28 May 2010

Democracy Is … Stories of Survival and Hope

Western Hemisphere video contest finalists tell heart-touching stories

By Jane A. Morse
Staff Writer

Washington — Survival and hope are messages that run through this year’s Democracy Video Challenge finalists from the Western Hemisphere.

The U.S. State Department-sponsored contest, now in its second year, challenges videographers the world over to describe what “Democracy Is…” in three minutes or less. This year’s contest attracted more than 1,600 submissions from people representing 111 countries. Eighteen finalists have been chosen from six different regions. The three finalists representing the Western Hemisphere are Franklin Pham, Juan Pablo Patiño Arévalo and Nicole Dalesio.

“Never give up. Never surrender,” is the message in “Democracy Is Only the Beginning” by Franklin Pham, who was born in Vietnam, immigrated to France, and now lives in the San Francisco Bay area of California. His film tells the story of escape from torture and death and subsequent encounters with other victims of hate who were treated like “puppet rabbits.”

“Never live under someone else’s expectations,” Pham says in the film. “We (the survivors) are all across the globe. Because in our hearts we all know democracy is only a beginning.”

Pham said his filmmaking team participated in the Democracy Video Challenge “because we are fully aware that a tremendous amount of people on our planet are not even allowed to question the very purpose of a democracy. We wanted to be part of this unstoppable and ever increasing online global dialogue on social equity.”

The story of a 7-year old “war child” is the focus of “Democracy Is … the Right of Life” by Juan Pablo Patiño Arévalo of Colombia. Juan Pablo has completed a number of works in defense of human rights. His documentary “Osos Abandonados / Lost Innocence” (2009), for example, talks about children who are recruited or kidnapped by armed groups to be part of guerilla movements. For that film he was nominated for the India Catalina Award (2010) in the category of Best Documentary by New Director.

The universal responsibility to nurture and shape democracy is the theme of “Democracy Is a Child” by Nicole Dalesio. A mother and a grade school teacher working in California, Dalesio compares democracy to a child that is a fragile, vulnerable yet precious gift.

“The best way to promote democracy, world peace and the fulfillment of humankind’s potential,” according to Dalesio, “is to protect, nurture and invest in our youth. They are the world’s most precious resource and our hope for the future.”

The 18 finalists were selected by an independent, high-level jury chaired by renowned Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto, who is president of the Institute for Liberty & Democracy. Participating in the jury were the six 2009 winners as well as executives from the film and recording industries, film school administrators and leaders of partner organizations

From now until June 15, the public is invited to select the winners by going to the Democracy Video Challenge’s page on YouTube, a contest partner, to view and vote for its favorites. Public votes will determine the contest’s winners, and anyone may vote on as many films as desired, once per day. The six winners, one each from Africa, East Asia, Europe, the Middle East/North Africa, South Asia and the Western Hemisphere, will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, New York and Los Angeles in September.

Visit www.youtube.com/democracychallenge to view all videos and vote for each regional winner, or see the 2010 finalists below.

(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)