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La Mirada Announces Special Guests
La Mirada Film Festival 2010 is delighted to announce multi award winning actor ANTONIO DE LA TORRE and acclaimed director JOSE ANTONIO SALGOT as special guests of the 2010 festival. Antonio de la Torre will present the films, Fat People (Gordos)...
New Direction For ABC TV's Indigenous Content
(Nationwide)
Jocelyne Saabs 'What's Going On?' World Avant Premire
(QSL)
Screen Australia Releases Revised Program Guidelines
(Nationwide)
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Creative Collaboration
Stills photographer Lisa Tomasetti has collaborated with cinematographer Seamus McGarvey for her latest project
A Film to Tweet About
Director makes a unique debut feature film inspired by social networking sites
Another Win For Carmilla Hyde
A revenge thriller takes out Best Feature at the 2010 South Australian Screen Awards
Calling All Screenwriters
A new social networking site claims to help aspiring screenwriters showcase their work to industry professionals
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Response to: The Truth Is Out There. Day 9 of the Sydney Film Festival. A Daily Blog.
Kamal Fedal, Western Sahara Representative to Australia, responds to our reportage of the controversial Sydney Film Fest screening of 'Stolen'.
I’d like to draw your attention to some serious issues related to this film: concerns relating to the truth; copyrights; ethical conduct; consent and individual rights.
Since the screening of “Stolen” during the Sydney Film Festival on 11 June 2009, few important issues have come to light: http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2009/06/15/2598994.htm
"Stolen" is seriously misleading in alleging slavery in the camps and it misuses the story of Fetim Sellami who withdrew her consent, as have most of the other Saharawis who were filmed.
The following are some of the main problems with “Stolen”:
Most of the translation Hassania (local language) into English is completely wrong.
Many of the scenes in the film were constructed (acted, cut and mixed to give certain false impressions…etc) so this is not a documentary.
The filmmakers have included in the film footage shot by an American cameraman called Carlos Gonzales without his permission. This is a breach of copyrights. The filmmakers have now been forced to delete that part of the film.
Saharawis involved in the film have testified that they were given money to speak: Please check: http://media.smh.com.au/entertainment/red-carpet/sahara-slavery-fiercely-denied-582354.html,
Screen Australia has admitted that it has no release (consent) signed or otherwise from the Saharawis involved in the documentary.
There is also a serious issue regarding the involvement of the Moroccan regime in the documentary and its use of the film as propaganda tool to harm the Saharawi struggle for freedom and self-determination.
For Australian media coverage on this controversy, Kamal has provided the following links:
The 7.30 Report: http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2009/06/15/2598994.htm
Bob Ellis article: http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2598993.htm
http://media.smh.com.au/entertainment/red-carpet/sahara-slavery-fiercely-denied-582354.html (watch video).
http://artneuro.wordpress.com/2009/06/16/slave-to-the-funding/
http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/film/sydney-film-festival-2009/protesters-step-up-campaign-to-have-slave-film-banned/2009/06/16/1244918036854.html
http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/film/sydney-film-festival-2009/i-am-not-a-slave-says-film-subject/2009/06/11/1244664795732.html
Sunday 12:00 - ABC NewsRadio's 'Out of Africa' with Fiona Ellis-Jones ...
An in-depth look at African cultural, political and economic affairs, featuring news stories and extended interviews from across the continent: Listen : http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/newsradio/audio/20090614-outofafrica.mp3