Rio de Janeiro-Atlanta Partnership Films Celebrate Community Development

Posted July 31, 2016

External Article: Global Atlanta

Kirk Bowman, associate chair and Jon Wilcox Term Professor of Soccer, Global Politics, and Society from the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs in Georgia Tech's Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts was featured in “Rio de Janeiro-Atlanta Partnership Films Celebrate Community Development” for Global Atlanta.

Excerpt:

“We are trying to tell a more accurate story of what’s happening in the world because the negativity is so pronounced; it can overwhelm the positive inspirational stories that are out there. Sharing this information is the way people can most help these communities,” Dr. Bowman told Global Atlanta in an interview. “There are so many false stereotypes. If people share these five trailers, they will have an impact on how we view poor people and poor communities. We love film because it’s such a powerful way of delivering these messages.”

Dr. Bowman said this project is exciting not only for the direct impact it will have on the community organizations it sponsors, but also because it highlights tangible cooperation and productivity coming out of connections between the cities of Atlanta and Rio.

Rio has been one of Atlanta’s sister cities since 1972, and two Rio de Janeiro film authorities signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in film making in 2014 with the City of Atlanta’s Mayor’s Office of Entertainment. This upcoming film festival demonstrates that those relationships are “really beginning to bear fruit,” Dr. Bowman said.

For the full article, read here.