- published by LaborMedia 97 oraganizing committee in Seoul,
Korea -
written by MJ Kim and JY Lee
- Those who don't want to receive this newsletter. Please send the message
- Also, we are afraid there are some mistakes while gathering the information
from all over the world, those who want to correct the information, please let
us know. We will correct immediately.
Thanks for your showing interest in LaborMedia'97 in Seoul !
Over the last week, we still have been working for preparing LaborMedia '97
and many activists responded our work.
This report issue No.2 will let you know what is going on around LaborMedia
'97. It includes the list of works which will be screened in the International
Labor Video & Film Festival, some suggestions which international activists
made on our conference, and the list of activists who we are contacting.
In the next issue, we will report specifically on what have been proposed and
discussed on the conference by many activists all around the world.
Finally, it was decided that Yonsei University would be the location for the conference and festival. And the Association of the labor studies will participate in organizing committee. Considering the current situation, committee are expecting possible attack by the police because the videos screened in the festival will openly refuse to be censored. This is because recent Human rights film festival was attacked by the police. (See enclosed document on the incident and please join the international appeal.) But, in any case, organizing committee will strongly hold the conference and the festival.
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- Video clips on Turkey labor movement sent by Onder Ozdemir (Turkey)
- Videos on Palestine labor movement sent by Assaf Adiv (Israel)
- Vdieos from Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU / South Africa) -
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Besides these works, we are expecting that some more works from Sweden, Columbia, Brazil, the Republic of Ireland will be screened.
The Newsletter Vol. 1 introduced the subjects suggested by Larry Duncan and
Steve Zeltzer. Since publishing the weekly report vol.1, some other activists
suggested the subjects to be discussed and the tools for more people to participate
in our conference.
Concerning the subjects, Alfonso suggested some issues on the videos to be thought
and discussed. And concerning the tools, Eric Lee suggested HTML based live
chat room.
Another thing is that we must say we are sorry. In the Vol. 1, we made a promise that this issue would cover the whole specific subjects to be prepared by organizing committee. But concerning internet and other issues, relatively the discussion and suggestion is slow. But, organizing committee is now preparing the agendas for this issue, and we hope more suggestion and advice will come soon from all of you.
Here are some quotations from the letter of Alfonso Gumucio-Dagron and Eric Lee.
"Discussions, strategies, are as important as the films or more, because
very often films are done for very a particular historic moment, and they are
not easy to "read" in other context. Besides the problems of language,
there is a whole culture that may be difficult to translate in terms of contents.
The discussions can be very rich if the topics are such as these:
- Modalities
of production and distribution,
- Relation between filmmakers and the labor
organizations,
- Importance of cultural activism within labor organizations,
- Common platform across countries
I wouldn't spend too much energy and time discussing things that we all know and that are difficult to change ......... I would prefer to discuss instead what are the alternatives. For example, in Latin America you have universities that own TV stations, or small private national companies that are still possible partners. The "multinational" TV trust is obviously present through the cable TV and the satellite dishes, but that doesn't get to the masses, only to those in the upper classes that can afford to pay for the service.
The real problems of ..................... distribution are cultural and have to do with the capacity of alternative distribution in each country, and with the interest that films produced in other context can arise. In other words, what is "exchangeable" in terms of productions?
For the festival, it is important to show films produced in various political
contexts. The filmmakers can explain how and why they did such or such film.
But of course, language will be a limiting factor, especially for films that
usually have lots of words."
- Alfonso Gumucio-Dagron -
"The URL for the Labour Webmasters' Forum is:
http://www.village2000.com/labour/forum/index.html The same site which hosts
the Forum -- Village2000 -- also offers us an HTML based live chat room. We
could actually use this during the time of the conference at certain pre-determined
times to conduct live online dialogue between participants there in Seoul and
those of us who cannot attend. Let me know if you're interested in this possibility.
I suggest that we conduct our discussions about the conference in the open,
in the Labour Webmasters' Forum, where other interested trade unionists can
listen in and give us their input. "
-Eric Lee-
As you see, we would like even more activists to participate in the preparing
process and give suggestions. We are open to both the selection of videos to
be screened and the making an issue to be discussed during the conference.
Therefore, you can recommend good videos and give a suggestion on what issue
should be discussed in LaborMedia '97 in Seoul. Besides, whatever thought you
have got on LaborMedia '97, don't hesitate to contact us, please.
The belows is the list of media activists who helped us to elaborate our conference.
First of all, we would like to make an apology to Assaf adiv. Because in the
Vol. 1, we made a mistake about his name and his working area. You can find
a correction in the Israel section.
¡Ý U.S.A
Steve Zeltzer : Labor Video Project, LaborNet-IGC, UPPNET
Larry Duncan : Labor Beat, UPPNET
Daymon j. Hartley : Detroit newspaper worker
Appalshop : Non-profit media organization, distributor of
Kelly Anderson and Tami Gold : Director of
Mike Konapacki : Director of
Michael Moore : Director of
David G. Ohlenroth : Labor Beat
¡Ý U.K
Chris Bailey : LaborNet
Greg Dropkin : Video activist
Ken Loach : Director of
Anne Marie Sweeney : Director of
Paul Field
¡Ý Israel
Eric Lee : Author of
Assaf Adiv : WAC
¡Ý Japan
Akira Matsubara : Video press
Cineclub
¡Ý Turkey
Onder Ozdemir
¡Ý Brazil
Rodrigo Assump : Videazimut
¡Ý India
Anand Patwardhan : Director of
¡Ý Canada
Julius Fisher : Director of
Tom O'Brien : Canadian Labor Congress/Director Communications
¡Ý South Africa
Marcus Toerian : Center for Democratic Communications (CDC)
Kubeshni Govender : FAWU Media Officer Food and Allied Workers Union (Head Office)
¡Ý Haiti (currently)
Alfonso Gumucio-Dagron
¡Ý Colombia
Luis Fernando Baron
The belows are those who we are trying to contact but haven't got reply from
yet.
¡Ý Sweden
Ted Weisberg
¡Ý Brazil
Gorgio Schute
TVT
¡Ý Netherlands
Peter Waterman
¡Ý U.S.A
Eric Finch : PRIDE, the Lesbian and Gay Labor caucus.
Colleen M. O'Neill : Director Of Commuications International Union Of Electrical
Worker
Tom Schram : Sunday Journal Detroit
Tony Greer Ass : Editor NATCA Journal
¡Ý Sweden
Anita Sandell : Head Of Press And Information Swedish Confederation Of Professional
Employees
* If anybody wants to contact any of them individually, please contact us.
** Contact point of the conference organizer
Seoul International LaborMedia
'97 Committee
tel : +82-2-855-1913
fax : +82-2-858-1913
e-mail :
labornet@nodong.net
www : http://lmedia.nodong.net/1997/
** Contact point of the festival organizer
--> (Attention !) Those who want to participate in the festival or are interested
in the presentation related with visual media, please contact the festival organizer.
Labor News Production
Myoung Joon Kim
address : 102, Jihoon Villa, 482-2,
Sangdo 1 dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, Korea
fax : +82-2-826-0151
e-mail
: LNP89@chollian.net
** Those who want to get the updated information can use the web site and also
the mailing list. The address of the mailing list is as follows.
: labornet@nodong.net
- When you subscribe,
just type
labornet@nodong.net
The 2nd Human Rights Film Festival-Seoul, which is being held to educate
the public about the value of human rights and human dignity, is at the risk
of being discontinued due to pressures from the Korean government. Held at Hong
Ik University from September 27th, the Human Rights Film Festival is screening
24 films from 13 countries as scheduled until October 4th.
However, due to the frantic efforts of the school to hinder the film festival
by closing off screening halls and cutting off electricity, the festival is
proceeding under difficult circumstances such as showing films outdoors or at
rest area without chairs. The strong opposition of the school administration
is thought to be due to pressures from government agencies such as the Ministry
of Culture and Sports, the Ministry of Education, the Agency for National Security
Planning and the Seoul Police Department. In addition, the school administration
has pressed charges against the chairman of Executive Committee for the Human
Rights Film Festival, Mr. Joon-sik Suh (Representative of Sarangbang, Center
for Human Rights). On October 1st, 1:45am, the police department sent in five
squadrons into the school and staged a search and seizure operation. During
the operation, this year's festival sponsor, Hong Ik University acting student
body president, Mr. Sung-ook Yim and one other student was taken to the police
station, and summons for Mr. Joon-sik Suh was sent on the afternoon of October
1st.
The Human Rights Film Festival, as a non-profit film festival that is sponsored by Sarangbang, Center for Human Rights, is showing human rights films from various countries which the Korean public has never before seen at no cost. Last year, the 1st Human Rights Film Festival was held at Ewha Woman's University, and attracted about 30,000 audiences during the one week of the festival, showing the Korean public's wide interest in human rights films. This year, Claude Lanzmann's Shoah along with 23 other films from 13 countries are scheduled to be shown in eight days.
FURTHER RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send
telegrams/telexes/faxes/express/airmail letters in English, Korean or your own
language:
-urging authorities to ensure that the Human Rights Film Festival go on.
APPEALS TO:
1) President Kim Young-sam
The Blue House
1 Sejong-no
Chongno-gu, Seoul
Republic of Korea
Faxes: +822 770 0253
Telegrams: President Kim, Young-sam, Seoul, South Korea
Salutation: Dear President
2) Minister of Culture and Sports
82-1 Sejong-no
Chongno-gu, Seoul
Republic of Korea
Faxes: +822 723 0302
Salutation: Dear Minister
3) Minister of Education
77 Sejong-no
Chongno-gu, Seoul
Republic of Korea
Faxes: +822 733 2322, +822 723 5656
Salutation: Dear Minister
3) Director, Agency for National Security Planning
P.O. Box 200, Suhcho Post Office
Suhcho-gu, Seoul
Republic of Korea
Faxes: +822 3412 3000
Salutation: Dear Director
4) Director, Police Bureau
209 Migeun-dong
Suhdamun-gu, Seoul, 120-704
Republic of Korea
Faxes: +822 313 2242
Salutation: Dear Director
5) Chief, Seoul Police Department
201-11 Neja-dong
Chongno-gu, Seoul
Republic of Korea
Faxes: +822 735 4400
Salutation: Dear Chief of SPD
Copies to:
Sarangbang, Center for Human Rights
4th floor
8-29 Myunglyun-2ga
Chongno-gu, Seoul
Repulic of Korea
and to diplomatic representatives of the Republic of Korea accredited to your country.
Please send appeals immediately. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after October 30, 1997.