SIFF: My last two films of the 2012 festival
When I first saw the trailer for We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists, I felt almost obliged to see it. It's about the evolution of Anonymous, a group of activists who associate with each other online and operate as anonymous counterparts in whatever protest movements make sense to them. They've changed the nature of protest and activism, demonstrating the power of the internet and the approach of a new generation of the politically aware. The documentary follows the group's evolution from online badboys to potent political force via interviews and news clips. It's an excellent documentary, possibly the best I saw during SIFF, and an important document about the power of technology to shape and change the world. Highly recommended.
The Revisionaries chronicles the debate held at the Texas Board of Education in 2010 over educational standards that will dictate the content of textbooks in the US for the next ten years. As the largest purchaser of textbooks in the country, the state's influence over publishers is enormous, and with its swing toward a conservative Christian perspective, the implications of their choices are chilling for the quality of the content students nationwide will study. Profiling the creationist chairman of the committee along with other members, as well as a scientist and an activist who each testify in the hearings, and following the debate as it progressed, the film exposes efforts to rewrite history by people who aren't historians, and to determine sound scientific curriculum by people who haven't a single notion of how science actually works. I found the whole affair completely appalling, which makes viewing the film absolutely required for anyone who has an interest in education. Really remarkable stuff.
The Revisionaries chronicles the debate held at the Texas Board of Education in 2010 over educational standards that will dictate the content of textbooks in the US for the next ten years. As the largest purchaser of textbooks in the country, the state's influence over publishers is enormous, and with its swing toward a conservative Christian perspective, the implications of their choices are chilling for the quality of the content students nationwide will study. Profiling the creationist chairman of the committee along with other members, as well as a scientist and an activist who each testify in the hearings, and following the debate as it progressed, the film exposes efforts to rewrite history by people who aren't historians, and to determine sound scientific curriculum by people who haven't a single notion of how science actually works. I found the whole affair completely appalling, which makes viewing the film absolutely required for anyone who has an interest in education. Really remarkable stuff.