CRACKING THE CODE: FINDING SUCCESS FOR A U.S. FILM FESTIVAL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MASERU 000304

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT ALSO FOR AF/S
DEPT ALSO FOR AF/PD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO SCUL PREL LT
SUBJECT: CRACKING THE CODE: FINDING SUCCESS FOR A U.S. FILM FESTIVAL
IN MASERU

MASERU 00000304 001.2 OF 002



1. SUMMARY: After a series of film screenings at the beginning
at Embassy Maseru's seven-week U.S. film festival (March 8
through April 19),the event closed with a packed, standing room
only showing of Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center." Attendance
grew remarkably during the course of the festival, demonstrating
how the festival was a learning experience for Embassy's Maseru
Public Affairs Section. Lessons from the festival on "how to
fill the seats" will be carried into future Public Diplomacy
events. An active discussion among festival attendees of
September 11 following the final film's close demonstrated the
impact that such cultural events can have in Lesotho. END
SUMMARY.

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The Maseru U.S. Film Festival
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2. On Thursday, March 8, the Public Diplomacy Section (PAS) of
U.S. Embassy in Maseru launched a seven-week film festival
focusing on the themes of the African-American experience,
HIV/AIDS, and contemporary United States history. The films,
shown under the State Department's blanket agreement with the
Motion Picture Licensing Association (MPLA),were shown weekly
on Thursday evenings at a partner hotel in Maseru. These films
included The Tuskeegee Airmen (1995),Glory (1989),Apollo 13
(1995),Philadelphia (1993),The Shawshank Redemption (1994);
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977); and World Trade Center
(2006). The Embassy's partner, the Maseru Sun Hotel, provided
free space for the festival in their conference facility, use of
a popcorn machine, and staff for logistical arrangements. A
large cloth for the movie screen was donated by representatives
of the local textile industry, and an oversized screen frame
(four by six meters) was procured from a local vender using
budgeted PD funds.


3. Under the State Department's agreement with the MPLA, no
mass media advertising can be utilized for this type of event.
To make the event known to the general population, Embassy
Maseru's PD staff designed a poster which was posted at local
grocery stores and sent to various diplomatic missions, local
NGO's, and other partners in the city. The DCM, PAO, and a
cross section of other mission officers used short presentations
before films to highlight the significance of these movies and
the issues raised by them. In the case of the African-American
history films, racism and discrimination were used to
demonstrate that U.S. democracy is a work in progress and that
the United States understands the obstacles facing Lesotho in
its democratic development.

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Cracking the Code
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4. Embassy Maseru's Public Affairs staff worked diligently
during the festival to raise attendance numbers, including by
noting the festival during unrelated radio appearances and in
other forum consistent with the State Department's agreement
with the MPLA. During the course of the festival, however, the
PAO learned that our efforts to present the festival as a
wholly public event had collided with a common public perception
in Lesotho of many diplomatic events as elite and by invitation
only. Many average Basotho, it seemed, believed they would be
unable to gain access to the festival if they arrived without an
official invitation in hand.


5. For the closing event, a showing of Oliver Stone's "World
Trade Center," the PAS opted to issue seventy official
invitations to a wide cross-section of the Embassy's local
contacts, ranging from politicians to academics to individuals
in grassroots HIV/AIDS support groups. The conference hall's
100 seats were completely full, and the discussion of September
11 which took place after the film fulfilled the Public Affairs
Section's hopes concerning the possible impact of this type of
event. Attendees anxiously inquired when the Embassy would hold
its next U.S. film festival.

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Comment: Perceptions Matter
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6. COMMENT: At the end of the film festival, particularly
after the showing of "World Trade Center," it appeared the
showings had moved their Basotho participants and implanted
strong impressions about the American experience. As organizers
of the festival, we also learned a great deal about "filling the
seats." While the average Mosotho feels completely comfortable
walking into a village wedding feast held for strangers, the
perception is that such behavior is unacceptable relating to an
event sponsored by a diplomatic mission. We will take this

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lesson to heart as we plan future events, emphasizing that our
welcome mat is large and, in fact, most welcoming. END COMMENT.
MURPHY