Is there anything BETTER than `Avatar'?

Halo folks,

Have you gone to see the latest Hollywood blockbuster `AVATAR'? Can you imagine anything better than `AVATAR'? Well the films we will screen this Saturday `Voices from the forest' and videos from the Sarawak Road Shows, actually allow real forest people to speak for themselves-something which the high tech special effect film would not do!

After a long year end break we are back to screen films which are not shown on cinemas, Tvs etc. Thedetails of the films to be screened are:

Titles:1. `Voices from the forests' (43min)
Intro: This is the story of people living in or near tropical forests in S E Asia, in particular the story of people in indigenous communities in Malaysia(Sarawak), Indonesia and the Philippines....a way of life which is well adapted to tropical forest conditions. The voices from the forests share their experiences, dreams and aspirations but also their worries...'(Longer intro appended below)
2. Videos from the Sarawak Road Shows-video clips from Sarawak Road Show which run into the 4th tours so far. Every month a group of Malaysians visit Sarawak for about a week to look at where Malaysians (actually West Malaysians) tend to habitually shy away from. Engineer, journalists, video/photographers, artists, media group member etc have been on the new tour to Sarawak. Come to see what they have found. One of the TV journalist on the tour work for TV2 and has since produced a 10-part series to be screened on TV2 from Jan 4th-15th(except weekend) on every lunch time after the news. Go have a look!
Date: Jan 9th 2009(Sat)
Time: 8.00pm
Venue: 63 Weld Quay 10300 Penang
All welcome! FREE entry!
Enq. 013-5900339

Appendix:
Voices from the Forest. Balancing Forest Use and Conservation in Southeast Asia.

The namesake of this newsletter, the NTFP Exchange Programme captures the stories of indigenous peoples living in or near tropical forests in Southeast Asia, and their dependence on non-timber forest products for their survival as a people and as a culture. Through their voices as well as of some of their supporters, we share in their dreams and aspirations, as well as their fears as the rapidly changing world poses new challenges to their indigenous lifestyles.
We are offered a rare peek into:
w the nomadic Penan’s reliance on sago palm in the face of threats from a large logging company (Malaysia),
w traditional and sustainable harvesting, production and marketing of wild honey in Danau Sentarum (Indonesia),
w the Ikalahan tribe’s struggle to protect their traditional forest by transforming fruits of the forest into jams and jellies for the high-end niche market (the Philippines),
w the Higaonon tribe’s indigenous fabric, the hinabol, tied to traditional management of abaca (Manila Hemp) and the fast-disappearing art of hinabol weaving (the Philippines), and
w the crucial market links provided by the Upland Marketing Foundation and the CustomMade Crafts Center, and their tireless efforts at aiding local communities to develop marketable handicrafts and food products.
Produced by Riak Bumi, Telapak and the NTFP-EP (2005). Copies (DVD or VCD, 43 mins.) can be obtained through Ridzki Sigit, Telapak, Jl. Palem Putri III No. 1-3, Komp. Taman Yasmin Sektor V, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia. Tel: +62 0251 7159902. Email: rrsigit@telapak.org. URL: www.telapak.org

Ong BK