Beads for Boobs (and Pennies)
Feb 23, 2009
New Orleans and Elsewhere:
Though select few cities other then New Orleans partake in annual Mardi Gras festivities, we thought it was nonetheless appropriate to share a trailer for the movie that made headlines, and killed the spirit of some party revelers.
The documentary Mardi Gras: Made in China looks behind the scenes of the global “bead trade” –the brightly-colored plastic beads that are thrown from floats and balconies to celebrants in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The director/producer, David Redmon, juxtaposes interviews and images of the young women working in a Chinese bead factory, located in a rural region of Fuzhou, with young American women and men celebrating in the streets of New Orleans during the annual Mardi Gras carnival. Redmon also interviews the wealthy Chinese owner of the bead factory; the owner’s American counterpart, who distributes the beads; and a long-time local resident of New Orleans, Ms. Pearl. There are no voiceover comments on the conditions or behaviors in either location; rather Redmon allows the individuals on both ends of this global market to speak for themselves.
“It’s hard to say which sight is more depressing: That of Chinese girls mortgaging their futures in the hopes of helping their families, or drunken American girls, surrounded by privilege and opportunity most of the world can barely imagine, arguing that it’s fun to degrade themselves for cheap baubles.” — Maitland McDonagh
Mardi Gras: Made in China (Documentary Film)
Saturday, Feb. 28th, 8pm
at Squeaky Wheel
$6 – Nothing feels worse than a Mardi Gras Hangover than finding out where all those beads came from!
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