It’s been a while since I’ve seen a film about the Middle East.  That’s mostly because I’ve been shying away from them as I get tired of hearing about the wars that have been fought there and the depravity that the people live in etc. etc, but this film trailer caught my eye and I was immediately drawn in by the story.

I wouldn’t say that the U.S. has a completely free press – at least not like they do in Europe where everything is fair game until it breaches privacy laws, but it’s a far freer press than other parts of the world where the government controls everything. Completely everything. You don’t appreciate what you have until you see what it could be like or worse, you experience it first hand.

Red Reel

This film is beautifully shot and it has a powerful message: if you don’t have a visual presence on the web or in the news, then you are left behind.  As someone who has always lived in countries with a “free voice,” it’s hard to imagine living somewhere where you could be killed for documenting something on a camera.  We have become so accustomed to taking photos with our phones and other various devices to share our experience with everyone that we know.  What would it be like to not be able to document what is going on in your life? And, what would it be like to live in a place where once a group of people have left, you have the potential to be forgotten by others?