“Status of Women” travels with “Harmony Reverberates Optimism”  to Tijuana April 2, 2011

Opening Saturday, April 2, 2011 at La Casa Del Tunel: Art Center

April 2 – April 30, 2011

Opening Reception, April 2, 3 pm – 7 pm
Party, April 2, 7 pm – 1 am

Chapo Marquez 133. Col Federal

Tijuana, Mexico CP22010

info.: 011-52-(664) 682-9570

Sweet Crude trailer 2009
Sweet Crude is a documentary film about the Niger Delta of Nigeria — the humanitarian and environmental devastation there in the wake of 50 years of unregulated oil extraction, the history of non-violent protest by Niger Deltans demanding control of their own resources and the emergence of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).

Sweet Crude Documentary Synopsis

In the summer of 2008, militants from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) declared an “oil war” in Nigeria. This was one of the biggest spikes yet on a radar screen dotted with conflict and tragedy. The documentary film Sweet Crude is the story of the Niger Delta; of the villagers of Oporoza, headquarters of the insurgency; and of members of the armed resistance who, in the three years since the filmmakers met them as college students, became the young men of MEND.

The Niger Delta is a powder keg. Escalating unrest and kidnappings by militants have shut down as much as 40% of oil production in the region. The Nigerian government continues to make and break a long string of promises to resolve the crisis. The international community is standing by while impending war looms.

Meanwhile, the people of the Delta are suffering as they have for half a century. Billions of dollars of crude oil are pumped out from beneath their feet, while they live in desperate poverty – without means of livelihood in a decimated environment. Oil spills, dredging and acid rain from gas flaring have destroyed habitats, killed the fish population, fouled the soil and poisoned the villagers. Their villages lack potable water, sanitation, infrastructure, healthcare and schools. Job prospects are bleak and people die young.

There is a long legacy of non-violent protest in the Delta. But it has consistently been met by the Nigerian government with violence – not only against individuals who spoke out, but against entire communities. By late 2005, the people had had enough. A new armed resistance, MEND, emerged. They began kidnapping oil workers to bring international attention to the crisis and in the years since, the region has become increasingly unstable. Yet they have repeatedly stated their desire to negotiate. In this moment, there is an opportunity to tip the scales toward peace.

Sweet Crude is about the humanitarian, environmental and economic devastation in the wake of 50 years of oil extraction – and the opportunity for the international community to do something. The film also raises broader issues of oil politics, mass media agendas and the role of independent journalists in getting the truth out.

POSTSCRIPT
The Sweet Crude film crew made four trips to the Niger Delta. In April 2008, while traveling by boat on their way to
a shoot, they and their Nigerian colleague were detained by the Nigerian military. They were imprisoned for a week
and finally released after an international outcry, including a letter to the Nigerian president signed by 14 U.S.
lawmakers. The footage from that last trip remains in the hands of the Nigerian government.

CRUDE – Official Trailer

Three years in the making, this cinéma-vérité feature from acclaimed filmmaker Joe Berlinger is the epic story of one of the largest and most controversial legal cases on the planet. An inside look at the infamous $27 billion Amazon Chernobyl case, CRUDE is a real-life high stakes legal drama set against a backdrop of the environmental movement, global politics, celebrity activism, human rights advocacy, the media, multinational corporate power, and rapidly-disappearing indigenous cultures. Presenting a complex situation from multiple viewpoints, the film subverts the conventions of advocacy filmmaking as it examines a complicated situation from all angles while bringing an important story of environmental peril and human suffering into focus.

A Combined Gallery of images from Sweet Crude and Crude

Check NetFlix for availability.

Those Who Dance
about Shell Oil Company’s crimes in Ireland and Nigeria, and the people who fight back. Shot & edited by Mayyasa Al-Malazi with original music by Camilla Cancantata Additional Footage by Paul Brewster & William Dick of Wavebob, Glenn Ellis, Michael Flanagan & Friends of the Earth London Microscopic Images, Shelley Burgoyne Nancy Elan, violin Ippy Femonic. electric bass Tim Hand, technical assistance Voice Over, Isobel McKenna
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6183325813995181497#

Links to Related Oil/Energy Documentaries and Resources:
Sweet Crude Documentary Website
Crude Documentary website
Crude Impact Documentary
The end of Surburbia
A Crude awakening – The Oil Crash
Who Killed the Electric Car
Platform London

A Free Screening of View from a Grain of Sand by Meena Nanji at Levantine Cultural Center – Thursday, November 18.

A Folk Art Everywhere Happening
Folk Art Screening
Presented in partnership with the
Levantine Cultural Center

Thursday, November 18
8:00pm (7:30 gather time)
Location: Levantine Cultural Center
5998 W. Pico, Los Angeles CA 90035 (310) 657-5511
Shot in refugee camps of Pakistan and the war-torn city of Kabul, three remarkable Afghan women lead us through the maze of Afghanistan’s complex history, informing this examination of how international interventions, war and the rise of political Islam have stripped Afghan women of their freedom over the last thirty years. Combining verité footage, interviews and rare archival material, this
evocative film is a harrowing, thought-provoking and movingly intimate portrait of a still divided and brutalized nation. Addressing timely issues of women, Islam, and US foreign policy, the film is a compelling and vital addition to the global dialogue of our times. More info: http://viewgrainofsand.com.

Following the screening, viewers are welcome to stay and discuss the film with the
director, producer and writer, Meena Nanji.
The screening is FREE
Parking is available on surrounding streets

Folk Art Everywhere is designed to inspire exploration of diverse communities and neighborhoods in Los Angeles through
art and culture. A project of the Craft and Folk Art Museum (CAFAM), Folk Art Everywhere has partnered with 25 diverse
organizations and businesses to place artwork representing cultures from around the world inside venues throughout LA
County. www.folkarteverywhere.com
Folk Art Everywhere is a project of the Craft and Folk Art Museum, whose mission is to champion
cultural understanding by encouraging curiosity about our diverse world through the universal lens of art.

Camera, Ann Kaneko, Denise Brassard, Meena Nanji; editors, William Haugse, Tchavdar Georgiev; music, Andrew Hagen; sound, Jim Watson, Ezra Dweck; sound designer, Jon K. Oh; associate producers, Libby Horne, Jessica Croxton.