President Barack Obama: I Don't Quit

President Barack Obama


Michael Chima --

I just finished delivering my first State of the Union, and I wanted to send you a quick note.

We face big and difficult challenges. Change on the scale we seek does not come easily. But I will never accept second place for the United States of America.

That is why I called for a robust jobs bill without delay. It's why I proposed a small businesses tax credit, new investments in infrastructure, and pushed for climate legislation to create a clean energy economy.

It's why we're taking on big banks, reforming Wall Street, revitalizing our education system, increasing transparency -- and finishing the job on health insurance reform.

It's why I need your help -- because I am determined to fight to defend the middle class, and special interest lobbyists will go all out to fight us.

Help me show that the American people are ready to join this fight for the middle class -- add your name to a letter to Congress today:

http://my.barackobama.com/SOTU

We have finished a difficult year. We have come through a difficult decade. But we don't quit. I don't quit.

Let's seize this moment -- to start anew, to carry the dream forward, and to strengthen our union once more.

..
President Barack Obama


Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
28 Jan 2010
16:41
The State of the Union: Administration, Congress Must Pair Education Investment With Policy Change, Says Campaign for High School Equity
16:00
President's Job Proposals are a Good Start, But More is Needed
15:42
Bombardier Transportation Praises Obama Administration's Effort to Create Jobs and Rebuild U.S. Rail Economy
15:26
DNC: GOP Makes Pitch to Latinos, Forgets to Add Ideas
15:13
Catholic Charities USA Responds to State of the Union; Reports Alarming 4th Quarter 2009 Snapshot Survey Results
13:00
President Obama's State of the Union Address: A Statement From the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
07:19
DNC Chairman Tim Kaine Calls President Obama's State of the Union Address 'A Home Run for the Middle Class', Says Democratic National Committee
07:04
Richard R. Buery, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of The Children's Aid Society, Released the Following Statement Regarding President Obama's State of the Union Address:
07:04
Landrieu Praises President's Commitment to Make Small Business a Key Priority
06:52
Americans More Favorable of President's Plans for Health Care, Economy and Foreign Policy after Viewing State of the Union Address
05:13
President Obama's Vague Mention of Global HIV/AIDS Fight and Infectious Disease Threats Lack Budget Commitment
05:12
Velazquez Praises President's Agenda Helping Small Businesses
05:06
FRC Pledges to Oppose President's Proposals to Sexualize the Military, Socialize Child Care and Penalize Married Couples
05:01
Oxfam America Reaction to State of the Union Address
04:59
Congressman Fattah Lauds President Obama's Direction on Jobs and the Middle Class
04:58
GOP Response Insults Jobless Americans
04:57
Obama Calls for Change Working Families Are Still Waiting For
04:55
DGA Chair Markell on State of the Union
04:53
Bread for the World Applauds Obama's Focus on Job Creation
04:50
Pelosi Statement Following President Obama's State of the Union Address
04:46
DNC Chairman Tim Kaine Calls President Obama's State of the Union Address 'A Home Run for the Middle Class'
04:42
Experts Say President Obama's Remarks on Gay Ban Fall Short of 2010 Challenges
04:33
NSBA Responds to State of the Union Address
04:28
Machinists President Buffenbarger Responds to President Obama's First State of Union Address
04:27
Statement of Dr. Michael L. Lomax, UNCF President and CEO on President Obama's State of the Union Address
04:01
APTA President Applauds President Obama's State of the Union Address
03:47
Statement by AFGE National President John Gage on the State of the Union Address
01:19
Excerpts of President Obama's State of the Union Address
01:04
State of the Union Political Experts Available for Analysis and Interviews
00:42
Repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell
00:23
Alliance Urges Obama to Push Energy Efficiency as Engine of Job Creation in State of the Union Address
27 Jan 2010
23:50
FRC to Host State of the Union, Voice of the People Webcast
22:56
President Obama Should Appoint Independent Panel to Evaluate Climate Change-National Security Link in Wake of Climate Science Scandals, Former Commander of Pacific Fleet Says in Open Letter
22:48
GW Experts Available to Analyze President Obama's State of the Union Address
19:15
PROFNET EXPERT ALERTS: State of the Union Address
16:59
AICPA Top Tax Expert Available to Comment on Tax Measures Proposed by President Obama in State of the Union Address
15:00
State of the Union: Recovery Measures will Reach Main Street and Contractors in 2010
13:56
Bauer Says it's 'Not Too Late' For Obama, But This is a Defining Moment

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Clinton: Nigeria faces threat from Radicalization

Hillary Clinton

United States Department of State (Washington, DC)

Nigeria: Excerpt of Secretary Clinton's Remarks at Town Hall Meeting
Hillary Clinton
27 January 2010


The following remarks on Nigeria were made by the U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, at a town hall meeting at the State Department in Washington, DC to mark the first anniversary of her appointment to the post:

QUESTION: Good morning, Madame Secretary. My name is Todd Woodard and I’m a contractor supporting the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization.

Given the recent alleged attempted attack by the young Nigerian on Christmas Day and also the purported audio message from Usama bin Ladin heralding that attack and assuming responsibility for it, I’m curious to hear your thoughts regarding the connection between Islamist organizations and young Muslims in Western Africa, specifically Nigeria. I’m curious to hear what your opinion is regarding the driving factors for the youth accepting and embracing the Islamist ideology.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, it’s an excellent question, and volumes have been written to try to answer that. But let me just briefly say that there is a connection between young people and the efforts to radicalize them that are promoted, sponsored, financed by al-Qaida and other extreme organizations with a very narrow definition of Islam. And they have been quite effective on the internet, as you know. We can track connections between not just the Christmas Day bomber but the Fort Hood shooter, the shooter at the Little Rock military recruitment station, and can see that they were at least listening to and interacting with very extreme voices on the side of Islamist ideology.

In Nigeria, which is, as you know, evenly divided between Muslims and Christians, about 75 million of each – Christians predominantly in the south, Muslims predominantly in the north – there has been an accommodation that has enabled Nigeria to survive politically. But the failure of the Nigerian leadership over many years to respond to the legitimate needs of their own young people, to have a government that promoted a meritocracy, that really understood that democracy can’t just be given lip service, it has to be delivering services to the people, has meant there is a lot of alienation in that country and others.

Young people in the world today, they see other options. They’re all interconnected through the internet. And the information we have on the Christmas Day bomber so far seems to suggest that he was disturbed by his father’s wealth and the kind of living conditions that he viewed as being not Islamic enough and just the kinds of attitudes young people often portray toward their families as they go through their maturing. But in this case, and in so many others, such young people are targets for recruiters to extremism.

So I do think that Nigeria faces a threat from increasing radicalization that needs to be addressed, and not just by military means. There has to be a recognition that in the last 10 years, a lot of the indicators about quality of life in Nigeria have gone the wrong direction. The rate of illiteracy is growing, not falling, in a country that used to have a very high rate of literacy in Africa. The health statistics are going the wrong direction. The corruption is unbelievable. And when I did a town hall in Abuja, people were just literally standing and shouting about what it was like to live in a country where the elite was so dominant, where corruption was so rampant, where criminality was so pervasive.


And that is an opening for extremism that offers an alternative world view. You want to live in peace and safety and feel good about yourself and be part of a community that you can be proud of, then turn away from your society and your family and come with us. And that can be a powerful message, whether it’s a gang in America or an extremist organization in Nigeria. And part of what I’ve been trying to tell leaders in all of my travels is that we’re not just lecturing about human rights or good governance or anticorruption measures because they’re our values; we think they are absolutely essential to the long-term survival of a lot of these governments and the societies and the political systems.

So this is – there are individual reasons why people get recruited and radicalized, but your question about Nigeria really raises all of the elements that make the circumstances ripe for people being targeted as they are, and they have to be addressed.

Nollywood Noisemakers and the Rest of Us

Nollywood Noisemakers and the Rest of Us

~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima

It was in the book Nollywood: The Video Phenomenon in Nigeria written by Monsieur Pierre Barrot that he called one of the top players in the contemporary Nigerian film industry a Nollywood Noisemaker. Of course M. Barrot knew what he was talking about when he made that derogatory jest, because he was the French Audio-visual Attaché in Nigeria where he was involved in the development of the local film industry and he could separate the sheep from the goats in Idumota and Onitsha.


Nollywood noisemakers are legion and they are well known for their street brawls over bragging rights for the titular positions in their various guilds and making home videos. Then they went over the moon when UNESCO reported that Nigeria has overtaken Hollywood as the second largest film producer in the world after India’s Bollywood. But the last French Audio-visual Attaché in Nigeria, Monsieur Robert Minangoy laughed at the report and waved it off in dismissal.

How can you compare 485 major films produced by the United States to Nollywood’s 872 home videos? Moreover, the figures were based on a survey done by UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) in 2006. Bollywood made 1,091 feature-length films in 2006 and if you know the stuff and the format of these Indian films, you would be an ignorant fool to compare them to the cheap home videos in Nollywood.

99% of Nollywood videos cannot be screened at any major film festival, cinema and on TV in America or Europe, because the quality is amateurish and Nollywood movie makers have pirated American and European songs and music in their home videos. In fact, it is common to hear complete tracks of Céline Dion or Beyoncé Knowles in many Nollywood movies and they violated these copyrights with impunity.




Nollywood has crashed since the UNESCO report was published and the current statistics will send that report into the waste bin, because majority of the prolific Nollywood producers are broke and in fact, many of them complained of hunger on TV when they were protesting against piracy on the streets of Lagos. They were pointing accusing fingers at the famous Alaba International Market in Lagos where traders are duplicating copies of both Nigerian and foreign movies and hawking them on the streets like cheap peanuts..
Only the well-fed producers are still active and in fact, they are not making up to half of the 872 home videos recorded in 2006.

Nollywood noisemakers can even claim that Nigeria is the largest producer of home video movies in the world, but they must tackle the problem of the poor quality of their productions. If Nigerians want to celebrate a UNESCO Report on being the second largest producer of B movies in the world, they can do so shamelessly, but they are only celebrating their mediocrity and continue to be the laughing stock of Hollywood and Bollywood. It is ridiculous for Nigeria to boast of making over 872 movies annually, but not a single one has even qualified for screening at the Cannes Film Festival and most of them cannot make the box office in America!
How many Nollywood movies have been shown in cinemas?

What we should be proud of is quality and not quantity.

You must improve and perfect your craft and art, no matter the format of the Media you are using.

Quality has no substitute.


HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BOOKS ON NOLLYWOOD:

Nollywood
Nollywood: The Video Phenomenon in Nigeria

Viewing African Cinema in the Twenty-First Century: Art Films and the Nollywood Video Revolution






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Nneka's 'The Uncomfortable Truth' Named iTunes Single Of The Week

Nneka

26 Jan 2010 15:00 Africa/Lagos


Nneka's 'The Uncomfortable Truth' Named iTunes Single Of The Week

US Debut Album Concrete Jungle Available Exclusively on iTunes January 26th - February 1st Concrete Jungle Available Everywhere on February 2nd Nneka to perform on "The Late Show with David Letterman" on February 3rd

NEW YORK, Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Nneka's timely and poignant song, "The Uncomfortable Truth" has been named as iTunes' Single Of The Week offering the track as a free download starting today through February 1st. The song is the lead single from the singer/songwriter's US album debut Concrete Jungle, which will be offered exclusively on the iTunes Store during that same time period for just $6.99.


Having released three previous albums in Europe and beyond, Nneka's music has been heard and loved by hundreds of thousands of fans across the globe. Admirers within press and music circles continue to grow, and she has been embraced by the likes of Garth Trinidad, Gilles Peterson, The Roots & Perez Hilton alike. In a recent blog entry, Hilton introduced Nneka to his readers explaining that her music "is a gift to the world."


Having been declared by both Spin and Rolling Stone as one of the best new artists in 2010, Nneka is set to bring her message of hope and truth to the United States while embarking on her upcoming Concrete Jungle Tour on January 27th. Her first US release stands as an offering of love, hope and optimism dedicated to the people of Warri & the Niger Delta of Nigeria, and the US is ready to embrace that message and it's messenger with open arms.


"The Uncomfortable Truth" will be available for free download on iTunes starting today, Tuesday, January 26th.


Nneka's first US album, Concrete Jungle will also be available on iTunes exclusively this week for $6.99.


Concrete Jungle Tour Dates

Jan 27 San Francisco, CA @ Red Devil Lounge
Jan 29 Los Angeles, CA @ Hotel Cafe
Feb 2 New York, NY @ S.O.B's (Official Release Party)
Feb 3 Performance on David Letterman
Feb 4 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East
Feb 5 Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
Feb 6 Baltimore, MD @ Sonar Club Stage
Feb 8 Birmingham, AL @ WorkPlay Theatre
Feb 9 Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl
Feb 11 Nashville, TN @ 3rd & Lindsley
Feb 13 St. Louis, MO @ The Gramophone
Feb 14 Chicago, IL @ Double Door


www.nnekaworld.com

Source: Epic Records

CONTACT: Pam Nashel Leto, +1-212-989-2222 x 111, pam@Girlie.com, Kabeer
Malhotra, +1-212-989-2222 x 123, kabeer@Girlie.com, Vickie Starr,
+1-212-989-2222, x101vickie@Girlie.com, or Alexandra Dunne, +1-212-833-5429,
alexandra.dunne@sonymusic.com


Web Site: http://www.nnekaworld.com/

Navmii: The First Mobile Navigation Application for Nigeria

26 Jan 2010 13:41 Africa/Lagos

Navmii: The First Mobile Navigation Application for Nigeria

LONDON, January 26/PRNewswire/ --


- Turn by Turn Personal Navigation Made Simple for Nigerian iPhone Users


- Available Now From Apple iTunes for $84.99, no Data Plan or Cellular Signal required


Telecgsm Ltd and Geolife UK Ltd today announced the availability of the first turn-by-turn mobile navigation application, Navmii, for the iPhone 3G & 3GS in Nigeria.


Navmii transforms the Apple iPhone into a voice and visual guided navigation system with detailed maps of Nigeria, covering over 30 cities. The first turn-by-turn satellite navigation software available for Nigeria, Navmii makes navigation on the iPhone incredibly simple. Users can search for an address by city, street or junction with Navmii's address input, or select a point on a map. Navmii then calculates the best route to the destination, and automatically reroutes if you miss a turning.


Peter Atalla, CEO of Navmii said: "This is the first mobile navigation solution specifically created for the Nigerian market. Nigeria is a country that has fully embraced mobile phones and Navmii for the iPhone is a great opportunity to expand the capability of the mobile handset into navigation and location services. Navmii is available on other mobile phones too, including Nokia and Windows Mobile. Nigeria and Africa is a hugely exciting market, we are proud to be at the forefront of this market."


Foluke Oyeleye, the CEO of Telecgsm, said "Navmii raises the bar in value added services to the customers in Nigeria's telecoms industry and expands the use of navigation features on phones, as more people are bound to use this exciting service." Speaking further, Foluke noted "Telecgsm is best positioned for this pioneering project as we have the required experience, knowledge and distribution network to make Navmii succeed in the Nigerian and African markets where Telecgsm plays a key role in the telecommunications industry."


With maps of Nigeria all stored on the iPhone, Navmii is able to locate and then navigate to thousands of included Points of Interest (POI). Users can browse the map by dragging or scrolling the screen, see a clear overview of the route, and obtain accurate travel information including Time of Arrival and Distance to Destination. The new Detour feature even allows Navmii to recalculate a route around road blocks or traffic congestion; ensuring travelers safely get to where they are going every time. Future versions of Navmii will include family and car tracking capabilities direct from the handset



Notes for Editors

- Option of viewing the map in either 2D, 3D or a safety screen.

- Day & Night maps - Automatic switch to low glare maps for safer night
driving

- Compatible with iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or
later.

- Price:$US: 84.99

- User Manual, and more information, is available at
http://www.navmii.com.




About GeoLife


GeoLife Limited is a leading satellite navigation software and location-based services company. GeoLife designs, develops and supplies advanced GPS navigation and location based systems including the popular Navmii software for mobile phones. GeoLife Limited is incorporated in the United Kingdom and has offices in London & Manchester, in the UK, as well as Hong Kong and a software development centre in St Petersburg, Russia.


http://www.navmii.com


About Telecgsm:


Telecgsm is a leading mobile phone distributor in Nigeria with several years of experience in the distribution of Nokia and Samsung phones alongside other IT related hardware and products.


Source: GeoLife Ltd

Media contacts: GeoLife Ltd., Chris Bignell, XL Communications, Tel: +44(0)7834-020460, Email: chris@xl-comms.com; Telecgsm Ltd, Alex Oyebamiji, 13 Amodu Ojikutu Street, Victoria Island Lagos., Tel: +234-708-999-7311, Email: alex.oyebamiji@telecgsm.com

The President’s Cabinet Reporting to You

The President’s Cabinet Reporting to You

When President Obama and his Cabinet took office a year ago, they faced an array of historic challenges: an economy in freefall, job losses averaging almost 700,000 a month, a middle class under assault, two wars and badly frayed global alliances, and a staggering $1.3 trillion budget deficit.

Faced with these unparalleled challenges, the President and his Cabinet got to work. The Administration took bold steps to rescue the country from a potential second Great Depression; to rebuild the economy for the long-term -- so businesses can thrive, the middle class can grow and all our families can be more secure; and to restore America’s leadership in the world, as we wrestle with the global challenges of the 21st Century.

In short videos, members of the President’s Cabinet report back to you on their progress this first year and outline what lies ahead for their departments and agencies to keep America moving forward.

Watching the Cabinet’s video reports is easy. Just click on the Cabinet members group photograph above to follow the link on how to play their video.




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What is Government's Role in Supporting the News Business?

25 Jan 2010 15:40 Africa/Lagos

What is Government's Role in Supporting the News Business?

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new report on the role of government in supporting newspapers and other news organizations will be released by the University of Southern California's Center on Communication Leadership & Policy on Thursday, January 28, 2010.


The report, Public Policy and Funding the News, is co-authored by Geoffrey Cowan, USC Annenberg School dean emeritus and director of the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy (CCLP), and David Westphal, former Washington Editor for McClatchy Newspapers and current CCLP senior fellow and USC Annenberg executive-in-residence.


The report examines a common myth: that the commercial press in the United States is independent of governmental funding support. According to the authors, "There has never been a time in U.S. history when government dollars were not propping up the news business. This year, federal, state and local governments will spend well over $1 billion to support commercial news publishers through tax breaks, postal subsidies and the printing of public notices."


Issues to be discussed include:
-- The impact of falling government subsidies on the news business today
-- A framework to consider various legislative and regulatory proposals
to support news and information
-- Public broadcasting support, including international broadcasting
initiatives
-- Antitrust regulations and intellectual property statutes
-- Publication requirements for public notices
-- Tax policies
-- Postal rates and regulations
-- Subsidies to expand broadband service


EVENT: Briefing on Government's role in supporting news organizations. Release of report "Public Policy and Funding the News"


LOCATION: National Press Club

DATE: Thursday, January 28, 2010

TIME: 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Briefing and continental breakfast

PRESENTERS:

Geoffrey Cowan, director, USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy


David Westphal, senior fellow, USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy


About the Center on Communication Leadership and Policy


Based in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, the Center on Communication Leadership and Policy conducts research and organizes courses, programs, seminars and symposia for scholars, students, policymakers and working professionals to prepare future leaders in journalism, communication and other related fields. Current projects include: Public Policy and the Future of News; The Constitution and the Press; Media and Political Discourse; Photographic Empowerment; Children's Media; and Women and Communication Leadership.


Contact: Carrie Collins, 301-664-9000


Source: USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy

CONTACT: Carrie Collins of CCLP, +1-301-664-9000

Haiti's rural agriculture, rural poverty reduction, and the potential of small holder agriculture

25 Jan 2010 13:03 Africa/Lagos

Haiti's rural agriculture, rural poverty reduction, and the potential of small holder agriculture / IFAD / List of accredited media and organization for the press videoconference


LAUSANNE, January 25, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- List of accredited media and organization for the press videoconference on Haiti's rural agriculture, rural poverty reduction, and the potential of small holder agriculture held on January, 25 – 11:00 (Paris Time) :


Agridev-CTT - Tunisia


Columbia University - United States


Daily nawaiwaqt & Aaj tv - Pakistan


Ethiopan News Agency - Ethiopia


Frequence Teranga FM - Senegal


Ministry of Agriculture of Cameroon - Cameroon


Radio France Internationale (RFI) - France


Radio Rural - East Timor


The Nationa - Nigeria


Thomson Reuters - United Kingdom


Tickertxt - Germany


TOF Radio - Kenya


Trinity Broadcasting Namibia - Namibia


Voice of America - United States


Xinmin Weekly - China


Yossif Ayoub (Freelance) – Egypt


More information : http://appablog.wordpress.com/2010/01/20/haiti%e2%80%99s-rural-agriculture-rural-poverty-reduction-and-small-holder-agriculture-press-videoconference/

Prior to the World Economic Forum annual meeting (Davos), the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), an International Financial Institution and a specialized agency of the United Nations, will hold a press videoconference regarding Haiti’s rural agriculture, rural poverty reduction, and the potential of small holder agriculture.


How to rebuild Haiti’s rural agriculture?



What’s the role of the private sector in rural poverty reduction?



How to draw the attention of Davos business leaders to the potential of small holder agriculture?


ASK YOUR QUESTIONS THROUGH VIDEOCONFERENCE


WHO : Dr Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)


WHEN : January, 25 – 10:50 (Paris Time)


LANGUAGES : English


HOW DOES IT WORK : This service is FREE and requires only the use of a computer connected to Internet.


APPLICATION : http://www.apo-opa.org/contactvideoconf/contact_video_conf.html?vc=IFAD


This press videoconference is organized by the African Press Organization (www.apo-opa.org).


CONTACT :
- African Press Organization : +41 22 534 96 97 / +33 661 797 718 / sec.sg@apo-opa.org



Source: International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)


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Nigeria: Fears of Reprisal Attacks Loom in Northern Nigeria

Nigeria: Fears of Reprisal Attacks Loom in Northern Nigeria

The fears of reprisal attacks are rife in northern Nigeria after the gruesome religious mayhem in Jos and other parts of Plateau state left hundreds dead, with scores of corpses dumped in wells and toilet pits. Intolerant religious fanatics are using cell phones and other means of private communication to instigate members of their sects to mobilize for reprisal attacks to avenge the deaths of those they lost. The law enforcement agencies have been alerted and warning everyone in the middle belt and northern states to beware of Islamists who are already planning to launch widespread attacks on non-Muslims.

Unidentified men armed with guns and other weapons were arrested and detained Saturday night in Kaduna by the Nigeria Air Force.
Police officers of the Operation Yaki in Kaduna state are patrolling towns and villages to ensure the security of lives and properties.

Many indigenes of Abia, Bayelsa, Edo and other Southern states are already leaving the northern states for the safe havens of their hometowns. Some private schools in Borno and Yobe states turned back pupils, because they cannot guarantee their safety in the tensed atmosphere of insecurity.

Two U.S. 'YOUR BIG BREAK' Finalists to Travel to New Zealand to Make Films with Barrie Osborne, Judged by Peter Jackson

100% Pure New Zealand's Filmmaking Competition will Premiere Winning Film on IFC leading into 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards on March 5, 2010



Los Angeles and Auckland, New Zealand (January 21, 2010) /PRNewswire/ — Academy Award®-winning producer Barrie Osborne (The Lord of the Rings) and a panel of judges named the five finalists in the 100% Pure New Zealand Presents Your Big Break short film competition today. American finalists Kristi Simkins from Auburn, Wash., and Aya Tanimora from Santa Monica, Calif., will now travel to Queenstown, New Zealand, where they will work with Osborne and world class post-production facility Park Road Post Production to shoot and direct their own short films capturing the essence of the world's youngest country. Academy Award®-winning director Sir Peter Jackson will select the winning entry.


Barrie Osborne


After Jackson personally views and judges the five finalists' films, he will select one overall winner whose film will air on IFC just prior to the Spirit Awards live broadcast on March 5 at 8 p.m. Pacific/11 p.m. Eastern.

As if the opportunity to travel to Queenstown and work with the Academy Award-winning team responsible for The Lord of the Rings trilogy wasn't enough, all finalists' films will premiere in front of hundreds of the entertainment industry's brightest at the 100% Pure New Zealand lounge at the 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards, of which 100% Pure New Zealand is a Principal Sponsor, and on the Your Big Break Web site, www.your-big-break.com.

"The diversity of excellent entries demonstrates the passion people have for New Zealand," says Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler. "Many of the screenplays capture the spirit of New Zealand including the country's extraordinary landscapes, people and culture; the judges had their work cut out for them selecting just four."

While Osborne and a panel selected four of the finalists, Your Big Break site visitors voted for Aya Tanimura's film as the "People's Choice" finalist.

The other three finalists include Andrés Borghi from Buenos Aires, and Tim McLachlan and Rajneel Singh from Auckland, New Zealand.

"Putting the spotlight on emerging filmmakers is the essence of the Spirit Awards, and giving the "Your Big Break' finalists the opportunity to present their work on IFC is a fantastic way to cultivate new filmmaking talent," said Jennifer Caserta, Executive Vice President and General Manager of IFC.

All of the finalists are aspiring filmmakers who've dabbled in multiple aspects of the entertainment industry. The protagonist in Simkins's film "Something Special" seeks to fulfill a promise with his trip to New Zealand, while the main character in fellow American Tanimura's script "Sweet As," uses her imagery of the world's youngest country to impress. New Zealand native Singh's submission "Blank Spaces," plays off New Zealand's pure, untouched and unmapped image, while his fellow Kiwi McLachlan's entry "Mr. Whippy and the BMX Kid," focuses on a young Maori boy's conversation with an old man searching for renewal. Borghi's screenplay for "Working Day" centers on New Zealand's creation and aims to take advantage of his post production prowess.

"Many of the entries were stellar, but our five finalists' films displayed a combination of humor, imagination and passion that brought New Zealand's spirit to life," says Osborne. "I'm looking forward to working with all of these talented individuals."

The submission and voting period ran from December 9, 2009 until January 15, 2010 on www.your-big-break.com. More than 1,000 aspiring directors from around the globe entered a screenplay for a three-minute short film that captured the spirit of New Zealand and any supporting content they thought would aid their selection. The five finalists will produce their films in New Zealand in early February.

Useful Links:
Your Big Break website: www.your-big-break.com
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/YourBigBreak
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/YourBigBreakNZ
For inspiration: www.newzealand.com

For information about New Zealand's extensive vacation options, log onto the 100% Pure New Zealand website at http://www.NewZealand.com.

For other media information, log on to http://www.media.newzealand.com. For high-resolution images, visit http://www.images.newzealand.com.

ABOUT THE FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS The Film Independent Spirit Awards is a celebration honoring films made by filmmakers who embody independence and originality. Televised in millions of homes and covered internationally by the press, the Spirit Awards has become the vanguard event in independent film, recognizing the achievements of independent filmmakers and promoting independent film to a wider audience.

Media Contact:
Andrew Reynolds
Hill & Knowlton for Tourism New Zealand
949-223-2307
andrew.reynolds@hillandknowlton.com