Go to this You Tube site and see an amazing poet , Daniel Beaty, deliver a chilling and beautiful poem, Knock Knock. Would make quite a discussion starter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nktBsI0PYPs
Produced by Normal McLaren (1957) National Film Board of Canada
NFB VIDEO SALES 1-800-267-7710 OR http://www.ntb.ca
Long recognized as highly original and stimulating, A Chairy Tale is a parody on a fairy tale simply told in black and white and without words. It is accompanied by the enchanting music of Ravi Shankar, Chatur Lal, and Modu Mullick.
The only characters are a man and a common wooden chair. Conflict begins immediately as the man enters with his book and attempts to sit down on the chair to read, only to have the chair pull away from him. The ensuing struggle between man and chair leads them through a broad range of emotions, from frustration to violence to a near ending of the relationships, until a breakthrough results in a fairy-tale happy ending.
The film raises a variety of questions about empathy, exploitation, and communication. It is clear that the man and the chair have gone through relationships. When they sit down together at the end, it is a different man and a different chair. Just what has transpired and how they communicated with each other make for stimulating discussion. The absence of words and attention to detail convey a subtlety of nonverbal communication that is remarkable.
In addition the film directly addresses the topic of power. How does power influence, distort, and damage communication across cultures. Can honest communication take place between people or groups if there is an inequity of power? Can a dependent or subservient person ever really feel free to communicate openly with the more powerful? Can those in power ever really listen to or respect the point of view of those perceived as having less power? These questions are central to intercultural communication but often neglected.
Questions that can facilitate a debrief of this film:
1. How does the man–chair struggle remind participants of events in their own lives?
2. How would you describe the plot of the film from the man’s perspective?
3. How would you describe the plot from the chair’s perspective?
4. If we imagine ourselves in any given interaction as the man, the one with more power, how does that affect the way we communicate?
5. If we imagine ourselves as the chair, the one with less power, how does that affect the way we communicate?
6. What if you have greater power than your think you do? How would you know and what would you do?
7. What does this tell us about the process of mutual adjustment?
Adapted by Margaret D. Pusch from Summerfield, Ellen. Crossing Cultures Through Film.
Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press, Inc.
See book list elsewhere on this blog for information on how to get this book.
Seven members of the younger generation in a quickly changing society share their stories
A Frontline production.
http://www.pbs.org/video/video/991233877/feature/66
Crossing Cultures Through Film by Ellen Summerfield. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press, 1993. Out of print but are available from the author at: esummer@onlinemac.com Found a few copies through Amazon.com
Film & Video Resources for International Educational Exchange by Lee Ziegler. Reviews over 250 documentaries (videos, films, and slide shows) relevant to intercultural exchange. Washington, DC: NAFSA, 2000. Out of print.
Seeing the Big Picture: Revised Edition by Ellen Summerfield and Sandra Lee. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, September, 2006 Barnes and Noble (www.bn.com)
Public Broadcasting Wide Angle
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/category/for-educators/
A list of videos especially for educators on a variety of topics that can lead to discussion and exploration of critical issues such as equality in education opportunities, human rights and the world courts, the effects of globalization on the developing world.
Films Media Group: Films for the Humanities & Sciences
As a provider of media for higher education, Films for the Humanities & Sciences creates and distributes world class academic content for discerning educators.
Netflix
http://www.netflix.com/?mqso=80015687
Well known and widely used source of films and TV episodes.
AFSC Film Library American Friends Service Committee 2161 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02140 Phone: (617) 497-5273 Fax:
Web: www.afsc.org | Video and Film Lending Library; collection is largely oriented to social issues around the globe. |
| Americans for Middle East Understanding Room 245 New York, NY 10115, USA Phone: (212) 870-2053 Fax: (212) 870-2050 Web: www.ameu.org | Videos oriented to understanding the Middle East and the conflicts in the region. |
| Learning Communications, LLC Big World Media 38 Discovery, Suite 250 Irvine, CA 92618, USA Phone: (800) 622-3610 Fax: (949) 727-4323 Email: sales@learncom.com www.learncom.com | Supplies videos on general topics in international business and specific regions of the world. Also DVDs on more general topics such as inter-generational relations in the workplace. |
California Newsreel Order Department P.O. Box 2284 Fax: (802) 846-1850 Main Office Phone: (415) 284-7800 Web: www.newsreel.org | Film and video for social change. |
| CorVISION MEDIA, Inc. 872 S. Milwaukee Avenue, #295 Northbrook, IL 60062 Phone: (877) 364-7485 Email: corvision@aol.com Web: www.corvision.com | Primary distributor of ABC News productions, including “True Colors” and several series on cultural diversity. |
| CRM Films 2215 Faraday Ave. Phone: (800) 421-0833 Fax: (760) 931-5792 Email: See website for state specific contact info. Web: http://www.crmlearning.com | A major rental and production service. Produces “Managing Diversity” and other training films for the workplace. |
| Documentary Educational Resources 101 Morse Street Watertown, MA 02172 Phone: (617) 926-0491 Toll-free: (800) 569-6621 Fax: (617) 926-9519 Email: docued@der.org Web: www.der.org | Documentary Educational Resources is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by independent film makers for the purpose of producing and distributing cross-cultural documentary film from around the world for educational use. |
| Films Media Group Films for the Humanities and Sciences 200 American Metro Blvd Hamilton, NJ 08619 Phone: (800) 257-5126 Fax: 609-671-0266 Email: custserv@films.com | Offers an extensive collection of videos and DVDs focusing on Native American history and culture, Africa, slavery in the Americas, North Africa and Egypt, Jewish history and culture, The Middle East, Islam, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Tibet, China, Korea, Japan, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, The Philippines, West Iran, Papua New Guinea, Easter Island, Australia, Mexico and Central America, South America, Brazil, the Caribbean, Latino issues, racial and ethnic issues and the multicultural workplace. Also produces a training program of ten videos, “The Mosaic Workplace,” which addresses the issues of cultural diversity in the workforce. | |||
The Global Film Initiative145 Ninth Street, #105 Fax: (415) 934-9501 Email: gfi-info@globalfilm.org Web: www.globalfilm.org | The Global Film Initiative promotes cross-cultural understanding through the medium of cinema by bringing films of other cultures to tAmerican audiences. Check Contact on the website for educiton and other kinds of inquiries. | |||
| Griggs Productions San Francisco, CA Email: Griggs@Griggs.com | Produces the widely acclaimed, 7-tape series, “Going International.” Titles include: “Bridging the Culture Gap”; “Managing the Overseas Assignment”; “Beyond Culture Shock”; “Welcome Home, Stranger”; “Working in the USA”; and “Living in the USA.” Also produces the series “Valuing Diversity,” which focuses on issues in the multicultural workplace, and “Valuing Relationships.” Also intranet and internet programs. | |||
| Intercultural Press 20 Park Plaza Suite 1115A Boston, MA 02116 Toll-free: (888) 273-2539] Phone: (617) 523-3801 Fax: (617) 523-3708 Web: www.interculturalpress.com | Carries a limited number of videos, including “Cold Water.” | |||
| The Intercultural Resource Corporation 78 Greylock Road Newton, MA 02465 Phone: (617) 965-8651 Email: info@irc-international.com Web: www.irc-international.com | A Different Place: The Intercultural Classroom, Cross-Cultural Conference Room, and other videos. | |||
| Aperian Global 394 Pacific Avenue Suite 310 San Francisco, CA 94111 Phone: (415) 321-7900 Other locations including Boston, MA, Europe and Asia www.aperianglobal.com | Podcasts and web tools such as assessment tools. | |||
Iris Films 2600 10th Street Suite 413 Berkeley, CA 94710 Phone: (510) 845-5414 Fax: (510) 841-3336 Email: irisweb@aol.com | “Long Nights Journey Into Day” among other films. Links to other film distributor sites. | |||
| Media for Development International 184 Crescent Lane Glenwood Springs, CO 81601 USA Phone: (970) 384-1190 Fax: (970) 384-1191 Email: sales@mfdi.org | Films from Africa. | |||
| Microtraining Associates 141 Walnut Street Phone: (888) 505-5576 Email: info@emicrotraining.com or through website Web: www.emicrotraining.com | DVDs and books focused on multicultural and competency-based counselor and therapist education. Produced the three-part lecture series on cross-cultural counseling by Derald Wing Sue. Currently distributes a four-part lecture series by Derald Wing Sue on racism. | |||
National Film Board of Canada 350, Fifth Avenue, Suite 4820 New York, NY 10118 Phone: (212) 629-8890 Fax: (212) 629-8502 Email: NEWYORK@nfb.ca Web: www.nfb.ca | A major rental service and public agency that produces and distributes thousands of titles, many of which address issues of intercultural communication, international services, and a great deal of others, particularly Canadian point-of-view productions. Some short films are available on line at no cost. | |||
| New Day Films 190 Route 17M P.O. Box 1084 Harriman, NY 10926 Phone: (888) 367-9154 Fax: (845) 774-2945 Email: curator@new.com Web: www.newday.com | A major rental service. Many titles on social issues in society such as homelessness. | |||
| PBS Videos 1320 Braddock Place Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone: (800) 531-4727 Web: www.shoppbs.org | A major rental and purchasing service for PBS programs on video and DVD. | |||
| Pyramid Media P.O. Box 1048/WEB Santa Monica, CA 90406 Phone: (310) 828-7577 Toll-free: (800) 421-2304 Fax: (310) 453-9083 Email: info@pyramidmedia.com Web: www.pyramidmedia.com | ||||
| Rich-Heape Films, Inc. 5952 Royal Lane, Suite 254, Dallas, Texas 75230 Toll–free: (888) 600-2922 Phone: (214) 696-6916 Fax: (214) 696-6306 Web: www.richheape.com | ||||
Stir-Fry Seminars and Consulting 2311 8th Street Phone: (510) 204-8840 ext. 100 Fax: (510) 204-8572 Email: marina@stirfryseminars.com Web: www.stirfryseminars.com | ||||
Source: Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication Resource Directory
www.intercultural.org
© Intercultural Communication Institute
Using Film in Cross-Cultural Learning
Peggy Pusch and Lee Zeigler
