Film Series "World Changer"

19. ja 26.May,
02. ja 09. June at 18.00 in Kumu auditorium
Free of charge

Each spring the World Changers grant strength, emotions and inspiration. The four high-level films offer the audience the possibility to sympathize with the things happening in the world, as well as to think and act.

IN MAY 2010

19. May
"Dream land"
Gudnason Thorfinnur, Magnason Andri Snær
89min, Island, 2009

Iceland is an attractive spot for investors in green energy. The financial returns are enormous for this sparsely populated nation, but the negative impact on nature conservation is also significant. The American company Alcoa has convinced the Icelandic government to give up a large portion of the island's eastern region for "green" aluminum production, leading to the loss of natural beauty, vegetation, animal life, and agriculture. Environmental activists view these actions as criminal, while left-wing economists believe they will bring only a temporary boost to the economy, rather than structural growth. As one economist says in Dreamland, "After this project, a new one will be needed, otherwise the economy will collapse again. It's like keeping on drinking so as not to feel the hangover." But the authorities can nonetheless be swayed by this kind of plan, even when it involves a company such as Alcoa, which is involved in the weapons industry in the United States. As another critic explains, "The company just promises a well-paid position to the politician after his term is over." This claim gains credence when we learn that the mayor involved later worked as a project manager for -- you guessed it -- Alcoa. The film is an ode to a threatened landscape, with magnificent helicopter shots of breathtaking, rugged terrain where waterfalls, geysers and vast green steppes still abound -- for now.

http://www.dreamland.is/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvH8tl4y0KE


***********************
26.MAy
COWBOYS IN INDIA
/Director Simon Chambers/ UK, 2009, 79 min

Simon Chambers wants to find out if a large industrial complex run by the British mining company Vedanta in the Indian region of Orissa can help the local community flourish.
But his attempts to hire local guides border on the ludicrous; they get lost, and then complain of leg pains to avoid taking him on tour. Even his chauffeur takes off. Then he realises why; although there there are hospitals, there are no doctors, wastewater has been leaking into the river and there are many other rumours from all sides.
That's when Chamber realises that his guides are not incompetent - just fully aware they are risking quite a lot by accompanying an inquisitive foreigner...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-lCL7bP1a4