A Glance at OPEC
You are to stay away from a situation that does not concern you or any other American citizen.
Arabian Assault. Preston MacAdam. New York: Avon Books, 1985.
“OPEC at a Glance” is aimed at providing a brief account of the organization’s history, explaining its policies, actions, operations and structure. It is a glance at OPEC.
Opec at a Glance. Vienna: OPEC, 1989
THE PUBLIC INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
The Department carries out a central information and public relations programme aimed at presenting a positive image of the Organization’s role on the international scene. This programme is continually reviewed and, when necessary, adjusted to take account of altered circumstances in the world at large and, of course, of any directional changes in OPEC policies. The Department is responsible for producing and distributing a growing number of publications, films and other promotional aids; explaining the Organization’s thinking and actions on issues with which OPEC is directly or indirectly involved, or in which it has an interest; and identifying suitable areas for the promotion of the Organization’s aims.
Opec at a Glance. Vienna: OPEC, 1989
By Any Normal Standards
… the Customs and Ports Report, the Police magazine, the Army magazine, publications issued by most other Ministries, account books, rolls of registered letter stickers, schoolchildren’s lateness-passes and every other conceivable form of official printing.
In writing a book about Kuwait it is difficult not to embark upon too many panegyrics and either exhaust the reader’s admiration or challenge his credibility. The reader should therefore know that by any normal standards Kuwait is an incredible country, not merely because of her wealth, or even the intelligent way it is being spent, but also because of the sudden and rapid progress that she is making in departments of human activity where money is of little help.
The Voice of Kuwait, Kuwait’s national broadcasting service, is a loud and far-carrying voice which will soon have world-wide strength. And strength of voice is important in Arab broadcasting, for millions of listeners twiddle the knobs of their radios until they pick up the clearest signal; Kuwait is making certain, with the purchase of the most up-to-date equipment, that her voice is not neglected by Arab listeners.
It could make Kuwait the loudest Arab voice over an area covering Alexandria, Beirut, Northern Iraq, Afghanistan, Karachi, the Gulf towns and round to Aden, Riyadh and Mecca.
All text and images from Kuwait Today: A Welfare State. Nairobi: Quality Publications, 1963
Music Always Precedes the News
The station has its own orchestra, with twelve violins, two celli, two double basses, one quanoon (like a zither), one nai (a bamboo flute) and an oud (a sort of fat, crooked guitar); percussion comes from a riq, a tambourine and a tympany drum, while often the orchestra is joined by a clarinet, and accordion and piano.
More road safety films are planned, and tourist films showing the entertainment possibilities of a stay in Kuwait will be made. Already the Ministry has its own small private-viewing cinema, and makes films of trade missions and the visit of important guests; afterwards copies are made and given away to the guests.
Kuwait’s four hours of daily television — with an extra hour on Thursdays — is planned on a something-for-everyone basis. The first programme to go out nightly is always a recitation from the Koran. After that comes a programme for children; it shows a “children’s corner” of songs, dancing and plays recorded in advance by Kuwaiti schoolchildren, together with regular comic cartoon features. Following this is a general feature, sometimes for women, sometimes on health or world affairs, art or science.
For a special Wednesday programme viewers can send in stories of their problems; actors then dramatize the problem for broadcasting.
Short programmes of songs and music always precedes the news.
The news and the longer film programmes are left until late to give shoppers and shopkeepers time to get home, for many Kuwait shops are open until 8.30 or 9 in the evening.
As a breaker of records in so many fields Kuwait must be unbeaten even by international standards. With the most, the highest, the smallest, the quickest in so many walks of life she is a “natural” for newsmen and writers and film teams and other sources of information. So the Ministry of Information has a continuous stream of visitors wanting to find out facts and figures.
All text and images from Kuwait Today: A Welfare State. Nairobi: Quality Publications, 1963
Saving From Death or From Damage to Bodily Injuries…
Daddy’s Fiddle, Sweden, 1992
The life of an immigrant family of three. Having been a violinist, the man is used to play violin when he is alone. The woman is working in an office and the eight-year-old child attends school. The man has problems with his wife. Being in a bad situation the couple can not help each other. But the child is aware of the problems.
Dear Mr. President, Sweden, 1990
Responsible president, a weird vicepresident, and a mysterious orator for all the world… The story is about a crime which gets committed during a direct-sending of a program on TV.
112 The Lost, Austria, 1992
It starts with the childhood and death and a lost love. Then Hesitation begins: Has everything come to an end? He himself comes to this conclusion that everything has just started.
Don’t Worry, Be Happy! Norway, 1992
This is a story of a ball which changes into a TV set, and by this change, converts the joy of playing into pleasure of watching! This is a satire, revealing the TV’s role in peoples lifes.
The Reproduction of Life’s Happenings and the Exact Recording, in a Most Astonishing Way, of People’s Talks No Matter How Secret and How Far They Were
Dreams of an Iranian Poet in Exile, France, 1991
“Nemat Azarm” who has been living in exile in France since 1982, is one of the Iranian poets who used poetry in his struggle against repression under the Shah’s regime. His imprisonment by the Shah, his struggle against the unfinished revolution in 1979 in Iran which was usurped by the “Mullahs,” his compulsory exile and the expression of his suffering in a foreign land, All are shown in this film.
Fata Morgana, Sweden, 1984
An artist flees from the Shah’s Iran and settles down in Sweden. Though he finds a job and becomes adjusted to the Swedish way of living, he remains a stranger. Callous, burocratic Sweden, typical Swedish calmness and motional distance together with his won rootlessness influences Muhammed. When he learns of the Iranian revolution, he feels that he must return, participate and support the new system. However his expectations of Khomeini’s Iran turns out to be Fata Morgana.
From Banjul to Borlänge, Sweden, 1993
Pa is a man from Gambia. After he finished school he started to work at hotel Sunwing. The owner of the hotel, who was Swedish, decided to send Pas and some other guys to Sweden to learn Swedish. After a short time in Sweden, the management of the hotel told Pa they didn’t need him anymore. They had decided to employ people from Spain because it was cheaper. Pa had to decide whether he wanted to go back to Gambia or stay in Sweden. The decision wasn’t hard to make…
Gorbatjov, Sweden, 1992
A mother at work some candy-money, a forgotten birthday, a cat, a taxi-trip, a hamburger for dinner — and Benny and Tobias, that’s what this film is all about.
The Predicting Details of Forthcoming Events, No Matter How Difficult of Numerous They Were
Goran, The Ex-Guerilla, Sweden, 1993
Goran is a Kurd. He was wonded after seven years of armed struggle against the Iraqi Regime. His Comrades helped him to flee to Sweden through Syria and Iran. Although he has been in Sweden for many years, he is still dreaming to go back to Kurdistan and live with his family and friends.
He and She, Norway, 1991
A satirical story about a man and a woman. The man is busy painting. He completely ignores his surroundings. The woman plays all possible tricks to draw his attention. At last, buy using magic, she manages to do so.
Silence, Denmark, 1991
A lonely street-cleaner who loves classical films, falls in love with a girl. But he is unable to make contact with the girl until…
Illusion, Sweden, 1988
Two friends, a poet and a photographer, intend to publish a book of photography and poems. One day, on the way back home, the poet sees a young girl through the window. The other man although looking at the same time, doesn’t see anybody. Whether it was real or an illusion make them search for the truth, but the boundary between illusion and reality is blurred. Is the image of the girl real, or is it an illusion?…
Knowing the Thoughts and Dreams
The Earthly Fish, Denmark, 1989
Amid the pressure of two different times and two different places a man relizes that all his surrounding is falling apart. There is no remedy.
Connection, Germany 1991
A man in an empty room. A telephone is his only Connection with the world.. A telephone that is actually disconnected. A woman from his past, tries to get in touch with him… The film pictures the loneliness and solitude of a man.
Meat-Grinder, Austria, 1990
The film tells us the story of three young men who land in an Austrian prison for various reasons. They have been sentences for minor misdemeanors and are confronted by the prison’s merciless subculture. They have to integrate into the hierarchy, which is characterized by violence and sexual suppression. “Mario,” who seems to have found the means of protecting himself and rescuing “Richie,” fails completely to help “Karli,” and thus the prison meatgrinder destroys another human being.
The Winner, Sweden, 1992
A young girl, a previous winner of the school’s dance contest, is on her way to school to participate in yet another contest. On the way to school she comes across an elderly woman who needs help and the young girl must choose between the contest and helping her.
The Ability of Speaking an Existing Language
The Wave, Sweden, 1989
About all the “whys” in life and death.
The Tunnel, Denmark, 1990
Vague nightmares of a lonely man. A survey about the surroundings, a city, a tunnel…