School Swap: Korea Style

scn0s.com

Kids in South Korea can rack up a huge 90 hours of learning in just 5 days. In fact, it is even considered the norm. Kids here in the UK spend only 6.5hrs or so at school each day - sometimes less - dedicating themselves to education. Of course there are exceptions, but the differences across the two education systems, are staggering and plain to see.

South Korea is rated at the top of the PISA education rankings table, Wales is (at the time of broadcast) rated 36th. However, if you look at the happiness levels of the same pupils, it becomes increasingly obvious that South Korea falls at the bottom of the table. So why the disparity?

bbc.co.uk

The suicide rate of young men aged between 10 and 30 in South Korea, is the highest in the world. we meet one man, who lost two close friends to suicide along the way, put down to educational pressures and exertion. And with up to 18hrs of studying a day leaving kids sleeping at their desks, it's no wonder that the figures are that bad. In a country that's economy has rocketed over the last ten years, where illiteracy feels almost phased out and where education is embedded as part of religious ceremony, exam results might just be the most important date in the calendar, which is an undeniable achievement, but is also putting an incredible amount of pressure on young people.

bbc.co.uk

In South Korea teachers are respected and education is valued, seeing approx 99% of students continue to study beyond the age of 16, as opposed to around 50% of Brits. As our Welsh students maintain, there is definitely something to be learned from their education system, though perhaps the way forward is to find a middle ground. There needs to be a culture of self-improvement, a desire to be educated in the UK, that simply isn't there at the moment. The 6 kids seemed to unanimously agree that a system somewhere in between the two cultures would be a healthy compromise. A system that allows time for creativity, for free expression for recreation and relaxation but one that also values learning, offers additional support and encourages educational engagement.

dailymail.co.uk

The show couldn't have chosen more polite kids to partake in the 3 day experiment. After 3 days of intense study and lack of sleep, our kids from Wales were definitely pleased to get back to the UK's more relaxed approach to schooling. There may not be roads filled with private tutors open until 10pm, nor schools that are open until midnight but there is an education system that allows us not just to memorise facts but to learn, think, form our own opinions and challenge our knowledge and others. Perhaps trips like this are the way to inform our governments on how to reach a happy medium that will allow us all to better ourselves intellectually but never at the expense of our happiness.

Read more about the School Swap here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-38080752

Jade: Why I Chose Porn

notinor.com

Carly Rae Summers has nearly 60,000 followers on Twitter, can earn over £1200 for 2 day's work, travels the world and has 9 videos (and counting) to buy instantly from her website and top up her funds - it's what we all dream of right - success? BUT perhaps working with men endowed generously with 12-14 inches down below and constant clinical testing to rule out any potential dangers of the job - there is perhaps more to this lifestyle than meets the eye.

'Jade: Why I Chose Porn' allows Jade to tell her own story. It doesn't completely escape judgement, with Shooting PD Rachel Tracy offering up concern and doubt over Jade's choices - not on a moral level but enough to allow the audience too, to doubt Jade's convictions.

Huffington Post UK

It has though, allowed us at least to see Jade as herself. She is confident enough to not wear make-up on camera, she has gained body confidence from a growing career in porn. Jade is a normal 22yr old girl, and despite the immediate stereotypical opinions that seem to befoul sex-workers in general, she is largely portrayed as comfortable and in control. Jade isn't ill-informed, she isn't naive, she is a feminist who enjoys freedom, is driven in her work and has dreams of a lifestyle that many of us would be jealous of. But what does it take to get her there? And why porn?

StarNow

Jade knows about the danger of viewers believing that schoolgirl fetishes and patriarchal dominance throughout porn are reflections of the real world. She understands the danger of young men believing that women should perform sexually at their every whim. Jade herself experienced assault but we cannot cast a shadow on Jade as a victim, she is not a victim.

Despite physical trauma at work (the result of a personal choice not of anything untoward), a choice between a relationship or work and earlier haphazard videos where she didn't aways feel in control, Jade emerges strong.

This is a woman who has taken control. She means it literally when she says 'I've worked my ass off' to get where she is. Despite a largely negative reception to sex-work, porn is a controlled environment where the men treat you with respect and professionalism, where you can be confident that you won't catch diseases or infections and where you can stop, simply by saying so. She's been let down in the past, men in the real world have treated her (like many of us) with less respect than we deserve and now Jade has chosen a career that grabs that by the horns, has boosted her self-confidence, her body image and her bank account.

BrunchNews

But what about when you aren't attracted to your co-star - there isn't that connection that prompts you to WANT to have sex with one another. It seems for both parties that the sex that can follow a mutual non-feeling, fuels self-doubt and can leave both parties more vulnerable than before. Perhaps it's a bad day at work and all of us understand the self-doubt that can follow a moment where we have not performed to the best of our abilities. It's no different here. But it has got me thinking about the psychology of sex and about the way our minds and bodies react to sex in different environments and scenarios. Does sex as work change any of this? I'd certainly be interested to find out.

But in terms of Jade's own story, I'm glad that we were introduced to a girl who clearly expresses that she has CHOSEN to work in porn. Jade is the master of her own future and that is the thing I took from the 40min doc. And if it didn't quite manage to reserve it's judgement completely, at least it's heading in the right direction.

For Jade's own words, click the link: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/jade-buxton/carly-rae-summers-jade-buxton_b_11217422.html where most importantly she says:

"My ambition is to live life to the full and to keep on living by this mantra. I don’t regret any of the decisions I’ve made up until this point. Unlike many career focused people, I don’t have a five or ten year goal. As long as I’m successful and happy, then I’m hitting my target".

My Cancer and Me

A lost post from Feb...

bbc.co.uk

It's not often you hear the ins and outs of terminal illness. The BBC doc 'My Cancer and Me' told us not only what it was like to battle it, but what it was like to try and explain the explainable to our closest friends. It was not as somber as the title would lead you to believe. In fact, she even takes pleasure in organising her own funeral, trying out caskets for size dressed as wonder woman. It's not every day the morgue gets to fit a living human into a box, especially not every day they get asked to make it comfy. We follow her send-off plans behind the curtains of a crematorium which was far more clinical than most would expect. It felt almost disrespectful as we peer into the flames of someone's burning relative with Rowena commentating, saying things like, 'it doesn't seem that bad'. It's not like they will know about it though I s'pose. And at least Rowena has a say in where she ends up, unlike most of us!

mirror.co.uk

We do, along the way, get brief glimpses of pain through the comedy and see just how important our friends and family are, even if they will never quite understand fully. We visit other cancer sufferers, where we discuss bucket lists, love and what's most important. Apparently in our death bed the things we regret most is not the things we wish we could have done, but the people we wished we'd spent time with. It was not sentimental, as you would think. It was an in your face emotional display, Filtered through comedy and her outrageous laugh. Rowena keeps us at arms length. She does not dwell on relationships and marriage, nor on the things she never got to do. She has to find happiness in the little things, to stay strong and see each day through, she must muster strength we can't imagine and pass incredible sadness off with a smile until her 40th birthday, a day she thought she'd never see.

mirror.co.uk

She's a young woman with dreams, just like me and it was sad to see how easily our lives can be cut short. If she's taught me anything, it's not to dwell on the little time we have here, not to hold back and wait around, but to appreciate the world and the friends and family around me. A nice change to bbc1's usual output, going far beyond the medical studies and statistics and humanising the story of our everyday victims of cancer, reminding us that every moment in life counts, and the moments are ticking away.

Grierson Documentary Awards - The Winners

Here's the complete winner's list. Well... I got a few right (see results in red):

Best Doc on Contemporary Theme (Domestic): How To Die: Simon's Choice
Best Doc on Contemporary Theme (International): How To Change the World
Best Doc on Current Affairs: The World: Outbreak - The Truth About Ebola
Best Arts Doc: Amy
Best Historical Doc: Attacking the Devil
Best Science Doc: Oak Tree: Nature's Greatest Survivor
Best Natural History Doc: The Hunt: The Hardest Challenge
Best Entertaining Documentary: Secret life of 4, 5 and 6 Year Olds
Best Doc Series: The Murder Detectives
Best Constructed Doc Series: The Real Marigold Hotel
Best Cinema Doc: Cartel Land
Best Newcomer Doc: Where You're Meant To Be
Best Student Doc: Women in Sink
Best Doc Presenter: Paul Mayhew-Archer
Grierson Trutees Award: Louis Theroux

It's been another great year for factual film and television, providing me with all of the inspiration I need to grow my own factual career. These are the best of the bunch and I can only watch and learn from them all in the hope that one day, I might be even half as successful.

Grierson Documentary Awards - The Nominations

With the Grierson Documentary Awards happening tonight, I thought I'd look back at some of the stand-out nominations.

Among the films nominated for Best Doc on Contemporary Theme, is My Son the Jihadi (MSTJ) and Breaking into Britain: The Lorry Jumpers (BIB).

channel4.com

MSTJ was the perspective we'd been waiting to hear from the first instance of Brits leaving to fight with IS. Who are these people, why are they leaving, how can their families let this happen - the doc gave us answers to most things, how easy it was to find yourself trapped, how it felt to be a part of a cause (a feeling you'd never felt before) and how grooming takes place bit by bit so that it doesn't seem so extreme. I'd seen a play earlier in the year 'Losing Our children to Islamic State' where this viewpoint was further explained. The only thing missing from both, was someone who had been there, who had joined IS and who had defected. I wanted to hear all the answers from them personally, because listening to a loving mother unable to understand the actions of her son, and mourning the loss of his life, twice over - just asked more questions. It was a documentary that explored the makings of how ordinary men and women spiralled towards extremism.

squareeyed.tv

BIB is another highlight. There was some great covert film-making at work here by Leo Maguire. The stakes were high, the risks obvious. Our cameraman even finds himself physically attacked by a police officer despite his journalist status. We meet men and women desperate to jump the border, regardless of the risks that accompany the crossing and the filmmaker doesn't shy away from that risk. It was a tough watch, but a good one too. Either of these films deserve the title for me.

okayplayer

In the Best Arts Doc category, Amy soars to the top of my list. For someone who never truly appreciated her talent (I was only 11 when she sprung to fame) this was the side of the story I never got to hear. It portrayed the instant tabloid madness that came with her fame, and the overwhelming attention paid to all aspects of her personal life. It's a story about a young girl who just wants to sing. The things that come with it are often unwanted. The failure of those around her to recognise her suffering. The way that the success of her shows was put well before her well-being. It's a tragic story. Even on retreat across the ocean her father brings a camera crew - she's over it. Tabloids have long painted Amy in a negative light, as a bad egg, and Amy the film totally transformed the headlines I'd been fed throughout my teenage years about her. It's sad, I feel we all realised that too late.

dailymail.co.uk

Best Historical Doc lines up My Nazi Legacy and Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners. Although it gave glimpses of investigative brilliance, I was disappointed with the latter I have to be honest. David Olusogo did a worthy job, but it felt very static. I wanted dynamic, it is slavery we're talking about after all. It felt a bit restrained to artefacts housed in stale environments and although the concept excited me, the content failed to match. My Nazi Legacy is top of my watchlist at the moment, so it'll be interesting to see how it does at the awards!

netflix.com

For Best Science Documentary, it's no doubt My Beautiful Broken Brain that comes out on top (& it's now excitingly on NetFlix). The visuals were immersive, the story was intimate and the ups and downs were made all the more powerful with that. It explored the after effects of suffering a stroke that I'd never thought about and Lotje is completely inspiring. The fact this documentary exists is testament to her resolute ability to carry on, despite the hardships and emotional challenges that we witness throughout the film. It was a fascinating from start to finish and so well presented, a definite winner in my opinion.

bbc.co.uk

Best Natural history and Best Documentary Series, goes to The Hunt for some great wildlife cinematography, some intense life or death chases, some great music - need I go on. I don't need to say anymore than the Gogglebox contributors have already given us on screen - particularly following the scene of monkey vs monkey survival (I honestly had no idea that they ate each other). Best nature series we've had in a while I think.

evolutions.tv

Best Entertaining Doc, Secret Life of 4, 5 and 6 years olds by a mile. I can't actually pin down what's so brilliant about it. I find kids entertaining anyway, but there's something about the psychology of it that absolutely fascinates me. I find myself thinking I'm a child psychologist in every episode. The challenges are brilliant, the fixed rig cameras expertly placed and the children brilliantly cast. It's just a great format and having  run around with a C300 shoulder rig for a taster tape for a similar idea, I have even more respect for the team that manages to construct and capture the brilliance.

It's nominated for best constructed documentary series too, alongside the tough opposition of Gogglebox and Hunted. Gogglebox gives us all of the emotions we like to experience through television in one sitting. Hunted likes to allow us to think we could escape the state way better (when actually we'd all probably be worse). And Secret Life, is well, see above. This is a tough category for me and I think any of the three deserve the prize.

netflixlife.com

Best Cinema Documentary is hands down Cartel Land for me (now on Netflix too). I went to a talk about acceptable risk on productions at Sheffield DocFest last year and then saw this film, which blew the 'should-dos' out of the water. Watching Matthew Heineman capture gun fights made me hold my breath sure that the camera would hit the ground. Heineman evokes hope in his audience, in a rising leader against the cartels and a hardened vigilante member whose face told a thousand stories of its own. A doctor and family man, the story feels like your common good vs evil, and only towards the end do the lines appear to blur. It's got some great cinematography and the story is brilliantly crafted to allow the audience to witness the same feelings of fear, hope and hopelessness as the Mexican people, from the comfy seats of a cinema. He won the Tim Hetherington Award for a reason and he deserves this one too.

bbcstore

The last category I mention, is the Best Doc Presenter. Louis Theroux's Drinking To Oblivion just pulls itself above the others I think. To watch as Louis was powerless to help as a young man discharges himself and heads to the local off-licence - we wait in hope that he returns without a bottle. Louis conveys exactly what the professionals, families, friends of alcoholics feel every day. They hope, they support, they wait, they worry - it's a constant see-saw of ups and downs, never knowing at which point they'll get off. Seeing the young man walk through the doors and tell Louis he decided against it was a moment of victory for 'man vs addiction'. Great honest work from Theroux again. Give the man a Grierson.

That's it from me, over to the judges to announce the worthy Winners tonight, 7th Nov, 2016!

Millennialise The Way We Televise!

There's one great thing about all of this talk about the much-desired Millennial workforce and that is, that I am one!

theodysseyonline.com

Born in 1992, I am supposedly among the 30% of millennials who declare themselves to have no religion. We have on average, the highest number of Facebook friends and send a median of 50 texts a day. We are selfie-taking, sexting, self-promoting and self-sufficient bright young things - we are human version 2.0... and everybody wants us - or so they say.

I LOVE working in Television, as it means that all of my Millennialist skills are called upon every day in a fast-moving and content-hungry industry that stimulates and satisfies me.

The bad thing, is that TV can't help but wrap itself into a hedgehog shaped ball when someone mentions Netflix or the word 'multi-platform'. For most production companies, that just means 'Dorothy throw in a twitter hashtag and be done with it', but it's wayyyy more than that! We Millennials are not only hungry to absorb information, we're hungry to create it. And we do both of those things, tens, sometimes hundreds of times a day. We text, we snapchat, we blog, we vlog, we gram and regram, we Facebook, we tweet and we retweet. Youtube, news updates, TV in the form of video, image, text and live events...the list goes on! I thrive on being thrown into a new job every few months, exploring new places and busying my evenings with a variety of activities to stimulate my body and mind. To some it sounds exhausting, but to me - I live for it. And this seemingly chaotic and exhausting under-web lifestyle informs every aspect of a Millennial's daily existence!

salesforce.com

We are home-grown content-creators and although this might scare longer-serving TV professionals, who schedule boardroom meetings to brainstorm Bake-Off, the synapses of ultra-social Millennials are firing on all cannons as they build their brand and their content, wherever, whenever, and 10 times at once. Millennials and their closest genetic descendants Centennials, no longer enjoy television in the traditional way. TV to us is a World Wide Web of giving and receiving, of content-absorbing and content-creating. It exists in the moments between our chaotic social engagements, during the glimpses at the Metro news in between our tube stops, and the breaths in between the sips of my caramel frapp.

divx.com

We're heading in the right direction, but is it fast enough? On Demand services should now be the norm. We want everything we've ever seen before, and every bit of new content available in a central location - and we want it at a time that suits us, not the schedulers. So digitising archives needs to happen NOW, the development of storage solutions for HUGE amounts of content needs to happen NOW. The hiring of Millennials - needs to happen NOW.

We ourselves are a diverse brand, and we push that brand every single day on social media. We champion individuality, don't like to be defined by traditional terms or binary social systems and naturally immerse ourselves in the world around us both physically and mentally. We absorb, we ideate, we create. It's in our nature. We're adaptable, tolerant of change and welcoming of difference, and we want TV to be too. We're ready and waiting to be asked!

unikaz.asia

Netflix has proven that new and exciting platforms CAN still be 'thunk-up' and we don't need the confidence of a grammatically correct blurb to make it successful (no seriously, Netflix blurbs are awful) - but it's about originality and adaptability - it's about Millennialism. Netflix might be ahead of the game, but there's plenty more to come. We need platforms, we need infrastructure, we need ideas. We need a new auto-updating World Wide Web of Television, with machine learning capabilities and an inter-disciplinary collaborative remit. The multi-talented and multi-tasking Millennials are waiting to immerse themselves in rich cultural experiences and the time has come to work WITH them and deliver the best they've ever had.

So whether you are media professionals, mathematicians, retail reps or stay-at-home parents - the time has come to Millennialise the way we televise!


Follow Me!
Twitter: @KatMace11
Insta: KatMace1103
Website: www.katmace.co.uk

The Privatisation of Channel 4

Television has been the backbone of British culture right from the UK's first public service broadcast in 1932. It’s connected us with others worldwide and now, with privatisation on the agenda, its unique position and reputation is under threat. Channel 4 is at risk of being hijacked.

The biggest challenge is that C4’s remit of taking risks, will now be at risk. Although Lord Burns is preparing proposals to allow C4 to continue providing distinctive and diverse public service programming, I’m not convinced. The challenge in becoming private, is that C4 is less likely to take risks, in order to secure financial gain for private investors. This will only ever come at the expense of new talent, as recruiting reputable programme makers will take precedence over younger, less experienced talent, in the quest for greater financial return. Say goodbye to talent schemes and diversity then – isn’t that what C4’s all about?

centennials - standard.co.uk

Perhaps there’s an opportunity here then. With a £1billion pound sale, C4 could devote funds to the talent schemes that privatisation threatens. The future and quality of Channel 4 programming and television in general, depends upon the social representation of its workforce. We cannot freeze out talent, by jeopardising internships, talent schemes and opportunities, on and off-screen, for those who may otherwise never get the chance.

It seems Channel 4 is in danger of losing its identity, damaging the culture it stands a part of. In the current social climate, where we at the bottom are already feeling neglected, it’s an insult to sell the TV channel we believe in, to the people that we don’t.

It’d be unfair to assume that every avenue will lead to disaster. There’s an opportunity here to invest in new, future-proof digital platforms, encouraging private owners with digital expertise, to apply their own product innovations to C4. C4 could offer more to Millennials and Centennials via second and third screens, subsidising its long-form broadcast content and All4 platform.

My main fear though, is that quality alternative programming will be neglected in favour of cutting costs, that private companies will have editorial judgement over content and the value of programmes and their unique standpoint, will be undermined. Substantial profits will vanish from production budgets into the bonus packets of private owners - it’s the banking crisis coming for culture. Despite small glimmers of hope, my view remains that the only real ‘public value’ that the Dept. of Business stands to gain, I fear, is a financial one.

Professor Green: Suicide and Me

'Suicide and me' does a lot for the image of mental health. Professor Green (Stephen Manderson) brings it within our reach, lets us know that even the best of us have a relationship with a struggle for self-worth and happiness.

sheerluxe.com

It certainly identified with me. I struggled with finding happiness when I first moved to London and even more in telling people how I felt. The day I knew I needed help was when I first self-harmed, which, alongside suicide and eating disorders, is one of the most misunderstood acts of depression, both by those who have inflicted it upon themselves, and by those who haven't. To those who cut, it's a coping mechanism, a symbolic image that separates the pain and channels your negative feelings. To those who don't, it's a sign of weakness, attention seeking, a cry for help. I would never have shown anyone my cuts, it was my way of coping not of seeking attention. Manderson does well to open up these kinds of conversations around suicide and throw away the taboo to discover the reality of what's going on inside. He discovers that although these acts are too often seen as selfish, to the sufferer, it is often the opposite. A way to make things better, to relieve the burden on their families, to end the negative cycle.

Stephen explores what happens when we are unable to speak up about our troubles and share them, as well as exploring the negative thought processes that can lead to suicide. Spaces like the Maytree play integral roles in changing the way we approach conversations around suicide and mental health issues. Showing approaches like this, is why this programme, among others, is so important. (http://www.maytree.org.uk/)

mirror.co.uk

There has to be change in the way we, as a society, tackle the hard times, talk about depression, about ill mental health, about suicide. Only by doing this, can we go any way towards preventing it. I've learned not to set the bar too high, not to expect anything and be happily surprised when good things come. I work hard, dedicate myself to projects, to my career, to my family, friends and my partner, who was the first person to really understand. I also allow more time for the things that I enjoy, like playing football and photography. I learned that 'It's ok to cry, it's ok to talk about it' as Manderson's relatives echo. Everyone has bad days, but the good days will come.

tv.bt.com

This isn't a review on the quality of the programme, but instead a view on the issue at hand. We can't keep quiet about suicide, keep suppressing our feelings, swallowing our words. The fear is that when we are exposed to self-harm and to suicide, we're more vulnerable to it. But with discussion, needs to come education on how to cope. I suffered for longer than I needed to because I'd convinced myself that I could cope, when actually, I needed to talk things through to escape the blurred vision I had of life and find the beauty in it again. I did, but only because I found a way of talking, before it was too late. Sharing how we feel with family, partners, friends or even strangers, can do wonders for taking the weight off our shoulders.

It's great to see the BBC tackling these issues first hand, especially with young talent. It was all too familiar to watch as Stephen looks to camera and frustratedly exclaims, 'I'm crying again!' I s'pose filming these things is a form of therapy in itself, you spend enough takes talking about your feelings. I hope Manderson finds peace following this journey and that the programme will encourage others to travel a similar path.

I hope to see more programmes bringing the issues around mental health to the surface and encourage debate and conversation around mental health issues in the near future.

Life Inside 'Islamic State'

This was a great 17min animated short, created from the diary entries of one brave individual who kept track of daily life under Daesh rule. Where shopkeepers are taxed unlawfully, men are arrested for wearing trousers that are too long and women for failing to wear a veil. Where stoning to death is a just punishment and lashing and beheadings a daily occurrence. How can we possibly understand what it's like to live our lives like this?

bbc.co.uk

Animators Ross Plaskow and Scott Coello have done a brilliant job in portraying these scenes in ways that will not distance us as Westerners. It informs us, shows us only the humanity of the victims and does not aim to shock or turn us away from its content - which is important when all too many turn their backs on the problem. Not only are the drawings skilful, with the aid of dan Pollard's score, they are symbolic of the many meanings behind the look in a man's eye, of the acts of violence, of defiance and of despair.

bbc.co.uk

What came across most for me is the loneliness of a life in Raqqa. Attending any meetings in public places can see you accused of plotting against Daesh, you cannot see your friends, you cannot watch television to connect with the outside world, what can you do? There is nothing but the four walls of your home, and the sound and tremor of bombs dropping all around you. The world has deserted you. Our diarist is advised, 'Live your life without considering the present' - well what else can he do?

It is frustrating for me as a viewer as I too search for ways to act, to fight back, to help the civilians of Raqqa - but fail to come to any hopeful conclusion. All I can do is write this post and let someone somewhere know that I am thinking of them, that they are not forgotten, that they are not alone.

Find Life Inside 'Islamic State' on Iplayer, available until 9th April: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p03lcxh7/life-inside-islamic-state

9999

9999, a documentary filmed at Merksplas, a maximum security prison in Belgium. Home to mentally ill inmates who have no guarantee of ever seeing freedom again; their release date: 31/12/9999.

9999_Trailer English from Associate Directors on Vimeo.

This documentary by Ellen Vermeulen granted fantastic access to one of the most timeless places on Earth. Where the only thing to do each day is watch shadows disappear from the wall and listen to the slow knocking of pipes. It is tragic, to see so many people unsure of their futures. Unsure of their present. They are granted no access to psychiatric help, no proper advice or control of medication and essentially left to be forgotten about in prison until either they kill themselves or die naturally. These men have made mistakes, but Vermeulen's characters are remorseful and it is heart-breaking to watch as they sit confined to their tiny rooms, that have become their only world, as their mental health and emotions fluctuate. One man explains the story of how he came to be here. He had done wrong and was scared that his father would send him to prison for fear that he would be admitted to a prison like Merksplas and left to rot, so he attacks him and leaves him for dead. He powerfully states, 'because I wanted to keep my life, I lost my life'. He knows he did wrong and he has had many years to confront this decision.

Another young man was trying to seek help for his mental health but being turned away from a clinic, he set fire to a bike to get attention. He did not receive the help he was seeking, instead he was incarcerated and has been in prison without therapy for 8 years.

The Human Rights Commission condemns the Belgian government by serving fines to them. The government merely pays the fine for the breach in human rights, and continues, business as usual, whilst approx 900 people remain in prison, without a release date.

After the showing of this incredible documentary, we were treated to a Q&A with director Ellen Vermeulen. Here's what happened:

Aud: A really powerful film with amazing access.

It's only afterwards when the media said to me, this is really absurd that you can make this, that I realise this is maybe strange, that they allow me.

Aud: So it was a challenge? You knew it was a challenge to try and make this film?

Dir: I think the challenge was not that much, how to make this film but how to be honest with what I saw and to capture this kind of, their lives. What will I show to show how their life is? I think that was the most difficult thing.

Aud: Could you tell us a little bit about how you made, why you chose to make the film as you did in the sense of locking off the camera, filming people mostly as they're doing things and keeping most of the, well keeping the interviews off camera.

9999themovie.com

Dir: Yeh, very important moment was when, to find funding I had to shoot a trailer so I filmed myself. Afterwards I worked with a cameraman so I filmed myself. And as I was very close to my characters I filmed like very close and when i looked at it I felt bad because it was, you know a very famous dutch film-maker says 'when you have poor children with a little dirt on their mouth you feel sad for them', you feel it's like exotic and I didn't want to do that. I wanted to respect them and show them in their strength. This is one thing. but also you want to film the space. I am not a filmmaker with lots of words, I want to show. So my idea was I want to make this film and if you turn off the sound you can also see the film. But before I worked for one year and a half doing research. So the moment I filmed it was very obvious what I wanted to film, I only shot for 4 days. So I did research for one year and a half and filmed for four days. I knew how they would react when something was happening. There was one moment there was a fight between one of the prisoners and the guard. And I thought I cannot film this because if I film this I have to show tomorrow, this relationship with this guard and my film is not about that, my film is about the timelessness of their being. So, it was all very clear and that's why I think the shooting was very strict, very obvious for me.

Aud: Did you actually film the interviews or just record the sound?

Dir: Both. there are some interviews I did before I recorded them myself when I was alone.

Aud: And so the period of research, you worked without a camera did you?

Dir: Yeh, I only want to film when I'm tired of talking. The characters also said finished, stop.

Aud: Stop the research?

moviesthatmatter.nl

Dir: We were tired talking to each other I new every spot on the wall I knew everything. I had been there for so many times so long time and I had to film. I was so upset I had to film, I had to film something with what I saw.

Aud: Have they seen the film?

Dir: Sure. They have seen it I think three times and they were really also tired of it. Yeh but it's very important because it was screened on telvsion twice in belgium and I was so afraid. They are in this little room alone and they look at television and they see themselves and this is so difficult for them. So I wanted to make sure that they knew everythign by heart. They had to know it so good because one day they are good, the next day they can be ill. And I wanted to show the film in every stage of their, every stage as much as possible.

Aud: So you also made a decision not to film, or put in the film, any sequences where they were less in control of their lives. Less well?

Dir: These are the moments that I'm not going to film because I'm there with them and there is something happening I am not a film-maker. I'm not the kind of film-maker who wants to film err, this in my reality. I didn't put the camera for 24hrs. It's the way I see their lives and it's a confusion maybe. Of course there are moments when you really see that they are ill. It's hard to film and I'm not going to show them in their weakest moment. But, I think you can feel that there is something happening with them so I wanted to give the feeling and not show everything. A judge said to me, if you see the film you can realise how much worse it is in reality and I think he's right. This is very, ok. Their life is good when you see this film. In reality it's much worse.

9999themovie.com

Aud: There were a couple of moments in the film, when people address you. Was that, were you questioning him. Or did he know he wanted to make a statement?

Dir: Yeh he wanted to make a statement and it's also about who is watching who. You are watching him all the time and I think at one moment he's like, I'm like a character in a fiction film, but he's playing with that all the time. When I entered his room he always had something for me, like I'm from the mafia. He was addressing, always symbolic to me and I think this moment is a very important moment because as a spectator you are confronted with your position of watching them and being on the outside. I was not asking anything I think this is the moment that lots of people would cut, I was just like not watching him coz I don't want him to react to me.

Aud: You say the film has been shown on TV, judges have watched it. Has the film had any impact, any debate at least?

Dir: Yeh. Things are changing. I'm not going to say it's completely because of the film but I think this film also had an impact. I showed this film for example in the European Court of Human Rights and that's very nice because lots of judges said to me, we are reading these files and now for the first time we see faces. It's like the same with judges, they say we send people to prison and now, we see what's happening in prison. The European Court is judging individuals and one month after this film, they judged the complete, they gave a fine to Belgium for everybody, not only individual anymore. So, this maybe the film, and also there is one of these guys not in my film but one of these guys who asked for euthanasia, to end his life, so it was a huge thing in Europe and it was shameful for Belgium. I think these things are, helping to change, because they now have a building for 200 people, and there are now 800-900 left. Also what is strange is that some months after the first screening, the characters were put in psychiatry, after 16yrs, 15yrs of prison, something - I don't say it's my film. but I say, it's strange.

Aud: All your 5 characters got therapy?

Dir: Yes. Very strange. Yeh, you say applause but for me it's hard because then I should have made a film about 1100 people. It's very sad that I chose them and not others.

Aud: Why did you choose those 5 people?

cobra.canvas.be

Dir: Very early I wanted to film them. Four of them didn't want to be int eh film, they said no I don't want to be filmed. I think so many other people asked, can I please be in your film but they are very angry and they shout at the guard and they say, it's all their fault, no it's not. And also I wanted people to have, they have to know that they did something wrong. I met people who were proud of what they did and that was very difficult. I have to like my characters. And very early in my process I decided I wanted to film them. Like Wilfried, everybody said to me, the guards, they said 'don't talk to him, he will play with you, he will play games' and for one year and a half he has played games. he has teased me, he has offended me, he has attacked me. there was one, in my head I think there was a changing point. I was in his room and I touched the door and it closes and I couldn't go out anymore. I think I was there for 15minutes. He said to me, 'now you are depending on me, I can do whatever I want, you have to trust me'. And I was really relaxed, I am happy for that and I said 'Wilfried I totally trust you' and this was the first time I could show it to him. And I think from that moment on he had a different way of reacting to me. There were some moments he shouted at me and I never panicked, I said 'you're right', I also shout. So I thin that made him like 'ok she comes back every week, she doesn't hate me for that'. So it has been a long process.

Aud: So you talk about 8months research. Were you there once a week?

Dir: Yeh. I was there once a week, a whole day that was enough. It was not funny time, it was horrible to be there. I could not explain to anybody what is happening and now I have the feeling I can show it with this film. there was one nice thing in the European court also, there was a woman from I think Latvia and she cried and said, 'for years I am trying to explain to people what is happening and now I don't have to explain any more'. This is, it's impossible to explain, these people, whats happening. It's impossible for them to live in this way.

Aud: Do you think that in the time you were there that they found the therapy they were lacking, through you? 

Dir: Yeh, I think. I think, it's also very hard to know, they only see two kinds of people; people who judge them for what they did, like criminals and people who treat them like mentally ill people who are, who have to be treated. And I was I think the only person in their, in a long time, who was just there not judging them, not saying you are ill. I just talked to them like human beings and I think that was very nice but also very hard when I left I think. When I left I was very emotional and they were like, (happily) 'bye-bye'.

Aud: You say you wrote it, I just wondered how you call yourself a writer when this is a documentary?

Dir: Oh but this is a very directed film.

Aud: The writing aspect?

dailymatters.moviesthatmatter.nl

Dir: Yeh I wrote every scene, I. It's not I know this will happen but I know this is what I'm searching for. After so many times of being there i know when I do this, how they will react so I knew for example, every scene has to have timelessness. There can be no chronology. so, the only moment there is someone saying something, is the moment the boy leaves the prison. The rest of the film is built without scenes of chronology. Even inside the scenes. this was very important for me, to write scenes that have this timelessness. So, when I make a film I know exactly what I want and I write everything down so this is a very directed film. I put people there and I say. There is one scene that I didn't know and I don't like it at all, this scene. But it was very hot in Belgium, this bit on medication. This was the first news, there was big news in Belgium, and this is the scene I really don't like and I didn't want to put in the film because it has something 'now', somebody is coming inside the room and this is not. It's very concrete what's happening there.

Aud: When they're discussing when he's going to take his medicine, today, tomorrow?

Dir: And also it was not presented, I didn't know, it was out of my control. So when this guard was coming in I was like shit, my morning scene is gone. And then, we kept on filming and then afterwards I saw that it was very hard to see because this was against the law but I really fought against my editor because I didn't want to have it in the film.

Aud: When you say it's hard to see because it's against the norm, what do you mean?

Dir: Somebody who is mentally ill in prison has to have the same treatment as somebody outside the prison, but then you see no, they have to be responsible for their own medication. So there is a doctor, a psychiatrist that says you have to take your medication. Wilfried is collecting all his pills and sometimes he says 'I'm going to kill myself one day so I collect them, it's my only freedom'. Sometimes he puts them in his toilet and he says 'eat', 'bon a petit, have a nice meal' to his toilet.

Aud: I have a question about the environment. I was amazed to see they were locked in with glass glazed doors, and was wondering about the safety aspect of that. In prison here, those safety things would never be allowed, like the stack of chairs in another scene, that could be used as weapons.

Dir: It's a very old prison, it's good for my film of course. In a very modern hospital it could be different. When I was there were some moments when there were a lot of guards who had to attack somebody who was aggressive but er, I cannot really answer your question, because they have never attacked me.

Aud: In a British prison there'd be no glass.

Dir: Wilfried says that they will happy if I kill myself coz they have the room for somebody else, and I think he's right. Nobody takes care of them, they don't mind. So I can just say that, if somebody kills themselves - next one.

physicalimpossibility.com

Aud: When you showed the film, was there any sense from the people running the prison that this was actually, there was something shocking here.

Dir: I made one decision that was, when you make a film people have to sign a contract. I accept that I'm in your film etc. I said to them you have to sign this contract when you have seen the film and you like it, otherwise you don't sign it. They don't have any rights, they don't have any control in their lives, I said to them I give you back something which was a huge risk for me as well because they have their strange moments as well, so I was a little bit afraid. Also with the prison itself I said to them only afterwards you have to sign and if you don't like it...but I'm not somebody who will offend the prison itself. So I show them the film, to the prisoners and nobody, they were sad to see themselves. One said, I am sad but this one is very bad, I'm ok. So it's funny to see how they react on their neighbours. And the head of the prison itself, said it's shocking but it's reality so we cannot say anything. The head of the prison was at my screening and she took the mic and she talked to the audience which was also very nice. They said, we don't like what's happening, we hope something will change.

Aud: Has anyone tried to escape?

Dir: there was one very strange moment, I made jokes about it when I was there. I said 'next time I'll bring white sheets and I'll help you escape' but no. There was one very strange moment with Wilfried, he said to me, 'this weekend you have to watch the news because somebody will be killed who is responsible for my situation, so you have to watch the news'. And then I didn't, it was very difficult for me to decide what to do because I cannot be responsible for this. I was quite sure that he would not do that but if I would share it with somebody and he knows it, then I would lose his trust. So, it happened that people said things to me, where I had to make some ethical decisions. But nobody, no, they are too weak to escape I think. They can't run.

Aud: When you say they can't run, do mean in a state of mind where they can't escape or physically unable to run? Is it the medicine?

Dir: You have seen Salem in the film, the French speaking man, that says 'I'm lost'? This man, I knew he was between 9-10 o'clock in the morning I could a little bit, we could communicate a little bit. And then it finished for the rest of the day he's sleeping, it's impossible to really talk to him. So after the film one month after the film, after shooting the film, I visited him again and maybe at 2 o'clock he was very ok, and I said 'what's happening with you Salem, it's very nice to talk but what's happening'. He said, 'I don't know, they changed my medication'. So maybe he's there 8yrs, so maybe for 8 years he had been like this, and somebody decides we'll try something else and, he woke up. They don't have anybody to defend them so they are, completely lost.

cinergie.be

Aud: Did your research include talking to psychiatrists to see how they SHOULD be treated?

Dir: Yes but limited. Because I really decided to show their situation from inside and I thought I don't really know the situation with law and so on. Once I talked to them, I decide now I have to shut myself off from the outside world. Of course before I could talk to them, and spoke to the guards and the people around them. So I talked a lot to them in the beginning. I had to be positive about this film because, the day I said to Wilfried a little bit from outside, I said 'I will start filming', he said 'oh you cannot'. After one year and a half he said, 'no, forget it'. And I stayed calm and I said ,'ok I'll find somebody else'. And he said 'no, no, no film us'.

Aud: how come you chose not to interview the guards?

Dir: I'm not interested int their situation. My film is about them. Every information has to be. I'm not a journalist, I hate objective films, I hate it. I want to make subjective films and I don't want if somebody says, if somebody gives an a, somebody has to give a b - no, I'm not interested in that. It's the spectator who has to make their own story and there are so many.. I'm not interested at all in showing the opinion of everybody.

Aud: Comment on the sound scape. Was it almost all, filmed in the room?

Dir: A little bit composing but the challenge was, how can we reduce the sound because in reality, there is so much sound and so we had to put filters on it to reduce the sound. And so we decided, me and the editor decided, to put some details on it, to make it there. You don't want to be in a bath of sound, you want some little points to point out some feelings. Like the toilet, the water in the pipes, this is re-constructed. it's impossible, you stand there with the mic, it's not always reality but I'm sure it's like... And sometimes I wanted to have this effect of being in their head.

Walking the Himalayas

standard.co.uk

I'd been waiting for Lev Wood's second series, 'Walking the Himalayas' for some time, having followed the Twitter storm caused by his first series 'Walking the Nile'.

This one though, had a slightly different tone than the first, whether that was intentional or not, who knows. This one felt as though it was more about Lev and his challenge, rather than the places he travelled through, and the people he met along the way. These encounters seemed all too brief and I wanted to know more about life throughout the mountain range , more about the history, (and less about the fuel crisis).

That's not to say the series wasn't good, it was, but the bar was set very high with 'Walking the Nile'.

In Ep 1, Lev began his journey with Milang, by wading unnecessarily through a lake he could have walked around (like the crew did) - but then, why not, I guess. He travelled high into the mountains where the air thinned, where tribes are scarcely populated and settlements far and few between. We meet a mountain tribe,and are told how short the life expectancy is up here, particularly for women. It made me wonder, when you visit remote tribes like this, surely there's a risk that you may carry illnesses that they are not immune to? If so, is there something you can do to prevent it? I'd never really thought about it before and wondered whether the production team had either. (I also wanted to know, when Lev and Milang are both on camera at the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan at the snow top, who is the third person holding the camera?!!).

In my opinion Lev lost a few adventurer points in this episode, when he hit the rope-bridge and succumbed to a feeling of what looked like genuine terror. The wooden planks were precarious but as an ex-squaddie I did think - come on, step on the wire and man up!

EP2

In Ep 2 Lev's terror increased, when his tent was invaded by a large spider. Though this time, it was nice to know that even someone like Lev is scared of spiders - maybe I'll camp in the jungle yet!

dawn.com

Throughout his journey through Northern Pakistan, it still amazes me that everything, everywhere, is written in English - 'Look to your Left Nanga Parbat' - you don't quite realise the extent of British imperialism until you see things like this - everywhere. It almost feels wrong to see it in English.

Later Lev is faced with another questionable river crossing donning a home-made pulley system. Lev was reluctant to climb aboard but did so anyway, needing a helping hand to get back across to Milang - who sensibly turned down the offer to follow. I would've jumped at the chance to pull myself across, even if my arms were left aching for days - in fact I already have, in the pitch black in River Valley, New Zealand and I can back Lev up 100%, they're harder than they look!

We learnt a bit more about the people of the region here, and it was interesting that the community living by the line of control on the militarised border with India, are happy for their children to leave the nomadic life, even though it dates back to the 6th century. Tradition vs. opportunity; it's a tough one wherever you grow up I guess.

channel4.com

EP3

In Ep 3, Lev reaches Nepal where we say goodbye to Milang and hello to his old friend Binod. The pair trek across the country coming close to crocodiles and fast-flowing rivers. 

After the tragic death of journalist Matthew Power during the last series, I can guess that no-one in the production office wanted to answer the phone to the shocking message that Lev, brother Peter and Binod were all in hospital. Having been moved on by communists in the village, the boys had decided to get a taxi elsewhere. The brakes had failed in the car they were travelling in and the car had plummeted and rolled off the side of a steep verge, leaving Lev's shoulder dislocated and Binod concussed. Of all the dangers that they face by walking on foot across the Himalayas, the most dangerous part of their journey was the 5 minutes that they spent in a car. Lev spent a week recuperating with minimal pain relief before flying back to the UK for further treatment.

The team were soon back on their feet though, his brother back on the camera as soon as they got to the hospital. 

EP4 

awesci.com

In Ep4, after 5 weeks away to recover, Lev returns for Binod, sharing an emotional reunion with his wife and children. Continuing the journey, the researchers did well to find a rather extreme form of collecting honey - hallucinogenic honey at that. Men flung themselves down the cliff towards angry bees, to gather a rather meagre amount of honey but allowed for some entertaining recollections from villagers of the properties of it. In this episode the team revisit the villagers who rescued them after the car accident to thank them. The entire village gathers around to greet them, showing just how friendly these remote villages often are to visitors. The pair continue their walk towards Everest towards royal festivals of Bhutan.

twitter.com

EP5

In the final episode, Lev and Binod complete their trip in Bhutan - travelling via a village that expressed an obsession with artwork portraying the male sexual organ - which Lev of course found unusually uncomfortable. The pair equipped themselves with the national dress, to celebrate the former King of Bhutan's birthday, narrowly managing to catch a few comments from the locals about the society they live in - I would have liked more of that throughout the series. They then visited a local monastery in hope of seeking good luck for a safe passage. It seemed that luck was not on their side as they are warned not to progress on their journey. Of course, Lev isn't one to heed this kind of warning, he presses on nevertheless.

channel4.com

The end was near, with a climb to a snowy peak in Bhutan, without Binod by his side. Binod has been suffering with bad feet from the hard roads and was unable to join him, which was clearly an emotional moment for them both. If only the government were more relaxed with timings, perhaps Lev could have waited until Binod was fit enough to join him. Perhaps this was what they had been warned of.

All in all, the production team did another grand job. The addition of Binod was a good chance to hear more of Lev's personality but didn't offer much more in terms of content.  In fact, it may even have discouraged Lev to find conversation elsewhere, which previously had been the way the audience found out about the regions he travelled through. It was less exhilarating than 'Walking The Nile', but equally as addictive.

PD Jamie Berry has another successful series under his belt, averaging about 2.2million views per episode. The stakes were relatively lower than series 1 but enjoyable nonetheless. I can't wait to hear what's next for the October Films team.