As reported in the Washington Post, the digital revolution is helping to throw light into some of the world's darkest corners. Ordinary people going about their daily lives are now the first to document historic events. The photos at Abu Ghraib prison taken on soldiers' personal digital cameras, vacationers recorded the first images of the 2004 tsunami, London commuters provided cellphone photos used to investigate the July 2005 bombings on the transit system, and cellphone images were among the first glimpses of the recent coup in Thailand.

This development was first documented in our acclaimed release SEEING IS BELIEVING: Handicams, Human Rights and the News. Available on DVD with many bonus features including a Study Guide, this film crosses the world tracking media activists to look at what happens when regular people use camcorders to document what they see. What are the risks and responsibilities? What are the wider impacts on television, audiences, and society?

Labels: activism, human rights, media

As reported by Reuters (via Yahoo News), after being carried to re-election by his popularity with the poor, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is striving to reassure the business community he will not abandon market-friendly policies to create jobs and boost income.

Lula's balancing act between his political base and the economic and political elite is aptly captured in the documentary LULA'S BRAZIL, which as it tells of his rise to power also examines the achievements as well as the failures of his presidency compared to his campaign promises, revealing how his ambitious plans have been frustrated by a clash with national and international economic interests.

Labels: Brazil, elections, Latin America, Lula, politics