Odyssey is the largest film festival in conversation with Greater China and overseas Chinese communities in the UK. The 2023 edition will take place between May and June. Stay tuned and make sure you don’t miss out on any exciting updates this year! Odyssey celebrates ‘Global Sustainability’ as our main theme this year. Responding to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we will have 5 main strands this year for festival screening, with a new competition category “Sustainable Corporate Culture”.
The Odyssey 2023 Campaign Team has organised a special screening, a re-released of documentary “The Six” as part of our pre-festival programe.
Odyssey 2023 Pre-festival Screening: “The Six” (2021)
Director: Arthur Jones
Date & Time: 1 March 2022 18:30
Venue: The Prince Charles Cinema, London
Book Tickets: https://princecharlescinema.com/
“The Six” is a 2021 documentary film directed by Arthur Jones and produced by Luo Tong. The film chronicles the previously untold story of the six Chinese survivors of RMS Titanic, as well as exploring the legacy of Chinese exclusion laws in Canada, the United States, and UK. The film is executive produced by Titanic director James Cameron.
When RMS Titanic sank on a cold night in 1912, barely 700 people escaped with their lives. Among them were six Chinese men. Arriving in New York with the other survivors, the six were met not with compassion, but suspicion and slander. Less than 24 hours later, they were expelled from the country, and vanished.
What became of them, and why did they disappear so completely? In an epic journey that crosses continents, an international team of investigators sets out to uncover the truth about the six Chinese, and to right a century-old injustice.
For the first time, we discover who these men really were, tracing their origins and tracking down descendants denied access to their history. The Six is an extraordinary story of survival and dignity in the face of racism and anti-immigrant policy that still reverberates today.
Arthur Jones is a British filmmaker based in Shanghai, China. His work includes The Poseidon Project and A Farewell Song, the latter of which was backed by Channel 4’s BritDoc foundation and won the Special Jury Prize for Documentaries at the Syracuse International Film Festival. He has also made commissioned films for the Special Olympics, the World Expo and Shanghai Disneyland. Arthur also regularly directs for NatGeo, BBC and Discovery.
“The Six” and UN’s SDGs
“The Six” responds to the theme of our festival this year in various ways. It at least directly touches on several of the 17 SDGs released by the United Nations. These are:
Goal 1: NO POVERTY
Eradicating poverty in all its forms remains one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. While the number of people living in extreme poverty dropped by more than half between 1990 and 2015, too many are still struggling for the most basic human needs.
As of 2015, about 736 million people still lived on less than US$1.90 a day; many lack food, clean drinking water and sanitation. Rapid growth in countries such as China and India has lifted millions out of poverty, but progress has been uneven. Women are more likely to be poor than men because they have less paid work, education, and own less property.
Progress has also been limited in other regions, such as South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, which account for 80 percent of those living in extreme poverty. New threats brought on by climate change, conflict and food insecurity, mean even more work is needed to bring people out of poverty.
The SDGs are a bold commitment to finish what we started, and end poverty in all forms and dimensions by 2030. This involves targeting the most vulnerable, increasing basic resources and services, and supporting communities affected by conflict and climate-related disasters.
Goal 8: DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH
Over the past 25 years the number of workers living in extreme poverty has declined dramatically, despite the lasting impact of the 2008 economic crisis and global recession. In developing countries, the middle class now makes up more than 34 percent of total employment – a number that has almost tripled between 1991 and 2015.
However, as the global economy continues to recover we are seeing slower growth, widening inequalities, and not enough jobs to keep up with a growing labour force. According to the International Labour Organization, more than 204 million people were unemployed in 2015.
The SDGs promote sustained economic growth, higher levels of productivity and technological innovation. Encouraging entrepreneurship and job creation are key to this, as are effective measures to eradicate forced labour, slavery and human trafficking. With these targets in mind, the goal is to achieve full and productive employment, and decent work, for all women and men by 2030.
Goal 10: REDUCED INEQUALITIES
Income inequality is on the rise—the richest 10 percent have up to 40 percent of global income whereas the poorest 10 percent earn only between 2 to 7 percent. If we take into account population growth inequality in developing countries, inequality has increased by 11 percent.
Income inequality has increased in nearly everywhere in recent decades, but at different speeds. It’s lowest in Europe and highest in the Middle East.
These widening disparities require sound policies to empower lower income earners, and promote economic inclusion of all regardless of sex, race or ethnicity.
Income inequality requires global solutions. This involves improving the regulation and monitoring of financial markets and institutions, encouraging development assistance and foreign direct investment to regions where the need is greatest. Facilitating the safe migration and mobility of people is also key to bridging the widening divide.
Goal 11: SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES
More than half of us live in cities. By 2050, two-thirds of all humanity—6.5 billion people—will be urban. Sustainable development cannot be achieved without significantly transforming the way we build and manage our urban spaces.
The rapid growth of cities—a result of rising populations and increasing migration—has led to a boom in mega-cities, especially in the developing world, and slums are becoming a more significant feature of urban life.
Making cities sustainable means creating career and business opportunities, safe and affordable housing, and building resilient societies and economies. It involves investment in public transport, creating green public spaces, and improving urban planning and management in participatory and inclusive ways.
Goal 16: PEACE, JUSTICE AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS
We cannot hope for sustainable development without peace, stability, human rights and effective governance, based on the rule of law. Yet our world is increasingly divided. Some regions enjoy peace, security and prosperity, while others fall into seemingly endless cycles of conflict and violence. This is not inevitable and must be addressed.
Armed violence and insecurity have a destructive impact on a country’s development, affecting economic growth, and often resulting in grievances that last for generations. Sexual violence, crime, exploitation and torture are also prevalent where there is conflict, or no rule of law, and countries must take measures to protect those who are most at risk
The SDGs aim to significantly reduce all forms of violence, and work with governments and communities to end conflict and insecurity. Promoting the rule of law and human rights are key to this process, as is reducing the flow of illicit arms and strengthening the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance.
To find out more about the UN’s 17 SDGs, please click here.
Looking forward to seeing you at the screening!
