https://www.facebook.com/events/419746661371221/

http://www.pressplus1.com/articles/interview-faisal-lutchmedials-cultural-divide

The basic idea of the show is 9 different films (and their directors) face off against each other, judged by a panel of film professionals and a studio audience. The three top films from this round move on to a final round that allows the public to decide who wins the grand prize. The prize itself quite generous, a $40,000 rental / services grant, and a $10,000 cash grant toward your next film.

Keep your fingers (and claws) crossed for Mr. Crab! More news about broadcast time when we have it.

Mr. Crab

Mr. Crab plays in the Short Program 2 of ReelWorld. Check out the festival website for information: http://www.reelworld.ca/festival/program-2012/

Screenings:

Friday the 13th at 4pm (Cinema 4)

Sunday the 15th at 3:30pm. (Cinema 5)

You can buy tickets online at http://www.reelworld.ca/ or at the door, 2190 Yonge Street.

The problem with this damning report is that it was almost entirely fabricated. http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/03/npr-retracts-foxconn-episode/

Inside a shoe workshop in Bangladesh

I made my sweatshop labour / cultural exploration documentary “My Cultural Divide” quite a while ago. It focused on a different product, clothes. But the principals are the same in terms of corporate responsibility, and protecting corporate image. When I made the movie I didn’t want to focus on one company or brand because abuses happen across the spectrum of manufacturing. To do so puts an unfair spotlight on them, when the problem is more universal. This is what I think happened in the situation with Apple, and unfortunately now that this report has been revealed as “theatre”, it will cause the opposite effect: complete apathy and confusion in the part of the consumer.

Consumers are already apathetic and confused enough. Conflicting reports about who is good and who is bad make it impossible to keep up with who we can “ethically” buy from, especially if those companies change from year to year. Does someone now say, “Okay, so it’s good to buy from Apple again? Here’s my credit card!”  I fear this is exactly what will happen, the same as when they buy their new hairdryer, their new sound system, or their new blender. (I must point out this entire episode didn’t exactly hurt Apple financially as it seems the iPad 3, released today, is a huge hit, and their stock price is as high as ever).

This is exactly why the only thing that will possibly work is exerting public pressure to get all companies to become members of  independent labour rights organizations, or for governments to ensure outsourcing companies comply to some set of standards. I admit that there are major problems to this solution as well, but it would be better than the completely unregulated, anti-union (or forced government union as it is in China) situation that exists today.

Giant companies like Apple or Walmart exert pressure on subcontracted manufacturers to get better prices for their components or clothes as the case may be. This is a reality, and it’s hard to fault them for it. The problem occurs when that push to the bottom eats away at the individual’s salary (or their workplace safety) and not the profit margin for the subcontracting company. Having a set of standards from an independent labour rights organization forces these subcontracting companies not to take away from the workers who are already making so little. Like I mentioned, enforcing those standards is the big issue – but a problem I think a solution can be found for.

In all fairness, Apple is probably one of the best when it comes to ensuring employee (even those subcontracted) safety and livelihood in the electronics industry. This whole debacle was an unfair attack at the big and easy target. It didn’t help things that Apple is also notoriously secretive about their products, which probably makes it difficult for reporters to get access to manufacturing plants. It is this level of secrecy which breeds suspicion, and as much as I do understand Apple’s mandate to have NSA level security on the specs to their latest gadget, this was probably the reason why the public was so willing to buy into the story of horrible abuse and slave like wages.

For Apple’s part, they have let down the curtain a bit, and have now asked the Fair Labour Association to access some of their factories. This happened as a result to that damning, albeit factually false, report. I don’t know what to think of this – on one hand Apple is doing something I think they (and everyone else) should have done a long time ago. On the other, it was an action sparked by a lie (or a theatre piece that was misrepresented, if you take Mike Daisey to his word).

I am left with this thought, which is similar to the ones I had eight years ago while crouching in a sweatshop, chatting with a child making sandals. We should do something about this, it’s not a problem that will just go away. The next time you buy something, anything, write the company that made it a note. Say you read that Apple recently had the Fair Labour Association investigate their factories, and you think that company X should do that too, because you care about the people who make the products you use. It will make a difference. And considering you are wearing clothes that were made at pennies an hour, and browsing on a computer that may have poisoned the small hands making it, it is the very least you can do.

A great deal of the work I have been writing lately has had a Trinidadian or Caribbean connection, including my short film Mr. Crab, which will be playing in a film festival in Toronto just before I participate in the Screenwriters Program (more information on that in the next posting).  The rich culture of the region is unfortunately unrepresented on our screens, and I hope to be part of a wave that changes that.

For more info on my short Mr. Crab, including screening times,  ”like” the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MrCrabMovie

And here’s a synopsis my  series in development:

Welcome to Trinidad is a 1-hour television drama-thriller series following a family at war with itself, as the secrets a father left behind in the old country are uncovered by his two sons. Long forgotten horrors return to terrorize the brothers and before long threaten the entire family.

For more information on the Bell Media Diverse Screenwriters Program:

http://www.wgc.ca/action/bellmediadiverse.html

Faisal Lutchmedial behind the camera

I was the cinematographer for a short web-series about local fashion designer Yvonne Marie, directed and produced by Adam Reider / Rail City Media.

It was a small doc like shoot we put together to showcase Yvonne’s stores and her designs. I think there are 6 episodes in total, but here is one that was just released. The locally designed clothes are durable and comfortable, and fit a wide range of body types. YM Style stores can be found in and around the area of Montreal if you like what you see. You can also visit the official website to order online: http://www.ymstyle.com/index.php?main_page=meet_ym

James Hoffman recently finished his short film “Things Worse”, which I acted in and produced. We had a cast / crew / friend screening at Montreal Improv last week to watch that and a few other shorts (The Audience & Encounter Abroad by David Eng, Only Sky and Water by Tamara Scherbak, Once Upon a Many Time by Eva Cvijanovic, Where the Heart Is by Adam Reider, and Cry Baby by Gabi Kislat & Emory Murchison) and it was a fantastic show. We also played a few of the music videos James and I have worked on over the years, as well as a number of others by some very talented friends.

I don’t think we do this enough actually – it is so rare that (film & video) friends get together to watch each other’s work. It’s a shame, and I was thinking that perhaps we should make it more of a habit to get together to socialize and watch the things that we toil so long on but so few of us get a chance to see. Film festivals are great and all, but sometimes I just want to see a few films by people I know rather than strangers (regardless of how good they may be).

Basically the formula is the same no matter where you go. Emerging filmmakers are given lectures or talks by industry professionals, and have the opportunity to engage in conversation with them. It’s great because there are very few other places someone who is not established can chat with filmmakers who have gone through the trials of production time and time again and come out the better for it. We got to meet Academy Award winning director James Marsh, listen to a masterclass by art house icon Bela Tarr, and although it had nothing to do with film, I even got to meet the President of Iceland and the First Lady.

I also took part in a pitch session of the Lab which got me in front of a few professionals to present my project ‘Path of Light’. The pitch went well, and they had lots of questions about the concept, all which seemed to be good signs I am on the right track with this story. The process of just getting that pitch ready has solidified many of the ideas that I have actually – I find it always helps to simply talk your way through issues rather than only dealing with them on paper (or computer for that matter). I didn’t get a chance to show them my ever growing pre-production scrapbook though, which is a shame, because it’s turning into something quite interesting. It’s the first time I’ve put anything like this together, and I think it’s a great way to explore an idea. Thanks to Academy Award winner Danny Boyle who suggested this to TIFF 09 Talent Labber Tamara Scherbak who then passed on the suggestion to me. I didn’t even attend that Lab but still got some great advice!

Beyond the Lab, Iceland is an unbelievably interesting place to visit. I didn’t have nearly enough time to do sightseeing, but one unforgettable trip through the Reykjanes Peninsula by very personable and knowledgeable guide Thorsteinn Gunnar Kristjansson of Salty Tour whetted my appetite to come back. I can truly see why films go out of their way to shoot in Iceland, especially those looking for an otherworldly setting like Ridley Scott did for his upcoming Alien prequel (or perhaps not) ”Prometheus”.

All in all, just like it was when I went to the other island seminar (the much warmer Barbados for Caribbean Tales) it was over far too fast. I hope to make it back to this alien world someday, but for now I will have to settle for the the memories I am sure will form into some kind of sci-fi film idea.

Special thanks to the Canada Council for the Arts that awarded me a travel grant to take part.

The moss has been growing for 800 years and it's still only a few inches tall.