Dr. Belinda Lopez’s Post

🟢⚡EXCLU: Osamede, an epic film set in the ancient Benin Kingdom, directed by renowned filmmaker James Omokwe and produced by esteemed executive producer Lilian Olubi, is set to transport audiences to a world of power struggles, ancient traditions and the supernatural. Be the first to read about the details here: https://lnkd.in/d3YEfdt4

Imagine not being able to speak with those you love most. How would it feel if you could not speak to a dear family member? This 1.5-minute film by Korean-Canadian director Kevin Jin Kwan Kim captures the heartbreak of language loss: https://lnkd.in/ecXCBWDT We love this film because it illustrates why we work so hard to preserve heritage languages. We recommend you watch and share it, to help others understand why it is important to to prevent this kind of loss for future generations. #globalcalltoaction #heritagelanguageeducation #heritagelanguages #meertaligheid #multilingualism 

If you know me enough, you know I have a passion for Hindi films and share my reviews with friends and family. I use LinkedIn sparingly for reviews/ recommendations — for when a film has the ability to impact humanity in a positive way. Admittedly, I’m a little late to experiencing the phenomena ‘Laapataa Ladies’ (meaning Lost Ladies) that has swept the nation, and rightfully so! Team Laapataa Ladies is 100% deserving of the accolades coming it’s way, and I’m sure its making its way to international film festivals so film lovers across the world can enjoy and learn from this gem. The ~120 minutes long film is brimming with life lessons and here are a few (in no particular order) that resonated with me: 1. Self reliance is an underrated superpower. Teach our children, especially our girls to be self reliant. 2. Learn to live happily with your own self. If we learn to do that, life becomes less challenging. 3. Believe in the goodness of humanity. There are more ‘good’ people in the world than we think! 4. There is a difference between sacrifice and lacking courage. Don’t mistake one for the other. 5. Trust is the most valuable thing someone gives to you. Value and guard the trust you receive. I hope you have a chance to watch! 🎬📽️

Please also listen to & share world renowned Jewish-American professor & public policy expert, Jeffrey Sachs, describe how Israel is intentionally starving the over 2M civilians in Gaza, including over 1M children, saying that “the International Court of Justice will find these acts to be genocidal”. He also defends Senator Schumer’s recent calls for an end to this madness, & says he would have added that the U.S. should “immediately stop all munitions, all backing, for this murderous rampage of this extremist government” https://lnkd.in/gy-q3rpR My fellow Americans, please wake up. Israel is committing genocide with the weapons WE keep giving them & has now killed OVER 25,000 WOMEN & CHILDREN (~70% of the dead), & MORE EVERY DAY. That's according to The Pentagon: lnkd.in/gaMEPKSn PLEASE WRITE & CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES to demand they stop helping Israel kill & starve children, commit war crimes, & maintain its brutal & racist apartheid, with our tax dollars & U.N. veto protection. Please also listen to Israel’s ex-Security Chief, Ami Ayalon, & ex-Israeli PM & General, Ehud Barak, BOTH say IF THEY WERE PALESTINIAN THEY WOULD FIGHT ISRAEL BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE THEIR LIBERTY: lnkd.in/guNE7vay If you’re confused about why they would say that, it’s obviously because they know the truth & you don’t. Even the ex-head of Israel’s Mossad (their CIA), calls Israel an apartheid state. Tamir Pardo, appointed by Netanyahu, said “There is an apartheid state here. In a territory where two people are judged under two legal systems, that is an apartheid state.” lnkd.in/gF_2dqvM. And if you still doubt that Israel is a brutal apartheid state after listening to them & the hundreds more Israeli soldiers, professors, & journalists that I've aggregated on this YouTube channel lnkd.in/g9KFXxMr, then you simply aren't being honest. I will continue advocating for peaceful resistance & Palestinians have been trying to protest peacefully for decades, but when they do, Israeli soldiers shoot them in the knees, kill them, or at least imprison & beat them. If you don't believe it, please read this 2020 Haaretz article titled: '42 Knees in One Day': Israeli Snipers Open Up About Shooting Gaza Protesters: lnkd.in/g4VqQRzs And this article explains how Israel has always been able to beat Hamas without killing children, & still can: lnkd.in/gY98T9mc I also cry for the 38 Israeli children & others killed on Oct 7th, but this horrible conflict did NOT start on that day. The proof is the nearly 2300 Palestinian children Israeli soldiers & settlers killed between 2000 & Oct 2023, including 43 children during the 9 months just before Oct 7th (all names & details on BTselem.org). Israel has also continued stealing more Palestinian homes & farms EVERY YEAR as part of its brutal 57 year apartheid & has imposed a brutal blockade of Gaza since 2005. ALL illegal under international law, immoral, & ongoing acts of war.

Rethinking African Futures in Film. In our latest DAAD Letter, we interviewed DAAD alumnus and renowned Cameroonian director Jean-Pierre Bekolo. Known for his bold approach to filmmaking, Bekolo has spent over three decades creating films that challenge conventional narratives and explore alternative African futures. In the interview, Bekolo discusses how Afrofuturism allows him to imagine a world where Africa is not bound by its colonial past. His work, including Africa’s first science fiction film "Those Who Bleed", asks the question “What if?” – opening the door to new possibilities for the continent’s future. He also critiques the role of neo-colonialism in African politics and highlights the need for cinema to be a catalyst for societal change. Bekolo’s approach to filmmaking is not just about creating stories; it’s about empowering African audiences to rethink their reality and liberate themselves from the past. He continues to advocate for a cinema that takes risks and actively engages with global political issues. Read the full interview to gain deeper insights into how Jean-Pierre Bekolo is using film as a tool for transformation: ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eqmdWqW7 #Afrofuturism #AfricanCinema #CulturalExchange #NeoColonialism #DAAD #DAADLetter #ChangeByExchange #VisionaryCinema

„I wish I have never made this film" said the Ukrainian director of the Oscar winning documentary Mstyslav Chernov, when he thanked the Academy for choosing his movie "20 Days in Mariupol“ as the best film in this category. It was a very touching moment and I am deeply impressed by all the sentences that followed. Especially one of his observations stuck with me: „Memories form history“... What kind of memories do we currently „generate“ for us and the future generations? After years and decades of peace, we witness the Russian invasion on Ukraine, Israeli-Palestine war, post-war crisis and acts of violence in Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Kongo, Myanmar, Burkina Faso, Sudan and South Sudan, to name just those I am aware of. (At this point, I am sorry if this list is incomplete). All the people involved in these acts of violence will pass stories and untold stories (emotions of the traumatic events) on their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren one day. The next generations will struggle not only with the consequences of the climate change, social injustice, the consequences of the rise of populists but will also inherit the emotional luggage of everything their parents and grandparents went through... Future is not a space we enter, but a space we co-create. Already now, we co-shape memories that will hugely impact ourselves and the future generations. With our ignorance, missing action, avoidance of difficult conversations, we sustain the toxic systems, in which those in power dictate the narrative for years and decades to come. Memories, however are more persistent than propaganda. Stories matter. Your stories matter. If you are in the place where you have no clue, how to act, look around and see how you can make a difference in your surrounding. Maybe joining a conversation where the majority is xenophobic (and driven by phobia towards diverse groups) and you share your story to show the other side of the coin could be a first step. Please note, all the wars started with prejudices, verbal attacks and acts of discrimination. As much as this spiral of negativity was born in human minds, as much the vision of the peaceful world starts with thoughts and words. Sometimes those words are tiny acts of courage, sometimes they are silenced and acts follow, sometimes they matter to one person out of 100. And still if your story matters to just one person, who can relate to your experience of feeling discriminated and feels empowered by your openness, it is worth sharing. https://lnkd.in/e7kBnKvA Thank you Victoria Spashchenko for attracting my attention to this speech. #storytelling #storylistening #oscars2024

This is a rampant issue in countries like India and Bangladesh. Well done bringing this to the global limelight. However, it would've been better if the context of this story is shown already in the beginning. Initially the story felt like it talks about issues pan-India, then towards the end shows only Tamil Nadu, whereas AP, TS, MH, GJ, & JH are also into textile manufacturing and export. Would've been great if it's been provided an overview of the sub-continent's issues. Similarly, the actions against such human rights violations could've been spelled out further. I truly understand the pain of reporting on such stories and have been deeply disturbed by the victims/survivors of these attacks. However, the emotions got more weight than the facts and outlook. Nevertheless, great efforts went into this filmmaking, storytelling, storyboarding, and scripting. The sketches are compelling and relatable/provocative. Kudos to the team! #humanrights #garments #garmentindustry #india #apparels #apparelindustry #sexualharassment #workplaceabuse #workplacesafety #childlabour #childlabor #wages #wagetheft #caste #occupationalhealth #mentalhealth #psychologicalsafetyatwork #modernslavery #forcedlabour #forcedlabor

Around 4 hours of documentary to explain capitalism and what tools it adopts to make desires look like needs!!! It was one of the best documentaries I ever watched. https://lnkd.in/dp4RXwYR

There are many people in the industry that claim fame based upon certificates on a wall, medals on their chest or the number in their bank account. Then there are few that fly under the radar, they get results, they put themselves in harm’s way and don’t blink, they get out from behind the desk. Bottom line they operate. Go check out my friends documentary! #executiveprotection #covert #security #privatesecurity #privatesector #governmentcontracting #intelligence #counterintelligence #bodyguard #humantraffickingawareness #operator #tier1 #socom #devgru #safetyandsecurity #nomads

Kunle Afolayan is widely credited for elevating the quality of Nollywood films and consequently elevating it to the global stage. His films are known for their pristine visuals and rich storytelling, which often stray from classic Nollywood clichés. His standout films include The Figurine (2009), October 1 (2014), and Citation (2020), which explore Nigerian culture and social issues with depth and style. Afolayan is one of those Nollywood filmmakers whose work you can (almost) always count on to be of stellar quality. What African literary or film hero, dead or alive, do you want us to cover next? Reply in the comments!