Choose 1-3 stories to reflect on in an essay. Look at the plot, cinematography, scenes, characters, style, story...films are typically narrative, but at least one is experimental or avant garde. Incorporate one direct quote or paraphrase, a block quote (you can use a published review or interview with one of the directors). The essay response should be minimally 250 words or one typed page--if you write collaboratively, then the essay should be two pages (500 words). Include as a second page a works cited page. (Bring your grammar/style books to class next week. We will practice this using the Dyson article and for homework, Chang.)
Think about the use of irony in the films involving children, like the one set in Afghanistan and Burkina Faso. Think about rituals and grief and how we make it through traumatic circumstances.
Look at the perspectives: hearing and silent in the film by the French director set in New York. How does he use these differing perspectives and the couple's interaction to tell the story. How does the personal become political?
From (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0328802/)
Eleven directors from 11 countries each contribute an 11-minute short reflecting on the events of 11 September 2001. A village teacher in Iran tries to explain to her young students what's happened. City kids in Burkina Faso think they've spotted Osama bin Laden. A deaf Frenchwoman in Manhattan writes a Dear John letter to a man who has left that morning for work at the World Trade Center. A Chilean remembers Allende. Events recall other deaths. A mother endures more than her son's death. And so on. The tone varies, as do the locales. Most stories are about others coming to terms with the events of the day, but at least one confronts the viewer with tragedy and death. Written by jhailey@hotmail.com
We watched films by these directors from these countries:
Maryam Karimi ... (segment Iran)
Emmanuelle Laborit ... (segment France)
Jérôme Horry ... (segment France)
Nour El-Sherif ... (segment Egypt)
Ahmed Haroun ... (segment Egypt)
Dzana Pinjo ... (segment Bosnia-Herzegovina)
Aleksandar Seksan ... (segment Bosnia-Herzegovina)
Tatjana Sojic ... (segment Bosnia-Herzegovina)
Lionel Zizréel Guire ... (segment Burkina-Faso)
René Aimé Bassinga ... (segment Burkina-Faso)
Lionel Gaël Folikoue ... (segment Burkina-Faso)
Rodrigue André Idani ... (segment Burkina-Faso)
Alex Martial Traoré ... (segment Burkina-Faso)
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4 comments:
Faraj Fayad
Engl 1B
The videos were very hard to understand only because they were in different lanquages so i had to read everything and also they where short short; but my favorite clip was the one in Afghanistan.
The film took place in a dry place where there was no grass or plantation, something like a desert and it seemed very busy, people were going in and out of a complex that looked like it was built out of mud. It starts off infront of this complex where a teacher takes her (im guessing) fourth or fifth grade class into and starts teaching or should i say trying to teach them something right before a few of the kids get into an arguement.
One of the kids askes the kid next to him a question about why God kills people and and the other says so he can creat more people and he answers back but God is a Gud person, and more kids get into the arguement and begin stating their beliefs ignoring the teacher while she tells them to be quiet.
The teacher then tells the to follow her outside where they look at a very tall tower built out of stones but i didnt really get to know what the reason of the tower was because instead of reading i was viewing it, but im guessing it means that the tower is releasing a lot of chemicals into the atmosphere and that way causing a lot of polution.
The Video I like was the storey in Africa. The young kids believed they had found Bin Latin so they formed a plan to capture him. The kids was trying to get the reward money so they can pay for medicine for one of the sick kids mother. The Video was funny but at the same time it was sad.
Aerin O'Leary
English 1B
Although the various films were difficult to interpret they all depicted the same overall message. The message being how differnet place or lands dealt or viewed the 911 attacks.
The film clip I enjoyed the most was the one set in Afghanistan. It made me think about how a place where many people don't have television would view the situation.
The opening scene shows the vast dessert like landscape, it appears dull and depressing. There is a teacher who is trying to teach a large group of youngsters about the September 11th attacks. she says "the atomic bomb may be dropped and world war 111 will start" As she teaches the children(or tries to) they do not seem to want to listen. They ask questions about God and if he chooses who he kills and why he does what he does. A child responds by saying he kills people so he can make new ones.
She then brings them outside to create some "perspective" for the children. She points to a large tower like chimney and says the the twin towers were much much larger and are now non existent. The teacher goes on trying to explain the urgency of the issue yet seems to be ignored by the kids. The themes throughout the short film were humorous, confusion and struggle.
Dominique West
English 1B
The video that I chose was the one that actually took place in New York with the lady who was deaf. My thoughts through out the whole time I watched it was, "What would it have been like in her position to not know what was going on?" She had been in the apartment all day and had no clue that the Twin Towers had went down. It made me realize that on that day so many people went through so many different emotions and some or most of them suffered losses or suffered losing their lives.
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