Political Geography: United States of America / Topic: Film

Author:: Kenneth M. Quinn
Publication Date:: 08-2020
Content Type:: Commentary and Analysis
Institution:: American Diplomacy
Abstract:: As the country is convulsed by the simultaneous nationwide Black Lives Matter protests over racism and the devastation of more than 150,000 Coronavirus deaths, I sought escape in Spike Lee’s latest offering on Netflix— “Da 5 Bloods,” a story of four African American army veterans returning to Vietnam 50 years after their wartime service. They are drawn back together to return to their former battlefield to search for the remains of their Black comrade—the fifth Blood—who died in combat but whose body was not recovered.
Topic:: Race, Media, Film, History, and Vietnam War
Political Geography:: Vietnam and United States of America

Author:: Gregory Orr
Publication Date:: 11-2020
Content Type:: Commentary and Analysis
Institution:: American Diplomacy
Abstract:: Of all the cultural tools used by the United States Information Agency (USIA) to promote public diplomacy, film had a prominent role. For nearly half a century, the film division at USIA produced, distributed, and sponsored films throughout the world. It is estimated that the USIA archive included nearly 18,000 films distributed to over 150 nations in dozens of languages. They ranged widely in style (documentary, newsreel, animation, educational, and even fiction) and subject matter (social issues, biography, history, the arts, the environment, daily life in America, and sports.)
Topic:: Diplomacy, Media, Film, Soft Power, and Memoir
Political Geography:: United States of America

Author:: Susan Clyde
Publication Date:: 02-2020
Content Type:: Commentary and Analysis
Institution:: American Diplomacy
Abstract:: American speaker programs were long a staple of US Information Agency (USIA) programs overseas. Not all went as planned. In 1975 in Chile we were preparing to receive an experimental film maker, sent by USIA to speak to film classes at the universities. The gentleman was first scheduled to speak at various venues in Buenos Aires, and we were told that he would be flying his own small plane from Chicago to Buenos Aires, then over the Andes to Santiago. Because the flights depended on weather conditions, we did not have an exact date of arrival. He’d call us when he got there, we were told.
Topic:: Diplomacy, Film, and Memoir
Political Geography:: South America, Chile, and United States of America

Author:: Isabel Roemer
Publication Date:: 05-2019
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Center for Contemporary Arab Studies
Abstract:: A MAAS grad’s work at the intersection of diplomacy and cinematic arts is shaping American narratives and empowering storytellers around the globe. When people think about the tools of diplomatic engagement, narrative storytelling is not one that usually comes to mind. But for Rachel Gandin Mark, Program Director of the American Film Showcase (ASF)—the State Department’s film, television, and digital diplomacy program —the two go hand-in-hand. “I love thinking about how to incorporate entertainment, particularly story and character, into specific foreign policy strategies,” says Gandin Mark, who graduated from MAAS in 2003. “Some of our country’s biggest diplomatic challenges today stem from conflicting global narratives. Film and TV, when produced with authenticity and nuance, have the potential to complicate narratives and reveal a shared human experience.”
Topic:: Diplomacy, Culture, Media, and Film
Political Geography:: Middle East, North America, and United States of America

Author:: Nusayba Hammad
Publication Date:: 07-2018
Content Type:: Video
Institution:: Middle East Institute (MEI)
Abstract:: The Middle East Institute's Arts and Culture program is proud to present a documentary series highlighting the voices of Palestinian women in collaboration with Filmlab: Palestine. Twelve resilient, determined and articulate Palestinian women speak about their lives, memories and identities before their exile. Their narratives are connected by the enduring thread of the Palestinian tradition of embroidery, directed by Carol Mansour. A conversation with Nusayba Hammad, managing director of the D.C. Palestinian Film and Arts Festival, on Emwas and Stitching Palestine followed the screening.
Topic:: Arts, Women, Film, and Material Culture
Political Geography:: Middle East, Palestine, and United States of America

Author:: Isabel Roemer
Publication Date:: 12-2018
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Center for Contemporary Arab Studies
Abstract:: Three MAAS grads share how careers in documentary filmmaking have enabled them to give voice to untold stories and reshape dominant narratives.
Topic:: Arts, Culture, Film, and Higher Education
Political Geography:: Middle East, Arab Countries, and United States of America

Author:: Bob Baker
Publication Date:: 11-2018
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: American Diplomacy
Institution:: American Diplomacy
Abstract:: While many films made by the US Information Agency (USIA) were very useful in Africa to tell about American society and policies, two were not. These two, one about President Kennedy and the other about American agriculture, had the opposite result from that intended. Local African culture distorted the films’ messages.
Topic:: Diplomacy, Film, Soft Power, and Memoir
Political Geography:: Uganda, Africa, North America, and United States of America

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