Film series to trace global media ethics

By CHRISTINE AHERN

LOCH SHELDRAKE, NY — WJFF Radio Catskill (90.5 fm) and the Hippodrome Theater in Loch Sheldrake will present a series of five documentaries that examine the socio-political, economic and cultural forces at work in the world. Hard-hitting and provocative, the films all provide global perspectives and emphasize the media’s role in shaping public opinion. All films will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the recently renovated Hippodorome Theater on Main Street (Route 52).

The film series will be launched with a double feature of “Control Room” and “Outfoxed” on Saturday, September 18. “Control Room” is a documentary that shows how the Arab news agency, Al Jazeera, covers the war in Iraq. The film neatly bridges the gap between timeless and timely—timeless because it locates itself in the midst of the ongoing cultural clash between Western and Arab worlds; and timely because it does so through the prism of satellite television’s impact on how viewers receive information worldwide from news providers, driven by the patriotism of their audiences, to Army information officers, driven by military objectives.

“Control Room” is a seminal documentary that explores how truth is gathered, presented, and ultimately created by those who deliver it. It will be followed at 9:00 p.m. by “Outfoxed,” which presents a look at how media empires, led by Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News, have been running a “race to the bottom” in television news. “Outfoxed” provides an in-depth look at Fox News and the effects of ever-enlarging corporations on the public’s knowledge of world issues.

The second night of the series, Thursday, September 23, will feature “Life & Debt,” a woven tapestry of sequences focusing on the stories of individual Jamaicans whose strategies for survival and parameters of day-to-day existence are determined by the U.S. and other foreign economic agendas. The movie uses excerpts from the award-winning Jamaica Kincaid book, “A Small Place.”

Jean Lowerison of the San Diego Metropolitan says “Life & Debt” is “a must-see for everyone who wants to understand the human cost of globalization.”

On Saturday, October 2 at 7:30 p.m., “The Agronomist” will be shown. Academy-Award winning filmmaker Jonathan Demme (“The Manchurian Candidate” and “Silence of the Lambs”) tells the story of Haitian national hero, journalist and freedom fighter Jean L. Dominique. As the owner and operator of his nation’s oldest and only free radio station, Dominique fought tirelessly against Haiti’s overwhelming injustice, oppression, and poverty. The film includes a soundtrack by Wyclef Jean, founder of The Fugees, a hip-hop group that released its popular album, “The Score,” in 1996.

The film series will conclude on Thursday, October 7 with a screening of “The Corporation.” The entity of a corporation was relatively insignificant 150 years ago. Today, it is a vivid, dramatic and pervasive presence throughout the world. Like the Church, the Monarchy and the Communist Party in other times and places, the corporation is today’s dominant institution.

In this complex and highly entertaining documentary, Mark Achbar, co-director of the influential and inventive “Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomksy and the Media,” teams up with co-director Jennifer Abbott and writer Joel Bakan to examine the far-reaching repercussions of the corporation’s increasing preeminence.

“If you care about the environment, workers’ rights, your own health and your children’s future, you need to see this film,” writes Michael O’Sullivan of The Washington Post.

Tickets will be sold at the door on a sliding scale from $5 to $10.

For more information visit wjffradio.org or call 845/482-4141.