Milking the Rhino - Documentary film

Conservation restricted to a few areas is not going to work in the long run. Wild animals need to spread to survive. In milking the rhino the idea of viewing wildlife as second cattle for the African people is supported. A symbiosis of people and animals is what will bring back the wild life to Africa. Its a powerful and I might add good idea and the documentary explores successful conservation projects by communities of Namibia and Kenya. A sense of ownership teaches responsibility like nothing else does.

Please vote for me - Mandarin

In the movie "Please vote for me" three candidates in a primary school stand for elections to become the class monitor. It is a true lesson in democracy. After displaying the little talent they have every candidate start undermining other candidates. Finally the child who spend the most money wins. A real delight to watch.

The salt men of Tibet

The salt men of Tibet is a beautiful drama that unfolds about a few nomadic men and their yaks who go to gather salt from a lake. It is a joy to watch them gather salt, how they tend to their cattle, their camps, their tea drinkings, and their spirituality. Their leisurely lives make us nostalgic and we are forced to think of the noise that engulfs our own daily lives. We are also left with a concern that this beautiful tradition of salt gathering practiced for centuries may not last long. Trucks that are soon replacing yaks leave little room for tea drinkings and the long camp outs for salt men. Sigh!

Rabbit proof fence

Rabbit proof fence is a must watch movie about children of mixed race being forcibly separated from their aboriginal parents in Australia. It is about three children who return home by foot following a fence called the rabbit proof fence. They show great fortitude and it is a joy to watch three young girls wrestle with nature and man to go back home to mom. It is a beautiful movie about beautiful people namely the aboriginals.

Fidel - Documentary

Fidel Castro's has been an amazing life. Communism was the ideology that helped Fidel and Che to bring about a revolution which was necessary for that region. Though Communism did not help sustain it and Fidel has had to change his ideology many times as seen in the documentary. Fidel himself thinks he will be remembered as a David that fought Goliath (America). But unlike Latin America most parts of the world do not see America as a Goliath and that is not reason enough to impress the world. But I am impressed that he sustained freedom and independence not only for Cuba but also helped attain independence for may Latin American countries and African countries. It is ironical that Fidel threw out a dictator to become one but under the circumstances Cuba might not have had a choice. At the end of the day Fidel comes across as a remarkable man and a good man who did whatever he can to bring freedom and a sense of pride to many marginalized people across the globe. Fidel Castro needs to stand amongst the likes of Gandhi, Mandela, and Martin Luther King some day.

Googoosh - Iran's daughter

Googoosh is a famous singer from Iran during the Shah's rule. When the Islamic republic is formed she is denied to sing publicly or even record songs. The argument being that a woman's voice is distracting to men. Makes you think that Iran's men are not capable of noble feelings towards women and everything related to women must be kept under wraps. Googoosh is a beautiful woman and is an awesome singer who works day and night at her music and who grew up on stage. And one day she can sing no more because it is forbidden. Fundamentalism is unfortunately the great equalizer and all women are the same and in this case some kind of parcels.