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admin
Site Admin
Joined: 11 Nov 2004
Posts: 817
Location: London, UK
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 Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 4:24 pm Post subject: LIVE WEB CHAT: JUSTINE SHAPIRO, THURSDAY NOVEMBER 5, 2009 |
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Join us on THURSDAY NOVEMBER 5, 2009 @ 9.30am PST, 12.30pm EST & 5.30pm GMT* for a LIVE WEB CHAT with Globe Trekker JUSTINE SHAPIRO.
If you have any burning questions for Justine, get posting here now! Don't forget to register.
JUSTINE'S TRAVEL PHILOSPHY:
"I think that the way to connect with other distinct cultures is to go with an open heart and spend time with the locals. People are the same the world over and the only way to experience this is to spend time with the people."
ABOUT JUSTINE:
Globe Trekker Justine's Globe Trekker biography
Promises Films Justine's production company
Watch Justine in action.
*What time's that in your part of the world? Click here
Last edited by admin on Mon Jan 11, 2010 1:46 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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carrycherry
Joined: 04 Apr 2008
Posts: 7
Location: Wollongong,NSW,Australia
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| Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 9:32 am Post subject: |
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wow! can't wait to chat with justine!!  |
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Future GT
Joined: 24 Apr 2009
Posts: 22
Location: Washington Sate, USA
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| Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 5:26 pm Post subject: |
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Aye, it's a shame I'm gonna miss this, I have school to go to 
Is it possible for someone to record the interview?
If someone can, it would be greatly appreciated. |
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admin
Site Admin
Joined: 11 Nov 2004
Posts: 817
Location: London, UK
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| Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 10:04 am Post subject: |
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| The transcript of this web chat will appear here in the forum. You can also post your questions here ahead of time. |
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 3:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks for all the questions everyone - look forward to chatting tomorrow. |
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globetraveller
Joined: 03 Nov 2009
Posts: 2
Location: Mumbai,India
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| Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 6:58 pm Post subject: hello justine |
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| hi justine,I love lonely planet globe trekker the cast is amzing and so is the music...I am from India,do you come to mumbai sometime? i like to meet you.I am into performing arts center here.. |
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globetraveller
Joined: 03 Nov 2009
Posts: 2
Location: Mumbai,India
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| Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 7:01 pm Post subject: |
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| infact i like to mmet all globetrkker cast including megan,ian wright etc and the composer too! I am serious,I also love to travel... |
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neil197333
Joined: 23 Oct 2009
Posts: 1
Location: Bombay, India.
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 12:27 pm Post subject: |
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| Justine Shapiro wrote: |
| Thanks for all the questions everyone - look forward to chatting tomorrow. |
Justine i am your biggest fan, Unfortunately because of my schedule i will not able to login in time for the chat... So can you please email me on my email id: neil1651@gmail.com or ndvaidya87@aol.com... So that we can chat...I would really love to hear from you...Waiting for your reply! |
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admin
Site Admin
Joined: 11 Nov 2004
Posts: 817
Location: London, UK
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 3:10 pm Post subject: |
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From: Brent McAlister (Sacramento, CA) www.facebook.com/globetrekkertv
I just want to say that Justine can whack me over the head with a German soft pretzel any day!
(You had to see the Germany Oktoberfest show to get this joke.) |
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admin
Site Admin
Joined: 11 Nov 2004
Posts: 817
Location: London, UK
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:29 pm Post subject: |
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Hi all! Thanks to everyone for the fab questions. Let's get started...!
And it's a very, very warm welcome to our Web Chat guest today Justine Shapiro.
Take it away Justine...
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onefunzr2
Joined: 29 Dec 2005
Posts: 11
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:29 pm Post subject: |
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Justine, you are the gold standard of Globe Trekker presenters.
Admin should make you Presenter Emeritus.
The show just isn't the same without you. |
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:30 pm Post subject: |
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| admin wrote: |
Hi all! Thanks to everyone for the fab questions. Let's get started...!
And it's a very, very warm welcome to our Web Chat guest today Justine Shapiro.
Take it away Justine...
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Thanks so much and it's great to be here! |
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munizera01
Joined: 02 Mar 2005
Posts: 143
Location: South Texas
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:30 pm Post subject: Hey Justine |
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One other question:
Are you ever considering coming back to GT????
I loved your commentary and even tho I know you have a son to raise
we miss you!!
How old is he now??? Do you take him with you travelling? I plan to make my grandson a world citizen!!
Gracias |
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Cynthia
Joined: 12 Dec 2005
Posts: 318
Location: Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:31 pm Post subject: |
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| Hello Justine!!! You rock!! Thanks for chatting with us! |
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:32 pm Post subject: Re: Question from http://twitter.com/jessiejessup |
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Hi Jessie, thank you so much for participating. i’m afraid that my answer will sound terribly stereotypical New Age California Girl...But this answer is the best I could do to describe the ineffable.
I’m affectionate (god I sound like I’m writing a personal ad). I mean to say, that I usually greet people with hugs or kisses. So I’ve had my share of hugs. I shot the South India show in 1996, 13 years ago, keep that in mind when I tell you that I can still feel the feeling I had when Amma hugged me. When you hug Amma you get to ask her a question. The production decided that we would make a trip to visit amma’s ashram so I knew I was going there a couple of weeks before I went. So I gave a lot of thought to what question I should ask her.
Two days before we were to go to Amma’s ashram I called my best friend Jena and she told me that her mom had colon cancer. Her mom was like my 2nd mom. I was devastated, I just had a feeling that this was going to be the beginning of her decline and indeed she passed away one year later.
I waited in a long line to be received by Amma. Hundreds of people were getting their hugs, one after the other. When it was my turn I asked Amma if my 2nd mother would survive the cancer. Honestly I can’t remember what words Amma said, but I remember thinking how amazing it was that she was 100% present to me, after all those hundreds of people, she was right there with me, in that moment, completely undistracted. When she held me I felt that she touched a positive energy inside of me- an energy that I had not felt since I had spoken to Jena. It’s hard to put into words, but it felt like she reminded me that, like her, like all human beings, possessed both fragility and strength. Her hug was a bit of a combo-platter: part Yiddisha mama and part humble divine being. The humility in her hug demonstrating that she is me, and I am her. ie, all of us possess the divine. Her compassion touched me and seemed to say that pain, fear, hopelessness are emotions that she understands and knows, and encouraged me to embrace those emotions and not separate myself from them, because life cannot be one without the other – that’s just life - and in that way, her hug was deeply life affirming.
Sorry for the long answer. |
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Future GT wrote: |
| What's the most exotic/bizarre thing you've ever eaten? |
Shrimp. Have you ever seen a shrimp? They come in different sizes, but all of them look like thick larvae. Totally gross. They have a kind of sweet flavor, but they just look and feel so larvae like. But I hear that they are a delicacy in many countries. Oh and raw oysters. Oysters are a shell fish, and people open up the shell with the oyster thing still moving around inside, alive (it looks like a big mucous blob someone just horked from the depths of a serious bronchial infection), and you are supposed to EAT IT. I’ve seen people suck the entire gelatinous, slimy blob right off the shell... in one gulp! It’s amazing what one person can call a delicacy and another person can call gross. I guess it’s all in the mind. |
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:37 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, yeah. I’m a twitter virgin. But just a few days ago my associate producer Sara convinced me to join the human race, and we just started. She set up the account, and I’m writing the twits, or the twats, whatever you call them. I’m trying to think of the 140 character limit as a Haiku challenge, but really there’s a part of me that thinks all this social media stuff is a poor excuse for face to face contact and / or the old days when people actually composed thoughtful answers to online web chats or wrote thoughtful letters with a pen, the handwriting itself a form of personal expression. There is nothing that makes me sadder than seeing kids, hanging around other kids, with their eyes cast downwards, focusing ona little LCD screen. Or people walking in the street on their phone. Oh, yes, I remember the old days when people made eye contact with one another on the street and said “hello”. |
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admin
Site Admin
Joined: 11 Nov 2004
Posts: 817
Location: London, UK
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:43 pm Post subject: |
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| admin wrote: |
| Question from @candy156sweet (http://twitter.com/candy156sweet) What is the one destination you've always wanted to visit and never had the opportunity? |
Most of my grandparents come from Lithuania and Latvia. Those are 2 countries I really want to go to. Oh, and Iceland. I just love the name Iceland. I read a great story that David Rakoff wrote about his time in Iceland. |
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:45 pm Post subject: |
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Gotta be honest. I travel so much, that the place I like to return to, is, well, home. The first stop for me, the touch stone, the place that makes me feel that I have really landed and I’m really back home, is the Cheeseboard. An amazing wonderful store in Berkeley that sells hundreds of different kinds of cheeses and they make their own breads (my favorite is a cheese roll that is otherwise known as “the vegetarian pork chop”). |
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admin
Site Admin
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:49 pm Post subject: |
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Riding an elephant was totally thrilling. The slow side to side sway. What an incredible animal. I admire elephants and being so close to one was an experience I will never forget. Craziest global adventure? Burning Man was pretty crazy, but in a great way. I was there with the show in 1996, when ONLY 15,000 people were at Burning Man at that time. I remember I guy walking around * with his thing painted blue. Okay. That was his adventure, not mine. There was the * tent at Burning Tent. Again, that was their adventure, I just watched. So my personal craziest global adventure....? Riding on the top of a train in Argentina. Oh... Too many to go into right now. |
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:51 pm Post subject: |
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Dearest Haldor, yes I want to go! Find someone there to cover expenses for me and Mateo (my 8 year old) and we’re there! Globetrekker did a show in Iceland, but I was on another shoot at the time.... schedule permitting I can come and screen my forthcoming documentary film MY SUMMER IN TEHRAN. |
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admin
Site Admin
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:54 pm Post subject: |
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| admin wrote: |
From: Timm Wenger www.facebook.com/globetrekkertv
What's the best way to help children learn about world cultures (particularly if you don't have money to travel the world with them)? |
Such a great question Timm and you of all people know the answer. You are one of the few people who travel to what we call “third world countries” with your 2 young children! I guess the truth is that travel is a mind set, it’s a way of being anywhere with a sense of curiosity, humility and postponement of judgment.
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new places, but in seeing with new eyes.
The most significant movement we ever make is internal. We travel when we see a movie, strike up a new friendship, fall in love, get held up, or read a great book or poem or story. ,,,, Sir Thomas Browne said “We carry with us the wonders we seek without us. There is all Africa and her prodigies in us”.
I’ll take Mateo (my 8 year old) for a walk on our street, a street we have lived on since he was born, in an attempt to get him see his own neighborhood with fresh eyes. The other day we noticed weird things on the roof of a house. The owner came out of the house and explained that those were solar panels and she explained to mateo how they work. So we made a new friend, and we learned about solar panels, and now when we drive around or walk around Mateo is looking up at the rooftops trying to spot other solar panels. The sun has become a whole new amazing world for him. |
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:56 pm Post subject: |
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I’ve heard people say “I’ve been to France” “I’ve been to Spain” “I’ve been to the United States”. And then you ask them, “well, where did you go in France? Or Spain? Or the USA?” and they answer “Paris” “Majorka” “New York City”.
Well, as an American I can say that “new York City” is only one slice of the American pie. This country is SO diverse depending on what region you are in, what state you are in, what neighborhood you are in! I lived in Paris for 2 years and Paris is just one slice of a great big Brie.
So while I’ve been to a lot of countries I’ve only been to a few places inside those countries so I would be happy to return to all the countries I’ve been to and visit other parts. |
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:57 pm Post subject: |
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Working with an asshole director on a shoot in ---- . Really, we work together, for 3 weeks, 14 to 16 hour days. There is just 5 of us: the presenter, the director, the producer, the sound person, and the camera person. Often we have a driver with us who is local and who also acts as a translator and fellow shlepper of equipment. One bad apple can spoil ... Whatever that expression is. So unfortunately on one shoot, the director and I did not get along at all, and each day was a misery. |
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:59 pm Post subject: |
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yes. Twice. Once, before GlobeTrekker, I did the post-university-backpack-through-Europe-on-the-cheap- thing... I was in Madrid, Toledo, Escorial. The Prado Museum, the Goyas, blew my mind as did the Absinthe that I drank too much of. That was when Spain was the only country to sell Absinthe, legally. I finally understood why Toulouse-Lautrec chose that particular shade of green for his women’s skin... And then I went with my husband (at the time) Carlos to visit his brother in Madrid and we took a road trip around San Sebastian and parts of Basque country. I have never been to Barcelona or the beaches in the south. I’d like to go Barcelona. I’m not big on beaches. |
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:03 pm Post subject: |
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| admin wrote: |
From: Mike Larson www.facebook.com/globetrekkertv
Have you any other ideas or plans for documentary projects, like Promises? Also, any other projects you have going on? |
Hi Mike, thanks for asking. For the past 6 years I’ve been working on a new documentary film and I’m only a couple of weeks away from completion!! It’s a documentary film called MY SUMMER IN TEHRAN. Here’s a link to some excerpts from the film and a synopsis:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-jIh5YcIP8
SYNOPSIS: A personal, poetic and provocative documentary film, My Summer in Tehran takes American filmmaker Justine Shapiro and her six-year old son into the lives of three Iranian families: a religious, conservative family with ties to the government; a modern, secular family; and a single mom who is also an actress. With 1 month left on her visa, Justine is suddenly given 48 hours to leave the country. This remarkable journey introduces American audiences to the fascinating, and yet strikingly familiar home of our “enemy,” where we discover that everyday life is never separate from ever-watchful eye of the government.
It will broadcast on PBS in the US (and hopefully internationally as well) in 2011. The film will screen during 2010 at film festivals, libraries, universities, community centers, etc. |
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:06 pm Post subject: Re: Hey Justine |
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| munizera01 wrote: |
| I soooo miss your hosting Globe Trekker: what projects are you doing now and where can we see you or your next film(s)! I loved "Promises"!!! |
Thank you! Please see my answer to Mike above! And Sign up for our newsletter at PROMISES FILMS: www.promisesfilms.com |
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:09 pm Post subject: |
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| carrycherry wrote: |
Hi,Justine,how are you? there is 3 questions i would like to ask u
1. Is there any country you love so much and would like to revisit again? And as the time goes by，some countries have also changed tremendously. As I'm from China, and I feel that China is so different from what it's been since I watched Southwest China show many years ago.
2. I've watched 'Promises' and the excerpts form 'My Summer in Tehran', I'm deeply moved by the true story between the muslim and jewish, I just wondering what do u think is the American's mainstream view point toward the muslim world after war in mid-east?
3. When will your next trekker show come out? I've not seen u since the Washinton DC and Ultimate France shows.
Best regards! |
Dear Carry, or is it Cherry?
I answered #1 above (Franck’s question).
2. I've watched 'Promises' and the excerpts form 'My Summer in Tehran', I'm deeply moved by the true story between the muslim and jewish, I just wondering what do u think is the American's mainstream view point toward the muslim world after war in mid-east?
Americans tend to be ignorant in general. Most Americans don’t travel. A tiny percentage of Americans hold current passports. Americans watch an average of 15 hours of TV a week, and that’s not including time on the internet, and most Americans get their ‘news’ about the world from TV news; MSNBC, FOX, CNN, ABC (all of them crap in my opinion... Headlines as Entertainment). Americans don’t read enough history books. Americans look at politics in terms of the current issue without historical context. The majority of young Americans graduate high school with the vaguest sense of American history and almost no sense of world history. Journalists, many of them, often don’t know the history about the issues they cover and too many journalists resort to GOOGLE for their ‘in-depth’ research. You can see this if you read as many newspapers as I do. Most of the journalists, most of the TV anchors, sound like each other - often editorializing rather than providing context and real information.
I consider myself extraordinarily ignorant. For someone who has traveled as much as I have, I have no excuse to hold small minded narrow stereotypical and judgmental views about people I’ve never met and places I’ve never been. But I am brainwashed, by American news, the American swagger, the culture of “American exceptionalism”. It’s ingrained. I have to work hard at undoing the message that American culture has so successfully drummed into me: the message is one that tells me that “the American way is the best way, and it’s the only way (or should be) and people who live in ‘developing countries’ desire nothing more than to flee their miserable lives and come to the USA...”
So there’s nothing wrong with being ignorant, except if you can’t see that you are. Ignorance is something to acknowledge. Our ignorance is vast. I try to teach Mateo that the 3 most beautiful words in the English language is “I DON’T KNOW.” It’s really fine not to have an opinion. When someone asks your opinion, would it not be refreshing to say “well I haven’t read much on the subject, except the newspaper, and I’ve never been there myself, nor have I ever spoken to anyone at length who is from that region, so I’d have to say, “I don’t know”. I wish more people shared their ignorance instead of their opinion. In this culture we believe we are entitled to one opinion. One thing I learned when making the documentary PROMISES (about seven Palestinian and Israeli children) is that we can have more than one opinion at the same time. Human beings, all of us, are creatures of contradictions. we can hold more than one opinion in the same hand.
The danger is when ignorance becomes racism, virulent, violent, mindless, racism. And it’s a shame when parents pass their racism onto their kids. That’s the vicious cycle. Americans, in general, have always been ignorant about the Muslim world. After 9/11 this ignorance of the Muslim world blossomed into full fledged racism.
3. When will your next trekker show come out? I've not seen u since the Washinton DC and Ultimate France shows.
I decided to stop doing GlobeTrekker shows after I shot the show in Venice. It was just too difficult to be away from Mateo for such long periods of time and also I wanted to give my full attention to my documentary film project, MY SUMMER IN TEHRAN. The Executive Producer of the series, Ian Cross, is one of the most generous, funny, thoughtful, intelligent, quirky people I know and our friendship has endured. He is responsible for giving me the job oh so long ago when I did the first show for what was then called LONELY PLANET, in February 1994, in Vietnam. I met my now ex-husband Carlos on a shoot in Ecuador, (we are still great friends) (really) and we had our lovely boy Mateo. the GlobeTrekker shoot that took me to Israel and Palestine in 1995 inspired me to make PROMISES with my friend BZ Goldberg. So I owe Ian a lot. He changed my life. |
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esha
Joined: 05 Nov 2009
Posts: 1
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:11 pm Post subject: I've read that you know three languages... |
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| ...do you have a favorite to read and or speak? |
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:12 pm Post subject: |
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Sonja  ) wrote: |
Awwww I'm so sad I'm going to miss this...
But I'll add a few questions to this post if there's time to answer them
First off I just want to say you are a pleasure to watch on Globe Trekker and a truly inspirational woman! I've only seen trailers to your documentaries, but I cannot wait to watch the whole thing, they seem incredible.
heeeere are my questions for ya:
- You had a fear of flying? How did you conquer it (or almost conquer it). My mom is deathly afraid of heights, and I feel so bad, because it really demobilizes people who are afraid of it.
- You've taken rides on some interesting animals (ostriches, elephants...) which was your favorite?
- If you could pick your most memorable GT moment what would it be?
- what's the most embarrassing thing that has happened while shooting an episode?
Thank you for all the wonderful GT episodes you've hosted. |
- You had a fear of flying? How did you conquer it (or almost conquer it). My mom is deathly afraid of flights, and I feel so bad, because it really demobilizes people who are afraid of it.
I never really conquered my fear of flying, I just play mind games or take drugs. If it’s a long flight and I’m not with Mateo I’ll take a sleeping pill. I don’t take prescription drugs as a rule - but sometimes I’m just so anxious I’d rather be unconscious than anxious. Other times I’ll just play this mind game at take offs, and at landings (the 2 most dangerous moments in a flight) where I picture the world map and on the map I picture airplanes taking off, and landing, without any problems, all over the world, tiny countries, old Russian planes, old fleets, bad weather... And I know that 99.9% of them are doing fine so I figure I’ll be fine too. I’m much less willing to get on any old airline these days, now that I’m a mom. But when I was doing GT shows I was not in a position to protest. And I always bring a really good book and the only time I’ll buy one of those gossip magazines is at the airport and reading that crap usually takes my mind off of my fear of flying...
- You've taken rides on some interesting animals (ostriches, elephants...) which was your favorite?
Given that the ostrich has skinnier legs than I do, riding on that thing felt extremely precarious, but memorable.
- If you could pick your most memorable GT moment what would it be?
Seeing kangaroos in the wild, in the forest in Australia, getting really close to them; oh and getting super close to a giraffe (my favorite animal) and then watch it turn and run as if it was in slow motion. Working with Anne Bogart provided many many hilarious funny laugh till I cry moments. She’s a great director, and I was fortunate enough to work with her on a few GT shows. Eating a live beetle in Mexico called a ‘jumiles’. I didn’t realize that the body of the bug was full of an iodine like substance so biting into it was like biting into * gum, except it shot out a medicinal, powerful, chemical. Seeing and touching the ancient turtle in Trinidad, laying eggs on the beach at night.
- what's the most embarrassing thing that has happened while shooting an episode?
driving in Australia, in a great rush to get to a location before dark, on a busy freeway where there was no side lane and having to pee so badly I ended up having to piss into a styrofoam cup while the rest of the crew pretended to look the other way. At least the cameraman (Tim Knight, the lovely Tim Knight) didn’t shoot it.
Thank you for all the wonderful GT episodes you've hosted.
Sonja, thank you for saying so. It’s really a pleasure to hear the tone of kindness in your email. Thank you. I really like what the Dalai Lama says “My religion is kindness”. Honestly, I just feel if people were kinder to one another, regardless of difference of language, culture, religion, clothing, economic status...our kids would inherit a better world. |
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Cynthia
Joined: 12 Dec 2005
Posts: 318
Location: Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:27 pm Post subject: |
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Wow, what wonderful life you lead! It's so good to read about your experiences Justine. Thank you for sharing these with us. I can't wait to read more!!
Cynthia
P.S. Any words of wisdom for those of us who would love to be the next Globetrekker presenter? |
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BrentMc
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:27 pm Post subject: Thank you for the chat |
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| Justine, thank you for the chat today. You are such a fun host on Globe Trekker, and I want to see your films. You can hit me over the head with a German soft pretzel any day. |
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:28 pm Post subject: |
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| admin wrote: |
From: Luis Miguel Santos www.facebook.com/globetrekkertv
What was the place where u felt the most akward?... Where u feel like... i am not on planet Earth? |
You’ve just described exactly how I feel, in my own skin, the morning after the rare occasion that I drink too much Tequila.
Otherwise I’d say, the hilltribes in Vietnam. We got there after 2 days of driving on unpaved road, and met a community from the Hmoung Tribe. Their irrigation system was beautiful, bamboo branches sliced in two. You can see this in the GT show I did on Vietnam. These people had never met ‘white people’ before. That was a first, for me, to be looked at with a sort of quiet wonder. They didn’t speak Vietnamese so we had a translator translate from English to Vietnamese to their language and back again (also in the show). These people were unaware of the Vietnam war!!! They had heard the planes and I think they heard the sounds of bombs, but they didn’t know that a major war was raging below. |
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munizera01
Joined: 02 Mar 2005
Posts: 143
Location: South Texas
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:29 pm Post subject: |
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| You and Ian inspired me to start to travel way back in 1995 when you were on the Travel Channel. Thank you for that: it changed my life. |
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:31 pm Post subject: |
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| jayc wrote: |
Hi Justine,
1) How much did the film Promises + My Summer in Tehran cost to make total?
2) Are you the owner of Promises Films Production Company?
3) What are your top 3 choices to live in the USA in order?
Please come back and do more globe trekker shows in the future!
Thank you so much for taking my questions
Jay |
1. How much did the film Promises + My Summer in Tehran cost to make total?
Hard to say Jaye. BZ Goldberg and I made the film through PROMISES FILMS (a non-profit organization which we founded in 1997). We started the film in 1995 and finished in 2001 and then spent 2 years working on the educational, theatrical and TV distribution. We were not able to pay ourselves for the first 5 years and then the money the film did make through educational and non-theatrical bookings and sales, went down the drain when our distributor (Cowboy Pictures) filed for bankruptcy and Promises Films lost everything. If the budget were a normal budget, people paid, not begging for everything for free or at a discount, I think the film would have cost about 900K... Hard to say.
3) What are your top 3 choices to live in the USA in order?
Gosh. Don’t know. I haven’t traveled enough in the USA to answer. For me, home is where the heart is. Really. Actually I’ll be living in Mexico City for most of next year bc that’s where Mateo’s dad lives and they want to spend more time together and I love Mexico City too. I like Berkeley. It’s beautiful, it never gets too hot. My family lives here. My life long best friend who I grew up with lives here. I like to eat, a lot, and the food here is great. Of course the nature in the Bay Area is virtually unparalleled (not that I get out and into it much...) |
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:36 pm Post subject: |
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| samgajaro01 wrote: |
Hi!
Justin,
I m feel pleasure to be your fan.Even i too have many question to ask but i'll ask few of them.
Q1- What is your last book which you read?
Q2- If someone promote you to travel any place of your choice, then where you head off ?
Q3- What is you thought about adventure?
Q4-What do you like to eat and drink?
Please give answer.
Samson |
Q1- What is your last book which you read?
I read 2 or 3 at a time (I can only do that if the content is totally different):; Sylvia Brownrigg’s amazing novel “Delivery Room”; David Lida’s book “First Stop in the New World” about Mexico City and Stephen Kinzer’s “All the Shah’s Men” a brilliant and enjoyable history book about the 1953 CIA and British Intelligence overthrow of Iran’s democratically elected President Mossadegh.
Q2- If someone promote you to travel any place of your choice, then where you head off ?
A spa, where someone ELSE cooks nutritious and delicious meals, does my laundry, makes exercise fun, and massages come free at the end of each day.
Q3- What is you thought about adventure?
These days, what I look forward to, is a good night sleep. But I would like to hike Machu Pichu.
Q4-What do you like to eat and drink?
Red wine, sour dough baguette, and fresh salted butter |
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munizera01
Joined: 02 Mar 2005
Posts: 143
Location: South Texas
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Gosh! Mexico City is my favorite city! I can't wait to go back as I visit there every year! You are soooo lucky! Enjoy! |
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:45 pm Post subject: |
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| technogeek wrote: |
Greetings Justine. Great to chat with you! I have a couple of questions for you
1. Do you ever plan to write a book about your travel experiences? If yes, would you go for fact or fiction?
2. What book are you reading right now?
3. I read you are a linguist - can you speak any other foreign languages apart from French & Spanish? And are there any others you'd like to learn?
4. Of all the Globe Trekker shows you presented - which is your favourite and why?
5. What are the best memories you have of you travels and filmmaking in:
a. Iran?
b. Palestine?
c. Israel?
6. How about your son - how did he adapt to life in Iran? Looked like he enjoyed himself!
7. The soundtracks from both Promises and Global Moms are beautiful - where did you source the music? Are they local musicians?
8. Do you think Promises and Global Moms will help change peoples' negative perceptions of the Middle East particularly in the U.S.?
Thank you Justine! |
1. Do you ever plan to write a book about your travel experiences? If yes, would you go for fact or fiction?
Gosh, I don’t know. I’m not sure I have much to say apart from what I’ve said in this on-line chat. You’ve all asked such good questions and pulled the memories right out the hat!
2. What book are you reading right now?
Dear technogeek, please see above
3. I read you are a linguist - can you speak any other foreign languages apart from French & Spanish? And are there any others you'd like to learn?
Oh g-d. I’m no linguist. I’m the one who studies French (because I had to) from 7th grade through high school and if I got a C on a test I was lucky. I nearly failed, honestly I got a D one year. I could not learn in a classroom. I only learned to speak French bc I went to Paris and lived there (supporting myself by teaching English and doing some acting stuff), and I only learned Spanish because I fell in love with a Mexican and ended up spending lots of time in Mexico. I spent 3 months taking Spanish classes at the UNAM in mexico city... Again, I failed miserably... But the school setting did give me a foundation, i learned a basic grammar, the concept of conjugating verbs... But I only began speaking it, communicating in those languages, when I lived in countries where that’s the language that people speak.
4. Of all the Globe Trekker shows you presented - which is your favourite and why?
I know it’s a boring answer but whenever I have the good fortune to work with either Stephen Lenhoff or Anne Bogart, than it’s my favorite show. Or when cameraman Tim Knight is on a show, than it’s BLING! Stephen and Anne are brilliant directors, really really smart, thoughtful, funny and they have original ideas about how to approach a place.
Stephen directed me in a bunch of shows (Venice, England, East Caribbean, San Francisco, Southern Italy, etc etc) and Anne directed me in Poland / Czech Republic and Northern France. Tim and I have done loads of shows together.
5. What are the best memories you have of you travels and filmmaking in:
a. Iran?
The food. The stews that people make inside their homes (the restaurant food was never ever as good as what people made at home). Getting to know Marjan Torabi, a very religious woman who is also pro-government. We couldn’t be more different in terms of our politics and religion and culture... But we connected so well. I really love her.
b. Palestine?
The food. They make a great desert of sweet cheese, it’s like a pizza, but it’s sweet. Knaffee. And spending time in the Dehieshe Refugee Camp. There is an amazing cultural center there called IBDA, where Palestinian kids from the camp come to learn traditional Palestinian dance; media skills; English. There’s a rooftop café (more food) and an arts center. The energy in the camp, particularly around IBDA is so electric. People are so spirited, active, verbal, passionate, so close to life and to death, politics isn’t something they read about but something they live. Palestinians are so familiar to me... They are like family. Really. The same sense of humor the same emphasis on educational and family and food (again, food). Israelis and Palestinians are so much alike, that amazed me.
c. Israel?
The food. Spending time with my Uncle Teddy who is a world class athlete in Track and Field and he is in his mid 80s. He’s ranked as a champion weightlifter in his age group. He was supposed to be in the Olympics (representing South Africa) the year that South Africa was boycotted. He was with the Israeli athletes, his good friends, during the Munich Olympics. He was not in the Olympic village at the time that the terrorists struck, he told me he went to the supermarket, but really I think he was having a fling with a woman athlete from another country.
You can see him here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM7Xtj2p0kc
6. How about your son - how did he adapt to life in Iran? Looked like he enjoyed himself!
The hardest thing about Iran for Mateo as the heat. He did have a great time. I am going to post an interview with him about his experience on our web site next month. www.promisesfilms.com
It’s pretty funny and interesting what he has to say 2 years later.
7. The soundtracks from both Promises and Global Moms are beautiful - where did you source the music? Are they local musicians?
Thank you so much for noticing and appreciating the music.
The music from PROMISES is sources from 16 different musicians. All the pieces are on our website in the FAQ section on the PROMISES (the film) site. For Global Moms (or what is now called MY SUMMER IN TEHRAN) we are working with an very talented composer, Christophe Rezai, he is Iranian / French, living in Tehran.
8. Do you think Promises and Global Moms will help change peoples' negative perceptions of the Middle East particularly in the U.S.?
I can only hope. To achieve this goal, our organization, a non-profit called PROMISES FILMS is focused on developing (fundraising, creating and implimenting) educational outreach materials to support our documentary films. PROMISES is now the most popular media resource in classrooms learning about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. I think that because that film is so balanced (and also funny) it really appeals to teachers. We are developing a broad educational distribution strategy for MY SUMMER IN TEHRAN. Getting these films into middle and high schools is my main distribution objective. |
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Cynthia wrote: |
Hello Justine, thank you for taking the time to chat with us today. It has been a pleasure to watch you on Globetrekker over the years and I hope we will get a chance to see many more shows with you.
I have a couple questions that I would like to ask you if you have time to answer (I know there are many others already!):
1. After your experiences in Iran, do you live your life any differently back in LA or have any different habits? How has your son enjoyed his experience? It is really nice to get a glimpse of Iran and its people. I think what you are doing over there is something truly special and I want to thank you for sharing your experiences with us.
2. Is there a trinket that you like to get when you are travelling abroad? Do you ever bring anything from home that you give away to some of the people that make your trip special or memorable in some way?
3. Have you ever travelled to Canada? We would love to meet you up here so please come visit soon!
Thanks so much Justine for your time. You are a true inspiration and good luck with all your future endeavours.
Cynthia |
Dear Cynthia, thank you for your kind words.
1. I live in Berkeley, which is near San Francisco (I lived in LA 20 years ago for a short time when I was doing the ‘struggling actress’ thing).
2. I always bring postcards of where I live and photographs of my family. I’ve found that showing people pictures of me and my family is an almost instant way to create connection. No longer am I some TV show presenter, I’m someone’s daughter, someone’s sister, someone’s mother, someone just like them. Especially where the language barrier is up, these pictures open up worlds of wonder as I share my family and they share theirs. I try and buy or find something from each country that I go to. I try and find a heart shaped stone from each country I go. That’s a bit of a challenge when we are in urban environments. I like to collect menus from different countries and bracelets. I’m big into bracelets.
3. Marianne Kaplan, my first cousin lives with her family in Vancouver. She’s like my sister. She’s also an amazing documentary filmmaker. We try to see each other whenever possible so I have been to Vancouver a bunch of times. But I haven’t been anywhere else in Canada. I’d love to go to Montreal and practice my french and eat. I hear there’s a really good deli there.
Thank you my dear. All my best to you and yours. Love justine |
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:51 pm Post subject: |
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| neil197333 wrote: |
Justine i am your biggest fan. I just love the way you host the travel shows and carry yourself. I really wished i could have had learned more about you.
So tell me from travelling all around the world, which place on earth do you think will be suitable for you to stay?
I would love to hear from you justine... My email is: neil1651@gmail.com |
Dearest Neil, you are so sweet to say such sweet things. Thank you!
As to where would be suitable to live... Hmmm...Well, these days, As a mom, the needs of my son come first, well almost first. So it’s time for him to spend more time in Mexico City where his Dad lives. His dad comes up and visits us all the time, but there’s nothing like living in the same town as one’s parent. Also Mateo is very proud of his Mexican-ness. He goes for the Pumas! So Mexico City... Here we come.
When he’s an adult and I can choose to live anywhere I don’t know where I would live? The world is a big place but what I want from a home is fairly simple – I don’t want a big house. I like a small space (less to clean, less shit to buy to fill the space); I want to feel safe at night asleep in my home; good bookstores; a good hamburger joint; accessibility to nature; all the culture (film, art, lectures) that an urban center provides (like in Mexico City); unpretentious people who don’t look down at me just bc I’m wearing yellow socks. |
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admin
Site Admin
Joined: 11 Nov 2004
Posts: 817
Location: London, UK
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:56 pm Post subject: |
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| OK folks... that's all we've got time for! Here's one HUGE thank you to Justine for taking time to be with us today. It's been wonderful chatting to you online and off!!! And even HUGER thanks to all the fans out there for posting questions and dropping by today )) |
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BrentMc
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:58 pm Post subject: Thank you for the chat Justine! |
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| Thank you for the chat Justine! |
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munizera01
Joined: 02 Mar 2005
Posts: 143
Location: South Texas
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:58 pm Post subject: |
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| THANK YOU JUSTINE ENJOY MEXICO CITY; Maybe I'll see you there in the Saturday Market in Coyoacan! |
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Justine Shapiro
Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:58 pm Post subject: |
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| Thank you everyone! It's been wonderful to be here and I've really enjoyed chatting with you. Thanks for all the questions... Sorry I haven't answered all of them but my production deadlines are looming... I'll see if I can drop by later and finish up. Bye for now and thanks. |
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admin
Site Admin
Joined: 11 Nov 2004
Posts: 817
Location: London, UK
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 7:00 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks all - really, really enjoyed our chat. Happy travels everyone |
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technogeek
Joined: 24 Jan 2008
Posts: 1
Location: Slough (UK)
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 7:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks Justine! |
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Future GT
Joined: 24 Apr 2009
Posts: 22
Location: Washington Sate, USA
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| Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 3:12 am Post subject: |
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I know I'm a little late here, but I'd just like to say thank you to Justine for
taking some time to stop by to answer my question, and everyone elses.
I wish you would come back to Globe Trekker, but I understand you have a kid to raise, and other projects to work on. You were one of the reasons I got into traveling, and Globe Trekker, and when I come of age, I plan to submit a show-reel to Pilot Guides.
-Alex Mitu. |
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carrycherry
Joined: 04 Apr 2008
Posts: 7
Location: Wollongong,NSW,Australia
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| Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 2:11 pm Post subject: |
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thank u justine!!
I missed the chat but so happy log in and seen ur great answer to my question! |
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