Of Fatwahs And Beauty Queens

Of Fatwahs And Beauty Queens

- Tuesday July 10 at 8.30 PM:

The story of the disastrous 2002 Miss World Pageant hosted in Nigeria. Many questions were already being asked of organisers as to why this desperately poor nation was hosting the event when a local journalist's story caused pandemonium. Before the chaos ended, the pageant had been cancelled, the beauty queens had fled, and the journalist had escaped into exile with a 'fatwah' issued against her life.

RETURN OF THE RIVER: HISHUK TSAWAK; EVERYTHING IS ONE - Tuesday July 17 at 8.30 PM: A tale of struggle and survival - the Canadian Huu-ay-aht First Nations and their ongoing efforts to bring back the Sarita river, destroyed decades ago by clear-cut logging and commercial fishing. This powerful, emotional film shows how strong leadership and the will of the people, can move mountains … and rivers.

RAGE - Tuesday July 24 at 8.30 PM: Since the term 'road rage' was first coined back in the late 1980s, this type of random violence has become a growing concern. Road rage, air rage, work rage, trolley rage and countless bizarre variations are now widely looked on as evidence of civilization's decline. This documentary explores the concept of 'rage', attempting to dispel its myths and uncover its influences.

EXTREME ENGINEERING: CITY IN A PYRAMID - Tuesday July 31 at 8.30 PM: Tokyo is one of the world's most crowded cities. Hoping to relieve the stress of alarming over-population, the city's construction industry has trained its sights on the only vacant lot around - the waters of Tokyo Bay. This is the near-impossible dream of city planners: to build a massive pyramid over the water, with skyscrapers suspended like peapods within its enormous frame.

HOLY ROLLERS - Tuesday August 7 at 8.30 PM: This documentary follows tour guide Suzi Rosedale as she leads busloads of Christian pilgrims on their trip-of-a-lifetime around the Holy Land. As they follow 'in the footsteps of Jesus' from his birthplace in Bethlehem to the site of his crucifixion, it becomes impossible to ignore the modern reality of life in this fractured land.

Maori Television's International Documentary slot, Pakipumeka o te Ao, screens every Tuesday at 8.30 PM.

Ends

© Scoop Media