Video in the Villages: Three films by Vincent Carelli 8:00, Wednesday, October 17, Uris Auditorium, Cornell University

Free and open to the public

With Professor Terry Turner, Anthropology Environmental, economic and cultural activism intersect in the forests of Brazil when Vincent Carelli and his Video in the Villages Project bring video technology to the Native Americans. Seen first as a way to preserve their heritage, the native tribes quickly become media savvy, and find television to be a valuable tool for political negotiation. In The Spirit of TV (18 min), we see the Waiapi as they first encounter television, and begin to realize the scope of its power. In Pemp (27 min), the Parakateje uses video technology to strengthen and rebuild their culture, both through the recording of ceremonies and as a political tool to give them a voice against economic interests which destroy their lands and invade their forests. And finally, in Free For All in Sarare (27 min), the Nambiquara fight against loggers, gold miners and others who plunder their land, going all the way to the World Bank to make their case. These three films highlight the power of the moving image, and its remarkable ability to empower marginalized people the world over. Directed by Vincent Carelli. 1988-1992, Brazil, total running time 72 min. Cosponsored with The Latin American Studies Program; The Center for US-Latin American Relations; The American Indian Program; and the Department of Rural Sociology..

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