after watching
“an inconvenient sequel”
on a hot summer night
in ann arbor
i was left
absolutely chilled.
—
“a man has honor if he holds himself to an ideal of conduct
though it is inconvenient, unprofitable, or dangerous to do so.”
-walter lippmann
i recently watched this 2012 documentary that is a tribute to
three very strong and brave women
in three very different parts of the world.
Yoani Sánchez from Cuba, Zeng Jinyan from China and Farnaz Seifi from Iran.
what they all have in common
is that they are using the power of their words as bloggers
as a way to tell the world
about the oppressive regimes in which they live.
these activists and their families have been
threatened, harassed, attacked, jailed,
placed under house arrest,
falsely charged,
exiled and ridiculed
by their governments and the powers that be.
and still they write and still they talk.
and still they find a way to get the word out against all odds.
this is a powerful film about their fight for human rights and for the freedom of speech.
i will not soon forget these courageous women or this film.
—
the documentary won the amnesty international award 2013 and the WACC SIGNIS human rights award 2012, and was nominated for the swiss film award and the prix de soleure in 2013.
—
“the ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people.”
-woodrow wilson
freda kelly was just a shy teenager from liverpool who left school at 16 to make her way in the world. in this documentary, freda tells her story for the first time after 50 years, for very personal reasons all her own. it is the story of a young girl, who, through fate and circumstance, found herself working for a local band, the beatles, hoping to make it big. while none of them had any concept of how far they would go, it was her undying loyalty and dedication that kept her in their inner circle, a rare thing among the many who came and went from their universe.
at only 16, she became their devoted personal secretary and fan club president, and she understood the young girls’ frenzy them as they grew in fame, as she was herself just a young girl, as well as a fan. she was fiercely protective of each of them and never was swayed by the fame and fortune that came along. Freda saw it all, and became a sister and friend to them, and a daughter to their families.
she witnessed their evolution to international fame and watched history unfold before her eyes, taking it all in with amazement and pride.
it was her dream job, and she was there at the beginning, and there at the end. and as was said, ‘they were together for 10 years, and she worked for them for 11 years.’ the archival footage in this film is amazing, and if you are a fan of the beatles, music history, or just of the pure and sweet side of human nature, you will fall in love with freda and with this movie.
freda today, as she tells her story, with a few tears and a lot of laughter.
You learn from a conglomeration of the incredible past –
whatever experience gotten in any way whatsoever.
Bob Dylan
—-
image credits: magnolia pictures, the guardian.com,dailymail.co.uk,scope features,sxsw film festival
I didn't have my glasses on.... 