School of Visual Arts Launches MFA Program in Social Documentary Film
By Thomas White
The School of Visual Arts, which has been shaping and nurturing the careers and sensibilities of artists for over 60 years, will introduce a Masters of Fine Arts program in Social Documentary Film, beginning in fall 2009. The New York City-based school, which currently offers as BFA in Film, Video and Animation and an MFA in Photography, has tapped award-winning filmmaker Maro Chermayeff to chair the program.
"With this program we aim to provide an environment that fosters the development of socially accountable, nonfiction film," said Chermayeff in a statement. "Through hands-on experience, students in this program will gain the technical and theoretical knowledge they need to bring their individual visions to fruition. It's our goal that graduates leave this program with short feature films that engage larger issues, and perhaps even impact public policy."
Chermayeff, whose credits include the PBS series CARRIER, Frontier House and Julliard, has tapped such leading New York-based filmmakers as Deborah Dickson (Lalee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton; The Education of Gore Vidal); Deborah Shaffer (Witness to War: Dr. Charlie Clements); Pamela Yates (State of Fear; When the Mountains Tremble); and Susan Froemke (Addiction; Abortion: Desperate Choices), among others, to join the faculty.
The MFA in Social Documentary Film is a two-year course of study designed to develop journalistic skills and the practical aspects of filmmaking. For more information, click here.
READ THE ARTICLE ON DOCUMENTARY.ORG
Friday, September 26, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
CARRIER wins at the Emmys
The talented team of Cinematographers who worked on the PBS series CARRIER won Emmys this weekend for their amazing work. Congratulations to our friends Axel Baumann, Ulli Bonnekamp, Mark Brice, Robert Hanna and Wolfgang Held!
Cinematography for Reality Programming: "Carrier: Rites of Passage," PBS.
See a list of all of the winners at:
http://www.emmys.org
Cinematography for Reality Programming: "Carrier: Rites of Passage," PBS.
See a list of all of the winners at:
http://www.emmys.org
Friday, September 12, 2008
Rooftop Films New York Non-Fiction Show
Friday, Sept. 12th, 2008
New York Non-Fiction
Buy Tickets
It’s your city. Take a look.
Venue: on the roof of the Open Road Rooftop
Address: 350 Grand Street @ Essex (Lower East Side)
Directions: F/J/M/Z to Essex / Delancey
8:00: Doors Open
8:30PM: Sound Fix presents live music by New Rap Order
9:00 PM: Films
11:30 PM: Open bar at Fontana's with complimentary beer courtesy of Radeberger Pilsner
*Tickets: $9 on Going.com
Always one of our most popular programs, Rooftop Films’ annual New York Non-Fiction show has served as a showcase for new documentaries about the extraordinary lives of “ordinary” New Yorkers for nearly a decade. This year’s films explore the magic in little metropolitan moments and the poetry of the odd job, find humor in exploitative urban institutions and capture the melancholy beauty of the dilapidated underground. Above all, they express in particular what all of us who live in New York know intuitively: in this great city there is always an amazing story waiting around the corner.
This year's show takes place on the roof incredible roof at Open Road Rooftop above New Design High School (pictured below). The roof has been covered with hundreds of gorgeous graffitti murals and features a breathtaking view of the Lower East Side. After the screening all in attendance are invited to head down to Fontana's for an open bar after party to meet the filmmakers
New York Non-Fiction
Buy Tickets
It’s your city. Take a look.
Venue: on the roof of the Open Road Rooftop
Address: 350 Grand Street @ Essex (Lower East Side)
Directions: F/J/M/Z to Essex / Delancey
8:00: Doors Open
8:30PM: Sound Fix presents live music by New Rap Order
9:00 PM: Films
11:30 PM: Open bar at Fontana's with complimentary beer courtesy of Radeberger Pilsner
*Tickets: $9 on Going.com
Always one of our most popular programs, Rooftop Films’ annual New York Non-Fiction show has served as a showcase for new documentaries about the extraordinary lives of “ordinary” New Yorkers for nearly a decade. This year’s films explore the magic in little metropolitan moments and the poetry of the odd job, find humor in exploitative urban institutions and capture the melancholy beauty of the dilapidated underground. Above all, they express in particular what all of us who live in New York know intuitively: in this great city there is always an amazing story waiting around the corner.
This year's show takes place on the roof incredible roof at Open Road Rooftop above New Design High School (pictured below). The roof has been covered with hundreds of gorgeous graffitti murals and features a breathtaking view of the Lower East Side. After the screening all in attendance are invited to head down to Fontana's for an open bar after party to meet the filmmakers
Documentary Film Reading List
The Social Documentary: Bibliography, Radio-Television-Film 345
Instructor: Dr. Laura Stein
University of Texas at Austin; Spring 2004
Nichols, Bill. (2001). “How Do Documentaries Differ from Other Types of Film,” from Introduction to Documentary. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
Nichols, Bill. (2001). “What Types of Documentary Are There,” from Introduction to Documentary. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
Eitzen, Dirk. (1995, Fall). “When Is a Documentary?: Documentary as a Mode of Reception,” Cinema Journal 35(1), 81-102.
Monaco, James (1981). “The Language of Film: Signs and Syntax,” from How to Read a Film. New York: Oxford University Press.
Grierson, John. (1976). “First Principles of Documentary,” from Richard Barsam (Ed.), Nonfiction Film Theory and Criticism. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co.
Grierson, John. (1976). “The Nature of Propaganda,” from Richard Barsam (Ed.), Nonfiction Film Theory and Criticism. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co.
Grierson, John. (1976). “The Documentary Idea,” from Richard Barsam (Ed.), Nonfiction Film Theory and Criticism. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co.
Keil, Charlie. (1998). “Persuasion and Expression in ‘The Plow That Broke the Plains’ and ‘The City,’” from Barry Keith Grant and Jeannette Sloniowski (Eds.)., Documenting the Documentary: Close Readings of Documentary Film and Video. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press.
Guyn, William. (1998). “Basil Wright’s ‘Song of Ceylon,’” from Barry Keith Grant and Jeannette Sloniowski (Eds.)., Documenting the Documentary: Close Readings of Documentary Film and Video. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press.
Rothman, William. (1997). “Land Without Bread,” from Documentary Film Classics. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Nichols, Bill. (2001). “How Have Documentaries Addressed Social and Political Issues?” from Introduction to Documentary. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
Flaherty, Robert. J. “How I filmed ‘Nanook of the North,’” from Harry Gould (Ed.), Film Makers on Film Making. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
Rothman, William. (1997). “‘Nanook of the North,’” from Documentary Film Classics. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Stubbs, Liz. (2002). “Albert Maysles: Father of Direct Cinema,” from Documentary Filmmakers Speak. New York: Allworth Press.
Pryluck, Calvin. (1988). “Ultimately, We are All Outsiders,” from Alan Rosenthal, (Ed.), New Challenges for Documentary. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Schwartz, David. (1985). “Streetwise and Seventeen,”Theatre Crafts, 19(9), 103-105.
Rothman, William. (1997). “Chronicle of a Summer, ” from Documentary Film Classics. New York: Cambridge University Press.
King, Noel. (1981). Recent “Political” Documentary: Notes on “Union Maids” and “Harlan County USA.” Screen, 22(2), 7-18.
Stubbs, Liz. (2002). “Barbara Kopple: Through the Lens Fearlessly,” from Documentary Filmmakers Speak. New York: Allworth Press.
Fischer, Lucy. (1998). “Ross McElwee’s ‘Sherman’s March,’” from Barry Keith Grant and Jeannette Sloniowski (Eds.)., Documenting the Documentary: Close Readings of Documentary Film and Video. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press.
Stubbs, Liz. (2002). “Ross McElwee: Personal Journeyman,” from Documentary Filmmakers Speak. New York: Allworth Press.
Feldman, Seth. (1998). “Dziga Vertov’s ‘The Man with a Movie Camera,’” from Barry Keith Grant and Jeannette Sloniowski (Eds.)., Documenting the Documentary: Close Readings of Documentary Film and Video. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press.
Michelson, Annette (1984). “Introduction,” from Annette Michelson (Ed.), Kino-Eye: The Writings of Dziga Vertov. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Vertov, Dziga. (1984/1922). “We: Variant of a Manifesto,” from Annette Michelson (Ed.), Kino-Eye: The Writings of Dziga Vertov. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Bernstein, Matthew. (1994, Spring). “Documentaphobia and Mixed Modes: Michael Moore’s ‘Roger & Me,’” from Barry Keith Grant and Jeannette Sloniowski (Eds.)., Documenting the Documentary: Close Readings of Documentary Film and Video. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press.
Ruby, Jay. “The Image Mirrored: Reflexivity in Documentary Film”
Bullert, B. J. (1997). “Roger & Me and the Heartbeat of America,” from Public Television: Politics and the Battle over Documentary Film. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Arthur, Paul. (1993). “Jargons of Authenticity,” from M. Renov (Ed.), Theorizing Documentary. New York: Routledge.
Lane, Jim. (1993). Notes on Theory and the Autobiographical Documentary Film in America. Wide Angle, 15(3), 21-36.
Petty, Sheila. (1998). “Silence and Its Opposite: Expressions of Race in ‘Tongues Untied,’” from Barry Keith Grant and Jeannette Sloniowski (Eds.)., Documenting the Documentary: Close Readings of Documentary Film and Video. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press.
Bullert, B.J. (1997). “Tongues Untied,” from Public Television: Politics and the Battle over Documentary Film. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Greg Bordowitz, “Operative Assumptions,” from M. Renov & E. Suderburg (Eds.), Resolutions: Contemporary Video Practices. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
Riggs, Marlon. (1996). “Tongues Re-tied,” from M. Renov & E. Suderburg (Eds.), Resolutions: Contemporary Video Practices. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
Rothman, William. (1997). “Cinema Verité in America and ‘Don’t Look Back,’” from Documentary Film Classics. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Levin, G.Roy. (1971). “Donn Alan Pennebaker,” from Documentary Explorations: Interviews with Filmmakers. New York: Doubleday & Co.
Plantinga, Carl. (1998). “Satirizing Masculinity in ‘This is Spinal Tap,’” from Barry Keith Grant and Jeannette Sloniowski (Eds.)., Documenting the Documentary: Close Readings of Documentary Film and Video. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press.
Nichols, Bill. (1994). “At the Limits of Reality (TV),” from Blurred Boundaries. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
Andrejevic, Mark. (2004). “Rediscovering Reality,” from Reality TV: The Work of Being Watched. New York: Rowman & Littlefield.
Andrejevic, Mark. (2004). “The Kinder, Gentler Gaze of Big Brother,” from Reality TV: The Work of Being Watched. New York: Rowman & Littlefield.
Boyle, Deirdre. (1992, Summer). “From Portapak to Camcorder: A Brief History of Guerrilla Television,” Journal of Film & Video, 44(1-2), 67-79.
Millner, Sherry. (1991). “Bargain Video,” from D. Marcus (Ed.), The Paper Tiger Television Guide to Media Activism. New York: The Paper Tiger Television Collective.
Stein, Laura. (2001). “Access Television and Grassroots Political Communication in the United States,” from John Downing with T. Ford, G. Gil & L. Stein. Radical Media: Rebellious Communication and Social Movements. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Williams, Linda. (1998). “Truth, History, and ‘The Thin Blue Line,’” from Barry Keith Grant and Jeannette Sloniowski (Eds.)., Documenting the Documentary: Close Readings of Documentary Film and Video. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press.
Bates, Peter. (1989). Truth Not Guaranteed: An Interview with Errol Morris. Cineaste, 17, 1, pp. 16-17.
Barnouw, Dagmar. (1995). Seeing and Believing: The Thin Blue Line of Documentary Objectivity. Common Knowledge, 4, 1, pp. 129-143.
Engardio, Joel (1999, October 20-26). “ITVS: Might See TV,” SF Weekly.
Instructor: Dr. Laura Stein
University of Texas at Austin; Spring 2004
Nichols, Bill. (2001). “How Do Documentaries Differ from Other Types of Film,” from Introduction to Documentary. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
Nichols, Bill. (2001). “What Types of Documentary Are There,” from Introduction to Documentary. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
Eitzen, Dirk. (1995, Fall). “When Is a Documentary?: Documentary as a Mode of Reception,” Cinema Journal 35(1), 81-102.
Monaco, James (1981). “The Language of Film: Signs and Syntax,” from How to Read a Film. New York: Oxford University Press.
Grierson, John. (1976). “First Principles of Documentary,” from Richard Barsam (Ed.), Nonfiction Film Theory and Criticism. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co.
Grierson, John. (1976). “The Nature of Propaganda,” from Richard Barsam (Ed.), Nonfiction Film Theory and Criticism. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co.
Grierson, John. (1976). “The Documentary Idea,” from Richard Barsam (Ed.), Nonfiction Film Theory and Criticism. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co.
Keil, Charlie. (1998). “Persuasion and Expression in ‘The Plow That Broke the Plains’ and ‘The City,’” from Barry Keith Grant and Jeannette Sloniowski (Eds.)., Documenting the Documentary: Close Readings of Documentary Film and Video. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press.
Guyn, William. (1998). “Basil Wright’s ‘Song of Ceylon,’” from Barry Keith Grant and Jeannette Sloniowski (Eds.)., Documenting the Documentary: Close Readings of Documentary Film and Video. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press.
Rothman, William. (1997). “Land Without Bread,” from Documentary Film Classics. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Nichols, Bill. (2001). “How Have Documentaries Addressed Social and Political Issues?” from Introduction to Documentary. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
Flaherty, Robert. J. “How I filmed ‘Nanook of the North,’” from Harry Gould (Ed.), Film Makers on Film Making. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
Rothman, William. (1997). “‘Nanook of the North,’” from Documentary Film Classics. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Stubbs, Liz. (2002). “Albert Maysles: Father of Direct Cinema,” from Documentary Filmmakers Speak. New York: Allworth Press.
Pryluck, Calvin. (1988). “Ultimately, We are All Outsiders,” from Alan Rosenthal, (Ed.), New Challenges for Documentary. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Schwartz, David. (1985). “Streetwise and Seventeen,”Theatre Crafts, 19(9), 103-105.
Rothman, William. (1997). “Chronicle of a Summer, ” from Documentary Film Classics. New York: Cambridge University Press.
King, Noel. (1981). Recent “Political” Documentary: Notes on “Union Maids” and “Harlan County USA.” Screen, 22(2), 7-18.
Stubbs, Liz. (2002). “Barbara Kopple: Through the Lens Fearlessly,” from Documentary Filmmakers Speak. New York: Allworth Press.
Fischer, Lucy. (1998). “Ross McElwee’s ‘Sherman’s March,’” from Barry Keith Grant and Jeannette Sloniowski (Eds.)., Documenting the Documentary: Close Readings of Documentary Film and Video. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press.
Stubbs, Liz. (2002). “Ross McElwee: Personal Journeyman,” from Documentary Filmmakers Speak. New York: Allworth Press.
Feldman, Seth. (1998). “Dziga Vertov’s ‘The Man with a Movie Camera,’” from Barry Keith Grant and Jeannette Sloniowski (Eds.)., Documenting the Documentary: Close Readings of Documentary Film and Video. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press.
Michelson, Annette (1984). “Introduction,” from Annette Michelson (Ed.), Kino-Eye: The Writings of Dziga Vertov. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Vertov, Dziga. (1984/1922). “We: Variant of a Manifesto,” from Annette Michelson (Ed.), Kino-Eye: The Writings of Dziga Vertov. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Bernstein, Matthew. (1994, Spring). “Documentaphobia and Mixed Modes: Michael Moore’s ‘Roger & Me,’” from Barry Keith Grant and Jeannette Sloniowski (Eds.)., Documenting the Documentary: Close Readings of Documentary Film and Video. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press.
Ruby, Jay. “The Image Mirrored: Reflexivity in Documentary Film”
Bullert, B. J. (1997). “Roger & Me and the Heartbeat of America,” from Public Television: Politics and the Battle over Documentary Film. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Arthur, Paul. (1993). “Jargons of Authenticity,” from M. Renov (Ed.), Theorizing Documentary. New York: Routledge.
Lane, Jim. (1993). Notes on Theory and the Autobiographical Documentary Film in America. Wide Angle, 15(3), 21-36.
Petty, Sheila. (1998). “Silence and Its Opposite: Expressions of Race in ‘Tongues Untied,’” from Barry Keith Grant and Jeannette Sloniowski (Eds.)., Documenting the Documentary: Close Readings of Documentary Film and Video. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press.
Bullert, B.J. (1997). “Tongues Untied,” from Public Television: Politics and the Battle over Documentary Film. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Greg Bordowitz, “Operative Assumptions,” from M. Renov & E. Suderburg (Eds.), Resolutions: Contemporary Video Practices. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
Riggs, Marlon. (1996). “Tongues Re-tied,” from M. Renov & E. Suderburg (Eds.), Resolutions: Contemporary Video Practices. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
Rothman, William. (1997). “Cinema Verité in America and ‘Don’t Look Back,’” from Documentary Film Classics. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Levin, G.Roy. (1971). “Donn Alan Pennebaker,” from Documentary Explorations: Interviews with Filmmakers. New York: Doubleday & Co.
Plantinga, Carl. (1998). “Satirizing Masculinity in ‘This is Spinal Tap,’” from Barry Keith Grant and Jeannette Sloniowski (Eds.)., Documenting the Documentary: Close Readings of Documentary Film and Video. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press.
Nichols, Bill. (1994). “At the Limits of Reality (TV),” from Blurred Boundaries. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
Andrejevic, Mark. (2004). “Rediscovering Reality,” from Reality TV: The Work of Being Watched. New York: Rowman & Littlefield.
Andrejevic, Mark. (2004). “The Kinder, Gentler Gaze of Big Brother,” from Reality TV: The Work of Being Watched. New York: Rowman & Littlefield.
Boyle, Deirdre. (1992, Summer). “From Portapak to Camcorder: A Brief History of Guerrilla Television,” Journal of Film & Video, 44(1-2), 67-79.
Millner, Sherry. (1991). “Bargain Video,” from D. Marcus (Ed.), The Paper Tiger Television Guide to Media Activism. New York: The Paper Tiger Television Collective.
Stein, Laura. (2001). “Access Television and Grassroots Political Communication in the United States,” from John Downing with T. Ford, G. Gil & L. Stein. Radical Media: Rebellious Communication and Social Movements. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Williams, Linda. (1998). “Truth, History, and ‘The Thin Blue Line,’” from Barry Keith Grant and Jeannette Sloniowski (Eds.)., Documenting the Documentary: Close Readings of Documentary Film and Video. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press.
Bates, Peter. (1989). Truth Not Guaranteed: An Interview with Errol Morris. Cineaste, 17, 1, pp. 16-17.
Barnouw, Dagmar. (1995). Seeing and Believing: The Thin Blue Line of Documentary Objectivity. Common Knowledge, 4, 1, pp. 129-143.
Engardio, Joel (1999, October 20-26). “ITVS: Might See TV,” SF Weekly.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
U.S. Journalist Arrested in Nigeria
U.S. Journalist Arrested in Nigeria
New York Times
By WILL CONNORS
Published: September 2, 2008
LAGOS, Nigeria — An American documentary filmmaker and his translator working in the volatile Delta region of Nigeria have been arrested and accused of spying, according to Nigerian government officials and media watchdog groups.
Andrew Berends, a New York-based freelance journalist who was working on a film about the oil-producing Delta region, was arrested on Sunday and held for 36 hours before being released. Mr. Berends’s passport and equipment were confiscated, and he was made to report back to the State Security Service early Tuesday morning. His translator, Samuel George, was also arrested.
“When you come to a security area with no clearance it’s against the rules,” said a military spokesman, Major Sagir Musa, who confirmed that Mr. Berends had been arrested and handed over to the security service. “He had no security clearance. It is for his own safety. If something happens to him it’s an embarrassment to the security agencies. It’s not normal times in the area right now. The S.S.S. will investigate him and once they are satisfied they will release him, God willing.”
Mr. Berends contacted both Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists Monday night, and both advocacy groups condemned his detention.
“Berends was arrested just for doing his job and no other reason,” Reporters Without Borders said in a statement Tuesday. “It is absurd for the authorities to think that, by arresting him and his interpreter, they can conceal the economic and ecological disaster unfolding in the Niger Delta.”
Despite its oil riches, the Niger Delta is a desperately poor and increasingly lawless part of the country where wealth is siphoned away by corrupt officials. Militants demand a greater share of the area’s oil resources and claim to be fighting on behalf of the impoverished residents, but also appear to be engaging in many criminal and opportunistic acts of violence. Hundreds of foreign workers and wealthy Nigerians have been kidnapped for ransom, and oil theft is rampant.
Several other foreign journalists and filmmakers have been detained while working in the region in recent years. In April, four members of a Seattle-based film crew were arrested while filming in the Delta and held for six days on spying charges. In May, a CNN journalist was detained while in the main Delta city of Port Harcourt and questioned by the S.S.S. for five days before being released.
“The government probably knows the fellow’s real mission and that it has nothing to do with espionage, but they want to do it to discourage others from coming to report on the situation on the ground,” said Chris Alagoa of the Niger Delta Peace and Security Secretariat, a community organization in the region. “They shouldn’t report on things that aren’t true, but if they’re reporting objectively on the situation, the world and the Nigerian people have a right to know the truth. Hounding journalists and filmmakers who want to inform the public is in bad taste.”
While Nigeria has a significantly freer press than most other Africa nations, gathering information in the tumultuous Niger Delta is particularly difficult.
“We have one of the freest presses in Africa, but there are rules,” said Nwuke Ogbonna, Information Commissioner for Rivers State, of which Port Harcourt is the capital. As for Mr. Berends, he said, “He may have engaged in actions that are not in the national interests of this country. Whether that means spying or entering off-limits areas I can’t say. It’s for the security agents to determine whether this means he was spying.”
Mr. Berends had visited Nigeria on several occasions and had been in the country since April on this particular trip. He often ventured into the creeks of the Delta to film in local villages affected by oil drilling. Two weeks ago, Mr. Berends said he had nearly finished his work and was planning on returning to New York this month.
New York Times
By WILL CONNORS
Published: September 2, 2008
LAGOS, Nigeria — An American documentary filmmaker and his translator working in the volatile Delta region of Nigeria have been arrested and accused of spying, according to Nigerian government officials and media watchdog groups.
Andrew Berends, a New York-based freelance journalist who was working on a film about the oil-producing Delta region, was arrested on Sunday and held for 36 hours before being released. Mr. Berends’s passport and equipment were confiscated, and he was made to report back to the State Security Service early Tuesday morning. His translator, Samuel George, was also arrested.
“When you come to a security area with no clearance it’s against the rules,” said a military spokesman, Major Sagir Musa, who confirmed that Mr. Berends had been arrested and handed over to the security service. “He had no security clearance. It is for his own safety. If something happens to him it’s an embarrassment to the security agencies. It’s not normal times in the area right now. The S.S.S. will investigate him and once they are satisfied they will release him, God willing.”
Mr. Berends contacted both Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists Monday night, and both advocacy groups condemned his detention.
“Berends was arrested just for doing his job and no other reason,” Reporters Without Borders said in a statement Tuesday. “It is absurd for the authorities to think that, by arresting him and his interpreter, they can conceal the economic and ecological disaster unfolding in the Niger Delta.”
Despite its oil riches, the Niger Delta is a desperately poor and increasingly lawless part of the country where wealth is siphoned away by corrupt officials. Militants demand a greater share of the area’s oil resources and claim to be fighting on behalf of the impoverished residents, but also appear to be engaging in many criminal and opportunistic acts of violence. Hundreds of foreign workers and wealthy Nigerians have been kidnapped for ransom, and oil theft is rampant.
Several other foreign journalists and filmmakers have been detained while working in the region in recent years. In April, four members of a Seattle-based film crew were arrested while filming in the Delta and held for six days on spying charges. In May, a CNN journalist was detained while in the main Delta city of Port Harcourt and questioned by the S.S.S. for five days before being released.
“The government probably knows the fellow’s real mission and that it has nothing to do with espionage, but they want to do it to discourage others from coming to report on the situation on the ground,” said Chris Alagoa of the Niger Delta Peace and Security Secretariat, a community organization in the region. “They shouldn’t report on things that aren’t true, but if they’re reporting objectively on the situation, the world and the Nigerian people have a right to know the truth. Hounding journalists and filmmakers who want to inform the public is in bad taste.”
While Nigeria has a significantly freer press than most other Africa nations, gathering information in the tumultuous Niger Delta is particularly difficult.
“We have one of the freest presses in Africa, but there are rules,” said Nwuke Ogbonna, Information Commissioner for Rivers State, of which Port Harcourt is the capital. As for Mr. Berends, he said, “He may have engaged in actions that are not in the national interests of this country. Whether that means spying or entering off-limits areas I can’t say. It’s for the security agents to determine whether this means he was spying.”
Mr. Berends had visited Nigeria on several occasions and had been in the country since April on this particular trip. He often ventured into the creeks of the Delta to film in local villages affected by oil drilling. Two weeks ago, Mr. Berends said he had nearly finished his work and was planning on returning to New York this month.
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