I don’t get to do a lot of theatre in London, although I’m not sure I’ve ever been drawn to big production musicals and don’t quite see myself frequenting one of the West End halls anytime soon. But what I hear, is that I’m missing out on some fantastic smaller productions in the fringe of London’s theatre scene. Currently, a few productions deal with themes of identity, race, integration and immigration - all very Worldtown friendly topics. Here’s a few that I hope to check out:

Rich Mix features a production of Ice&Fire’s The Illegals, a community produced play that tells the story of the individuals behind the stereotype of illegal immigration. Ice&Fire have a whole host of productions

Slums, townships, shantytowns. Living at the edge of society but being in the centre of resourceful entrepreneurship and coulorful life amid dire circumstance. This isn’t always the common association made with slum life (except of course, the simplistic glamorization of shantytown life thanks to Slumdog Millionaire and the like), but it’s well captured in this Foreign Policy Photo Essay. The photos from slums in Venezuela, India, Kenya and Indonesia resonate with a sense of ethereal beauty over anguish.

We trawl the news media so you don’t have to Twenty years on, the celebrations commemorating the fall of the Berlin Wall are in full swing. It seems everyone who was old enough to remember the crumbling wall has some poignant memory associated with the event. Here’s a pick of some memorable commemorative stories surrounding the anniversary.

Black Filmmaker (bfm) International Film Festival (IFF) is the leading and longest running platform for Black World Cinema in the UK. The 11th bfm IFF will take place between 6th – 10th November 2009 at the BFI Southbank, Institute of Contemporary Arts, Rich Mix and Shortwave Cinema. bfm IFF 2009 will feature narratives, documentaries and short films from the UK, Africa, the Caribbean, the US, Canada and Europe.

This is a regrettable act, but by emphasizing details - some from dodgy sources - such as the perpetrator yelling “Allahu Akhbar” and a repeated association of his motives to his Palestinian and Muslim roots, deeper analysis on the psychological effects of war and the poor attempts at integration by the US army is completely left off the radar.

Yet another creative project coming out of the experimental classes of Beirut. Yallah Undergound, a documentary that captures the underground music scene in the Middle East, drawing parallels between musicians and styles in urban centres like Amman, Cairo and Beirut of course. This trailer shows the interviews and soundbytes from Rayess Bek, I-Voice, Scrambled Eggs, and The New Government and plays like a visual mixtape.

Slackistan is an Independent fictionalized story of the apathetic, beautiful, young and privileged of Islamabad, Pakistan. The same Islamabad known to be a few short kilometres from the dangerous “Taliban territory” and vulnerable to unexpected carbombs. The plight of the young elite traversing from one social engagement to another while discussing their hair and what weekend party to go to sounds like any teen drama on American networks. So what exactly could be so interesting or “counter-culture” about the trial and tribulations of Pakistan’s privileged set?

The International Diaspora Film Festival (IDFF) provides Toronto audiences with an opportunity to experience the cultural mosaic of the present world through the medium of cinema.

We trawl the news media so you don’t have to.

Facing the Kool-Aid Recovery with Columbia U. Prof. Dorian Warren [VIDEO]
RaceWire, The Colorlines Blog :: Watch the Video here

TORONTO - “The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is an international festival that celebrates the latest works by Indigenous peoples on the forefront of innovation in film, video, radio, and new media.” Check out: ‘Tungijuq’ & ‘Reel Injun’