A harrowing trip to Africa cemented a filmmaker's bond with Facebook and created a new way for human rights activists to spread the word -- while promoting the social networking site's month-old streaming video channel.
A week into Michealene Cristini Risley's trip to the Republic of Zimbabwe in August 2007 to make a documentary exposing sexual abuse by men who believed raping virgin girls would cure their HIV/AIDS, the Bay Area filmmaker was arrested on trumped-up charges and thrown into prison -- putting her in danger of being raped herself.
After three days, an American journalist who read about Risley's predicament on her Facebook page alerted a CIA agent, who made a call to Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe. She was released unharmed and fled the country with her HD footage.
On Sept. 28, Risley will be at Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif., to thank its employees for the company's...
A week into Michealene Cristini Risley's trip to the Republic of Zimbabwe in August 2007 to make a documentary exposing sexual abuse by men who believed raping virgin girls would cure their HIV/AIDS, the Bay Area filmmaker was arrested on trumped-up charges and thrown into prison -- putting her in danger of being raped herself.
After three days, an American journalist who read about Risley's predicament on her Facebook page alerted a CIA agent, who made a call to Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe. She was released unharmed and fled the country with her HD footage.
On Sept. 28, Risley will be at Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif., to thank its employees for the company's...
- 9/8/2010
- by By Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
We are pleased to offer a total of 21 clips from the Michealene Cristini Risley-directed documentary "Tapestries of Hope." The Fresh Water Spigot release is written by Risley along with Susan Black. There is a myth in Africa unraveling the very fabric of the country and devastating young girls lives. After a chance meeting with human rights activist Betty Makoni, author/filmmaker Michealene Cristini Risley travels to Zimbabwe determined to document the shocking atrocities Betty Makoni and her organization, The Girl Child Network, witness daily. In doing so, Risley confronts a monstrous practice ravaging young women in this impoverished country. Highly respected traditional healers with enormous sway to reinforce historical cultural beliefs, including the magical power of female blood, are counseling men to have sex with virgins to cure AIDS. This is a leading cause of the increased spread of the HIV virus in Zimbabwe, making it one of the top...
- 11/9/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
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