DocHouse presents three highly visual and socially powerful short documentaries
The Last Rites by Yasmine Kabir
La Chirola by Diego Mondaca
Shelter in Place by Zed Nelson
Followed by a Q&A with Shelter in Place director Zed Nelson (tbc) and producer Hannah Patterson
WHEN: Thursday 2nd September 2010 at 6:30pm WHERE: DocHouse is pleased to be screening in partnership with Birkbeck College for the first time. Birkbeck Cinema, University of London 43 Gordon Square London WC1H 0PD HOW: The screening is FREE, but a voluntary donation of £5 at the entrance would be greatly appreciated.
THE LAST RITES - Director: Yasmine Kabir, Bangladesh, 2008, 17 min
The Last Rites, a silent film, by Yasmine Kabir, depicts the ship breaking yards of Chittagong, Bangladesh - a final destination for ships that are too old to ply the oceans any longer.
Every year, hundreds of ships are sent to yards in Bangladesh. And every year, thousands of people come to these yards in search of jobs. Risking their lives to save themselves from hunger, they breathe in asbestos dust and toxic waste.
The elemental struggle between man and metal figures throughout the film, as men carry the weight of steel ropes over their shoulders, pull huge parts of the vessels inland, and bear great metal plates.
The Last Rites is an allegorical portrayal of the agony of hard labor.
LA CHIROLA - Director: Diego Mondaca, Cuba/Bolivia, 2008, 26 min
Through his memories of the chirola (prison), Pedro makes us learn what confinement could imply to someone either outside or behind bars.
The feelings, the changes, the uncertainties and the traumas generated inside a limited space and a limited situation construct his philosophy of life and freedom.
Winner of several international awards, including:
Biárritz International Film Festival 2009 - Best Documentary Film School Luís Lumiére 24° Mar del Plata International Film Festival 2009 - Best Latin American Documentary Award IDFA 2008 - Special Mention of the Jury for Best Documentary
SHELTER IN PLACE - Director: Zed Nelson, UK, 2009, 48 min
Portraits of the vast, sprawling complexes of oil refineries and petro-chemical plants that help make the Texan economy one of the biggest in the world. But does the wealth come at too high a price to the local community?
Texan industries are legally permitted to release millions of tons of toxic pollutants into the air each year, plus thousands of tons more in ‘accidental’ or ‘unscheduled’ releases. When these incidents happen, local residents are told to stay in their homes and tape up their windows and doors.
This procedure is called ‘Shelter in Place’. Communities living on the fenceline of Texan industry are usually poor, African American and powerless to protest. This film is an intimate portrait of a community battling against environmental pollution and corporate power...
"Beautifully shot...an emotionally engaging portrait of people without a voice."The International Film Guide
Followed by a Q&A with Shelter in Place director Zed Nelson (tbc) and producer Hannah Patterson
With grateful thanks to Birkbeck College.