, Kaethe (Regine Zimmermann). In time, as the pogroms against the Jews increase in Germany, Jettel and Regina join Walter in Kenya, but the transition is not easy for Walter, who is still learning the nuts and bolts of running the farm (and discovers that Germans are not welcomed by the British settlers in Kenya), or Jettel, who is not accustomed to physical labor and resents having to help with the farming. While Regina at first finds her new surroundings alienating and unfamiliar, she soon becomes fascinated with the rugged beauty of Kenya and becomes fast friends with Owour (Sidede Onyulo), who serves as the family's cook. In time, Germany invades Africa, and Walter finds himself in a British internment camp; Jettel and Regina also are captured, but Jettel uses her sexual allure to persuade a British officer to arrange for Walter to be put in charge of another farm, and Regina is sent to a boarding school for girls. After the war, the Redlichs must decide whether to remain in Kenya or to return to the country that would have persecuted them. — Mark Deming

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