Bakhtawar Mazhar: In Flames of Glory

Bakhtawar Mazhar: In Flames of Glory

A day before the awards were announced, declaring In Flames the best film, at the Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF), I was face–to-face with Bakhtawar Mazhar, one of the protagonists of In Flames, her feature debut, a film that had made a tremendous impression on me. This, a face-to-face with a Pakistani actress, had never happened before, and I was not going to let this opportunity go by. We got into a car, and started talking.

                                                    

“My first film was Dia, which was the basis of In Flames, was also written and directed by Zarrar Khan. It was the precursor of In Flames.” In the longer version, the prize winner film, medical student Mariam (Ramesha Nawal, debut, after audition), is determined to escape her conservative family, by pursuing a secret romance, online. She’s still dealing with the fresh loss of her grandfather, and doing her best to support her grieving mother (Bakhtawar Mazhar) and brother (Jibraan Khan), while preparing for her upcoming exams. An estranged uncle (Adnan Shah Tipu) re-enters their lives, and declares himself their new patriarch, making noises about handling their finances.

In Flames is a gripping drama about trauma, internalised abuse, and the misogyny woven into the fabric of any fundamentalist culture, with a streak of Guillermo del Toro’s empathetic ghost stories, in which spirits return with agendas the living cannot fully comprehend. In his feature directorial debut, Zarrar Kahn tells a story of women — not just Mariam, but her mother as well — forced to navigate the random violence of their oppressive, patriarchal society.

Bakhtawar watched the film for the first time ever, after its completion, at the Cannes Film Festival itself. “The response was tremendous; many women actually cried. Very few Pakistani men would be able to make a film with feminine sensibilities, female protagonists, and their point of view, and so well researched…all credit goes to Zarrar Kahn. He has brought to the fore the generation gap and the growing lack of communication between the generations, in any family, in these times.”

Anurag Kashyap, among India’s most famous directors, had this to say after he saw In Flames at Cannes, "In Flames is so much more than a moody horror film. It talks about society, pulls out everything, and shows it bare, naked. That hits you so hard in the gut.”  The film was shot in 25 days in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, in February last year

Asked about the genre of horror and scary movies in Pakistan, she replied, “There are barely any scary movies made in Pakistan, that are also set here,” she said. On her gut feeling when doing this film, she revealed, "During the shoot and recording for In Flames, I knew that this story will definitely get world fame.” It is not easy making films in Pakistan these days. Even this film has been made with the collaboration of Pakistanis settled in Canada. In Flames was supposed to be completed in 2019, but due to Covid, their post-production got delayed.”

Since then, Bakhtawar has acted in The Queen of My Dreams (2023) and Wakhri (One of a Kind) (2023), films that have been premièred at prestigious film festivals. Wakhri and In Flames were shown at RSIFF. She describes In Flames thus, “It says that you have to deal with your own problems and families should tackle them as a unit. Nobody from the outside is going to come and solve your problems.”

Bakhtawar Mazhar is a trained theatre practitioner, film actress, poet, acting teacher and aspiring writer. She has acted in several theatre productions, with renowned theatre directors, like Zia Mohiuddin (a legend; her mentor, and a man who stood by her in difficult times), Gregory Thomas, Rahat Kazmi, Khalid Ahmed, and Sunil Shankar. Her involvement in feature films has been with the likes of Shoaib Mansoor, Hamza Bangash, Iram Parveen Bilal, and Fawzia Mirza. Bakhtawar co-wrote and co-directed a feminist version of the legendary, doomed lovers’ tale, Heer Ranjha, titled ‘The Heer Project’, for National Institute of Performing Arts (NAPA)’s International Theatre Festival. For a period, she also worked with the NAPA Repertory. She currently teaches at the Arts Council Theatre Academy, Karachi. And believe it or not, she has performed a play at the National School of Drama, in New Delhi, India, some years ago, at their invitation. It was a play directed by Zia Mohiuddin, and they had three shows. That was her only visit to India, so far. She looks forward to coming here again and again.

Mohammed Qavi was among her most favourite theatre directors. She wanted to work with him, at least once in her life, and, last year, almost did, for Iram Parveen Bilal and Abid Aziz Merchant’s project, but it was too late. “What a privilege it was, to watch him perform all those characters, which only came to life, because he was playing them. A truly nuanced, layered and vulnerable performer with a deep understanding of rare combination of life and art! May his soul rest in peace!”

A Begum Akhtar and Ustaad Jumman fan, her hobbies are Travel, Politics, Music and Movies.

Asked about her favourite Indian films, she cites Chashm-e-Buddoor as an all-time favourite. She loves Anurag Kashap’s work. And she raves about Irrfan Khan. “What a pity he went away so early. I would have been delighted to work with him. I wish I had a time machine and could travel to a time when we could work together. And of course, Naseeruddin Shah. Among the actresses, Sridevi, Tabu, Neena Gupta…” Coming to her favourite Indian films, she named Maqbool, Sadma, Masoom and Namkeen. “And almost all the films of Yash Chopra and Karan Johar.” And when it came to to Hollywood, she named Bodyguard as one of her teenage years’ favourite. “The Great Gatsby…it was so ‘Hollywood’ Hollywood. And I must mention Australia. I like films that are more real, that have something to teach you, to shape you up.

Talking about Pakistani cinema, she says that there were many good films made in the in the 60s and 70s. Then, the two shiftings of the film-making hubs, from Karachi to Lahore, and back again to Karachi, hurt the industry. “Then there was a period when very strict censorship was imposed, which curtailed the creativity of sensitive directors. After all, scripts emerge from societies, and such films could not be made in that era. We ḥave great writers, great actors, great TV, great radio, but our films have not made the progress they deserved.”

On most Pakistani films following the entertainment, masala route, she opined, “Entertainment is necessary, but it is not all. Films are not made just for you to come out of the cinema, doing ‘Ha Ha Hee Hee’. There are so many burning issues and themes in Pakistani society today that our cinema could highlight, and make the audiences think.”

What about Pakistani cinema of the 60s and 70s? “It is a pity that the teens and twenties of Pakistan have no knowledge of the Pakistani cinema of that period. But when I talk to Indian girls of that age, they are very familiar, and some even name Sadhana, who worked in the 60s and 70s, as their favourite actress

Talking about RSIFF, she said this was her second visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and she cannot believe what she is seeing. Women, who had very limited roles to play in Saudi Society till very recently, are to the forefront today. Some of them are making films too. I hope the trend continues and the RSIFF keeps on growing, with even greater participation of women.”

Incidentally, Bakhtawar arries in her soul a 5,000 years old civilisation, being half-Sindhi. (Remember Mohenjo Daro?). The other half is Baloch. And she is married to a Punjabi. Speaks all three languages fluently, besides Urdu (which she learnt from Indian migrants, who tutored and mentored her) and English. But the two languages that she is most proficient in are the languages of theatre and cinema.

Dia, Trailer: https://youtu.be/IBBryCryzVc

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Salaar, Part I-Cease Fire: Could cause a seizure

Salaar, Part I-Cease Fire: Could cause a seizure

Salaar is an Urdu-Persian word, meaning commander or leader. According to the beginning voice over, a Muslim invader could rule over India, during the 12^th century, largely, due to the resources, strength and acumen of his trusted lieutenant, Salaar. There is a Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad, India, which has a great collection of antiques, art and rare manuscripts. But I doubt if anything in the film is related to or valued by this prized antique treasure trove. So, storing a copy of the film in its august premises is ruled out. What a pity; Salaar stored in Salar! What a headline that would have made! On the other hand, Salaar Part I: Cease Fire could find a place in a more accommodating museum. Perhaps among the best museums in the world: the China National Film Museum. Or National Museum of Cinema, Turin, Italy. Why not the La Cinémathèque Française, Paris, France? Maybe the German Film Museum, Frankfurt, Germany. And if nothing works, it can be stored in the National Film Archive of India, as a prized possession, available for exclusive viewing by paying a heavy fee.

It is mind-boggling and heart-stopping, fills the screen with oceans of blood, offers a collection of chopped heads s rewards for purchasing a ticket, has a preposterous plot, acting that can best be described as over-the-top, or poker-faced, performances, and direction that reinforces all these elements.

In 1985, Khansaar, a fictitious city-state, on the Indian border, near Gujarat, but not under Indian occupation or control, a tribesman, Deva, a humble, poor lad, and the King Raja Mannar's son, Vardharaja ‘Vardha’ Mannar, are bosom pals. After Raja Mannar commands the decimation of Shouryaanga tribe, a mob pounces on Deva and his mother at their residence, but Vardha intercedes, and Deva saves them, by offering an important territory of his kingdom, in exchange for sparing their lives. Deva and his mother are told to leave Khansaar immediately, for their own safety. Before exiting Khansaar, Deva vows to return on Vardha's call, and come to his aid, whenever summoned. He goes to Bharuch, Gujarat, India, to become a mechanic.

In 2017, a tycoon, Krishnakanth's daughter, Aadhya, flies to Varanasi from New York, against his advice, to pour her mother’s ashes in the Ganges. This alerts her father's old rivals, who conspire to abduct her, but Krishnakanth enlists the assistance of Bilal, who thwarts the enemies' attempts to seize her, and he safeguards her, as his friend, at Deva's place, in Tinsukia, Assam. There, she pretends to be an English teacher at a school, where Deva's mother is the headmistress. Eventually, the girl is traced to Tinsukia, where, upon his mother's reluctant advice, against her principles of non-violence, he uses his enormous strength to stop the goons' attempts to capture her.

Now that the bad guys have reached Tinsukia, fearing for Deva’s life, his mother plans to escape with him. But they decide to travel separately. Aadhya and Bilal are sent off in a convoy, led by a man named Rinda, the truck bearing the seal of the mysterious emblem of Khansaar. On seeing this seal, Deva's mother senses serious danger, and signals to him to rescue Aadhya and Bilal. He stops the convoy, diverting the attention of Vardha, and his step-sister, Radha Rama Mannar, who has ordered Aadhya's abduction, to avenge something Krishnakanth has done to her decades ago. Radha admits to planning the events, to pit Deva and Vardha against each other, since opposing the seal of Khansaar is a crime, and the perpetrator has to be killed, a rule that Deva himself is told to have imposed years ago. After the rescue, Bilal recounts the tale of Khansaar, and all of their connections to it, for Aadhya, in flashback.

According to a media report, Prabhas approached Prashanth Neel, in 2020, to direct his next film, after being highly impressed by Neel's debut film, Ugramm (2014). Both were busy for two years, with previous commitments, and the film’s muhurt was performed on 15^th January, 2021. It could finally be made in 2022-2023. Shooting began a week later, and the result is all for us to see. The film is based on Ugramm, by Prashanth Neel, and has dialogue by Sandeep Reddy Bandl, Hanumaan Choudary and Dr. Suri. It is written and directed by Prashanth Neel.

Behind the camera, Prashanth has the support of cinematographer Bhuvan Gowda, editor by Ujwal Kulkarni and music composer Ravi Basrur. No comments on their contributions.

On the screen are a few thousand homo sapiens, led by

Prabhas as ‘Deva’ Devaratha Shouryangaa Raisaar, alias ‘Salaar’

Videsh Anand as young Deva

Prithviraj Sukumaran in a dual role as Vardha Raja Mannar Vardha/Siva Mannar

Karthikeya Dev as young Vardha Raja Mannar

Shruti Haasan as Aadhya Krishnakanth

Jagapathi Babu as Raja Mannar

Bobby Simha as Bhaarava

Tinnu Anand as Gaikwad, alias Baba, the only actor from the Mumbai film industry, who must have done it only for the money, for there his is an infinitesimal role.

A slow, misleading start. There is bravura galore, heart thumping in abundance, battle cries and full scale battles, shift of locales about a dozen times, total anarchy under the nose of the Indian government, who is not even mentioned in the film, flashbacks every 20 minutes apart, energetic performances by Videsh Anand, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Karthikeya Dev, Shruti Hassan, and a few more. Then there is Prabhas. The PRABHAS.

Is this the same Prabhas we saw in Bahubali, Parts I and II? No way. He goes through the film looking like a somnambulist, a bull-fighter who has been administered a drug that keeps him half asleep and slows him down to half the normal pace at which most men walk.  Just one expression, half-asleep cynicism at every dialogue, even when administering lethal blows, throughout the film, is not what we expect from an actor who has been around for 22 years, and has done a plethora of roles. I sincerely hope he learns a lot from this outing, and does more meaningful cinema.

Fans and girls, you might even love Prabhas’s change of gear, and holler/wolf whistle at the apparition called Prabhas. But if I were you, I would not go near any cinema that is showing Salaar 1: Cease Fire. With this Cease Fire, the susceptible could end-up with a seizure. ‘Cease fire’ is a joke. And if you don’t get it, you are not a true critic or cineaste. What they are trying to tell you is that the period of waiting, between Part I and Part II, can be considered Cease Fire. But they will come back with a vengeance, in Part II. However, that is a wrong assumption. At least a dozen films will arrive, outdoing Salaar I, and outdoing the ‘trendsetter’ at its own game, in the next 12 months. Since it will arrive after these twelve odd movies, how will it trump them? More of the same? Whatever happened to the body we thought was the Central Board of Film Certification? Is a film that glorifies violence to hellish level open for viewing for anyone who is above 18 years of age?

On the other hand, the 18+s of today, will be the film-makers of the 2030s, and this could be their encyclopaedia, their reference point, their ‘how to make a…’, their ‘DIY’, their ‘self-help’ visual tome.

Rating: *

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr2jBvbiy04

P.S.: For the record, the makers of Salaar I: Cease Fire also produced KGF.

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Announcing the McMinnville Short Film Festival's 2024 Official Selections

 

ANNOUNCING THE LINEUP
FOR THE 13th EDITION OF THE
MCMINNVILLE SHORT FILM FESTIVAL 
FEBRUARY 23rd-25th 
McMinnville, OR becomes a destination for art and culture this February for the 13th edition of the McMinnville Short Film Festival! MSFF is excited to announce the lineup for 2024, with over 100 short films from filmmakers all over the world screening in the heart of Oregon Wine Country February 23rd-25th. All films will showcase at the McMinnville Cinema followed by a Filmmaker Q&A.

This year marks the 13th edition of MSFF, and will feature events for pass holders and industry networking opportunities for visiting filmmakers in addition to screening its official selections: 

• "HOW TO BUILD CAREER SUCCESS FROM YOUR SHORT FILM" PANEL, hosted by industry professionals. 
• BREAKFAST WITH A FILMMAKER with author and screenwriter Jonathan Raymond, who collaborated on six screenplays with director Kelly Reichardt (including FIRST COW, based on his own novel, “The Half-Life”), and on the HBO miniseries MILDRED PIERCE with Todd Haynes.
• AWARDS DINNER & KEYNOTE SPEAKER, where MSFF will announce the winners of this year's category nominees and feature their 2024 Keynote Speaker, award-winning producer Liz Cardenas (2022 Indie Spirit Award Winner for Best First Feature for 7 DAYS). 

The awards for this year's short films will be chosen by their talented industry judges including actress and author Ione Skye (RIVER’S EDGE, SAY ANYTHING); executive producer and actor Peter Billingsley (A CHRISTMAS STORY, IRON MAN); and director and producer Kyle Marvin (80 FOR BRADY, THE CLIMB). See the full list of judges here. 

Held annually each February in McMinnville, Oregon, the internationally recognized MSFF focuses on a range of narrative topics, including Native American, Drama, Comedy, Horror, Experimental, Animation, Environmental, and Documentary films. In addition to supporting their visiting filmmakers, they also promote and raise visibility for their local Willamette Valley and Pacific Northwest based filmmakers and strive to increase the collaborative dialogue between creative peers. 
 

VIEW THE MSFF SCHEDULE HERE

 

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2024 Sundance Film Festival Announces Short Films Lineup

Sundance Institute has announced the short films that will be a part of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival programming. The Festival will take place January 18–28, 2024, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, with a selection of titles available online nationwide from January 25–28, 2024. The Festival will introduce new short films for 2024 across eight curated programs.  

“Selecting the shorts for the Festival Program every year is an exercise in taking the pulse of film culture, and the outlook is always bright,” said Mike Plante, Senior Programmer, Short Film. “In our 40th year, the world of short films is more vibrant than ever. With so many ways to see and experience shorts now — at festivals and online through varied platforms — so many artists are coming to the art form and creating shorts that excite us, and short film fans, in new ways.”

The 53 short films for the 2024 lineup were selected from 12,098 submissions, the highest number on record. Of these submissions, 5,323 were from the U.S., and 6,799 were international. This upcoming year’s short film program includes work from 22 countries.

Driven by innovation and experimentation, the short film program seeks out filmmaking’s most original voices, exhibiting shorts across fiction, nonfiction, and animation, globally. From the start, the Institute has supported short filmmaking in all forms and styles, with alumni of the program including Andrea Arnold, Lake Bell, Damien Chazelle, Destin Daniel Cretton, Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass, Debra Granik, Rashaad Ernesto Green, Reinaldo Marcus Green, Sterlin Harjo, Todd Haynes, Nikyatu Jusu, Shaka King, Lynne Ramsay, Dee Rees, Charlotte Regan, A.V. Rockwell, Joey Soloway, Taika Waititi, and many others.

The Sundance Institute champions short films globally and throughout the year, with select Festival shorts presented as a traveling program at theaters in the U.S, Canada, Europe, and more.

The 2024 Sundance Film Festival short films are:

U.S. FICTION SHORT FILMS

Bay of Herons / U.S.A. (Director: Jared James Lank) — Calling on the strength of his ancestors, a young Mi’kmaq man reflects on the pain of bearing witness to the destruction of his homelands. Available online for Public.

Boi de Conchas (The Shell Covered Ox) / U.S.A., Brazil (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Daniel Barosa, Producers: Nikolas Maciel, Bruno Alfano) — While mourning her missing sister, Rayane balances helping her fisherman father and practicing for the school’s music festival — provided she doesn’t become an ox first, a misfortune assailing several teenagers in the area. Cast: Bebé Salvego, Daniela Dams, Walter Balthazar, Bianca Melo, Giulia Sposito, Kaique Martins De Paula, Kyuja Ohanna, Maitê Dias, Tainara Corrêa, and Thiago Klein. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

Border Hopper / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Nico Casavecchia, Screenwriter: Mercedes Arturo, Producers: Blaine Morris, Robin Spears, Gabriela Ortega) — When a Latinx filmmaker is offered a dream job abroad, she discovers a supernatural way to navigate the U.S. immigration system and get the coveted travel permit she needs. But what seems like a magic solution soon shows unexpected consequences. Cast: Gabriela Ortega, Santiago Reyes MacAllister. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

BUST / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Angalis Field, Screenwriters: Angalis Field, Eliza Barry Callahan, Producer: Drake Burnette) — A trans cop with the New York City Police Department goes undercover to make a drug bust. Cast: Lux Pascal, Nicky DeMarie. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

Didn’t Think I’d See You Here / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Dylan Guerra, Producers: Yaron Lotan, Laura Dupper) — Rory thinks there’s a ghost haunting his shower and decides to investigate its origin. But when he goes to a party and meets a romantic interest, his spectral mystery begins to unravel. Cast: Yaron Lotan, Holly Settoon, Marquis Rodriguez, Jose Useche. Available online for Public.

Dream Creep / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Carlos A.F. Lopez, Producers: Megan Leonard, Bobby McHugh, Jonathan Caso, Zeus Kontoyannis) — A couple awakens in the night to sounds emanating from an unlikely orifice. Cast: Ian Edlund, Sidney Jayne Hunt. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

Flail / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Ben Gauthier, Screenwriter: Allie Levitan, Producers: Jack Forbes, Maddie Thomas) — It’s her boss’s birthday, and Allie is trying as hard as she can. Cast: Allie Levitan, David Brown, Natalie Rotter-Laitman, Isabella Gerasole, Krista Levitan. Available online for Public.

Grace / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Natalie Jasmine Harris, Producers: Samiyah Wardlaw, Julia Kennelly, Latavia Young, Morgan B. Powell) — Sixteen-year-old Grace prepares for her baptism in the rural 1950s South. When she learns she must repent before the ritual, she begins to question the budding romantic feelings she has toward her best friend, Louise. Cast: Jordan Rayanna Wells, Alexis Cofield, Mikayla LaShae Bartholomew, C L Simpson, JeVon Blackwell. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

guts / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Margaux Susi, Screenwriter: Jan Rosenberg, Producers: Grayson Propst, Angela Giarratana) — Desperate for help, a woman in recovery asks an unlikely stranger on a dinner date. Cast: Kate Burton, Angela Giarratana. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

The Heart / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Malia Ann, Producer: Ayesha Nadarajah) — A lonely man grieves the death of his mother after an argument about groceries and an odd request in her will. Cast: Tunde Adebimpe, LaTonya Borsay. Available online for Public.

The Looming / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Masha Ko, Producers: Caroline Gluck, Andrey Nikolaev, Kolten Horner) — When a virtual home assistant speaker, Luna, picks up the strange noise Chester has heard in his house, he realizes that it may not be a symptom of dementia. Cast: Joseph Lopez, Kolten Horner, Brianne Buishas, Alyssa Nicole. Available online for Public.

The Looming Cloud / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Matthew Tyler, Producer: Connie Shi) — Three siblings return home after their mother’s death and face their most daunting task: figuring out how to post about it on social media. Cast:Mitzi Akaha, Jason Amerling, Connie Shi. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

The Lost Season / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Kelly Sears) — Winter is over. Continue watching. Cast: Skinner Myers. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

Pasture Prime / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Diffan Sina Norman, Screenwriter and Producer: Carolyn Purnell) — A widow falls for a younger man she meets at the Cowboy Church. Cast: Gail Cronauer, Patrick Kirton, Chris Alan Evans, Susan Kirton, Joshua Ogden-Davis. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

Pathological / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Alison Rich, Producers: Bridgett Greenberg, Ingrid Haas, Avtar Khalsa, Peter Principato, Todd Ruhnau) — A woman who’s a pathological liar wakes up one day to discover her lies have become true. Cast: Alison Rich, Meaghan Rath, Luke Cook, Adam Lustick, Heather Pasternak, George Kareman. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

The Rainbow Bridge / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Dimitri Simakis, Producers: Suki-Rose, Michael Scott) — Tina and her elderly dog MeeMoo discover a clinic promising human-to-pet communication. However, two sinister doctors uncover a bond between them so strong, it transcends time and space. They might be the key to something greater, but at what cost? Cast: Thu Tran, Heather Lawless, James Urbaniak, David Brown, Fat Tony. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

Say Hi After You Die / U.S.A. (Director: Kate Jean Hollowell, Screenwriters: Kate Jean Hollowell, Ruby Caster, Producer: Miranda Kahn) — A grieving woman believes her deceased best friend has come back to visit her… as a port-a-potty. Cast: Kate Jean Hollowell, Ruby Caster, George Basil. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

SHÉ (SNAKE) / U.S.A., U.K. (Director and Screenwriter: Renee Zhan, Producer: Jesse Romain) — Fei is the top violinist in her elite youth orchestra. When another Chinese violinist arrives to challenge her place, Fei’s internal demons take external form. They whisper to her, urging her to be the best, no matter the cost. Cast: Xiaonan Wang, Alina Lew, Simon Paisley Day, Elizabeth Chan, Leslie Ching, Grace Fan. U.S. Premiere. Available online for Public.

Thirstygirl / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Alexandra Qin, Producers: Brooke Goldman, Alexandra Qin) — On a road trip with her younger sister, Charlie struggles to hide a secret sex addiction. Cast: Samantha Ahn, Claire Dunn. Available online for Public.

INTERNATIONAL FICTION SHORT FILMS

Basri & Salma in a Never-Ending Comedy / Indonesia (Director and Screenwriter: Khozy Rizal, Producers: John Badalu, Sue Turley) — A married couple who own an Odong-Odong spend their days entertaining other people’s children. Between relatives, self-doubt, and an explosive confrontation, they uncover why they have not been blessed with a child. Cast: Arham Rizky Saputra, Rezky Chik, Hj. Sugiati, Alghifari Jasin, Alif Anggara, Sri Eka Putri. Available online for Public.

Bold Eagle / Philippines (Director and Screenwriter: Whammy Alcazaren, Producer: Alemberg Ang) — Trapped at home with hallucinogenic drugs and his talking cat, an “alter” anonymously performs lascivious acts on the Internet, seeking refuge in the strong arms of strange men, hoping to masturbate his way to true happiness. Cast: Brian, Monty, Gio Gahol, Ricky Davao.

Bye Bye, Bowser / Austria (Director: Jasmin Baumgartner, Screenwriter: Lorenz Uhl, Producer: Dominic Spitaler) — Luna rebels against the indifference of her artsy friends by writing a punk song about Laugo, the construction worker from across the street. Will the clashing worlds of affluent neglect and working life lead to the collapse of their romance? Cast: Luna Jordan, Laurence Hadschieff. North American Premiere. Available online for Public.

Dreams like paper boats / Haiti (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Samuel Frantz Suffren) — Edouard and his daughter live with a cassette received from his wife in the United States, a long time ago. After years of absence, what can we expect from a distant love? Cast: Kenny Laguerre, Zaraina Ruth-Amma Suffren, Clorette Jacinthe. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

Essex Girls / U.K. (Director: Yero Timi-Biu, Screenwriter: Busayo Ige, Producers: Angela Moneke, Simon Hatton) — After an incident at her high school pulls her into the orbit of the only other Black girl in her year, “Essex Girl” Bisola is plunged into a journey to discover a whole new side of herself. Cast: Busayo Ige, Corinna Brown, Maisie Smith, Adrianna Bertola, Krysstina Frempong, Rebecca Dike. Available online for Public.

Lea Tupu'anga / Mother Tongue / New Zealand (Director: Vea Mafile'o, Screenwriter: Luciane Buchanan, Producers: Alex Lovell, Eldon Booth) — A young speech therapist disconnected from her Tongan heritage lies about her Tongan language skills to get a job. Out of her depth, she must find a way to communicate or risk her patient’s life. Cast: Luciane Buchanan, Albert Rounds, Mikey Falesiu, Michael Koloi, Elizabeth Thomson. World Premiere.

The Masterpiece / Spain (Director and Producer: Alex Lora Cercos, Screenwriter and Producer: Lluis Quilez, Screenwriter: Alfonso Amador, Producers: Sandra Travé, Josemari Martínez, Néstor López) — Leo and Diana, a wealthy couple, meet Salif and Yousef, two scrap dealers, at a recycle center. Offering them more junk, Diana invites them to their mansion, but the immigrants actually might be the ones with something she wants. Cast: Daniel Grao, Babou Cham, Melina Matthews, Adam Nourou, Guido Grao. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

Phoebe / Greece, Cyprus (Director and Screenwriter: Vaggelio Soumeli, Producers: Janine Teerling, Marios Piperides, Romana Lobach, Paul Typaldos) — Having been recently discharged from rehab, 26-year-old Phoebe takes her young son on a road trip that will determine their future. Cast: Athina Pavlou Benazi, Nikolas Drosopoulos, Orestis Raissis. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

Pisko the Crab Child is in Love / Japan (Director and Screenwriter: Makoto Nagahisa, Producer: Yasuo Suzuki) — Pisko’s father is a crab while her mother is human. Pisko falls in love with her teacher but is heartbroken when he leaves her because she is half-crab. Pisko finally finds love and companionship with her friend Kubokayo. Cast: Aiko Kano, Saya, Maki Fukuda, Kanta Sato. U.S. Premiere. Available online for Public.

Shalal / Iran (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Amir Ali Sisipour, Producer: Rostam Sisipour) — Mehran and his mother, Ziba, don’t have shadows, so they use a black fur to catch the shadows of people and drink them. One day, Mehran decides to catch someone’s shadow alone. Cast: Masomeh Emamai, Amir Reza Sisipour, Javad Ansari, Fataneh Imani. Available online for Public.

The Stag / Taiwan (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: An Chu, Producer: Tzu-Yuan Wang) — At a deer farm in Changhua County, a middle-aged man is asked to cut off a stag’s antlers in front of his two kids. Cast: Yung-He Chen, Wei-Jen Chen, Si-Kai Chen. International Premiere. Available online for Public.

Terra Mater / Rwanda (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Kantarama Gahigiri) — Technology and waste in our lands, systems, and bones. Here she stands, confidently, like a goddess surrounded by endless mountains of plastic, stench, and rare earths. She cannot help but wonder, where is the space for healing? Cast: Cheryl Isheja. Available online for Public.

Viaje de Negocios / Mexico (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Gerardo Coello Escalante, Producers: Amandine Thomas, Nahim Abuxapqui, Rodrigo Solano) — Daniel arrives at school wearing brand-new sneakers from America, gifted to him by his father. When he sees another boy wearing the same sneakers, he begins to suspect that their shoes are the key to a terrible secret. Cast: Rodrigo Mota, Pablo Torres, Gerardo Saldaña, Lila Urbina. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

Voice Ever / France (Directors and Screenwriters: Céline Perreard, Pauline Archange, Producer: Anne Luthaud) — Over the course of an evening, Romane, Sarah, Emmanuel, and Boris connect on Voice Ever, a new dating app where you choose your date based on their voice. Their weaknesses and vulnerabilities will surface in their desire to meet. Cast: Alexandra Desloires, Kelly Bellacci, Vincent Pasdermadjian, Xavier Lacaille, Maya Raad, Edith Baldy. North American Premiere. Available online for Public.

ANIMATION SHORT FILMS

27 /France, Hungary (Director and Screenwriter: Flóra Anna Buda, Producers: Emmanuel-Alain Raynal, Pierre Baussaron, Gábor Osváth, Péter Benjámin Lukács) — Alice is 27 years old today. Even though she is suffocating a bit, she still lives with her parents and tends to live in her dreams to escape her dreary everyday life. Available online for Public.

Baigal Nuur - Lake Baikal / Canada, Germany (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Alisi Telengut) — The formation of Lake Baikal in Siberia is reimagined, featuring the voice of a Buryat woman who can still recall some words in her endangered Buryat language (a Mongolian dialect). U.S. Premiere.

The Bleacher / U.S.A. (Directors and Screenwriters: Nicole Daddona, Adam Wilder, Producer: Zeus Kontoyannis) — The disappearance of her sock at a local laundromat sends a fragile Rita over the edge. Hellbent on finding it, she searches deep and gets sucked into a washing machine, entering an otherworldly cycle from which she may never escape. Cast: Kate Micucci, Ben Sinclair, Sky Elobar. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

Bug Diner / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Phoebe Jane Hart) — A dissatisfied marriage, a secret crush, and workplace fantasies come to a head in a diner run by a mole with a hot ass. Cast: Jacob Levy, Phoebe Hart. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

Dona Beatriz Ñsîmba Vita / Brazil (Director and Screenwriter: Catapreta, Producer: Miriam Rolim) — Kimpa Vita fulfills the prophetic mission of leading her people in a racist and unequal society. Set in contemporary Brazil and inspired by the true story of Kimpa Vita, a 17th-century Congolese religious leader. North American Premiere. Available online for Public.

Drago / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Daniel Zvereff) — A young boy’s dream of becoming a doctor is challenged when war forces him and his mother to flee their village and start a new life in New York City. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

Larry / U.S.A. (Directors: Takeshi Murata, Christopher Rutledge, Screenwriter: Takeshi Murata) — A dog loses its grasp of shape and time while balling like Shaq. Available online for Public.

Martyr’s Guidebook / Poland (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Maks Rzontkowski) — Tony is the ultimate good guy, sometimes to a fault. From nabbing the smallest slice of cake in grade school to guiding lost strangers in the city, his kindness knows no bounds. He also lives with an angel. Cast: Maks Rzontkowski, Julia Woronowicz, Jaś Dąbrówka. International Premiere. Available online for Public.

Matta and Matto / Switzerland (Directors and Screenwriters: Bianca Caderas, Kerstin Zemp, Producer: Joder von Rotz) — In a time when all interpersonal closeness is forbidden, the hourly hotel Vaip offers wondrous rooms where guests snuggle up to devices built with great skill and let themselves fall into the perfect illusion of human touch. Cast: Bianca Caderas, Kerstin Zemp, Etienne Mory, Amélie Cochet, Danay Gijzen, Martine Ulmer. North American Premiere. Available online for Public.

Miisufy / Estonia (Director: Liisi Grünberg, Screenwriter and Producer: Aurelia Aasa) — Digital pet cat Miisu gets tired of her owner and starts to revolt. Inspired by Tamagotchi — observing the world through the eyes of digital pets. Cast: Maria Ehrenberg. Available online for Public.

NONFICTION SHORT FILMS

14 Paintings / China (Director and Producer: Dongnan Chen, Producers: Jiaqing Lin, Chongjun Li, Jisong Li, Heying Chen) — A field study of 14 paintings from China’s Dafen village, as the government rebrands the copy-painting district as a hub for original art. North American Premiere. Available online for Public.

ALOK / U.S.A. (Director: Alex Hedison) — A compelling portrait of Alok Vaid-Menon, acclaimed nonbinary author, poet, comedian, and public speaker. Executive-produced by Jodie Foster. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

Bob’s Funeral / U.S.A (Director, Screenwriter, Animator, and Producer: Jack Dunphy) — Searching for the root of generational trauma, the director sneaks a camera into his estranged grandfather’s funeral. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

Ekbeh / U.S.A. (Director: Mariah Eli Hernandez-Fitch) — While learning to make gumbo, the creator shares personal stories about their grandparents as a way to honor and preserve their Indigenous history and life.  Available online for Public.

Merman / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Sterling Hampton IV, Producer: Monica Lawless) — A 58-year-old Black Queer man speaks the truth about his life as an emergency nurse, a leather enthusiast, husband, and civil rights advocate. Available online for Public.

Object 817 / Belgium (Director and Screenwriter: Olga Lucovnicova, Producers: Frederik Nicolai, Annabel Verbeke) — A poetic journey to the heart of the Ural, where the discovery of an alien creature uncovers a haunting secret. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

Salone Love / U.S.A., U.K., Sierra Leone (Director: Tajana Tokyo, Producers: Tabs Breese, India Wadsworth) — A scrapbook of opinions and advice about love in Sierra Leone. Available online for Public.

The Smallest Power / Iran (Director and Producer: Andy Sarjahani, Producer: Daniel Lombroso) — During the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising in Iran, in the aftermath of the murder of Jina Mahsa Amini, a medical resident finds her voice when the chaos in the streets comes to her hospital floor. Available online for Public.

To Be Invisible / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Myah Overstreet) — Every week for the past three years, Alexis and Kellie have stood outside Durham County’s child welfare agency, demanding the return of their children. Together, they embark on a journey to bring their children home. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

Winding Path / U.S.A. (Directors: Alexandra Lazarowich, Ross Kauffman, Producer: Robin Honan) — Eastern Shoshone MD-PhD student Jenna Murray spent summers on the Wind River Indian Reservation helping her grandpa anyway she could. When he suddenly dies, she must find a way to heal before realizing her dream of a life in medicine. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

 In-Person Ticket Packages and Passes and Online Ticket Packages and Passes, including a special short films online pass, are currently on sale and single film tickets go on sale January 11 at 10 a.m. MT.

Featured Photo: Travis Wise

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DOC NYC 2023

DOC NYC has remained the largest and most important North American documentary festival. Held in person this year from November 8^th to the 16^th alongside streaming selected productions from the 8^th to the 26^th, DOC NYC once again displays its well-earned reputation for excellent curatorial program choices reiterated by the significant number of featured documentaries that have nominated for and received Oscars. DOC NYC 2023 selected 114 feature length documentaries and 129 short films. The program included 33 world and 29 US premieres. This year’s DOC NYC had a 5% increase in in-person attendance compared to 2022, and this expansion was epitomized by fifty sold out screenings and the growing nationwide on-line audience.  The festival attracted a record number of 1,000 industry representatives including film makers.  Among the major sponsors and signature media this year were A&E, Netflix, HBO, National Geographic as well as New York, WNET, the New Republic and WNYC. The other supporters were Bloomberg Philanthropies, Hulu, NBC, Amazon, and Ford Foundation Just Films to name but a few. Below are reviews of two extraordinary documentaries.

AT THE BORDER (Come as You Are) (2023)

This Venezuelan US coproduction by Braulio Jatar and Anaïs Michael world premiered at the festival with an impressive yet subdued portrayal of survival on the frontier separating Venezuela and Colombia. It presents a low-key documentation, bordering on ethnography, of the everyday life of two young men earning their living as smugglers (Coyotes) in the dangerous border area of Colombia and Venezuela. Español and Barrabas survive despite the dangers surrounding them from corrupt officers of the law, armed gangs, and natural disasters. Their income is unpredictable and based on escorting individuals or families migrating from Venezuela to Columbia or bringing back market merchandise strapped on their backs to the progressively impoverished Venezuela on the other side of the border.

Español and Barrabas compete with other teenaged people for these jobs and survive in the dangerous border region of dirt roads, illegal pathways, and frequently flooding rivers. On “Death roads” they report coming come across the bodies of those who perished in the smuggling trade or were killed by armed gangs. They know the rules of the game, set by the armed gangs who control clearly defined sections of the border crossing regions. Violating the rules can easily result in their own deaths.

There is no predictable employment in the border city of Cúcuta where much of the film was shot. As noted by Barrabas, life there was easier five years ago. Braulio Jatar, who is from Venezuela, illustrates his country’s problem by observing that “a lot of people [from Venezuela] were going to Columbia just to eat at the soup kitchens... which were serving around 3-5,00 daily”.  Since 2014, close to eight million Venezuelans have left their country. More than one million live now in Columbia.

Español and Barrabas, try to use their scarce income to support their relatives in Venezuela, including funds to join them. However, their own legal status is as uncertain as that of the hundreds of thousands of other Venezuelans living in Columbia. Columbian authorities have promised a special status for Venezuelans living there and many have filed applications, but the new rules were not yet enacted. They can be expelled at any time, a fate faced globally by virtually all “illegal” immigrants. They all hope to receive legal status in North American, European, and other high income countries but most countries now constrain immigration except for those with significant income or high levels of education.  The former Coyote Barrabas and his companion Genima, along with their young child, have given up on living in Columbia. After having spent some time in other Columbian cities they are now headed for the Unites States.

 

Filmed over four years the AT THE BORDER feature superb cinematography and  a compassionate story with extraordinary insights into how young smugglers make a living in the cross border trade of people and merchandise between Columbia and Venezuela. The story offers little of the overt violence and open conflicts recorded in many films about migrating groups. The filmmakers show the human face of survival in chaotic conditions with an observational approach not driven by political messages.

TOTAL TRUST (2023)

Directed by Jialing Zhang, TOTAL TRUST is a German Dutch 2023 coproduction with support from arte. The documentary premiered in the United States at DOC NYC. It is considered the first major documentary that investigates the surveillance system developed by China. TOTAL TRUST received the Grand Jury Prize in the International Competition. As the producers note, “Digital surveillance tools have been used by governments to control their citizens, not only in China but all over the world. This is no longer an ‘imaginable future’ but a reality”.  

For decades, surveillance was developed by public and corporate agencies in postindustrial societies. In response, European Union countries have already passed rules protecting individual privacy. China is the only advanced country which has openly developed smart digital surveillance systems, since 2014, as a part of its socialist market economy with a Chinese face. China has installed an estimated 170 million camera systems, with plans for an additional 600 million over the next three years, many with high speed and resolution capabilities. Cameras are in road locations, inside apartment buildings, and in front of the homes of suspected opponents of the government. The largescale establishment of facial recognition databases made possible by these systems are not unique to China. According to The Perpetual Line Report by Georgetown University, the faces of 117 million Americans are in these databases. In the UK, and other European countries, facial recognition technologies are widely employed by legal agencies including their secret service apparatus.

What distinguishes China is the effort to link location data collected by camera surveillance with information from other sources to a designated system of social credit scores. This system aims to establish separate social and economic market sections where both individuals and corporations can be rewarded or punished but is far from being completed. In the social sector, apart from electronic data collection, paid or volunteering individuals record behavior in or outside residential buildings or roads. Individuals are assigned to collect data in specific circumscribed blocks. Advanced technologies allow the increasingly sophisticated application of facial and physical recognition which are applied. Data is in turn transferred to governmental offices including legal organizations. Recorded “violations” range from dirty streets, traffic infractions, lack of identification papers, participating in protest and oppositional actions, and in former times breaking the zero-covid rules. In the limited number of towns where the social credit score system has been applied, individual reports show that the accumulation of negative points, having a “low rank”, may be punished by denial to travel by  air or high speed train, limiting internet access or access to hotel accommodations. Among other scorable offenses are bad driving, high debts, or posting incorrect or “wrong” information. Many negative points can result in placement on a black list that is supposed to be consulted by employers. Individuals scoring high in social credits can receive discounts on products and services.  

The Chinese government has just passed draft legislation facilitating the expansion of the social credit system, but observers note that such a system will hardly be fully implemented in the near future. The political goals of an obedient and submissive population lie in a dystopian future. It should also be noted that most Chinese are apparently not opposed to such a system. In a similar vein, its doubtful that North Americans object to, or perhaps even understand, the massive collection of individual data through corporate or public individual electronic devices or the application of facial identification.

With some of the footage secretly recorded, TOTAL TRUST demonstrates that the current and future accumulation of massive amounts of data covering individuals results in increasing governmental knowledge and power, with the consequences undermining human and civil rights while engaging in punitive actions.  If everything about the individual is known to the government, a totalitarian system can readily be organized. The principal individuals and their families in the documentary are civil rights lawyers and journalists who shared their conflictual experience with governmental agencies, either anonymously or through encrypted means, with TOTAL TRUST. These professionals are prosecuted in court for defending individuals against their alleged violations of the laws or tried for publishing articles about governmental officials trespassing established laws including sexual abuse. Among the worst offenses with resultant long detention is the subversion of state power. All actions opposing an official agency once recorded are met with a wide range of sanctions including detention, isolation of those who testified for the accused, loss or restriction of professional license(s) to work, placing a suspected individual into distant internment from his family without allowing personal contact, and making it more difficult for defendant’s children to attend schools. Another destructive consequence is likely social isolation from peers because articulating opposition requires courage. Few act on their courage or convictions publicly because they may be recorded doing so and therefore are forced to embrace internal censorship. One consequence of the suspension of civil rights is the attempt by the victims to leave China.

Produced undercover, the documentary TOTAL TRUST by Jialing Zhang unquestionably deserved the DOC NYC 2023 Grand Jury International Competition award for its report about the Chinese surveillance society. A follow-up on the current political and personal consequences of the status of ‘Capitalist Surveillance’ in advanced Western societies would be welcome.

Claus Mueller New York

filmexchange@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

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DOC NYC 2023

DOC NYC has remained the largest and most important North American documentary festival. Held in person this year from November 8^th to the 16^th alongside streaming selected productions from the 8^th to the 26^th, DOC NYC once again displays its well-earned reputation for excellent curatorial program choices reiterated by the significant number of featured documentaries that have nominated for and received Oscars. DOC NYC 2023 selected 114 feature length documentaries and 129 short films. The program included 33 world and 29 US premieres. This year’s DOC NYC had a 5% increase in in-person attendance compared to 2022, and this expansion was epitomized by fifty sold out screenings and the growing nationwide on-line audience.  The festival attracted a record number of 1,000 industry representatives including film makers.  Among the major sponsors and signature media this year were A&E, Netflix, HBO, National Geographic as well as New York, WNET, the New Republic and WNYC. The other supporters were Bloomberg Philanthropies, Hulu, NBC, Amazon, and Ford Foundation Just Films to name but a few. Below are reviews of two extraordinary documentaries.

AT THE BORDER (Come as You Are) (2023)

This Venezuelan US coproduction by Braulio Jatar and Anaïs Michael world premiered at the festival with an impressive yet subdued portrayal of survival on the frontier separating Venezuela and Colombia. It presents a low-key documentation, bordering on ethnography, of the everyday life of two young men earning their living as smugglers (Coyotes) in the dangerous border area of Colombia and Venezuela. Español and Barrabas survive despite the dangers surrounding them from corrupt officers of the law, armed gangs, and natural disasters. Their income is unpredictable and based on escorting individuals or families migrating from Venezuela to Columbia or bringing back market merchandise strapped on their backs to the progressively impoverished Venezuela on the other side of the border.

Español and Barrabas compete with other teenaged people for these jobs and survive in the dangerous border region of dirt roads, illegal pathways, and frequently flooding rivers. On “Death roads” they report coming come across the bodies of those who perished in the smuggling trade or were killed by armed gangs. They know the rules of the game, set by the armed gangs who control clearly defined sections of the border crossing regions. Violating the rules can easily result in their own deaths.

There is no predictable employment in the border city of Cúcuta where much of the film was shot. As noted by Barrabas, life there was easier five years ago. Braulio Jatar, who is from Venezuela, illustrates his country’s problem by observing that “a lot of people [from Venezuela] were going to Columbia just to eat at the soup kitchens... which were serving around 3-5,00 daily”.  Since 2014, close to eight million Venezuelans have left their country. More than one million live now in Columbia.

Español and Barrabas, try to use their scarce income to support their relatives in Venezuela, including funds to join them. However, their own legal status is as uncertain as that of the hundreds of thousands of other Venezuelans living in Columbia. Columbian authorities have promised a special status for Venezuelans living there and many have filed applications, but the new rules were not yet enacted. They can be expelled at any time, a fate faced globally by virtually all “illegal” immigrants. They all hope to receive legal status in North American, European, and other high income countries but most countries now constrain immigration except for those with significant income or high levels of education.  The former Coyote Barrabas and his companion Genima, along with their young child, have given up on living in Columbia. After having spent some time in other Columbian cities they are now headed for the Unites States.

 

Filmed over four years the AT THE BORDER feature superb cinematography and  a compassionate story with extraordinary insights into how young smugglers make a living in the cross border trade of people and merchandise between Columbia and Venezuela. The story offers little of the overt violence and open conflicts recorded in many films about migrating groups. The filmmakers show the human face of survival in chaotic conditions with an observational approach not driven by political messages.

TOTAL TRUST (2023)

Directed by Jialing Zhang, TOTAL TRUST is a German Dutch 2023 coproduction with support from arte. The documentary premiered in the United States at DOC NYC. It is considered the first major documentary that investigates the surveillance system developed by China. TOTAL TRUST received the Grand Jury Prize in the International Competition. As the producers note, “Digital surveillance tools have been used by governments to control their citizens, not only in China but all over the world. This is no longer an ‘imaginable future’ but a reality”.  

For decades, surveillance was developed by public and corporate agencies in postindustrial societies. In response, European Union countries have already passed rules protecting individual privacy. China is the only advanced country which has openly developed smart digital surveillance systems, since 2014, as a part of its socialist market economy with a Chinese face. China has installed an estimated 170 million camera systems, with plans for an additional 600 million over the next three years, many with high speed and resolution capabilities. Cameras are in road locations, inside apartment buildings, and in front of the homes of suspected opponents of the government. The largescale establishment of facial recognition databases made possible by these systems are not unique to China. According to The Perpetual Line Report by Georgetown University, the faces of 117 million Americans are in these databases. In the UK, and other European countries, facial recognition technologies are widely employed by legal agencies including their secret service apparatus.

What distinguishes China is the effort to link location data collected by camera surveillance with information from other sources to a designated system of social credit scores. This system aims to establish separate social and economic market sections where both individuals and corporations can be rewarded or punished but is far from being completed. In the social sector, apart from electronic data collection, paid or volunteering individuals record behavior in or outside residential buildings or roads. Individuals are assigned to collect data in specific circumscribed blocks. Advanced technologies allow the increasingly sophisticated application of facial and physical recognition which are applied. Data is in turn transferred to governmental offices including legal organizations. Recorded “violations” range from dirty streets, traffic infractions, lack of identification papers, participating in protest and oppositional actions, and in former times breaking the zero-covid rules. In the limited number of towns where the social credit score system has been applied, individual reports show that the accumulation of negative points, having a “low rank”, may be punished by denial to travel by  air or high speed train, limiting internet access or access to hotel accommodations. Among other scorable offenses are bad driving, high debts, or posting incorrect or “wrong” information. Many negative points can result in placement on a black list that is supposed to be consulted by employers. Individuals scoring high in social credits can receive discounts on products and services.  

The Chinese government has just passed draft legislation facilitating the expansion of the social credit system, but observers note that such a system will hardly be fully implemented in the near future. The political goals of an obedient and submissive population lie in a dystopian future. It should also be noted that most Chinese are apparently not opposed to such a system. In a similar vein, its doubtful that North Americans object to, or perhaps even understand, the massive collection of individual data through corporate or public individual electronic devices or the application of facial identification.

With some of the footage secretly recorded, TOTAL TRUST demonstrates that the current and future accumulation of massive amounts of data covering individuals results in increasing governmental knowledge and power, with the consequences undermining human and civil rights while engaging in punitive actions.  If everything about the individual is known to the government, a totalitarian system can readily be organized. The principal individuals and their families in the documentary are civil rights lawyers and journalists who shared their conflictual experience with governmental agencies, either anonymously or through encrypted means, with TOTAL TRUST. These professionals are prosecuted in court for defending individuals against their alleged violations of the laws or tried for publishing articles about governmental officials trespassing established laws including sexual abuse. Among the worst offenses with resultant long detention is the subversion of state power. All actions opposing an official agency once recorded are met with a wide range of sanctions including detention, isolation of those who testified for the accused, loss or restriction of professional license(s) to work, placing a suspected individual into distant internment from his family without allowing personal contact, and making it more difficult for defendant’s children to attend schools. Another destructive consequence is likely social isolation from peers because articulating opposition requires courage. Few act on their courage or convictions publicly because they may be recorded doing so and therefore are forced to embrace internal censorship. One consequence of the suspension of civil rights is the attempt by the victims to leave China.

Produced undercover, the documentary TOTAL TRUST by Jialing Zhang unquestionably deserved the DOC NYC 2023 Grand Jury International Competition award for its report about the Chinese surveillance society. A follow-up on the current political and personal consequences of the status of ‘Capitalist Surveillance’ in advanced Western societies would be welcome.

Claus Mueller New York

filmexchange@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

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