Hello my dear Th!nkers!

As most of you might know: Larissa Rankovic, Luan Galani and me are covering some of the events around the United Nations Millenium Development Goals Summit (including the UN Digital Media Lounge). These days have been hectic for us, as we have been going around from one event to other and to other. But it has been a very interesting experience so far - If I stop formalities I could say IT HAS BEEN REALLY AMAZIIIING!!!! -. I am willing to write posts very soon, but this is only my first one. I wanted to share this event that I thought it would be of your interest.

A conversation with Caroline Baron and Lisa Russel

Caroline Baron (Founder & Co-Chair of FilmAid International)

Lisa Russel: (Emmy Award winning filmmaker, cofounder MDGfive)

Creative technology is an important tool in order to achieve development: radios in developing communities, education through TVs or computers in rural areas...but also film making can make a difference.

Caroline Baron, as many other change makers in the world, believes in the power of images. Some days ago she was a panelist at the United Nations Digital Media Lounge, where she discussed the power of film to change lives: “We had this incredible tool, a movie screen that we could use to involve major issues”.

An important point that the second panelist in this subject, Lisa Russel, saw and spoke about within the discussion was the issue of  who would become a convinient storyteller: “Who is entitled to tell a story? As a western filmmaker, half-Asian, educated in Public Health. Am I qualified? Am I experienced enough to tell a story accurately?”. This is an issue that has been around anthropologists, activists and philantrophers around the world. Are we able to measure or represent conflicts, when we are only outsiders? Or would this help us getting a bigger perspective? And how do we make this without judging?

After this interesting quote, Russel added, “I showcase without victimizing”.

Both filmmakers accepted there can be some challenges on the way of making a documentary; in fact Caroline Baron described the whole process of a documentary as “nothing but a challenge”. In addition, she mentioned: “ in the level of what to show… the people who will be watching the film choose their movie advisors, and those people choose what movies will be shown (in the communities). There are always challenges with languages too. It makes sense to have subtitles or even to have it translated in other languages”.

In contrast with this comment, Lisa Russel had a different point of view about obstacles during her  film-making projects: “I feel like I do not have any barriers or challenges when I do my work, I never come with a big camera crew.” Russel also affirmed that usually people are more curious than afraid of what she does.

Lastly, Lisa said: “as a woman there is a different trust level...they see me as the boss lady, as they call me”.

Check the official web pages from these skilled and remarkable women, who are definitely making a difference through the lens of a camera.

http://filmaid.org/  and  http://mdgfive.com/

(Andrea Arzaba, September 2010)