Another World is Possible Film

       Another World is Possible (Bullfrog Films) is a film that documents the World Social Forum of 2002.  Of special interest to me about the film is how the meeting of the World Social Forum overcomes barriers of a nationalism to create international dialogue. In particular, I wonder whether or not individuals were able to overcome language barriers during these conferences.  It seems many of the official speakers of the film presented in English. However, it seems likely there were varying degrees of ability in speaking English fluently within the forums attendees and speakers.  Because the film is recorded for an English speaking audience, it is difficult to know what the conference is like for an attendee for whom English is not their primary language.  Were translators in place to aid in communication?  How were differences in language overcome within the small group discussions that are featured in the film?  Did certain individuals feel excluded from participation because of language barriers?  How does the World Social Forum effectively criticize globalization without replicating its inequalities?  Surely, the event organizers employed complex planning in order to address these issues, and it would be valuable to explore their methods in order to better understand the proccess needed to generate a productive international forum.
        Obviously speech was not the only communicative practice utilized in the World Social Forum; the visual arts, music, dance, and theatre were all employed in voicing the participant’s concerns.  How did these nonverbal forms of communication help to cohere national differences between participants?  Were these artistic practices more easily internationally understood than speech, or did elements of these practices still exclude particular nationalities in comprehension?