Maldivians on Mountains screened for sponsors

TVM today screened a preview of Maldivians on Mountains for representatives of major businesses and potential sponsors now have three days to confirm sponsorship of the series, which starts airing this Thursday at 2200 hours.

The invitees seemed to enjoy the preview and one of them even asked Narcu to act in a commercial!

We're hopeful they'll support the broadcast of Maldivians on Mountains, so that we can continue to make films like these.

Mariyam Waheeda to host Maldivians on Mountains

Top TV presenter Mariyam Waheeda will host Maldivians on Mountains, the first episode of which will be aired at 2200 hours on 15 July 2010. Check out the latest trailer featuring Mari here.

The four-part series, our first collaboration with TVM, is in the last stages of pre-production. Ahmed Nasheed of Zero Degree Atoll has composed an excellent score for the series, his best for Hulhevi Media so far, according to Narcu.

Maldivians on Mountains to premier on TVM

Hulhevi Media's Maldivians on Mountains is to premier on TVM this July, as a four-part TV series to be hosted by ace TV presenter Mariyam Waheeda. Catch the new trailer currently being shown on TVM here.

Maldivians on Mountains will follow the adventures of Olympic swimmer Ahmed Imthiyaz (Freddy) and our own filmmaker Ahmed Shafeeu (Narcu) as they train and trek from sea-level to the foot of Mount Everest.

Ahmed Nasheed of Zero Degree Atoll is scoring the series.

Meanwhile our second major production of the year The Zero Degree Challenge, a 16-minute short on Olympic rower Guin Batten's solo crossing of the equatorial channel of the Maldives, premiered at the Hay Festival in the UK in May and is now awaiting general release.

Short preview of Guin Batten's solo Equator crossing

We've just uploaded a short preview of a documentary we're editing of UK and Olympic rower Guin Batten's historic solo crossing of the Zero Degree Channel of the Maldives, between South Huvadhoo and Foah Mulah. Here's the YouTube link.

The Maldives has its own long tradition of rowing. People of Foah Mulah, for instance, used to row across the Equator in the past, even the longer One and Half Degree Channel. But no one is recorded as having crossed the Equatorial Channel of the Maldives solo, so Guin's feat is a landmark for rowing in the Maldives.

Women of Gahdhoo, in South Huvadhoo Atoll, even now row twice a week to their farms on the uninhabited island of Gan.

Not surprisingly, Guin got a warm welcome from the people of the area, especially Vaadhoo, from where she set off, Foah Mulah and Gahdhoo. The event also sparked interest among women and men in rowing and the newly formed Rowing Association of the Maldives, based on Thinadhoo, has big plans to develop the sport.

Hulhevi Media is hoping to complete the full documentary in May.

Maldivians on Mountains inspires more Maldivians to Everest

Nine young Maldivians have set off on a spring trek to Mount Everest Base camp, after seeing a preview of Hulhevi Media's Maldivians on Mountains. This is the largest known Maldivian team to attempt the famed second most popular trek in the Nepal Himalaya. You can follow their adventure on their blog kaalhuguibangaalhu.

The first known ascent of Kala Pattar (5,300 metres), the highest point of the trek, was by three young Maldivian women, followed by Maldivian men in 1994, 2005, and 2009. So far, three women and four men from the Maldives are known to have summitted Kala Pattar.

In this image from Maldivians on Mountains, Olympic swimmer Ahmed Imthiyaz ascends Gokyo Peak above the beautiful third lake. Maldivians on Mountains is currently in post-production and Hulhevi Media is also exploring the possibility of serialising the footage filmed for national TV.

Please remove this billboard

This billboard appears on one of the most crowded streets of Male.

Instead of representing the little girl in this image as a child, the designers appear to have made her strike a pose of a much older woman, a seductress. Although the costume worn by the little girl may seem more suited to seedy nightclubs, it is a fact that Maldivian parents often dress up their little ones in fluffs and feathers.

In this particular picture, the little girl is made to lie on a couch with her head tilted suggestively and her legs parted slightly (this part is strategically positioned in the centre of the frame).

Although this billboard is probably an extreme example it, nevertheless, is representative of a media culture in which children are often dressed up as adults and highly-sexualised. The annual TVM school song competition is a case in point with under-five-year-olds often dressed up as much older pop stars. Cameramen then tilt their cameras slowly over the bodies of the children, in what can be regarded as visual caressing.

Hulhevi Media calls for the removal of this billboard, and also takes this opportunity to ask our colleagues in the media industry to adopt ethical standards that have clear guidelines on the representation of children.

"Steroid the civil service"

At a time of intense debate around the civil service, "Steroid the Civil Service" is an outrageous project designed by Avahaara Ganduvaru's indomitable Dr. Dhon, the scientist brought in by the government to infuse life into its lethargic civil service. Don't miss the third and final part of Hulhevi Media's comedy pilot, which contains the wickedest bits yet. And don't stop viewing after the end credits, there's more!

Hulhevi Media meant to push the envelope of Dhivehi comedy and the boundaries of what is acceptable in Maldivian television with this pilot and, in retrospect, perhaps we pushed too far. Although there's much talk of the broadcast media being more liberalised in effect the show is still run by the same people who kept it in check all these years. Imagine their shock when confronted by something as rude as Avahaara Ganduvaru!  But we had great fun making the show and hope viewers enjoy the results.

Avahaara Ganduvaru Pilot Part 3.