What Movie About Your Region Would You Recommend?
Translations
Photo: Flickr user Michael Gebert / CC 2.0
This 2016, why not expand your movie horizons beyond mainstream Hollywood or even Bollywood?
We at Global Voices are a diverse community, with members from all over the world. Often, movies produced in the countries we're from don't make it onto international festivals’ shortlists, and the rest of the movie-going world doesn't ever hear about them…
Let's try and change that! We're looking to compile a list of movies that would provide a little window into the regions where our GV community members are from. Think of it this way:
What movie would you recommend to someone who's about to travel to your country and is looking to get to know it a little better?
We're particularly looking for countries’ whose cinema isn't widely known abroad — but even if you're from a place like Iran or Mexico, whose cinema is famous internationally, you're welcome to participate! But try to think about a movie that a foreign cinephile probably hasn't heard of.
It doesn't have to be a recent production: be it from the 1950's or last year, what's important is that it's a good film!
We'll collect all the responses in a post and publish on the Global Voices main site. The deadline is Sunday, December 29.
To contribute, please share a few lines in a comment below this post, stating:
- Your name
- Where you live (city, country)
- Movie title, its year and country
- Short synopsis (two-line maximum)
- Why you recommend it
- If possible, a screenshot of the movie
- If the movie is available to stream online, a link to that
16 comments
Two major films from the English-speaking Caribbean are mentioned in this post: https://globalvoices.org/2014/02/13/the-iconic-trinidadian-film-youve-never-seen/
Hi Taisa!
Karlo here from the Philippines.
From this year, most recent Filipino film I can think of is Heneral Luna. It’s an epic biopic about the exploits of a Filipino general during the Philippine-American War. The film caused quite a stir when it was screened earlier this year, raising public interest in history as well as issues of national sovereignty vis-a-vis US military presence and Chinese incursions in PH waters. I can also recommend Jacco Groen’s Lilet Never Happened, which is about the story of a child prostitute in Manila.
Classic Filipino films should include films by director Lino Brocka like Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag (Manila in the Claws of Light) and Bayan ko: Kapit sa patalim (This is My Country) which are social realist depictions of the life of poverty and desperation during the time of the Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship. Brocka’s Orapronobis meanwhile shows the persistence of human rights violations, especially with the rise of state-sponsored anti-communist paramilitary groups, even after the fall of the dictatorship.
I also like Mike De Leon’s Sister Stella L about a nun who helped striking workers in a factory. I also recommend the classic films by Ishamel Bernal like Himala (Miracle) and Manila By Night/City After Dark. I’m not sure if these are available online. I think some are on YouTube.
Happy Holidays everyone! :)
Iranian cinema is a treasure chest of amazing films. I’m in no ways a expert, but the first film that comes to mind, especially in the spirit of GV and freedom of expression is the film No One Knows About Persian Cats (کسی از گربه های ایرانی خبر نداره). It’s from 2010, and its the story of two aspiring musicians in Iran’s underground music scene. It also features some great Iranian musical talents such as the rapper Hichkas, and the late (murdered) Iranian rock band the Yellow Dogs. Worth the watch.
Mahsa Alimardani
Iran Editor living in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Images: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm604278528/tt1426378?ref_=ttmd_md_pv
Watch here (not the best quality): https://vimeo.com/8354475