The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz
The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz |
| Oscar nod for protest film cheers Palestinians Posted: 29 Jan 2013 04:03 AM PST  RAMALLAH, (West Bank), Jan 29 — Oscar-nominated documentary "5 Broken Cameras" screened for Palestinians for the first time on Monday, leaving locals hopeful that their struggle with Israel for land and statehood will gain a global audience. The low-cost film is based on five years of amateur camera work by journalist Emad Burnat as he documented weekly protests against land seizures by Israeli forces and Jewish settlers in his village of Bil'in in the occupied West Bank. Neighbours are killed in the protests and demolition equipment mars the landscape while the filmmaker captures his infant son's rapid loss of innocence, heralded by his first words: "wall" and "army." "This is a film for those who were martyred. It's bigger than me and bigger than Bil'in. More than a billion people follow the Oscars and they will know our struggle now," Burnat said after the viewing. His work will compete at next month's Oscar ceremony against four other films, including a documentary called "The Gatekeepers" that looks at the decades-old Middle East conflict through the eyes of six top former Israeli intelligence bosses. Although the perspective is very different, both movies share a surprisingly similar message -- the Israeli occupation of the West Bank is morally wrong and must end. Burnat's film received a standing ovation at its premier in Ramallah, the Palestinians' administrative capital, with the audience excited to see their seemingly endless conflict splashed on the big screen. "The film shows the whole world what occupation is. It wiped the happiness off the boy's face at too young an age. This has been the experience for all of us," said taxi driver Ahmed Mustafa, who brought his wife and child to the viewing "It's not all bad though. It shows that there is progress, there are victories, and that our cause is still alive and moving," he said. In 2007, Israel's High Court ruled that the separation barrier built on Bil'in lands was illegal and ordered it rerouted, cheering activists. The ruling was finally implemented in 2011, but the protests continue. Israeli co-direction Humble villagers in black-and-white chequered Palestinian scarves and smartly dressed city dwellers shared the same visceral reaction to scenes in the film that are much chronicled but seldom appear in feature-length film. A shot of olive trees reduced to glowing embers after being torched by Jewish settlers coaxes an audible gasp from viewers. "Oh God!" said one man. But as Burnat's camera captures defiant chants in the protagonists' village accent, or rocks being hurled at fleeing Israeli jeeps, ecstatic applause filled the hall. The film was co-directed by an Israeli activist and filmmaker, Guy Davidi. This close association has led some people to classify 5 Broken Cameras as an Israeli movie and it was rejected by a Morocco film festival for this reason. However, Burnat said it had been shown in Iran and other Middle Eastern countries and denied that the joint production reflected any meaningful "normalisation" of relations between Israel and the Palestinians. "(Davidi) is a solidarity activist who came to the village to show his support. He was shown our material and agreed to help. This doesn't represent Israeli-Palestinian collaboration," Burnat said. But the film's action shows many examples of cooperation between Israeli solidarity activists and locals. An Israeli photographer gives Burnat one of his five cameras, which are progressively shot or crushed in protests over the years, giving the film its name, and Israeli solidarity activists are shown helping to plan protests in Hebrew. "Working jointly with an Israeli doesn't diminish this work, it enhances it," Palestinian student Amira Daood told Reuters. "They're not all against us. Some are opposed to what Israel is doing and the movie demonstrates that," she said. — Reuters |
| Justin Bieber strips down voice, heartache on ‘Believe Acoustic’ Posted: 29 Jan 2013 01:38 AM PST  LOS ANGELES, Jan 29 — Justin Bieber is stripping down. Musically, that is. The Canadian pop phenomenon showcases his vocal and song-writing talents with a new acoustic album, out on Tuesday, that also features three new tracks including a heartbreak ballad thought to be about his former girlfriend Selena Gomez. "Believe Acoustic" sees Bieber, 18, change up the arrangements of songs from his fourth chart-topping album "Believe," released last June, singing with only a guitar or piano-driven melody. Uptempo songs such as "Boyfriend," and "Beauty and the Beat," which roped in electronic sounds with fast-paced dance beats, are slowed down as the singer uses his vocals to manipulate the vibe of the song. "Believe Acoustic" sees Bieber return to his acoustic roots five years after he was discovered on YouTube, singing on the streets of Canada accompanied only by a guitar. It was released following Bieber's failure to pick up a single Grammy nomination this year, despite having a chart-topping album and a sold-out world tour. Bieber often performs acoustic versions of his hits, most recently at the American Music Awards in November, where he delivered a stripped-down version of dance song "As Long As You Love Me." The teen singer released "My Worlds Acoustic," in 2010, featuring alternative versions of tracks from his debut studio record "My World." But most ears now are turned to new track "Nothing Like Us", which follows Bieber's widely reported split from former Disney Channel star Gomez. It features Bieber singing a raw and emotion-filled ballad over a piano melody, with lyrics such as "Girl, why would you push me away?/Lost in confusion, like an illusion...But that is the past now, we didn't last now." Simple love songs Bill Werde, editorial director of Billboard music magazine, who interviewed Bieber a few months ago, said the song was "directly about Selena" and that fans were anticipating the singer sharing "his feelings about something this personal." The new track is not dissimilar to the heart-break odes written by country-pop darling Taylor Swift or British soul-pop singer Adele. Werde said he hoped people would take notice of Bieber's song-writing and vocal production skills on the new album. "Some of the best songwriters that are working out of our pop space are the ones that can take these very, very specific feelings that you would expect a teenager or a young adult to have and then sing and write about them in a way that makes them universal," Werde told Reuters. "That's a skill that needs to be respected. It's not easy to write great, simple love songs." The other new songs are "I Would," a sweet love song, and "Yellow Raincoat," a mellow survival song with the singer crooning softly "cause the fame and the money and the girl will drive you crazy...I'm thinking maybe just put on my raincoat." Bieber may not be winning Grammys just yet, but the singer could make chart history if "Believe Acoustic" reaches No. 1 in the Billboard 200 album chart next week. The singer will become the youngest artist to have five No. 1 albums under his belt, and one of few artists, including The Beatles and Jay-Z, to have a No. 1 album each year for four consecutive years. Bieber, who surpassed Lady Gaga earlier this month to become Twitter's most-followed person, will make his television hosting debut on "Saturday Night Live" on Feb. 9, the night before the Grammy awards. Bieber told Billboard he would not be attending the Grammy awards ceremony in Los Angeles. — Reuters |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan