Films and Photography

News! The VOC photographs and films have been completed! The launch took place on May 17th 2006 with a screening at the Irish Film Institute, and exhibition at Filmbase on May 17th. The films were also screened at two separate screenings as part of the Cork Film Festival on October 12th 2006.

The Project: On 9th December, 2005, 10 filmmakers and photographers began meeting with students all over Ireland to work with them in creating short films and photography to express the students' human rights concerns. Here's how they got on...

John Boorman met with a group of students at Avondale Community College, Rathdrum, Wicklow. They discussed how the life of a prisoner of conscience might be portrayed through a short film and worked in 3 groups, scriptwriting on different issues.

Paddy Breathnach met with students at Holy Child Community School, Sallynoggin. The students were interested in exploring issues of child neglect, particularly in relation to children whose parents were drug addicts. They were interested in making a documentary with dramatisation in it and discussed how they might approach this issue with sensitivity.  Having researched these topics the students, under the guidance of Paddy Breathnach, produced a film called Where Do We Go From Here, a dramatic story around two young lives and how they are affected by inequality poverty and addiction.              

David Farrell worked with students at Trinity Comprehensive, Ballymun, Dublin, who discussed issues ranging from disability rights to prison conditions and drug use and homelessness. David met with the students again in January, when they began taking photos and decided to focus on the area of women's rights.  The students interviewed a member of staff at the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and placed the questions and answers from their interview on either side of a series of photos.  

Terry George joined in a live link-up with students at Mercy Secondary, Mounthawk, Tralee. The students had been looking at issues surrounding asylum-seekers and deportation, and emailed all of their questions to Terry, who advised throughout the filmmaking process.  Under Terry's guidance the students produced a short film entitled Child of Our Time.

      The dramatised story, told from the prespective of a teenage girl and her father who flee their war-torn country, highlights the obstacles they experience while trying to seek refugee status in Ireland.

The following description is adapted from an article that was published in the Irish Times, written by Sarah O’Carroll of Mercy Secondary School, Mounthawk, Tralee, one of the students who worked with director Terry George (Hotel Rwanda) and was involved in writing the script for the film:
It has been such an experience to watch something I had written turn into something so real. I didn't write the script for the film by myself. Mr Redican, our teacher, had the class suggest ideas, helped by Terry George. I wrote the script with a classmate, Leah Herrick; we helped each other to put the ideas in our heads into words, although we struggled to create the atmosphere of situations we had never experienced.
We each wrote our own script outline, then compared them. There were quite a few differences, such as how many people should be in the main family, whether the main character should be a girl or a boy and what the opening scene should be like.
Seeing the finished film, which is nine minutes long, was my favourite part of the job. Just catching glimpses of my classmates in the background, doing their best not to laugh during serious scenes, and noticing those tiny mistakes that made the film so real, made all our hard work worthwhile.
It was strange to see how much it had evolved in such a short space of time. Changes were made to the script in its transition from paper to footage. Some improved it, others took out some of my favourite parts, but all helped to develop it into the film it is today, a film I wouldn't believe had been made by a class of 15- and 16-year-olds had I not played a part in its creative process.
Amnesty International wanted Voice Our Concern to encourage young people to document some of the world's problems, in the hope that we could make a difference. I certainly found it an enlightening and thought-provoking experience, and I am grateful to Amnesty International for the opportunity.

Alan Gilsenan met with students at St. Mary's Secondary School in New Ross, Wexford. The students were interested in Amnesty's campaign on mental health in Ireland, and Alan talked about his work on his recent documentary series, The Asylum. The students decided that they would like to focus on either teenage health, exploitation of women or violence in the family.

Julie leBrocqy met students at The High School, Rathgar, Dublin, who decided to make a short film looking at the story of a refugee coming to Ireland. Julie discussed the production process with the students, who researched the issue before beginning filming.  Under Julie's guidance the students produced a film called Unity In Diversity in which a young man from Burundi talks about daily life during the civil war in his home country and the difficulties of the asylum process he experienced when he came to Ireland.

The following description of the project was written by Sinead Nolan, one of the students from High School Rathgar involved in the making of ‘Asylum Process.’
Our Transition year English class in the High School Rathgar was chosen as one of the 10 groups to take part in the Voice Our Concern project. We chose to base our film on the experience of asylum seekers in Ireland. We thought this would be very relevant and interesting as our society is becoming increasingly multicultural and this issue is very topical.
To begin working on this project we started researching our topic and discussing film techniques with the help of famous film producer Julie LeBroquy. We then organised for a speaker from ARASI, a refugee and asylum seeker organisation to come and speak to our class group. Mercy Peters was a journalist from Sierra Leon who was granted refugee status in Ireland. She spoke to us of the asylum seeking process and the positive and negative experiences she has had since coming to Ireland. She put us in touch with a young asylum seeker, Armel Nwtari, a 19 year old Leaving Certificate student from Burundi in Africa.
We planned to base our film around an interview with Armel. He proved to be a very interesting and articulate young man. He told us about his childhood in Burundi, the asylum process and how he is enjoying life in Ireland. The interview inspired us to explore the positive sides of integration. To accompany the interview we gathered interesting facts about asylum seekers that we had come across in our initial research. A few members of our class used Photo Shop to add these facts to pictures we had taken around Dublin. We then met with a professional film editor who helped us to put it all together.
Everyone in the class thoroughly enjoyed the project and learned a lot about the film making and the issues surrounding the asylum seeking process and integration. We learned that through making an effort to understand the backgrounds of the new members of our society integration can be achieved more easily. We enjoyed attending our film premiere and viewing the other schools' projects.

Hugh McElveen worked with students at Scoil Mhuire, Trim, Co. Meath. Hugh presented the students with a range of photographs to illustrate different approaches to using photography to explore human rights issues. The students showed Hugh photos they had taken to represent things that were important to them in their own lives. They discussed a range of issues including Travellers' and refugee rights. Hugh returned to the school and January and had further discussion with the students.  For their project the students focused on the area of religious freedom, using their photos to highlight common threads across different religions.

Frank Miller met with students at Loreto College, St. Stephen's Green, Dublin. Students discussed issues ranging from homelessness to the environment and finally decided on the topic of disability rights. They explored this further in a workshop with Frank on 19th December and their photography project focussed on this.  Through their photos the students seek to express the daily lives of people with disabilities and the difficulties they face through the barriers facing them in society.

The following is a description of the project written by the students involved:

As part of our Amnesty International Photography Project, we decided to focus on the topic of people with disabilities and how their human rights can sometimes be denied. We feel that it is a problem in society that is often ignored or given little attention. We also wanted to focus on a topic that might apply to us personally, as most members of the project know at least one person with a disability.

We decided it would be beneficial to the project if someone were to spend a day in the life of a person with a disability. One of the girls spent her day using a wheelchair to see what it would be like to live without the use of her legs. She found a lot of her day’s activities different and sometimes daunting, but the experience was very beneficial for the project and she was glad to be a part of it. Another girl in the project spent some of her time with patches over her eyes. She was eager to know how she would manage to negotiate her way around some areas of the city centre with little or no assistance and what difficulties she would encounter. She found the experience a bit overwhelming and said that she had to use her other senses such as hearing and touch for extra help while she was walking on her own.

One of the guest speakers spoke to us about what it means to be a person with a disability in a world where people aren’t always very aware of the complications of a disability. She explained how disability is often seen as focusing on a person’s impairment, which ‘causes barriers that disables them from taking part in mainstream activities’. However, we learned that disability is in fact when ‘people who have impairments experience a disadvantage caused by environmental or social barriers that disable them from fully taking part in mainstream activities’.

Throughout our project, we focused on taking photographs that expressed the daily living of a people with disabilities and the problems presented to them by access. Our photographs covered a range of situations from the disability itself right through to the barrier of access. All the members of the project were made aware of the problems faced by people with disabilities in our society.

Pat Murphy met with students at St. Louis' in Dundalk in January who decided to look at the issue of homelessness.  With advice from Pat the students produced a short film called Homelessness in Dundalk in which they examine the homelessness problem in Dundalk by asking local people for their views and interviewing local authority staff.                                                                             

Sean Hillen began work with students from Deansrath Community College, Clondalkin, Dublin in January 2006.  Under Sean's guidance the students decided to create three images using photomontage.  These photos focus on armed conflict and the importance of solidarity.  Images are also available at www.seanhillen.com/amnesty.html

The following is a description of the project written by the students involved in the project:

Last January a famous photographer, Seán Hillen, came to our school in order to help us with our Amnesty International Voice Our Concern project. From the outset Seán let us choose our own ideas for the project. We chose three pictures to do. Our main picture is entitled “Don’t let the chains hold you back”. In this photomontage, we are trying to convey the message that if we stick together and show solidarity we can help promote human rights. Seán showed us how to use photomontage in order to convey different messages. Our second photo is entitled “Torture flights”. Here we used photomontage to highlight the Government’s lack of response to Shannon as a stopover. Our third photomontage is entitled “Iraq needs Mc Democracy”. This image addresses our concern over America’s treatment of Iraqi Prisoners of War.

We learned a great deal about the work of Amnesty International in promoting human rights all over the world. We feel that by participating in this project we have helped to promote human rights not only in our school but also in the broader community.


A Voice Our Concern Visual Media workbook will be available soon from Amnesty International.  This workbook contains activities and workshops based on the films and photos discussed above and is accommpanied by a DVD containing the films produced and copies of the photos.  For further information please contact: voc@amnesty.ie

Voice Our Concern Human Rights and Photography Programme

Voice Our Concern Human Rights and Film Programme

Voice Our Concern: A 4-Week Human Rights and Photography Programme

This programme is designed to be used by transition year teachers and groups taking part in this year's Voice Our Concern photography project beginning 9th December, and by other teachers and students interested in using photography to explore human rights issues.
It is suggested that one human rights workshop from the Voice Our Concern module is carried out, followed by discussion on photography's role in relation to this theme, in each of the 4 weeks leading up to 9th December. It is also recommended that students complete the photography project outlined in Week 2. The photos from this project can then be shown to the photographer on his/her first visit in December. The purpose of this and subsequent visits will be for an established photographer to advise and inspire students on different ways they can use photography in a human rights context. The students should complete their final collection of photography by 1st March 2005. Photos should be in digital format where possible. Amnesty can then arrange for the enlarging, mounting and framing of the photographs for exhibition. Students and teachers not working with a photographer are encouraged to send their photos to Amnesty; we can display these on the website and arrange for feedback from established photographers.

Week 1: Rights

Voice Our Concern Module Workshop Series 1: Rights:
Either Workshop 1: Human Rights Squares or Workshop 2: The Rights Boat
plus 1 other from Workshops 3-6.

Discussion:
- How can photography be used to explore human rights?
- How can photography raise awareness of human rights issues?
- Can you name photographers who use photography to raise awareness of human rights issues?
- What is a "human rights issue"? Ask students to give examples of human rights issues:
- Locally
- In Ireland
- Globally
- How would they represent these issues using photography?

Assign each of 4 groups one of the following websites. Each group should discuss and present to the other groups:
- In what ways do the photos on that site explore or raise awareness of human rights issues?

Group 1 photographs to discuss

Group 2 photographs to discuss

Group 3 photographs to discuss

Group 4 photographs to discuss

Week 2: Perceptions

Voice Our Concern Module Workshop Series 2: Perceptions:
Workshop 1: "Typical" Irish Life or Workshop 2: Stereotyping or Workshop 4: Media Images

Discussion:
- How can photography be used to
  - Reinforce stereotypes?
  - Challenge stereotypes?
- How would you use photography to challenge stereotypes of young people?

Photography Project:
Using digital, regular or disposable cameras, ask students to take a series of photographs to represent "A Day in the Life of..." for themselves. They should bring their photos to class to display the following week

Week 3: Perspectives

Look at display of other students' "Day in the Life" photographs.

Voice Our Concern Module Workshop Series 3: Perspectives
Workshop 1: Giant Steps or Workshop 2: The Asylum Process

Discussion:
- How can photography enable us to learn more about other people's backgrounds and points of view?
- Does it make a difference if the photographer is from the same community / background as his / her subject?

Week 4: Power

Voice Our Concern Module Workshop Series 4: Power
Workshop 1: The Exclusion Game or Workshop 3: Respect or Workshop 5: Women and Power

Discussion:
- How can photography be used to empower
  - the photographer?
  - the subject?

Students should now discuss with a view to coming to a consensus on the issues they would most like to explore through photography. They should consider the following questions:
- Would these photographs raise awareness of an important issue?
- How?
- Where can we show the photography to do this? (For example, in the school, exhibitions, newspapers, in a calendar)
- Do the photos challenge people's prejudices or stereotypes?
- Do the photos empower the photographer / subject?
- Will the photos help others gain an insight into perspectives different to their own?
- Should the photographs be "realistic", documentary-style or posed?
- Should they be black and white or colour?

Voice Our Concern: A 4-Week Human Rights and Film Programme

This programme is designed to be used by transition year teachers and groups taking part in this year's Voice Our Concern film project beginning 9th December, and by other teachers and students interested in using film to explore human rights issues.
It is suggested that 1 human rights workshop from the Voice Our Concern module is carried out, followed by a film screening and discussion on film's role in relation to this theme, in each of the 4 weeks leading up to 9th December. The purpose of the visit on 9th December and subsequent visits will be for an established filmaker to inspire and advise students on the different ways they can use film in the context of human rights. The students should complete their short film by 1st March 2006. Amnesty will then arrange for the film to be screened at an evening examining human rights and film, and for it to be put onto the Voice Our Concern website. We would also like any students and teachers who are not working with a filmaker to send their films to Amnesty; we can put them onto the website and arrange for feedback from established filmakers.

 Week 1: Rights

Voice Our Concern Module Workshop Series 1: Rights:
Either Workshop 1: Human Rights Squares or Workshop 2: The Rights Boat

This will begin to get students thinking about what human rights are. You can follow this by showing of a film, for example Dead Man Walking which examines capital punishment in the United States, or Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 a documentary which traces the events around 9/11, and looks at life in America in the aftermath. Follow the film with discussion below.

Discussion:
- Which human rights issues are raised in this film?
- How can film raise awareness of human rights issues and challenge people's understanding of these issues?
- Which human rights issues would you like to raise awareness of through film?
- How could you ensure that as many people as possible see your film?
- What are the advantages of film in terms of raising awareness of human rights issues over other media?

Alternatively, this week, show students Terry George's Hotel Rwanda, the true-life story of Paul Rusesabagina a hotel manager who housed over a thousand Tutsi refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda,  and follow this with Amnesty's education programme on the film, which can be downloaded from Amnesty Irish Section's website.

Week 2: Perceptions

Voice Our Concern Module Workshop Series 2: Perceptions:
 Workshop 1: "Typical" Irish Life or Workshop or 2: Stereotyping or Workshop 4: Media Images

This can be followed by a showing of a film such as Bend it like Beckham, which explores the world of women's football and differing cultural expectations. This should be followed by discussion below.

 Disscussion:
- In which ways, through the characters in the film, are stereotypes reaffirmed or challenged?
- Having seen the film have any of your preconceptions been challenged? If so, how?
- Based on what you have observed about stereotyping through the workshop, what do you think are the best ways to challenge people's stereotypes through film?
- Which stereotypes would you like to challenge using film? How would you do this?

Week 3: Perspectives

Voice Our Concern Module Workshop Series 3: Perspectives
Workshop 1: Giant Steps or Workshop 2: The Asylum Process

Having engaged in the activities, the students should have begun to think about perspectives and backgrounds that are different to their own. To relate this issue to film, you can show To Kill a Mockingbird, which examines the issue of racial prejudice and injustice.

Discussion questions:
- What can the film tell us about the differences that exist between people's backgrounds, expectations and points of view?
- Can you identify some of the different ways in which film can be used to celebrate difference, and some of the ways in which it can be used in a more negative light?
- Do you think that it is important to have a diverse team planning a film that explores different peoples perspectives and backgrounds?  

Week 4: Power

Voice Our Concern Module Workshop Series 4: Power
Workshop 1: The Exclusion Game or Workshop 3: Respect or Workshop 5: Women and Power

Having engaged in the activities the students will have begun to think about the different meanings and consequences of power. To explore the issue further, you could show a film such as The Killing Fields which examines the story of two men who become caught up in the Khmer Rouge revolution in Cambodia.

Discussion questions:
- What issues relating to power does this film touch upon? 
- Do the characters give a realistic portrayal of how power can have negative consequences? If so how?
- In which ways can film be used to look at power in a positive way, when people are empowered to improve human rights situations around the world?
- How can filmmakers empower their subjects?

 Students should now discuss with a view to coming to a consensus on the issues they would most like to explore through making a short film of their own. They should consider the following questions:
- Would this film raise awareness of an important issue?
- How?
- Where can we screen the film to do this?
- Does the film challenge people's prejudices or stereotypes?
- Does the film empower the filmmaker / subject?
- Will the film help others gain an insight into perspectives different to their own?
- Should the film be based on a fictional script or a documentary?