Documentary Educational Resources - Filmmaker / Dickinson, John / All Films

Fireland Dogs

Fri, 10 May 2019 10:31:52 GMT

Fireland Dogs (Perros del Fin del Mundo) addressesArgentina's feral dog population and raises important questions about the humanrole in domestication and neglect of animals. For decades, dog owners have beenabandoning their pets throughout the rural countryside of Tierra del Fuego,where sheep farming sustains much of the local economy. Without proper care andcontrol, the dogs run rampant throughout the island's towns and farms, killinglivestock, causing public health concern, and threatening its ecosystem andwildlife.

The film includes interviews with farmers, veterinarians,and activists who are working to combat the dog's increasingly problematicpresence. Their efforts to curb the situation include public education schemes,responsible adoption and neutering initiatives, and in the most extreme cases,legislating to categorize the dogs as an invasive species which allows them tobe hunted and killed. While some invoke animal ethics and advocate for anon-violent approach, others insist that sheep deserve as much protection andcare as the dogs.

Fireland Dogs expertly broaches attitudes about pets, thehuman footprint, and our inclination to place more value on certain animalsover others. Addressing economic, health, and environmental concerns, the filmultimately concludes that the future of Tierra del Fuego will be at risk untila sustainable, community-led solution is determined.

"Fireland Dogs is a heartbreaking film detailing the economic, ecological and public health devastation caused by these growing dog packs. This film is highly recommended for academic libraries, as well as public library collections for adults."
-Kimberly A. Plassche, Map Librarian, Liaison to Geography, University at Buffalo

SELECTED SCREENINGS AND AWARDS

Earthvision Feature Award, Santa Cruz Film Festival, 2018

Cine Ambiental de la Patagonia, 2018
Puerto Madryn International Film Festival, 2018
National Broadcast, Argentina, 2018

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The Cumana Devil

Thu, 30 Aug 2018 08:16:00 GMT

The Cumana Devil
Buy Now: $295.00

Luis del Valle Hurtado regularly transforms himself into a drumming, dancing "black satan" in a festival fusion of Indian, Spanish, and African symbols in his hometown of Cumana, Venezuela. Donning the dark garb of the devil, his particular satan is based on the popular image of St. Michael killing Lucifer. He performs at carnivals and regards himself as a cultural phenomenon who is furthering an old tradition. Aware that times are changing and that younger people have lost interest in wearing outlandish costumes, he practices his art with pride and considers himself to be the "true devil", the one who will never die. Although he refuses to teach anyone his craft, Hurtado is famous throughout the neighborhood and his performances are often imitated by children.

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The Mandolin King

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 14:50:00 GMT

The Mandolin King
Buy Now: $295.00

Cruz Quinal, "the mandolin king," lives near Cumana in a mountain valley surrounded by sugarcane fields. Perpetuating 16th century Spanish traditions of guitar-making, Cruz fashions such musical instruments as cuatros, marimba, escarpandola, and his own creation, a mandolin with two fretboards. He is an accomplished musician as well. In this moving portrait, Cruz compares himself to a decaying colonial church across the street: revered yet neglected, the village altar stands, paint peeling, under the open sky.

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Pintor Campesino

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 10:58:00 GMT

Pintor Campesino
Buy Now: $295.00

Cleto Rojas, a peasant painter in Venezuela, discusses his artwork. From movies and Roman mythology to his own dreams and scenes of rural life, Rojas takes inspiration from all sources and transforms the world around him into fantastic visions. He teaches village children his technique of using house-paint on canvas, as his wife goes about her own housework, singing slowly.

The painter is bemused by the attention of anthropologists and art critics, and he talks about the pitfalls of attention. He remembers traveling to Caracas as a young man to meet famous painters and being disappointed in them. His ambitions are more focused on the content of his work - Rojas wishes he could envision and paint one of Venezuela's heroes, Simon Boilvar, as he really was, as no accurate representations exist now. Without looking for fame, he continues painting all kinds of images as he sees them.

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Breaking the Cycle

Thu, 26 Jul 2018 09:36:00 GMT

Breaking the Cycle
Buy Now: $320.00

In 1996, the state-funded Woodlands Country Primary School in Gillingham, Kent, UK was situated in one of the most socio-economically deprived areas outside the inner cities. Pupil places were under-subscribed: 160 out of a possible 240 capacity. Subjected to years of neglect through Council underinvestment, its underachieving students aged 4 - 11 years were destined to be filtered through into similarly poor secondary schools and a life of mediocrity.

There was no magic wand. It took open minds to see the vision of new head Nic Fiddaman "to get it": commitment from staff, governors and parents, and guts to put children's emotional well-being above government targets and league tables. It also took years of chasing grants, subsidies and outside sponsorship to expand the school and its facilities, for which there were many more disappointments than successes. Every negative response became a springboard to seek another way. Failure was not acceptable, not when the children come first.

Today Woodlands is unrecognisable - consistently listed as one of the best schools in the country and expanded to provide nursery care for pre-school children as well as after-school programs for students. As its renown has grown, so have student numbers, in an area where pupil numbers have been steadily decreasing due to a drop in the birth rate.

The school now supports its pupils and community through subsidised sports facilities and a programme of arts, drama, dance and music - also providing free music lessons, a fully functional theatre and professional football fields.

Breaking the Cycle is not a blueprint for change, nor a manual on how to turn around a failing primary school in Britain, but it can be a tool for inspiring those considering or implementing change in their own school communities.

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Ajishama, The White Ibis

Wed, 18 Jul 2018 13:30:00 GMT

Ajishama, The White Ibis
Buy Now: $320.00

Shot in Venezuela over a 30-year period, this documentary depicts the life and work of José Maria Korta, the controversial Jesuit Missionary with the indigenous people of the Amazon. Korta was born in 1929 in San Sebastian. He graduated with a degree in electrical engineering and then joined the Jesuit Order after World War II.

Korta was inspired by the Jesuit Missions mandate to help Amazonian indigenous groups. Eventually, with the permission of the local Salesian missionaries, he joined the Makiritare tribe in the remote upper Ventuari Amazon Territory to initiate economic self-development projects.

The Indians were very enthusiastic about, and extremely successful in Korta's self-development project. They produced honey and meat, managed their own transport systems and participated in a broad based marketing co-op called CEPAI. The success of this venture caused jealousy among the Salesians. José Korta upset the other missions because he became uninterested in preaching Christianity and forcing the Indians to give up their practices.

The Indians at times mismanaged their new resources as they found themselves unprepared for the increased contact with the outside world. In 1990 Korta realized that although CEPAI had gone a long way to solve some of the economic problems particularly in the Amazon basin, it had not addressed general cultural issues.

Korta decided that a new plan was needed that incorporated education, reflection, development of new institutions and acknowledgement of culture. Together with the Indians he set-up a school at Yarikajé and a meeting center at Tauca where they could establish their new political organization.

Most recently the work at Tauca involves creating the basis for an Indigenous University, with Spanish speaking students coming from different ethnic groups. These groups included the Yaruru, Yekuana (Makiritare), Sanema and Panare. The development of Korta's work is depicted in the film.

The Tauca Indigenous University has been contested by some Jesuits, the Salesians and also the national educational establishment but it is taking on enormous importance to indigenous communities south of the Orinoco.

This documentary is recommended for study in: Anthropology, Latin American Studies, International Development Studies, Religion, Education, Economics, Indigenous Rights, and Cultural Survival.

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS

Honorable Mention (Social Justice Category), EarthVision 2003

3 Continents International Documentary Film Festival, South Africa, 2003

Society for Visual Anthropology, American Anthropological Association Conference, Chicago, 2003

Environmental Film & Video Festival, Santa Cruz, CA, 2003

Havanna Film Festival, 2003

Third Hispanoamerican Independent Documentary Festival, Mexico, 2004

Cartagena International Film Festival, Columbia, 2004

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