Copenhagen Pranks: The Yes Men Take on Canada

The Canadian government was stung at the United Nations Climate Change Conference by a sophisticated hoax that made it appear the Canadian delegation had publicly committed to bold emission reduction targets and tens of billions in new aid to help African nations. The stunt by the Yes Men, the Climate Dept Agents, and other climate justice allies was one of the most elaborate media stunts in recent history.

Here are the videos:



Watch All Videos

Occupation Video on Grit TV with Laura Flanders

In California, the state budget crisis has led the legislature to propose a 32 percent increase in tuition for state schools. But students aren’t willing–or in many cases, able–to bear the brunt of the money problems.

Independent journalists Brandon Jourdan and Daniel Martinez were in California and caught this video when the students at UC Berkeley occupied Wheeler Hall, demanding not just lower tuition, but fair treatment for immigrant-owned businesses on campus, and rehiring union workers who had been laid off.

Watch Here

Occupied Berkeley: The Taking Of Wheeler Hall

Occupied Berkeley: The Taking Of Wheeler Hall (edit) from brandon jourdan on Vimeo.

Inside the Occupation

On November 20th, at approximately five in the morning, students occupied Wheeler Hall at the University of California at Berkeley. Here is my report from the inside:

Yes Men in San Francisco

The Yes Men Vrs the US Chamber of Commerce

Once Again, the Yes Men are in the news. For the first time in their history, they are being sued. The US Chamber of Commerce is extremely sore over last weeks stunt, which prompted a bunch of bad media for them. I read the complaint from this powerful lobbying group this morning and was shocked that they referred to my video as "high quality" and also to me as an "award-winning filmmaker." For a bunch of Earth haters, they really know how to throw on the charm. Here is my video of the stunt and two articles about the lawsuit linked below.



From the NY Times:

U.S. Chamber Sues Activists Over Climate Stunt

By ANNE C. MULKERN of Greenwire


The U.S. Chamber filed a lawsuit yesterday against activists who last week staged a fake news conference announcing that the business trade group had changed its policy on climate legislation.

Link to Full Article


From the Wall Street Journal:

Chamber Says 'No Thanks' to the Yes Men

The pranksters who impersonated U.S. Chamber of Commerce officials in a bogus news conference last week are getting smacked with a federal lawsuit in reply.

Full Article (link to complaint in article (mentions my excellent video work))

Yes Men Series that I'm Producing

Babelgum Yes Men Series

I've finished the first eight of a series of 22 short films on the infamous Yes Men.





The full series is at :www.babelgum.com/yesmen

My Footage of the Yes Men In the News

New Urbanism Series

Hello,

I know I haven't wrote in a while, but I've been busy. I helped my friend Kelly Loudenberg make the New Urbanism series for Babelgum.com. Here are two of my favorites:





The full series is at :www.babelgum.com/newurbanism

Homes For the Homeless

Here is a special from Now on PBS that I contributed some footage to.

Special Screenings of July War

With Filmmaker Brandon Jourdan
New Nothing Cinema
16 Sherman Street
Between 6th street and 7th street, parallel to Folsom and Harrison, in the SOMA district of San Francisco.
Free To All, Donations Accepted.
Sunday, May 31
8 p.m.

Oakland: Tuesday, June 2
AK Press
674-A 23rd St. (Between MLK and San Pablo Ave.)
7 p.m.
415.255.6304 for information


About the Movie
July War takes a raw and unflinching look at the devastating first-hand effects of the 2006 Israeli military offensive in Lebanon. This powerful documentary examines the broader impact of the global war on terrorism, using the war in Lebanon as a specific case study, and questions whether it has actually curbed, or perhaps increased, Islamic militancy. It also reflects on the US and Iranian role in the war and the failures of current policy in the Middle East by Western governments and their allies.

The documentary covers many angles of this complex war and its devastating impact on Lebanon's people, economy, and environment, and allows for a broader public audience to access this complicated political situation. Simultaneously, this documentary carefully deconstructs Israel's pretext for starting the conflict, the failure of both sides to avoid civilian deaths, the United States' role in the conflict, the role of Hizbullah in Lebanese society and as a proxy for Iran and Syria, and the failure of the United Nations to implement a ceasefire. July War combines stock footage and interviews with academics, politicians, human rights' experts, military officials, and journalists with cinema verite footage of Lebanese civilians in areas hard hit by the 2006 war.

New School Occupation Police Brutality

From The NY Times Blog Post by By Colin Moynihan AND Sewell Chan, Video By Brandon Jourdan:

Scores of police officers wearing helmets and carrying riot gear entered a New School building at 65 Fifth Avenue around 11 a.m. Friday, arresting 19 protesters who had occupied it as part of a determined protest aimed at the university’s president, Bob Kerrey.

Here is the video:

July War at Aljazeera International Film Festival

My movie, July War, about the 2006 Israeli offensive against Lebanon will be playing at the Aljazeera Film Festival in Doha, Qatar next week. I'll be flying out to talk at the festival. Here is the promo:

The Gaza Massacre

There are little words for the anger and sadness that I feel inside after watching the images of death creating by the Israeli offensive in Gaza. Below is an article detailing an attack on an United Nations school in Gaza.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/06/gaza-israel-death-un


Here is an interview with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyah that I shot over the summer. Despite the huge problems with Hamas, one will notice that he states that they will accept 1967 borders with Israel as a step toward a permanent solution. There are more sections of the interview at the CNI You Tube site.