By Tami Shaloum
If you have ever wanted an insider’s glimpse into another
culture without the expense and inconvenience of traveling, you will definitely
want to check out the 2013 Margaret Mead Film Festival at the American Museum of Natural History this weekend. Beginning Thursday,
October 17 and running through Sunday, October 20, the Mead festival features over
40 films and events documenting and showcasing many of the rich cultures from
around the world and the human stories that connect us all. It will conclude on
Sunday night with an award ceremony and dance party featuring the only all-female
mariachi band, Mariachi Flor de Toloache.
The events running throughout the weekend include musical
performances, talks and art installations, all free with the purchase of a film
ticket. Films include Chimeras, which
talks about modern Chinese identity and Western influence in the art world; Cinéma Inch’Allah!, about four
Belgian-Moroccan filmmakers friends; The
Infamous T, which features a queer and homeless American teenager; and Three Voices (Diario a Tres Voces),
which weaves the stories of three Mexican females into a study of what it means
to be a woman. Cultural tourism figures into several of the films this year,
from Papua New Guinea in Cannibal Tours,
to Ethiopia in Framing the Other, to
Bolivia, Thailand, Mali and Bhutan in Gringo
Trails.
WGINY is highlighting the opening night film and Margaret
Mead Filmmaker Award Contender Miss Nikki
and the Tiger Girls. This film will change your perspective on Myanmar.
Miss Nikki is an Australian woman determined to form Myanmar’s first all-girl
band. The Tiger Girls are her creation. She manages them, trains them, styles
them, writes music, and choreographs their dances. Although the Girls’ music pervades
the film, the story of the band is only half the focus, the other half being
Myanmar itself. Long governed under harsh military rule, this country in
Southeast Asia is as compelling a subject as the five vibrant young women
talking about their dreams of becoming international pop stars. Myanmar’s
strict censorship laws made it difficult for any kind of creative expression,
especially those pertaining to politics and anything that goes against the ideal
of a proper Burmese female. These six women persist despite these setbacks,
even when it is clear that the country is not quite ready for such a concept.
It’s an underdog story, although it’s clear these girls are bolstered by
privileged Western entities. For instance, would they have even existed if not
for a manager who is clearly being supported by her wealthy boyfriend? It is
unlikely that the Burmese production company they are signed to in the
beginning would have even taken them on without Nikki’s presence. Also, we are
not given a satisfying reason as to Nikki’s motivations to forming the band and
her experience with this kind of business. There is no real thoughtful
discussion about the pros and cons of Western influence on their culture. Some
of the girls express doubts about the changing pro-democracy government, but it
is dismissed as something they will have to get used to. Ultimately, it’s a
story about five girls from different backgrounds coming together and becoming
close friends who also happen to make music together. It is filled with
spirited and youthful dreams, but also the every day realities the girls face
as they struggle with money, family and success.
To purchase tickets, visit http://www.amnh.org/explore/margaret-mead-film-festival/tickets-and-information.
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