#Film

Preserving Cultural Heritage through Films

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Cultural Heritage manifests in both tangible and intangible forms through artefacts, monumental remains, landscapes and landmarks. It is ingrained in our linguistic and artistic expressions, customs, traditions, beliefs, aspirations and value systems originating from the ancient past.  Our heritage anchors us in the way we think, feel, act and interact with everyone and everything around us. Thus, preserving it is a way of preserving ourselves, protecting that which is intrinsic in all of us. What does it take to accomplish this? What are the stakes for society’s indifference and/or failure to do our part? Where are we at?    90 per cent of over 6000 languages will go extinct within 100 years According to United Nations data, “about 97 per cent of the world’s population speaks 4 per cent of its languages, while only 3 per cent speaks 96 per cent of them.” Most of the languages going extinct are spoken by indigenous people. Ravages of wars and natural disasters UNESCO affirms that tangible heritage worldwide “are increasingly becoming the collateral victims of natural disasters and armed conflicts.” Since time immemorial, peoples and communities have been uprooted or disenfranchised of their lands, cultures are weakened or destroyed and ethnic populations decimated by both natural and man-made disasters. Current headlines tell the same story – at an alarmingly accelerating level.   Human propensity to dominate  The annals of history are replete with narratives of tribal and territorial conquests, expanding and changing of empires, controlling influence of political and economic superpower nations. Indigenous and less dominant peoples are subjugated and marginalized, cultural identities forcibly stripped or weakened as they yield to new ways of life.  Endangered intangible cultural heritage As world politics and modern technology set toward globalization, it comes at the cost of traditional knowledge and skills. UNESCO details a long continuous list of endangered intangible cultural heritage year in and year out. From the Art of Xòe dance of the Tai people in Viet Nam, the L-Għana folksong tradition of Malta to the Nordic coastal heritage of clinker boat, handmade weaving in Upper Egypt, among so many. We are seeing the inexorable decline of man’s heritage. Cultural Heritage through the lens The film plays a vital role in the preservation and transmission of cultural heritage. Digital storage not only requires less space for archiving a large amount of information but makes easy transfer of knowledge through the internet. It is a viable way to safeguard cultural heritage from natural and manmade destructive forces. Films transcend the physical limitations in experiencing and sharing cultural and historical heritage around the world. The audio and visual elements not only complement but amplify oral and written narratives.  Looking through the lens of Cultural Heritage Culture, according to United Nations, is inextricably linked to indigenous peoples, “the keepers of knowledge.” Indigenous Heritage is an immeasurable and indispensable wealth of information about the natural world, health, technologies and techniques, rites and rituals and other cultural expressions. In essence, humanity’s existence is just as inextricably linked to the indigenous cultures; thus, it is for our mutual preservation that this link remains unbroken. Today as we live in the comforts and ease of modernization and head to a future of artificial intelligence and technology breakthrough after breakthrough, let us take a moment to look back and take in how much of humanity is lost.  INSPIREFLIX has launched our Indigenous Films Projects. Partner with us in our advocacy for Indigenous Cultures or in our other film projects, all in the interest of global cohesion of humanity which forms the core of our vision.    REFERENCES: http://www.cultureindevelopment.nl/Cultural_Heritage/What_is_Cultural_Heritage https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/mandated-areas1/culture.html https://en.unesco.org/content/preserving-our-heritage https://news.un.org/en/story/2012/12/427362-fighting-cultural-extinction-traditional-dances-and-crafts-added-un-list

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Films: The impact on you, the society, the world

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Remember the iconic Charlie Chaplin movies of the 1920s? Or ever heard of them? Films have come a long progressive way from the silent movies of yore to the computer-generated imagery and cutting edge sounds we have on our screens today. And the narratives have become progressively extensive too.  The purpose of film has greatly broadened from mere entertainment to creating profound impact on its audience so much so that cinematherapy, or using films/videos as a counseling tool, is gaining ground in Psychotherapy. Let us scratch the surface of this iceberg – how films impact people, the society, and the world. Transport us into the less known The movie, Children of a Lesser God, takes its viewers into the ‘silent’ world of the deaf. For print director, Lisa Perrier, the lack of verbal expression accentuated the visual component of communication – the body language. More profoundly, it changed her perspective and perception of sound. An incisive point indeed as we associate sound with the sense of hearing yet sound is a vibration, perceptible and throbbing all around us and within – in our every heartbeat. Films not only transport us into less known realms but heighten and broaden the boundaries of our thoughts and emotions.   Challenge deeply-entrenched beliefs or practices A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness is a 2015 short documentary film that raised global awareness on the cold-blooded practice of honour killings in Pakistan. It follows the story of Saba Qaiser, a young Pakistani woman who survived the attempt of her father and uncle to kill her all because she ran off to marry her boyfriend. In this patriarchal society, honour killing is not a crime. Last year, it claimed the lives of 478 as reported in Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). In reality, the number is much higher as many cases go unreported and few lived to tell their stories. The film instigated then Pakistani Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, to commit to ending honour killings in the country. In July 2016, the law had been amended penalizing offences in the name or pretext of Honour. This is testament to how films can challenge or change societies. Art imitating life The film, Avatar, may have taken place in some distant planet to an alien tribe defending their forest home from destructive human exploits yet this could easily be the story of indigenous peoples – from the native Americans down to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia, and many others from around the world. Films provide the lens through which we see ourselves, the society we belong to, and the world we live in. INSPIREFLIX aims to harness the potentials of film to further our vision of global cohesion of humanity through our human-interest short documentary films. REFERENCE LINKS: https://ct.counseling.org/2016/03/all-things-connect-the-integration-of-mindfulness-cinema-and-psychotherapy/ http://humanitiesmoments.org/moment/one-movie-changed-my-life https://hrcp-web.org/hrcpweb/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/2022-State-of-human-rights-in-2021.pdf https://www.documentary.org/online-feature/sharmeen-obaid-chinoy-girl-river-and-honor-killings-pakistan

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5 Reasons to Tell Your Story on Film

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A human story is an aggregate of knowledge, experiences, values, and heritage assimilated into the life of an individual. YOU are a walking story in progress, continuously evolving and creating an impact throughout your lifetime – and even beyond. Sharing a snippet of your life is not merely telling a story, but leaving imprints of the aggregate elements that make up who and what you are.   INSPIREFLIX endeavors to take your story to a tangible and purposeful level. Consider these five reasons to tell your story with us, on film: The combined potentials of motion picture and sounds in conveying your story. If a picture paints a thousand words, imagine how much more a film can bring to life the information, insights, and emotions that you want to share.  Interactive medium The auditory and visual elements in a film can captivate and immerse the audience in ways that an oral or written piece could not. Whether it’s the relatability and portrayal of the characters, the ambient noise or music, the scenery, the setting – any of, or all these can draw the viewers further into your story and elevate the storytelling experience for them.  Create connections The story creates a bond that holds the filmmaker, the crew, the actors, the environs, and the audience together; a film is the conduit through which connections flow and form. Accessibility through technology Today, technology has enabled us to take our stories across borders and boundaries. Films can now be viewed not only on television & movie screens, but literally at one’s fingertips through the digital screen, on your tablet or mobile device. Harnessing this technology, a film breaks down the barriers of human and physical limitations. A refugee in some war-torn area, a teen-ager going through depression, or a first-time parent taking care of a newborn, a film about one’s struggle or triumph, however big or small, could be someone’s inspiration or lease on life.  Stimulus for action and a catalyst for change A film is a powerful medium that can turn passive emotions into action or bring about change in the hearts and minds of the audience. Off the list of the University of Southern California’s 15 films of 2018 that left a social impact is “Shoplifter,” a movie about a family who resorts to shoplifting as a means to survive. Before seeing the film, a viewer may have had strong conviction against stealing but following the lives of the family unfold, watching their deprivations, their struggle, one could end up finding humanity in the characters resonating one’s own. These people could be any of the homeless lot you passed by somewhere, one who does odd jobs for you, or they could be YOU at some point in your life. Such is the influence a film can hold and the impact your “ordinary” story may have on someone, in some place, at some time.

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