Currently 81 years old, Faustino is reaching the end of his life, and his self-imposed isolation is being encroached upon by the forces of government, economy, and tourism. In December 2011, VICE went to document his lifestyle and speak with him about the changing face of Patagonia and the gaucho lifestyle.

by Ericsson

Working Man’s Death

In today’s technological age – is heavy manual labour disappearing or is it just becoming invisible?

Physical work was once celebrated with hymns of praise. But workers today must be content with encouraging one another that their hard work is better than no work at all.

This series looks at the state of physical work in today’s world. Work that is dreary, demanding and at time dangerous.

(Special TV version for Aljazeera, from documentary feature Working Man’s Death)

Watch Part 2 “Brothers”
Watch Part 3 “Ghosts”
Watch Part 4 “Heroes”

Featuring Interviews by:
JJ Abrams – Writer / Director / Producer – SUPER 8
Steven Spielberg – Producer – SUPER 8
Brian Burk – Producer – SUPER 8
Larry Fong – DP – SUPER 8
and more…

WINNER
Audience Award for Best Short Film- AFI/Discovery Silverdocs
Best Documentary Short Film- Sidewalk Motion Picture Festival
Honorable Mention- Nashville Film Festival
Ideal Award- Adventure Film Festival

by Matt Morris

Film by Andrew Wonder

Film by Marcus O’Brien

So. What’s life like for a Korean student? In one of the most competitive societies in the world, how does one find their place? What does it take to achieve your aspirations and goals? Our documentary will take a look at the lives of five Korean teenagers on the verge of either reaching- or losing- their dreams. The film will follow the students during the most stressful time of their lives- their last year of high school. After studying for roughly sixteen hours each day, their futures boil down to one last exam. On November 10th, 2011, thousands of high school seniors will take a nine hour test that for many, will determine their economic and social status for the rest of their lives.

A Documentary (preview) by Kelley Katzenmeyer

Final paintings

Shot and edited by Stefan Werc. This footage was originally shot for the Bagong Silang documentary directed by Zena Merton and produced by Giselle Santos

But there is a long way to go yet and many ways in which any deal could be upset by events. General John Allen, the senior American commander on the ground, has publicly expressed doubts that a full military withdrawal by 2014 is feasible and, as many experts point out, fighting in parts of Afghanistan is just as fierce as it has always been.

This is especially so in two strategically vital provinces, Kunar and Nuristan, which sit on Afghanistan’s mountainous north-eastern border with Pakistan. Since US troops arrived in the country 11 years ago, the area has seen sustained and intense violence. In 2009, with casualties rising, the Americans withdrew entirely from Nuristan. The following year northern Kunar was also handed over to Afghan control. But within a few months, the Taliban had retaken the area, infiltrating through vital border crossings and completely undermining attempts by Afghan forces to maintain security across the region.

So now US forces have returned to the area, this time to the frozen peaks as well as the valleys, determined to re-establish their military dominance and win over the local population before they go. The Taliban are just as keen to see them defeated and the result is an intermittent but occasionally ferocious clash for supremacy amid the mountain tops. Both sides know that what happens here may yet decide the success or failure of NATO’s war and indeed the future of Afghanistan itself.

Filmmaker John D McHugh went to the frontline of this remote but important struggle, to assess the willingness and capacity of the combatants to see it through to a definitive conclusion.

I shot these photographs at a tiny outpost called Checkpoint 2.5 while making a film, The Winter War, in Kunar in Nov/Dec 2011. The footage from this bunker didn’t make it into the film, but this audio slideshow, or photofilm, gives a sense of what it is like for the US soldiers of 2/27 Infantry to live in such a remote and vulnerable posting.
Filmmaker John D McHugh