The Blind Photographer

The Blind Photographer is an intriguing short movie. It focuses on a photographer who goes to unusual lengths to capture unprompted pictures of homeless people. To use his own words he wants his pictures to be “not gloomy staged or posed but spontaneous and full of joy”.

Yet perhaps this photographer’s eye is not quite what it should be as we follow him to a viewing of his work at a swanky art gallery. My immediate thoughts were well, that's biting the hand that feeds you. Watch the short through to the very end to see what I mean – it is a thought provoking yet not entirely downbeat ending. Cynicism and decadence are, perhaps, trumped by youthful hope – morally at least.

The Blind Photographer was made by Christian Denslow, who sums himself up thus - filming things makes me happy – which is cool. It start the very photogenic (can one say filmogenic?) Thiru Naidoo (pictured) as the eponymous artist whose last scene (and I am sure he didn’t mind) was completely stolen by Ino (another one name only child actor in the vein of Sabu, perhaps?) who gives this short film its heart.

Chim Chim Cher-ee - Turin Brakes

This is a beautifully put together short film about homelessness by Philip Bloom. It raises awareness of an issue that most people like to pretend doesn't exist, at least not in the most powerful country in the world.

You could argue that it does beautify some very distressing circumstances through these stunning shots, but it is this juxtaposition of human suffering and wonderful filmmaking that provokes thought about these things going on day in and day out that are tucked away out of sight.

Plus the soundtrack is beautifully chosen – a serene (at least to begin with) and haunting version of the Mary Poppins number Chim Chim Cher-ee by London based band Turin Brakes.

Climate Change – Are We Bothered?

The journal Nature Climate Change has today published new research about the threat of global warming. They call a lack of international will the main reason that bringing global warming under control may be slipping out of reach. In other words, we as a species cannot be really bothered about doing something collectively about this issue.

The industrialized nations need to institute a swift cut in their emissions if we want global temperatures to remain at less than 2C higher than before we discovered oil and steam power. The target had been previously agreed at the 2009 UN conference in Denmark. However, this target now seems unlikely to be met because we simply cannot organise ourselves on a global basis.

Another study in the same journal suggests that this threshold may well be crossed within thirty years and places the date between 2040 and 2060. That is, of course, if we haven’t bred ourselves out of existence by then – and pushed other species out of the way by so doing.

That brings me to these amazing pictures by artist David Blackwell who draws attention to the plight of these species in a way that a thousand words could not. Perhaps some international environmental agency could ask him if they could use these – it might help, even just a little.

French Roast

French Roast is an animated short  created by Fabrice O. Joubert. It is Joubert's first short film but managed to get itself nominated for an Oscar last year. 

When you watch it we are sure you will agree that the nomination was well deserved.  Although the action takes place in a single Parisian cafe, there is plenty of it.

The animation is set circa1960. An uptight and snobbish businessman makes the horrifying (for him) discovery that he has forgotten to bring his wallet.  Mortified, he bides his time by ordering more coffee - to admit that he has no money is my far the worse option. He turns away a rather hirsuite and smelly homeless man who asks him for money, but finally, because of a more than curious turn of events, it is the homeless man who is unselfish enough to pay the businessman's bill thus saving him from embarrassment.


Find out how by watching the animation in its entirety!