Just to look at world cinema from another angle, I cite this report contained in the HDR for 1999.

The continued rise in open trading has also resulted in more pronounced trade on cultural products, like film. The direction that is taking is not necessarily unitary...that is, one country's products flowing into the rest of the world but not the other way around. There is a growing interest on world cinema, but as to how that interest is quantified is another point.

Take this: "Although India makes the most films each year, Hollywood reaches every market, getting more than 50% of its revenues from overseas, up from just 30% in 1980. It claimed 70% of the film market in Europe in 1996, up from 56% in 1987- and 83% in Latin America and 50% in Japan. By contrast, foreign films rarely make it big in the United States, taking less than 3% of the market there."

Some stats in the HDR: Domestic share of film distribution (1990-93): (since the graph did not show absolute figures, the numbers here are only ranges. i also do not have more recent figures):

India - above 80% but less than 90%
United States - 75- 80%
Philippines - 60-65%
Iran - 50-60%
Japan - 40 -45%
France - 30 - 40%
Italy - 20 - 30%
Russian Federation - 20 - 30%
Egypt - 20-30%
Canada - 0-10%
Malaysia - 0- 10%
Chile - almost nil

Hmm..., while there is a proliferation of Hollywood movies in the rest of the world, the United States does not seem to be as receptive since the hold of the domestic market is very strong. We also have to consider displaced local film industries. (That's another but related issue.)

My interest lies on movies from around the world. I have a hunger for world cinema. I do not have anything against Hollywood outputs, I still watch them. But movies from other countries show sensitivity about their own cultures.

I really wish that an event like this would occur at least twice a year. But since it is just beyond me, then I have to content myself with the wait and the expectations. It's worth waiting after all. I am referring to the EU-sponsored CINE EUROPA, the annual event when European films are shown to the Filipino audience. This year's edition featured some absolutely memorable crafts.

Gladly, I'd like to believe that this festival is gaining popularity, as evidenced by the queues which seem to be longer and longer each year. On the average, four films were shown each day.

I live far away from the mall where the festival is held but what the heck. This comes only once a year, after all. The avid movie fan that I am, an event like this should not be missed. And thinking about it, I am so tired of formula movies, shoot-'em-ups and whatnot.

The other day, I watched Zu & Zo, the Dutch comedy about a gay man who's marrying a woman (!) and how his three sisters concocted plots (to no avail) just to stop the union. This was an Oscar finalist and it was really funny.

The three films that I have watched yesterday were truly excellent works of art. I watched with a friend who is taking Art Studies, so just imagine the reviews that came later...:-0

We started with Italy's IL MESTIERE DELLE ARMI (Profession of Arms) by the great Ermanno Olmi. One fine, fine movie. For me, the best, at least from those I've seen. It was an epic drama and focused on the medieval (?)war between the Lutherans (the Germans)and the Pontificals. The main character was Giovanni de' Medici whose courage was simply non-pareil. This film tackled one important issue: Does end justifies the means (shades of Machiavelli)? What happens when technological innovations enter a war of ideologies? My friend draw parallelisms between this movie and the recent invasion of Iraq. Does the end, no matter how unclear and unreasonable and unpopular, justify the means by which the invasion was done? Her question was worth pondering, although I feel my answer is clear - NO.

We opted to skip the next movie since we've seen it last year, during its commercial run. But the Spanish LOS OTROS (The Others) was clearly one of the most popular in the selection.

Next stop was the the heartwarming Finnish entry KAHLEKUNINGAS (The Handcuff King) by Arto Koskinen. It was the touching story of a Finnish boy - Esko - and his genuine friendship with a Swedish counterpart. Set in a border town, it mirrors two different cultures and the more important affinities and similarities shared by them. The Swedish boy died of leukemia and this changed Esko's perception of life. One quote - although I'm not sure if I got it correctly - "Once you stop trying too hard, all things come into place."

Finally, we watched the French KARNAVAL by Thomas Vincent. A story about a young couple and how a meeting with a stow away changed their lives thereafter. Interposed with this was the dizzying carnival atmosphere. In the end, the characters met their epiphanies, discovering who and what they really love in the process.

Going home, and riding a cab, my friend and I had what seemed to be a never-ending conversation about the movies and how they reflect the cultures of the nations where they came from. I have seen China's THE HERO earlier this year and I am going to watch NIRGENDWO IN AFRIKA (Nowhere in Africa) one of these days as it is shown commercially. I hope more are coming. And hopefully, such films would not only be screened in once-in-a-blue moon festivals. HABLE CON ELLA (Talk to her) was shown commercially and it was a relative success.

By the way, my bliss ended there.

I told the driver to pass by my friend's place. But sometimes, people turn like Dorie ( you know that forgetful character in FINDING NEMO). The driver (who might have enjoyed our conversation or who simply had other things in mind) forgot the instruction and we have to go do a 360-degree turn just to bring my friend to her place. Or was it our fault, since we were not observing the way he was taking? I think it was more of the latter. Hehehe.

The punishment was not enough. I have to brave a heavy traffic jam at 12 midnight. It was not a long stretch, but it took us an hour to get through just a kilometer of flooded road. Manila is notorious for traffic jams but not at such an unholy hour! Well, the culprit was an altercation which was clearly not solved expeditiously.

T'was a long day. But not a traffic jam, not a Dorie-like driver, not even the cost of popcorn could make me miss an event like this.

Newsweek has just published a special issue on the future of technology and young people.

Some points:

1. ICTs are training children to achieve different skills i.e. more 'adept at handling a variety of visual information.' Multitasking is therefore a skill that young people are becoming adept at.

2. More and more young people turn to the Internet for information.

3. In what reinforces the fact that young people shape the future of technology, this issue contains an article on how youth and children beahviour are observed by companies to determine product design and innovation. "...the behaviours that characterize teens' use of technology - socializing, multitasking, going mobile, making a personal statement -are increasingly influencing what is being developed in industries ranging from telecoms to electronics to software."

Reminds me of the youth paragraph in the WSIS declaration. The phrase 'leading creators and earliest adopters of technology' should be retained.

Some important issues were also raised:

1. The effect of computers to learning.
2. Activism and the Net