10th lecture for my course Transient Spaces at RMIT University, focussing on the documentary Born into Brothels.

2. Agenda
 Blogging tips
 Reflections on Born into Brothels
 Born into Brothels

3. Kate discusses the difficulty of
recruiting interviewees, and what
possible solutions might be

4. Rob discusses recent legal and
political events of interest to
Australian internet users.

5. Jessie considers her
community’s technical
limitations, and the importance of
making sure she is delivering
content they can access.
Kate has replied (Kate should
republish and link her reply on
her own blog)

6. Aliya is pondering how to edit
down her interview footage, an
quotes an
expert with relevant advice.

7. Born into Brothels
“Briski, a documentary photographer, went to Calcutta to photograph prostitutes. While there, she
befriended their children and offered to teach the children photography to reciprocate being allowed
to photograph their mothers. The children were given cameras so they could learnphotography and
possibly improve their lives. Much of their work was used in the film, and the filmmakers recorded
the classes as well as daily life in the red light district. The children's work was exhibited, and one
boy was even sent to a photography conference in Amsterdam. Briski also recorded her efforts to
place the children in boarding schools.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_into_Brothels)

8. Born into Brothels
My questions about this are mainly political. Such an uplifting story, it seems so good what the
filmmakers did – empowered the children. Is it as simple as that? While they are better off,
happier, more hopeful – good – have they also been exploited in ways they can’t understand?
They have been made into a media commodity, by and for the relatively powerful West.
Trailer: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388789/
The actual doco: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/born-into-brothels/
Images: stills from Born into Brothels