AUGUST
2, 2002
For Immediate Release
Contact: John Kidane or Kathryn Wilson (215) 701-8770
PHILADELPHIA FILMMAKER
WINS FILM GRANT TO
PRODUCE DOCUMENTARY FOR PUBLIC TELEVISION
(PHILADELPHIA, PA – August 2, 2002) Local filmmaker Filmon Mebrahtu is
the winner of a Public Television LInCS (Local Independents Collaborating with
Stations) grant, through Independent Television Service (ITVS), to produce
and direct a one-hour documentary, “THE SURVIVORS”. This project
is a joint collaboration with Philadelphia Public Television Station WYBE,
which will provide matching in-kind contribution.
“THE SURVIVORS” tells
the story of some of America’s most recent arrivals: Sudanese
refugee orphans who would have never dreamt a few years ago that they’d
be living in America. Over the course of one year, the film follows
the lives of five Sudanese refugees who resettle in the Philadelphia
area and adjust to the new American culture and way of life. The heart
of the story is the self-chronicle of these young men’s individual
experiences of everyday life in Philadelphia, captured by their very
own digital video cameras.
“THE SURVIVORS” holds
a special interest for the more than 55,000 African immigrants residing
in the greater Philadelphia area. These communities, many of them new
to the U.S., are currently underserved by existing media. Rarely do
they see their stories reflected in the media and when they do, it
is often in the form of negative stories about their homelands viewed
through the lenses of western stereotypes and myths about Africa. This
project represents a unique opportunity for these communities to see
one of their own stories, told from an indigenous African point of
view.
While most representations
of refugees are invariably told through the voice and point of view
of others - reporters and relief workers, for instance – “THE
SURVIVORS” is a unique attempt to represent the experiences of
refugees in their own voices and from their own perspectives. This
approach counters existing objectified images of refugees as nameless,
voiceless victims, or powerless recipients of aid, emphasizing the
human face of refugees as fully realized subjects: resilient, self-determined,
and creative survivors.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER -
FILMON MEBRAHTU
Filmon Mebrahtu
hails from the East African country of Eritrea and produces documentaries
with one goal in mind: to capture the stories of immigrant communities
and document their diverse cultural experiences. Too often, stories of
these communities are told and retold by outsiders and their depiction
is at the mercy of the content producers, whose goals and ambitions may
be divergent from the immigrant communities themselves. The impact of
their stories becomes more powerful if these communities participate
in the creation of media, which is Mebrahtu's approach. “STOP KILLING
TAXI DRIVERS” has been acquired by a Philadelphia Public TV Station
WYBE for its Philadelphia Stories II series and is featured in an interactive
exhibit at the Balch Institute of Ethnic Studies, “Extended Lives:
The African Immigrant Experience in Philadelphia,” along with Mebrahtu's
earlier works on African immigrant experiences in Philadelphia - “eritrea
- it's where we're from,” “ana sudani ana,” and “African
Worship Services.”
ABOUT REEL VOICES
Reel Voices, Inc., is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote
and leverage the use of the creative arts to express and document diverse
cultural experiences. Reel Voices has produced documentaries on African
immigrants in Philadelphia and provides technical assistance to community
organizations wishing to use video to express their indigenous experiences.
Reel Voices also provides technical support for creating multimedia content,
and offers low-cost video production and post-production workshops to community
organizations.
For more information
on Reel Voices visit: http://www.reelvoices.org
For more information
on ITVS visit: http://www.itvs.org
For more information
on WYBE visit: http://www.wybe.org |
