matisse_witness's Media

UDHR60: Stephen Mayes, part 2

matisse_witness — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:50:22 -0800

Stephen Mayes, director of VII Photo Agency , discusses an infamous image from the Vietnam War era, taken by photographer Eddie Adams and the reaction to it by the anti-war movement and how that differed from the photographer's own feelings about what the image represented.

UDHR60: Stephen Mayes, part 1

matisse_witness — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:00:45 -0800

Stephen Mayes, director of the VII Photo Agency, talks about a now famous image taken by photographer of AIDS activist David Kirby and its use by designer Tibor Kalman in a Benneton ad which sparked controversy, and ultimately conversation about people living with HIV/AIDS in the early 1990s.

UDHR60: Franco Pagetti

matisse_witness — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 12:38:02 -0800

Franco Pagetti is a member of the VII Photo Agency. He has covered the Iraq war since 2003. In this conversation he discusses human rights in the context of the ongoing conflict in Iraq and the difficulty of bearing witness to violations.

See Franco Pagetti's work on the VII website here. Scroll down on the left side and click Franco Pagetti.

UDHR 60: What image opened your eyes to human rights?

UDHR 60th Anniversary: Francine Prose

matisse_witness — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 09:47:54 -0800

American author Francine Prose answers the question "What image opened your eyes to human rights?" Prose discusses a very early memory of watching the televised coverage of the Army-McCarthy hearings.
Prose is also the President of the American PEN Center and the author of fifteen books of fiction, her most recent novel is Goldengrove, more information about her can be found here.

Abigail Disney discusses "Pray The Devil Back to Hell"

matisse_witness — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:30:13 -0700

WITNESS spoke briefly with Abigail Disney, producer of Gini Reticker's award-winning film. WITNESS presented the second annual WITNESS Award at Silverdocs Documentary Film Festival to "Pray the Devil Back to Hell" in June 2008.

The film details a coalition of Christian and Muslim women in Liberia who created a movement for peace to help end the country's civil war.

I asked Abigail about why she and Gini made the film and what kind of outreach they are planning.

They have already screened the film in 15 countries including Israel, Palestine, Georgia, Peru, and others.

Interview: Erik Bergkraut, director of "Letter to Anna"

matisse_witness — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:15:58 -0700

Erik Bergkraut director of "Letter to Anna" (a film nominated for the WITNESS Award at Silverdocs 2008) discusses how he met the Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya and why he made this film about her death and her legacy.

Interview with Thavisouk Phrasavath, co-director of "The Betrayal"

matisse_witness — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:52:50 -0700

I met Thavisouk Phrasavath, the subject and co-director of “The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)” at Silverdocs Documentary Film Festival in June 2008. The film was a nominee for the WITNESS Award at the festival.

The film, shot over the course of 23 years, tells the epic, harrowing story of a family odyssey from war-torn Laos to the mean streets of New York. Thavi narrates his own story as a child surviving a war and then as a young man struggling to overcome the hardships of immigrant life, an experience shared with his mother who tells her own astonishing tale of perseverance as a wife and mother in war. Thavisouk’s unforgettable journey reminds us of the strength necessary to survive and of the human spirit’s inspiring capacity to adapt, rebuild, and forgive.

In this interview, Thavisouk discusses the reasons behind his decision to participate in the making of "The Betrayal".

The Betrayal will have its national broadcast premiere on PBS’s P.O.V. series in 2009.

Entrevista con Lucia Gaja, directora de "Mi Video Dentro"

matisse_witness — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:40:00 -0700

Synopsis de "Mi Vida Dentro":
Rosa es una mujer Mexican que, en 1999, a los 17 anos, migro ilegalmente a Austin, Texas E.U. En Enero del 2003 es apresada por sospecha de homicidio y enjuiciada en Agosto de 2005. El procese judicial, el veredicto, la separacion de su familia, la impotencia, ser encarcelada en un pais extrano, hacen de “Mi Vida Dentro” una realidad dentro de la vida de los migrantes Mexicanos en Estados Unidos.

Hable con la directora, Lucia Gaja, durante la festival de cine documental, Silverdocs en Silver Spring, MD, Junio de 2008.

Lucia describo las razones porque se realizo este pelicula.

Interview with Dr. James Orbinski

matisse_witness — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:26:19 -0700

I spoke briefly with Dr. James Orbinski, the subject of “Triage: Dr. James Orbinski’s Humanitarian Dilemma”. This film was nominated for the second annual WITNESS Award at Silverdocs Documentary Film Festival in June 2008.

In “Triage” filmmaker Paul Reid accompanies Dr. James Orbinski, Nobel Peace Prize winner and former president of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)/ Doctors Without Borders, as he journeys back to Africa and embarks on his next mission, writing a deeply personal and controversial book that struggles to make sense of his work with MSF.

In this interview, Dr. James Orbinski discusses his hopes for the film.

Interview with Director Patrick Reid, "Triage"

matisse_witness — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:16:30 -0700

I spoke briefly with Patrick Reid, the director of “Triage: Dr. James Orbinski’s Humanitarian Dilemma”. This film was nominated for the second annual WITNESS Award at Silverdocs Documentary Film Festival in June 2008.

In “Triage”, Patrick Reid accompanies Dr. James Orbinski, Nobel Peace Prize winner and former president of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)/ Doctors Without Borders, as he journeys back to Africa and embarks on his next mission, writing a deeply personal and controversial book that struggles to make sense of all his work with MSF.

In this interview Patrick Reid shares his view of what his film is really about.