The First Movie is educative in the right way

10 April 2012

Mark Cousins travelled to a village in northern Iraq and gave the local children Flip cameras to make their own films.

The First Movie, which has been submitted for an International Emmy, shows the results. Some are remarkable: interviews with bereaved women, a poetic essay about a boy "giving his dreams to the mud" and a venture into a Ramadan mosque.

Cousins, a former director of the Edinburgh Film Festival, goes about his task with enthusiasm— too much at times (his commentary tends to tell us what we can readily see for ourselves).

But his film is educative in the right way, capturing the joy of creating something special with children who otherwise have little chance to stretch their hearts and minds.

The First Movie + Q&A

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