Slavery still exists

Today I had the privilege of watching a documentary at SIFF called Stolen. I must say when I first started watching the film I did not exactly know what I was getting my self into. This documentary is something that everyone needs to see, because it is about informing others about slavery that still exists today, and maybe something can be done. This film was touching and sad because there are still things going on right now in this time and age.

The film starts of as two filmmakers go to the sahara and meet and interview a little girl and her family, and discuss life and how they live down there. Little did the two filmmakers know that she was a slave and so was everyone else in the the sahara and morocco. The little girl and other slaves where not aloud to tell anyone about this, or there would be dyer consequences with them or there families. This has also been going on for some time generations after generations, and nothings being done about it. There where some brave men who stood up and spoke about it with the two filmmakers. They speak about the slaves having to cook for the master which they address them as there own family. They are some times beaten and punished if they do not follow orders. The rebel slaves also talk about how many of them have papers that says they are officially free, but in reality they are not really free. They cannot escape or flee because they are in fear that the government will hurt there family, making them trapped.

The government down there starts to find out about the secret being spoken out on video tape and started threatening the people in the "camp" they call it. The government tries to get ahold of the video tapes, which were buried underground. The government over there pretty much tries to deny everything about slaves down there, but the evidence is there but its just not being presented to the public, until now. The government later on the film gets ahold of the video tapes, and only leave a few left for them to put a documentary together. Which I thought was kinda odd, why didn't they just take all of the tapes? I was thinking maybe the producers have the film, but didn't want to start too much trouble by putting it out there for everyone because it could come back on the people of sahara and harm them and others.

Overall the film was a clear wake up call that racism and slavery is going on in the world. Most likely its going on in other parts of the world as well, which hurts to say. I wish everyone could watch this film and talk about it, and hopefully will stir up the public and some thing will be done. Stuff like this should never be tolerated at all, and makes me sick.

AHX

One of the movies I chose to watch for class at the SIFF was American History X. I have always heard lots about this movie from friends and family but I had never got the chance watch it. Since there was a tribute at the SIFF to Edward Norton's movie this year, I thought it would be most appropriate. After watching I must say it was a pretty good movie, long, but a good movie. This movie is deep, and deals with alot of racism, alot of racism, sexism, and drama.

This film deals with KKK members and there fight in keeping it white power over the African Americans. Edward Norton plays a known member of the Venice beach white superemist movement, Derek Vinyard. He goes to jail for curve stomping and shooting at some african American gang members. The curve stomping part was pretty gruesome and wild, but sadly entertaining. So he gets out of jail and starts to slowly learn that his ideals and ways of white supremacy is wrong and tries to teach his brother and others around him through out the movie. Before that he was as racist as could be, and he wasn't racist to just blacks, but to pretty much every other race but whites. There were countless racial slurs and violence through out the movie. Through out the film there is lots of discriminate towards women, Derek curses and pulls his girlfriends hair and even shoves meat in her mouth in an argument at the dinner table.

Theres lots of masculinity in the movie, When the whites and the blacks are playing a vital basketball game to decide who will take over the basketball court and park, they play intensely and foul each other, throwing elbows to the head, knocking each other to the floor for a point. It was a very violent basketball game, and when the whites won, they where poor sports and booed then off the court and called them racial slurs until they left, there was no "hey, good game".