The One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, organised by the People in Need foundation, is currently the largest human rights film festival in the world. More than 100,000 viewers attend it every year. Half of these festival-goers comprise audiences from our network of regional festivals, which has expanded this year to 33 towns and cities in Bohemia and Moravia.

Watch the premiere of Inside Disaster Haiti on TVO tonight at 9pm ET.

Jean-Pierre Taschereau, one of the aid workers featured in the Inside Disaster Haiti series, led the International Red Cross response immediately following the earthquake. Jen Mayville from the Red Cross asked him some questions about the film, and what it was like to be part of it:

1. Have you watched the film yet? Was it emotional watching the film?

Yes, I have. The first time watching it, 5 minutes in I had to stop watching it. It brought back a lot of emotions that I didn’t know were there, especially watching the story about the kid that we helped at the base camp. It was amazing that it was caught on film.

2. What do you think about it?

It reflects well the dilemmas we were facing. A year later, listening to what we were saying then, it shows how clearly we knew how complex responding to this disaster was going to be. A year later, there is still so much to do. It’s kind of weird, but it shows what we accomplished then, but because of all the challenges after that, it looks like a drop in the ocean.

3. How does it feel to be one of the central “characters” in the film?

Read the rest of the interview at Red Cross Talks.

Tuesday January 11 (ep 1)
Wednesday January 12 (ep 2)
Thursday January 13 (ep 3)

Inside Disaster Haiti will then repeat in Prime Time on 3 consecutive Wednesdays at 9pm:

Wednesday January 26 (ep 1)
Wednesday February 2 (ep 2)
Wednesday February 9 (ep 3)

SCN will be airing the series in Saskatchewan
Sunday Jan 16, 23 and 30 at 8:00pm
repeating at 10:00pm

Canal D will be airing the FEATURE VERSION in French
on January 9th at 7pm

TORONTO, Oct. 28 /CNW/ – PTV Productions and TVO are proud to announce the release of their hotly-anticipated interactive website Inside Disaster and Inside the Haiti Earthquake a first-person simulation about the Haiti earthquake and humanitarian work.

The Inside Disaster team is also celebrating two Canadian New Media Award nominations for their work, for Best Cross-Platform Project and Best Web-Based Game.

The website and simulation are companions to the upcoming documentary series Inside Disaster, which follows the Red Cross response to the January 2010 Haiti earthquake.  The web-based projects are based on footage and themes from the documentary series. The series premieres on TVO on the first anniversary of the Haiti earthquake, January 12, 2011 and continues January 19 and 26 at 9 pm.

With today’s launch, InsideDisaster.com becomes the premiere online destination for interactive and educational content about the Haiti earthquake and humanitarian work.  The website and simulation are produced by PTV’s new interactive department, headed by Web Director Katie McKenna:

“Canadians are deeply invested in Haiti’s recovery from the earthquake.  We wanted to create content that would help them understand why the devastation was so great in Haiti, how Haitians survived, and the specific challenges that are still hampering the aid rollout and reconstruction today.  Our website and simulation allow them to experience that complexity first-hand.

“There’s an increasing interest in humanitarian work around the world, and many people want to know how to get involved in the field.  Donors are also asking who is accountable when things go wrong.  The goal of our work is to help answer all of these questions, and more.”

Inside the Haiti Earthquake is a cinematic web-based simulation that allows users to experience the aftermath of the earthquake as a survivor, aid worker, or journalist.  It combines a provocative script from award-winning “serious gaming” expert and Co-Director Michael Gibson with real-world documentary footage to help users experience the complexities of humanitarian work in Haiti for themselves.

Co-director, cinematographer, editor and composer Nicolas Jolliet travelled to Haiti in January and August 2010 to capture original footage, photos and music for the simulation. Jolliet used inconspicuous camera equipment and his fluency in French and Creole to reach stories and locations unavailable to other filmmakers.

The Inside Disaster website was produced by a dynamic sixteen-person team, anchored by Technical Lead Spencer Saunders and Creative Lead Kirk Clyne.  The site also features a world-class advisory board, including humanitarian academics Mareike Schomerus and Tim Allen of the Development Studies Institute (DESTIN) of the London School of Economics; aid professionals Patrick Crowley (Tearfund), Carol Devine (Dignitas International), and Shelley Gornall (UNHCR); and innovation leaders Mark Greenspan (Achilles Media) and Morgan Clendaniel (Deputy Editor, GOOD Magazine).

InsideDisaster.com and Inside the Haiti Earthquake were funded by TVO, the Canada Media Fund, the Bell Broadcast and New Media fund, and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

*    *    *

TVO is Ontario’s public educational media organization and a trusted source of interactive educational content that informs, inspires and stimulates curiosity and thought. Celebrating 40 years in 2010, TVO’s vision is to empower people to be engaged citizens of Ontario through educational media. TVO is funded primarily by the Province of Ontario and supported by thousands of donors. For more information, visit tvo.org.

PTV Productions Inc. is an established, diverse & innovative producer of multi-platfrom documentaries, lifestyle and factual series.  It is owned and operated by Andrea Nemtin and Ian Dunbar. PTV Productions works with broadcasters and co-producers in Canada and around the world, and owns a growing library of over 60 hours of award-winning and award-nominated documentaries and series.

For more information:

Inside Disaster: http://insidedisaster.com/haiti/
Inside the Haiti Earthquake: http://insidethehaitiearthquake.com/

For further information:
Katie Jeffs, Development and Communications, PTV Productions
416-531-0100 x 228 / kjeffs@ptvproductions.ca

Paul Ginis ,TVO Marketing and Communications
P: 416-484-2600 x2445 / pginis@tvo.org

Toronto – A behind-the-scenes look at our upcoming documentary series about the Red Cross relief effort in Haiti, Inside Disaster.

Director / producer Nadine Pequeneza wants her upcoming documentary series on the Red Cross in Haiti to help viewers understand the complexities of humanitarian relief. Featuring exclusive footage from Inside Disaster, coming in Fall 2010:

Inside Disaster is directed by Nadine Pequeneza, and will be released in Fall 2010.

Toronto – A behind-the-scenes look at our upcoming documentary series about the Red Cross relief effort in Haiti, Inside Disaster.

Cinematographer/ field director Stefan Randstrom describes filming Marcel and Romain’s quad-bike tour of a “post-apocalyptic” Port-au-Prince. Featuring exclusive footage from the documentary series Inside Disaster, coming in Fall 2010:

Inside Disaster is directed by Nadine Pequeneza, and will be released in Fall 2010. You can learn more about the documentary crew here, or join our mailing list at right to receive updates on the production.

Toronto - A behind-the-scenes look at our upcoming documentary series about the Red Cross relief effort in Haiti, Inside Disaster.

In this video, Inside Disaster Location Sound Recordist Simon Paine was confronted with a life-and-death situation during the crew’s documentary shoot:

Inside Disaster is directed by Nadine Pequeneza, and will be released in Fall 2010. You can learn more about the documentary crew here, or join our mailing list at right to receive updates on the production.

Toronto – A behind-the-scenes look at our upcoming documentary series about the Red Cross relief effort in Haiti, Inside Disaster.
Featuring exclusive footage from the documentary series Inside Disaster, coming in Fall 2010.

In this video Directorand producer, Nadine Pequeneza, describes the complexities of successful aid distribution in Haiti:

Inside Disaster is directed by Nadine Pequeneza, and will be released in Fall 2010. You can learn more about the documentary crew here, or join our mailing list at right to receive updates on the production.

Toronto – A behind-the-scenes look at our upcoming documentary series about the Red Cross relief effort in Haiti, Inside Disaster.

Location Sound Recordist Simon Paine describes meeting Louken, a young Haitian Red Cross volunteer thrust into a leadership role after the earthquake:

Inside Disaster is directed by Nadine Pequeneza, and will be released in Fall 2010. You can learn more about the documentary crew here, or join our mailing list at right to receive updates on the production.

Toronto – A behind-the-scenes look at our upcoming documentary series about the Red Cross relief effort in Haiti, Inside Disaster.

Cinematographer/ field director Stefan Randstrom describes meeting Marcel and Romain, two brothers building a house in the Champs-de-Mars camp. Featuring exclusive footage from the documentary series Inside Disaster, coming in Fall 2010.

Inside Disaster is directed by Nadine Pequeneza, and will be released in Fall 2010. You can learn more about the documentary crew here, or join our mailing list at right to receive updates on the production.