I get a lot of filmmakers and development colleagues who ask me questions about how I was able to build a career as a filmmaker working for the United Nations and other NGOs. And also, at the same time as keeping my foot planted in the artistic and sociopolitical movements in Brooklyn.
Today I'll be speaking and will address some of these questions on a panel entitled, "Female Documentary Filmmakers" at the Art of Brooklyn Film Festival from 4-5:30pm.
Never heard of the festival? Either have I but its been labeled as Brooklyn's Tribeca.
The festival runs from Aug 4-12 and you can find more info at www.aobff.org.
Today I'm looking forward to sitting on a high level panel at the UN on the issue of youth and conflict. I was asked to participate in this because of a film and poetry initiative I did with UNFPA and the Women's Refugee Commission called Youth Zones (which you can view in English, French, Spanish or Arabic at www.YouthZones.org.)
With Youth Zones, I traveled with youth activist Chernor Bah from Sierra Leone and poetry mentor, Luke Nephew from the spoken word/creative writing non-profit I work with - Urban Word NYC - to Liberia, Colombia, Lebanon, Northern Uganda and New Orleans to document the struggles and resiliency of young people facing conflicts and natural disasters. My talk will focus specifically on the poetry workshops and how young people in emergencies can benefit and heal from such creative, safe spaces.
As part of my efforts to engage local artists in my film related outreach activities, I recruited Bajah from Bajah + The Dry Eye Crew to also sit on the panel to discuss his experiences as a youth growing up in war-torn Sierra Leone .Here is a really great 3-minute clip that touches on the experience of Bajah and his bandmates.
If you are attending the ECOSOC event at the UN or are interested in being a special guest, send an email to the RSVP listed on the invite above.
TONIGHT, in Fort Greene Park, two major superstars from Sierra Leone will be performing a special track they produced to celebrate and cheer on the only athlete representing their country who will be competing at the Olympics - Olay Sissay, a long jumper. I have been filmming the behind the scenes making of the track and will be shooting footage for an upcoming music video. I need your help.
Let me introduce these two incredible artists and new friends.
Janka Nabay is considered a major figure in "Bubu Music", a traditional music in his native country that he mixes with the eclectic sounds of Brooklyn indie artists known as his "Bubu Gang". He will be releasing a new album in August under David Bryne's label, Luaka Bop.
Janka Nabay & The Bubu Gang are collaborating with hip hop sensation Pupa Bajah from Bajah and the Dry Eye Crew, also from Sierra Leone, whose music blends many influences in hip hop, including funk, dancehall and reggae. They are part of a growing international hip hop movement, though they are among the first of these acts to gain an international presence, with their music being featured in the Hollywood film, "Blood Diamonds."
If you are located in NYC, please come to this FREE show, and show support by wearing the colors of blue, white and/or green in honor of the Sierra Leonean flag!
I have some personal thoughts about my role documenting Africa, the Motherland. Click the link below to read my personal perspective and while you're there, vote for my photos. The One Life Photography Competition will give winners a New York City photo exhibition and a $25,000 cash grant!
I am someone who adamantly hates being a slave to my cell phone. Yet, I've come to the realization that cell phones will revolutionize women's healthcare, particularly on the African continent.
With that said, I'm very excited to announce the World Premiere of a new film I've completed on the use of mobile phones in assisting women in Tanzania suffering from a childbearing injury called obstetric fistula to receive free treatment.
The film, entitled "Mobile Phones + Fistula: What's Next?", co-produced with UNFPA and the Campaign to End Fistula, will debut at the historic Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) - East Africa's largest film and music festival taking place July 7-15, 2012. The film has also been accepted into the Women's Panorama program which takes select films and screens them in the villages in Zanzibar.
Around
the world, nearly 350,000 women will die each year in childbirth. Of
those who survive, 50,000-100,000 will develop a horrific childbearing
injury called obstetric fistula which leaves women incontinent and
shunned from society.
Although in many countries free treatment for
fistula repair is available, the majority of women living with fistula
cannot afford the transportation to the hospitals providing the
treatment.
In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, an innovative mobile phone
program at the CCBRT Hospital is allowing funds to be transferred
through the mobile banking service, M-PESA, to 'community ambassadors'
who assist in identifying and facilitating transportation for women
suffering from this condition. Since the founding of the project in
2009, there has been a 65% increase in the number of surgeries performed
at CCBRT.
"Mobile Phones + Fistula: What's Next?" is a new
documentary film by Emmy-winning filmmaker, Lisa Russell, with support
by UNFPA and the Campaign to End Fistula. Shot on location in Tanzania,
the 15-minute film documents the life-changing program at CCBRT and
includes testimonies from women living with fistula, community
ambassadors, fistula repair surgeons, and fistula advocates. The film,
which will be distributed in both English and eventually Swahili, will
be used to inspire replication of this good practice as well as develop
new ideas about using mobile phones to reach women and girls living with
fistula in the future."
"Mobile Phones + Fistula: What's Next?" will have
its World Premiere at the historic Zanzibar International Film Festival
and will be part of the Women's Panorama program. It will then be
available for screening events globally and hosted online.
