Middle East International Film Festival

Friday, I drove to Abu Dhabi for the MEIFF. This is the 2nd MEIFF held in Abu Dhabi and there is another film festival coming to Dubai in December. I am really looking forward to all of these films.

Planet Plastic - This documentary was categorized at the film festival under the category, "What in the World Are We Doing to Our World?" Planet Plastic could have easily been placed in the category "What in the HELL are we doing to our World?" The film maker, Werner Boote, is Austrian and grew up with a Grandfather who worked in the plastics industry in Europe. He started asking questions about the plastics industry out of curiosity but the main connection is his Grandfather and some old notes he had left behind about the growth of the industry. In the film, we see Werner Boote, traveling all over the world going to the Plastic Industry's largest trade show in Europe, to visit various researchers, visit contaminated sites. Mr. Boote had ten studies funded and revealed some of his findings in the film.

Plastics are horrible! The woman in the film I found the most profound in her findings is a woman who researches at Washington State University. She said that when plastic is heated, or corodes over time, chemicals are released. These chemicals affect our endocrine systems, reproductive health (men & women). Another man from Ohio, stated that these leaching chemicals make us obese, mess with our respiratory systems, etc. It was quite scary and made me want to go home and throw everything out made of plastic!

The two things that I have taken away from this moving are...

1. It does not matter how much of the chemicals that seep from the plastic that you are exposed to. It is simply a matter of being exposed and I've probably already been exposed thanks to my parents cloudy colored tupperware they used all throughout the eighties. I am already screwed. It is not the quantity I learned. If you have been exposed, you have been exposed.

2. The producers of plastic bottles or manufacturers do not know what chemicals are being used to make the plastic bottles. The suppliers send the "correct" ingrediants but actually do not give all of the information as to which chemicals are supplied to the producer and there is not one organized body (government, FDA, etc.) that is looking into this. No one really knows how harmful plastics are, is what i am trying to say.

The film maker conducted 10 studies that were funded by a body within the European Union. The woman in charge of funding the studies was interviewed and stated that there are 160 something chemicals used in everyday plastics and it took them ten years to study ten. That means there are still one hundred something chemicals out there to study. Who is going to do this? How much will it cost? You are probably thinking, "don't we have more important things to worry about right now?" This is, in my opinion the film makers point. No one cares about this Plastic problem we have and no one is really doing anything about it. We are continuing to allow the chemical/petroleum companies do what they please, produce what they please.

Overall, I thought that the film was VERY informative. I approached and met Mr. Boote afterwards (sorry I did not get a photo). There was a Q&A session at the end. The saddest thing he spoke of was baby bottles, pacifiers, how the plastics are not safe and the other was that if you purchase something that says BPA free, well, guess what? They tested it and its toxic.

Check out Mr. Boote's webiste: www.plastic-planet.at If you speak or read German you are in luck. The website is mostly in German right now but check it out regardless. German is just like English right? Mr. Boote is working on getting it translated.

In Berlin-This film was so-so. I went to see it because I REALLY want to visit Berlin. This film was in the "Documentary Feature Competition". It looked into the lives of various people throughout Berlin since the wall came down twenty years ago this November. I liked the film okay and this quick fix did not subside my desire to go there!

No One Knows About Persian Cats-I enjoyed the first film for being so informative, however this film was brilliant. The film follows two young Iranian indie rock musicians trying to get their band together to go to London. But the film also displayed various musicians and the underground music scene in Iran (mostly Tehran, the capital). Again, just like so many things that I have observed in the Middle East, this film further clarifies that kids in their twenties all over the globe love similar things, like Indie rock.

The film was directed by Bahman Ghobadi. It was classified in the film festival's category "Narrative Feature Competition". Based on real events and real people who are not allowed to play "Western" music or are continuously arrested, jailed and eventually the two characters who the film is based off of have had to resettle in London. It showed the beautiful and the ugly of Iran. The poverty and the hopelessness many face in the country where I am not allowed to visit but would love to.

I must say, having beloved Iranian friends, learning about Iran and seeing a film like this with such beautiful photography, I continue to learn about this country and culture. I find it quite beautiful and cannot blame some of the government's decisions or laws that I don't agree with on the entire country. That would be like people throughout the world disliking me because of Bush! (O, I forgot, some people do this ;-) he he)

Regardless, if this film gathers enough momentum and is played in the states, I highly recommend it. The end startles you and I won't say why but I truly enjoyed this film. After, I wanted to run out and buy some converse, put on some old tight jeans, pull on a hoody and go to an Indie rock concert which are unfortunately lacking in Dubai.

I hope this post was not too boring! Thanks for reading and keep me posted on the world of films! Ciao!