Budrus is a find!  It is one of those documentaries that needs to be talked about and it will leave you thinking about your role as a bridge builder to peace for days. Why? Because it shares a story that is not commonly told: It documents a Palestinian village’s non-violent response to a wall being built on their land by the Israelis. It is the winner of numerous awards and was called “A Must See Documentary” by The New York Times.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This film is a gold mine of countless lesson plans. Conveniently, Budrus just released the free forty page discussion guide that offers countless approaches to dialogue about subjects such as non-violent activism and the role of women.

We must continue to share stories about our world that promote a message that is not commonly shared in our media:  we CAN and MUST work together to build bridges to peace.  It is possible.  I firmly believe this.  And Budrus is a SHINING example of this.

You can purchase the film below.

See larger image Budrus (DVD) Director: Julia Bacha Starring: Ayed Morrar, Iltezam Morrar, Kobi Snitz, Yasmine Levy, Ahmed Awwad Rating: NR (Not Rated) List Price: $24.99 USD New From: $18.96 In Stock Used from: $19.98 In Stock Release date May 10, 2011.

Jessie Little Doe Baird

Language can come home again.  This is the tremendous lesson that I witnessed in the remarkable documentary, “We Still Live Here – Âs Nutayuneânby,” by Director/Producer Anne Makepeace.  The true story of how the Wampanoag language came home recently earned the Full Frame Inspiration Award at the Full Frame Documentary Festival, and it was so very well deserved. Makepeace hands us a gift of an educational tool also;  this film drops lesson after lesson about how culture, language, history and community are deeply intertwined. Here is the trailer (which, in my humble opinion, doesn’t even begin to do the film justice:)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Makepeace documents the story of Jessie Little Doe Baird, a Wampanoag Indian whose dream of her ancestors sparked her to explore her tribe’s native language. The challenge was that no one actually spoke Wampanoag; there was simply no one left to ask. The language had been dead for a century, yet Jessie’s visions of her ancestors trying to tell her something (arriving in her dream with a large book and speaking in a language that she didn’t understand) moved her to seek out what was left of her ancestral language.

The Wampanoag Indians were the first to greet the Pilgrims in 1620 in what is now Massachusetts.  At the time Jessie had her dream about her ancestors, the Wampanoag remaining only spoke English. A determined Jessie sought out documents that had been written in Wampanoag, trying to piece together the language as best she could. Her quest led her to MIT, where she worked with some of the world’s finest linguists, despite never having attended college. (She ultimately went on to earn a master’s degree in Linguistics from MIT – what an inspiration!) Through researching documents, including the Bible – which had been translated into Wampanoag, Jessie began to develop the first Wampanoag dictionary.  When words didn’t exist in historical texts, she pulled words from other native languages and used a formula to develop what the original Wampanoag words may have been. She created new words to define modern items such as backpack and computer.  Her community rallied around her to support her efforts, illustrating that it truly does ‘take a village.’  We experience Jessie’s leadership and also the strength and passion of the Wampanoag community.  Without them, her work would not have been possible.

Jessie’s and her community’s passion for their culture moved them to teach Wampanoag to a new generation. Jessie’s young daughter, Mae, is the first native Wampanoag speaker in SEVEN generations! I literally had chills watching Jessie and Mae speak in Wampanoag and while writing notes during the film, I kept writing MUST BLOG, MUST BLOG. It was the first film that I saw at the festival that moved me to my core and made me feel incredibly empowered!  After all, if a busy mother can resurrect a language and a little girl can learn a completely new language, perhaps we can learn one too.

This film is an exciting new educational tool. It illustrates the power of language and how we can learn about a people’s culture and history through it. For example, the Wampanoag word used to describe how they were losing their land literally can be translated to “fall off your feet.” There are a variety of words to describe water in this language:  lake water, river water, drinking water, etc.  There is plenty of evidence that the Wampanoag people prayed using the Bible simply because they knew it would provide the right to stay on their land, which was vital to their culture.

It is a film that should be shown to students studying languages – any of them – because it shows the power of language and the gift of learning one. I challenge you not to want to pick up a language class after seeing this film.

International students will benefit from this documentary, as it serves as a meaningful history lesson on the realities of what happened to the native peoples when the settlers came to the United States.  Clearly, it is a film that can easily be included in anthropology and history curricula.

The Wampanoag Language Reclamation Project offers information about where language lessons are taught, the status of the project and more.  The film is for sale through Anne Makepeace’s website.  The fee for educational screening rights is incredibly affordable.

Jessie Little Doe Baird was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2010. The Fellowship is a $500,000, no-strings-attached grant for individuals who have shown exceptional creativity in their work and the promise to do more. Here is more information about her work:

Click here to view the embedded video.

A Mirkitani Cat

I recently discovered a documentary entitled “The Cats of Mirikitani.” While preparing to write about it, I took a peek at the film’s trailer. It has no words of introduction – only music. It makes perfect sense once you see this film, as it will leave you without words and perhaps only a very full heart and a need for a box of tissues! It is hard to describe the power of the story of Tsutomo (Jimmy) Mirikitani and his journey to healing from the pain of war, loss and homelessness.  Here is the short trailer:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I stumbled across “The Cats of Mirikitani,” which tells the true story of Jimmy Mirikitani, a Japanese American artist, who becomes homeless in New York City. The tragedy of 9/11 provided an opportunity for him to build trust with a local filmmaker, Linda Hattendorf.  As time marched on, Hattendorf helped to peel back the layers of Mirikitani’s life. Through this incredible film, we discover that Mirikitani, born in California and therefore a US citizen, was put in a Japanese interment camp for 3 1/2 years during the war. He was pressured to renounce his US citizenship. Although he ended up homeless, he continued to draw while living on the streets of lower Manhattan. Hattendorf lived around the corner from his usual hang out and she regularly filmed 80 year old Mirikitani and his drawings in the months before 9/11.

On September 11th, the planes hit the towers and Mirikitani again addressed his emotions through art. He drew the tragedy of the towers just as he drew the pain of the internment camp at Tule Lake and the devastation of Hiroshima. And when the toxic dust fell across lower Manhattan, Hattendorf searched the streets for Miritakani and invited him to stay with her in her tiny apartment. She continued to film him as they shared the same space.

We realize, as the film progresses, that his life story has lived in the art that he has drawn every day for years – the significance of the cats, the mountain, the persimmons.  With each scene of trust building between Mirikitani and Hattendorf, we learn more about the tragedy of an artist’s career being stolen from him by the forced internment, the family that he lost in both Hiroshima and the US, the pain and anger that he lives with, and how his art kept him going.

One of Mirikitani's drawings of the internment camp.

I won’t give away the ending, but I will strongly suggest that you have a handkerchief nearby!  I will say that the power of Hattendorf’s humanity and the beauty of this aging artist’s soul develop into an incredible tale that yields many life lessons.  Here is what this film made me ponder:

1) Behind the eyes of a homeless person is a life that I know nothing about – and when I don’t know about something or someone, I should ask and learn.

2) September 11, 2001 and December 7, 1941 are two dates that will live in our history books.  How we have responded to those two dates is increasingly important. We learned in time that Japanese internment camps were simply cruel and unjust.  Perhaps we will also explore the idea that demonizing all of Islam for the acts of a handful of terrorists is also cruel and unjust.

3) Art has the power to heal.  Time has the power to heal.  Place has the power to heal. Compassion has the power to heal. The most unlikely combination of people possible – a “40-something” film maker and an 80 year old homeless man – they have the power to move mountains.

This is a film that should be used in the classroom. It is appropriate for high school and college level students, and can be used in any of the following disciplines:  Sociology, Social Work, Cross-Cultural Communication, History, Film, Politics, Art, Art Therapy, and more.

Mirikitani’s work will be on display from January 15 – March 26, 2011 at the Japanese Canadian National Museum in Crescent Burnaby, BC (Canada).

I’ll simply close with Jimmy Mirikitani’s favorite expression, “Make Art, Not War!”

See larger image Cats of Mirikitani (DVD) Director: Linda Hattendorf Starring: Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani Rating: NR (Not Rated) List Price: $29.95 USD New From: $16.99 In Stock Used from: $22.26 In Stock Release date January 12, 2010.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This film chronicles 3 adorable eight year old children (Xu Xiaofei, Cheng Cheng and Luo Lei) vying for the title of “classroom monitor.”  The film, directed by Weijun Chen, claims to have documented the first democratically elected elementary school classroom monitor in the city of Wuhan (in central China.)

This film is an outstanding educational tool on many different levels.  First, I found it hysterical (and sad) that these kids were so competitive that they manipulated, bribed and tortured their competitors.  They engaged in political strategy and debates that make some very seasoned politicians look amateurish!  Perhaps most disturbing was how incredibly overly involved their parents were in the coaching of their political “campaigns.”  You had to wonder at times who was running for the position.

This film gives a bird’s eye view of a Chinese elementary school in a large city.  We see some of the opening school ceremonies, the classroom spaces and learning tools, the food eaten at lunch (which certainly looks a heck of a lot healthier than the average American classroom school lunch!) and the type of dialogue between students and their teachers.  We also see 3 different homes:  one of a married couple, one of a single mother, and one of a mother who has remarried.  Finally, we get a sense of life in a country with a one-child policy.

This film creates an excellent opportunity to explore politics, human nature (are we naturally competitive?  is feeling guilty when we wrong someone a universal feeling? etc), education and family dynamics.

The film is only an hour long and is an easy, funny and enjoyable film to watch.  (Subtitles are in English.)  You may purchase the film here:

See larger image Please Vote for Me (DVD) Director: Wiejun Chen Starring: Luo Lei, Cheng Cheng, Xu Xiaofei Rating: NR (Not Rated) List Price: $24.95 USD New From: $13.33 In Stock Used from: $12.95 In Stock Release date August 19, 2008.

Arnd Wachter, Producer of the documentary "Crossing Borders"

Back in November 2009, I wrote about a documentary that I saw at the NAFSA Region X conference.  The film, “Crossing Borders,” was so very powerful that I swore that I would bring it to the community – and I am pleased to be able to invite you to the free screening at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, Connecticut (USA) on Tuesday, April 6th at 6 pm.

The film’s Producer, Arnd Wachter, will participate in a question and answer period after the film along with WCSU Dr. Robert Whittemore and Dr. Damla Isik, both from WCSU’s Anthropology Department.

Wachter is the Founder and Managing Director of Crossing Borders Education. He completed his MA and Post-Graduate Certificate in Education at London University. He has over twelve years experience of living abroad, and has taught Cross Cultural Education, World Religions and German for the past nine years in the UK, Japan, New Zealand and Spain. Wachter’s fascination for foreign cultures and for the transformative power of journeys have led him to explore a wide range of travel destinations on six continents. In 2008/9 he produced the documentary “Crossing Borders.”

This screening of “Crossing Borders” is  free and is open to the public. The midtown campus of WCSU is located at 181 White Street. You can park in the large garage (also free) on White Street. The film will screen in the Science Building Theater, Room 125.  This map will be of assistance – and note that the walk from the parking garage to the science building is just a few minutes.

I hope to see you there!

The film “Crossing Borders” by Arnd Wachter is POWERFUL.  I cried and I laughed.  It moved me to my core and reminded me why I usually cannot believe that someone pays me to create opportunities for dialogue across cultures, for better understanding across people and nations, and for the joy of watching students see the world through different lenses.  As my friend and colleague James Leck, from Boston University, often says, ”international educators are the quiet revolutionaries.”  This film reminds me that there is nothing more true or important than the work that we do.

“Crossing Borders” is a documentary that follows 4 Moroccan and 4 American University students as they travel together in Morocco and in the process of discovering “The Other”, they discover themselves.   This film is the brainchild of Director Arnd Wachter, who was raised in East Germany.  It was his response to the events of 9/11 and the Iraq war – when we all asked ourselves the impossible question – how can I deal with living in a world with such violence and hatred? What can I do to change this?  How can I make sure that I am not sitting by silently?

One of the challenges of being in international education is you often don’t get to experience, first hand, those “a-ha” moments that the students experience when they are in their host country.  We know that they are happening, constantly, but we usually hear about them when they return, or if we’re lucky, via an email or skype conversation.  What is remarkable about this film is that we witness 8 young people from 2 markedly different cultures experience those “a-ha” moments about each other as if we are sitting side by side with them.  They bravely address 9/11, the media, stereotypes, dignity and respect, wealth and poverty, religion, their commonalities, ignorance, loneliness, family and so much more in such an incredibly honest and  humorous way. Wachter does a magnificent job of representing the Moroccan culture.  The transitions he uses between scenes, editing of 70 hours to a mere 72 minutes while effectively getting the message to the viewer, along with the quotes that he strategically places throughout the  film, are nothing short of masterful.

That Wachter is anxious to bring the film to campuses around the world is particularly exciting.  This film will be a very effective tool to create dialogue about religions and how they can better understand each other and create opportunities to dispell myths and work together.   Wachter will provide materials about intercultural tension prior to each campus screening, will present the film and answer questions and will assist in the facilitation of dialogue about religion and culture.  I cannot think of a more appropriate time in our history to advocate for this film to be seen.

After the screening, while wiping away tears, I thanked Wachter for his deeply meaningful, witty and educational film.  I did not regret missing the final game of the World Series – as I watched something much more genious than Matsui’s 6 RBIs!  Needless to say, I committed to spreading the word about this film. My hope is that you will do your part in helping to educate others about the opportunity to experience how these youth, with nothing but 7 days to spend together, were able to break down the supposed “clash of civilizations” between Islam and the West.

Please enjoy the trailer of the film and I look forward to your comments:

http://crossingbordersfilm.org/