Web posted
Friday, February 22, 2008
Coming to America
Film shows what people think around the world
By CHRIS ROBINETTE
Traveler Correspondent
Americans are constantly bombarded with news bytes concerning world opinion on American actions. Two film directors, Dominic Howes and Joel Webber, have attempted to answer the question, "What does the world really think of the United States?"
Cowley County Community College students had the opportunity to peer into the world's opinions on Thursday night with the film, "The Listening Project."
The film follows four American citizens as they travel to 14 different countries asking people, "What do you think of America?" The four "listeners" do not have a background in journalism or diplomacy; they come from all different walks of life.
Responses to the questions posed by the listeners vary throughout the film. Answers changed depending on the region and background of the person. People from Canada and Israel gave different opinions than people from South Africa or Palestine.
Different segments of the film focused on specific countries and people that were interviewed. In Afghanistan viewers met a woman, Arifa, who lost eight family members to collateral damage caused by a U.S. bomb. Despite Arifa's efforts, she has not received much compensation from the U.S. authorities in Afghanistan.
The film was not designed to express a certain bias, according to Howes and Han Shan, one of the listeners. While many of the people interviewed in the film expressed criticism of the American government, nearly all made an effort to differentiate between the American people and the American government. Many expressed a positive view of the American people.
Koichi, interviewed in Japan, said, "I love America and I hate America, but I love American people."
After the screening Howes and Shan fielded audience questions about the film.
"We found people who were really angry about certain things," said Shan in response to one question. He added that the anger came across as disappointment because "there are things that they admire so much [about America]." Many who were interviewed spoke of the American dream.
A man interviewed in the United Kingdom said, "You get a in feeling in the states that regardless of your background, if you've got drive, you have ambition, you can make it."
The film was designed to portray an accurate picture of the world's view on America, according to Shan.
"We [Howes and Shan] think we live in a world that is very interdependent," said Shan.
A central theme to the film was that Americans are not simply U.S. citizens, according to Shan. He wants people to "really start to examine what it means to be a global citizen."
The audience, mostly Cowley College students, received the film well.
"It inspired my thirst for knowledge," said sophomore Bethany Schmidt.
"I thought it was a good look at what is going on around the world," said sophomore Jesse Davis.
Shravan Arora, a Cowley College student from India, said "It was really representative of . . . the opinion that is out there." He said America is constantly in the spotlight, "It is the super power."
"It is America that does one small thing and everyone is on to it."
The film has gotten a similar reaction at other screenings, according to Shan. "It has been really positive," he said.
The film has not been released on DVD. It is currently being screened across the country at colleges and film festivals across the country. Those who are interested in attending a screening can view upcoming locations at http://thelisteningprojectfilm.com. The site has an automatic e-mail notification that will inform people who register of a release date when it becomes available.
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