Peace & Justice

2007 Film Series

May 11, 2007: My Country, My Country - Working alone in Iraq over eight months, director/cinematographer Laura Poitras creates an extraordinarily intimate portrait of Iraqis living under U.S. occupation. Her principal focus is Dr. Riyadh, an Iraqi medical doctor, father of six and Sunni political candidate. An outspoken critic of the occupation, he is equally passionate about the need to establish democracy in Iraq, arguing that Sunni participation in the January 2005 elections is essential. Yet all around him, Dr. Riyadh sees only chaos, as his waiting room fills each day with patients suffering the physical and mental effects of ever-increasing violence. Dramatically interwoven into the personal journey of Dr. Riyadh is the landscape of the US military occupation, with Australian private security contractors, American journalists and the UN officials who orchestrate the elections. Unfolding like a narrative drama, MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY follows the agonizing predicament and gradual descent of one man caught in the tragic contradictions of the U.S. occupation of Iraq and its project to spread democracy in the Middle East. ( 90 mins, 2006)


May 4, 2007: Jesus Camp - A growing number of Evangelical Christians believe there is a revival underway in America that requires Christian youth to assume leadership roles in advocating the causes of their religious movement. JESUS CAMP, directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (The Boys of Baraka), follows Levi, Rachael, and Tory to Pastor Becky Fischer's "Kids on Fire" summer camp in Devil's Lake, North Dakota, where kids as young as 6 years-old are taught to become dedicated Christian soldiers in "God's army." The film follows these children at camp as they hone their "prophetic gifts" and are schooled in how to "take back America for Christ." The film is a first-ever look into an intense training ground that recruits born-again Christian children to become an active part of America's political future. (86 mins, 2006)



April 6, 2007: Shut up and Sing - A powerful documentary from two-time Academy Award®-winning director Barbara Kopple (HARLAN COUNTY USA, AMERICAN DREAM) and director Cecilia Peck. On stage at a 2003 London concert, Natalie Maines, lead singer of Texan trio the Dixie Chicks, spoke these 15 words to a small audience at the start of their sold-out international tour: "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas." The comment was delivered on the eve of the American invasion of Iraq, and drew cheers from the decidedly anti-war and anti-Bush British crowd. At the heightened moment of political polarization in the United States, many people empowered this simple, yet loaded remark to carry serious and longstanding ramifications. The film follows the lives and careers of the Chicks through the writing and recording of their first album since “the incident” – and three years of political attack, making music, birthing babies, bonding, death threats, and laughter. At the end, the film presents a complete reconsideration of who people think they are, who they want to be and who, ultimately, they really are as women, as public figures, and as musicians.(93 mins, 2006)

2006 Film Series

May 26, 2006:I’m Sorry I was Right - One of the most fascinating characters in 20th-century Minnesota history--former Sen. Eugene McCarthy, best known for his impassioned 1968 campaign against the Vietnam War--is the subject of this half-hour documentary. Here's a politician whose age, experience, and background encourage him to raise his voice against the dangerous control of corporate media, the unlimited power of the military-industrial complex, and the injustice of tax breaks for the wealthy. (30 min, 2004)


May 12, 2006:Devil's Miner - This is a film that, once seen, is almost impossible to forget. With its striking images of mountains and sky contrasted to claustrophobic mine shafts, The Devil's Miner tells us that 800 children work shoulder-to-shoulder with dark-faced men (life expectancy: 35 to 40) in the silver mines of Cerro Rico, Bolivia. The film take us on a journey through hell under the earth, where God does not set foot and where Satan is worshipped as king. Basilio Vargas, the 14-year-old hero is called Papa by his younger siblings because he is the family's breadwinner. He was a fatherless 12-year-old when he started working in the mines. His classmates at school insult him for working in the mines, but he toughs it out because he knows getting an education is the only way to get out of hell. The film leaves a lot to think about, above all a feeling of outrage at the fate of these children. (2005, 82 mins)

Paul George, Executive Director of Peninsula Peace and Justice Center will speak and lead a discussion after the film.


March 10, 2006:Wetback - Persistent massive unemployment has left millions of Central Americans desperately impoverished, with little choice but to migrate to jobs in Canada and the U.S. It is estimated that 3000 a day embark on the treacherous overland journey north, and fewer than 300 ever make it. Wetback is a powerful record of the journey of five Nicaraguans, with no documents and little money, as they make their way north. The obstacles they face are tremendous and life threatening, from corrupt Mexican border police and vicious Mexican gangs, to dangerously overcrowded freight trains and fast-moving rivers. Those who make it into the U.S. face armed white supremacist vigilante groups who patrol the border to prevent illegal entry. Some make it, some don?t; all suffer greatly. Wetback is an exemplary committed documentary that offers crucial human insights into the politics of poverty, the forces of repression and the will to survive. (90 min, 2004)

This film is made possible through the Ironweed Film Club.


Feb 3, 2006:Darwin’s Nightmare - During the 60s a new fish was introduced into Lake Victoria. Voraciously predatory, the Nile Perch, multiplied rapidly, killing off almost the entire stock of native fish. Now the Nile Perch is exported all around the world, whilst the lakeside villagers who are completely dependent on the fishing industry for their living are too impoverished to afford to eat it. Hubert Sauper's incisive documentary is a damning analysis of the global economic and political interests at play in one of Africa's most beautiful and fertile regions: the huge ex-Soviet cargo planes which fly in to load up with fish arrive packed with Kalishnikovs and ammunition for the uncounted wars in the dark center of the continent. This booming multinational industry of fish and weapons has created an ungodly globalized alliance on the shores of the world’s biggest tropical lake: an army of local fishermen, World bank agents, homeless children, African ministers, EU-commissioners, Tanzanian prostitutes and Russian pilots. (107 min, 2004)

Sarah Dotlich, Africa Program Director at IDEX will speak and lead a discussion after the film.


January 20, 2006: Affluenza - Americans, who make up only five percent of the world's population, use nearly a third of its resources and produce almost half of its hazardous waste. Add overwork, personal stress, the erosion of family and community, skyrocketing debt, and the growing gap between rich and poor, and it's easy to understand why some people say that the American Dream is no bargain. Many are opting out of the consumer chase, redefining the Dream, and making "voluntary simplicity" the in-thing. (56 min, 1997)

July 19, 2006:The Real Face of Occupation  How U.S. military occupation looks from the other end of the gun barrel. Was Abu Ghraib an exception or merely an extreme? How has Iraq changed since the fall of Saddam? What is life like under occupation? On-the-ground footage shows the humiliation and dehumanization inevitable in a colonial situation. (30 min)

July 19, 2006:Dance of Death  The American military in Iraq: lambs led to slaughter or centurions for the Empire? Either way, U.S. troops are locked in a deadly interaction with the people of Iraq. Soldiers and their families speak out against the war and talk about their lost loved ones. (30 min)




July 19, 2006:The Art of Resistance  The growing impact of artists and cultural performances that have invigorated and enlivened resistance to America's imperial war on Iraq.(30 min)

August 2, 2006:A lyrical, moving and disturbing video montage of the American invasion and occupation of Iraq. (30 min)

August 2, 2006:Erasing Memory: The Cultural Destruction of Iraq  The horrendous destruction of the museums and archives of Iraq, the oldest treasures of human civilization, in the wake of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Millennia of history were bombed, looted and destroyed, and with them the memory and culture of Iraq.  (30 min)

August 2, 2006:National Insecurities  Violence against immigrants, especially Arabs; imprisonment without trial, especially for Muslims. is the U.S. government fomenting fear to inflame racial and ethnic divisions? History repeats itself, as violence against immigrants and imprisonment without trial become routine.    (30 min)

 

August 16, 2006:The World Says No to War  Documents the massive protests of tens of millions of people throughout the world in opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Sounds and images from 16 countries show passionate and creative reactions to militarism and occupation.  (30 min)

August 16, 2006:Standing With the Women of Iraq  What has the U.S. invasion and occupation meant for the women of Iraq? In this program their passionate statements of resistance are intercut with actions by Code Pink, Women in Black and others who have been at the forefront of protests against the war in the U.S.  (30 min)

August 16, 2006:Empire and Oil  Modern empires run on oil, and controlling these resources is key to the control and penetration of potential rivals. This program examines the recent history of the Middle East and the Iraq War in relation to the desire of Western powers to control "the greatest strategic prize in history.”      (30 min)
 

August 30, 2006:Globalization at Gunpoint: The Economics of Occupation  The military occupation of Iraq has enabled the U.S. to enforce privatization of the Iraqi economy, in effect, selling off Iraq's assets to foreign investors. A look at the challenges to privatization.  (30 min)

 

August 30, 2006:Resistance at Home  Millions of Americans have said "NO!" to the invasion and occupation of Iraq, and the larger Bush agenda of clampdowns on free speech, increased spying on citizens and the elimination of civil liberties.   (30 min)

August 30, 2006:Channels of War: The Media is the Military  The mainstream television networks have fanned the flames of war, and have profited from doing so. This program looks at how the corporate media has sanitized Americans' field of vision.   (30 min)

October 13, 2006: Iraq For Sale: The War Profiteers - Acclaimed director Robert Greenwald takes you inside the lives of soldiers, truck drivers, widows and children who have been changed forever as a result of profiteering in the reconstruction of Iraq.  The film uncovers the connections between a small group of private U.S. companies that have made literally billions of dollars doing jobs that the military used to do on its own — and that the Iraqis themselves could do better, faster, and cheaper — and the policymakers and bureaucrats who have allowed these firms to turn no- bid contracts into a license to steal from American soldiers and taxpayers. (75 min, 2006)

 

Dahr Jamail, will talk and lead a discussion after the film. Dahr has been reporting from Iraq since 2003 as a rare independent journalist due to the failure of  US media to accurately report on the realities of the war. His dispatches are published in The Nation, the Guardian, The Independent and he reports for Democracy Now!, the BBC, KPFA Flashpoints and numerous other stations around the globe.  http://www.dahrjamailiraq.com/

2005 Film Series

December 16, 2005:  You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train - Documents the life and times of Howard Zinn, historian, activist, and author of the best selling classic A People's History of the United States. Featuring rare archival materials, interviews with Howard Zinn as well as colleagues and friends including Noam Chomsky, Marian Wright Edelman, Daniel Ellsberg, Tom Hayden, and Alice Walker, You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train captures the essence of this activist and thinker who has been a catalyst for progressive change for more than 60 years. The film follows the trajectory of Zinn's life from his early childhood in the slums of New York City through his time as a teacher and civil rights and antiwar activist. Zinn has informed and inspired generations of those who struggle for social and economic justice with hope. As Noam Chomsky has said of him, "It is no exaggeration to say he has changed the consciousness of a generation." Features music by Billy Bragg, Woody Guthrie, and Eddie Vedder. (78 minutes; 2004.)

November 11, 2005: Hope is a unique and powerful short film with a message of peace for the future. Combining animation, archival footage and live action, in a multi-layered non-linear story, the film brings the viewer on a fascinating journey through human existence. ‘Hope’ is shaped around the knowledge and ideas of Willy Whitefeather, a man in his sixties of Cherokee ancestry, a fascinating storyteller, healer, survivalist and an individual of wisdom and heart. Using traditions and stories from Native American and world cultures, the film combines dreams, images and reminiscences from our collective memory to send a message of hope for the future. Now is the time to reconnect with Spirit, to recognize the effects of our actions, to evaluate the underlying causes of suffering and to reshape our life and our world into a harmonious one.  Catherine Margerin, known for her unique painterly style animation, is the director of "Hope".  The film is produced by Luna Media, a non-profit 501 (c)3, dedicated to producing media that promotes peace and personal vision.  (7 mins, 2005)

Nov 11, 2005: The Doctor, Depleted Uranium & the Dying Children  An award-winning documentary film that exposes the use and impact of radioactive weapons during the current war against Iraq. The story is told by citizens of many nations, including British veterans who describe their exposure to radioactive so-called ‘depleted’ uranium (DU) weapons and the congenital abnormalities of their children. The film follows Dr. Siegwart-Horst Günther, who traveled to Iraq with Tedd Weyman of the Uranium Medical Research Center to assess uranium contamination there. They found evidence of the use of a new class of uranium weapons, including "bunker defeat" bombs. The team also explored the long-term health effects, including increases in cancer and congenital deformities in the area around Basra, that are attributed to DU contamination from the first Gulf War. The grisly realities of the cancer ward provide an appropriate alarm that could help to stop the use of these weapons. (52 minutes; 2004.)

"Film US TV Networks Dare Not Show"

The screening of this film is made possible by Ellison Horne, Founder of Celebrating Solutions.  Ellison will introduce the film.

October 14, 2005: Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear  In the past our politicians offered us dreams of a better world. Now they promise to protect us from nightmares. The most frightening of these is the threat of an international terror network. But just as the dreams were not true, neither are these nightmares. The Power of Nightmares, produced by the BBC, contends that the idea that we are threatened by a hidden and organized terrorist network is an illusion. This myth has spread unquestioned through politics, the security services, and the international media. At the heart of the story are two groups: the American neo-conservatives and the radical Islamists. Both were idealists who were born out of the failure of the liberal dream to build a better world. These two groups have changed the world, but not in the way either intended. Together they created today's nightmare vision of an organised terror network -- a fantasy that politicians then found restored their power and authority in a disillusioned age. (165 minutes, 2004. - Three 55 min segments)

British Academy Television Awards - Best Factual Series
Broadcasting Press Guild Awards - Best Documentary Series
Royal Television Society - Best Documentary Series
"The Film Major Media Companies Do Not Want You to See"

September 30, 2005: Weapons of Mass Deception   There were two wars going on in Iraq. One was fought with armies of soldiers, bombs, and a fearsome military force. The other was fought alongside it with cameras, satellites, armies of journalists, and propaganda techniques. One war was rationalized as an effort to find and disarm WMDs -- Weapons of Mass Destruction; the other was carried out by even more powerful WMDs -- Weapons of Mass Deception. The TV networks in America considered their non-stop coverage their finest hour, celebrating the use of embedded journalists and new technologies that permitted viewers to see a war up close for the first time. But people in different countries saw different wars. Why? Weapons of Mass Deception explores this story with the findings of a gutsy former network journalist and media insider-turned-outsider, Danny Schechter, “The News Dissector”, who is one of America's most prolific media critics. (100 minutes; 2004.)

Best Documentary Award Durban International Film Festival
Best Documentary Starz Denver International Film Festival
Best Documentary Award Austin Film Festival
May 23, 2005: Unfinished Symphony - is an emotional, poetic, and lyrical journey back in time to reflect on the highly contested Vietnam War. The film is divided into three sections, which mirror the movements of Henryk Gorecki's Symphony No. 3, the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, to which the film is set. Taking place in Massachusetts over Memorial Day weekend in 1971, the film focuses on a three-day protest in the form of a march, staged by newly returned veterans.  Stunning black-and-white filmed footage from the original march is interspersed with shots of the war and recent conversations with political historian Howard Zinn. At the protest, veterans voice their feelings about the horrors they witnessed overseas just months before. "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die in Vietnam?" asks a young, distraught veteran, John Kerry, speaking at a hearing to stop the war. Because the film uses actual archival footage, rather than simply describing the march 30 years later, the emotions are intense and raw and bubble to the surface. But because time has passed, the material is put into a meaningful historical context. The juxtaposition results in a seamless, organic, provocative, and powerful tapestry of history on film.  59 min, 2001

Steve Morse - Program Coordinator for the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors will lead a discussion after the film

May 9, 2005:  World Stopped Watching - is a sequel to the award winning The World Is Watching, a cinema verité look at foreign news coverage of a climactic moment in the US-financed Contra war against Nicaragua’s revolutionary government.  Fourteen years later, filmmakers Peter Raymont and Harold Crooks return to Nicaragua to discover what became of the first revolution to be conducted in the glare of the world media. T The film revisits the mothers and children in the barrios, the taxi drivers, and of course, the politicians.  Much has changed. The country is now replete with strip malls, prostitutes and MacDonald’s. Literacy is down. Infant deaths are up. Many NGOs and UN agencies are doing useful development work, particularly in the area of women’s health and housing. But, according to recent UNESCO reports, 26% of Nicaraguan children never set foot in a classroom, a figure twice as high as the 13% average in the rest of Latin America.  52 mins,  2003

May 2, 2005:  The Wall  A close-up look at the vast civil engineering project of building the "Wall" or "security fence" which may turn out to be the largest in Israel's history: a system of trenches, electronic fencing, razor wire, concrete walls, sensors, cameras, and remote-controlled machine guns which will be up to 100 meters wide and stretch for more than 600 km; and the devastating effect it is having on the Palestinians whose lives are affected by it.  The film documents the construction of the Wall or "security fence" and the devastating impact it is having on Palestinians. Through interviews with Israeli activists it also helps to place the separation barrier in the context of other forms of control, including checkpoints, roadblocks and closure that the Palestinians have been increasingly subject to since 1991.  54 mins, 2003

Uda Walker, of Middle East Children's Alliance will speak after the film.

March 21, 2005: Friendship Village - An award-winning documentary about an international group of veterans who are building a village in Viet Nam for children with Agent Orange-related disabilities. Built on a former rice paddy near Hanoi, the Friendship Village stands not only as a symbol of peace and reconciliation, but as a testament to the potential for all people to come to terms with the past, heal the wounds of war, and create a better world.   Veterans from the USA, Vietnam, France, Germany, Japan, Great Britain and Australia are attempting to mitigate the ongoing effects of the toxic herbicide sprayed during the war. Their efforts are a powerful example of how average people can still make a profound difference in our increasingly globalized world. As such, the Vietnam Friendship Village has the potential to change not only the lives of the children who live in it and the men who build it, but all who come to understand its mission. 50 mins, 2003

March 14, 2005: About Baghdad - In July of 2003, exiled writer and poet Sinan Antoon returned to his native Baghdad with a team of independent filmmakers, artists and poets to document the effects that decades of oppression, war, sanctions and occupation have had on his city. The result is a fascinating mosaic of opinions, perspectives, desires and memories that offers a picture far more complex than the limited one presented by mainstream US media. ABOUT BAGHDAD pays tribute to the brave people of Baghdad as they struggle to come to terms with the tragic fate of their beloved city.  90 mins, 2004

Mahmood Suleiman will lead a discussion after the film.  

Feb 14, 2005: Mission Against Terror  The documentary follows the case of the Cuban Five—five men from Cuba who are unjustly imprisoned in the U.S. for doing nothing more than preventing terrorism against the Cuban people. They were arrested on September 12, 1998 by the FBI and have been in prison ever since. The men, Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, René González, and Fernando González, were sentenced in Miami federal court to four life terms and 75 years collectively. Their case is on appeal before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.  The film shows historical footage of terrorism against Cuba and provides a moving depiction of the case of the Cuban Five. It features interviews with Cuban National Assembly president Ricardo Alarcón, former CIA agent Philip Agee, attorney Leonard Weinglass, Cuban activist from Miami, Andrés Gómez, and family members of the Cuban Five.   48 mins, 2004

Bernie Dwyer - Co-Director of the film, will be present and answer questions.

2004 Film Series

Nov 12, 2004: Unconstitutional: War on Our Civil Liberties - A new, hour-long documentary from Robert Greenwald -- one of the most prolific and progressive producers in Hollywood -- in conjunction with the ACLU. This new film, written, directed and produced by Nonny de la Peña, details the shocking way that civil liberties of American citizens and immigrants alike have been infringed upon, curtailed, and rolled back since 9/11 and the USA Patriot Act.  66 mins,  2004

 



Nov 8, 2004: War feels like War - This film documents the lives of reporters and photographers who circumvent military media control to get access to the real Iraq War. As the invading armies sweep into the country, some of the journalists in Kuwait decide to travel in their wake, risking their lives to discover the true impact of war on civilians.  60 mins,  2004

Dana Hull, Reporter at San Jose Mercury News and an un-embedded journalist in Iraq will lead the discussion.

Nov  1, 2004:  Political Advertisement 2000 features ads from the 1950s to the present, including the 2000 campaign. As Muntadas and Reese trace the development of the TV spot, what emerges is the political strategy and manipulative marketing techniques of the American televisual campaign process. Political Advertisement 2000 includes many rare spots, some never before seen. Edited without commentary, there's an endless stream of candidates, from Eisenhower to Al Gore, who are sold like commercial products.  65 mins, 2000

Ellliot Margolies, Executive Producer of the MidPeninsula Community Media Center will lead a discussion.

Oct 25, 2004: Brothers and Others  Brothers and Others is a one hour video documentary on the impact of the September 11th tragedy on Muslims and Arabs living in America. This documentary follows a number of immigrants and American families as they struggle in the heightened climate of suspicion, FBI and INS investigations and economic hardships that erupted in America following the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. In interviews with Arab and Muslim immigrants, government representatives, and a select group of legal and historical experts including Ghazi khankan, Noam Chomsky and James Zogby, this film explores how America’s fear of terrorism has negatively impacted a substantial portion of the American population. 52 mins, 2002

Samina Faheem, Founder, American Muslim Voice will lead the discussion.

Oct 18, 2004: Hijacking Catastrophe  9/11, Fear & the Selling of American Empire examines how a radical fringe of the Republican Party has used the trauma of the 9/11 terror attacks to advance a pre-existing agenda to radically transform American foreign policy while rolling back civil liberties and social programs at home.

"Hijacking Catastrophe stands to become an explosive and empowering information weapon in this decisive year in U.S. history."  Naomi Klein   64 mins, 2004







Oct 11, 2004: Invisible Ballots is an in-depth exposé of all-electronic computerized voting. Underneath the radar of public scrutiny, election officials and voting machine manufacturers are putting into service tens of thousands of touch screen voting machines that cannot be relied upon for accuracy or security from tampering. 50 mins, 2004

Steve Chessin, President, Californians for Electoral Reform will lead a discussion after the film.

Oct 4, 2004: Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election, is the riveting story about the battle for the Presidency in Florida and the undermining of democracy in America. What emerges is a disturbing picture of an election marred by suspicious irregularities, electoral injustices, and sinister voter purges in a state governed by the winning candidate's brother. George W. Bush stole the presidency of the United States… and got away with it.   50 mins, 2004 Campaign Edition



May 18, 2004: Plan Colombia: Cashing In on Drug War Failure
 From the producers of The Hidden Wars Of Desert Storm a film on the complex issues of drug-trafficking and civil struggle in Colombia and the impact of both the current chemical-spray program carried out by the US Defense-contractor Dyncorps and the multi-billion-dollar aid package delivered to the brutal Colombian military. Additional insights are provided on the significant factor oil has become in the Colombian equation, a country with the same oil potential as Venezuela, today the second largest oil supplier to the US. 57 min, 2003


Jutta Meier-Wiedenbach will speak and lead a discussion after the film.  Jutta has been coordinating the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) Task Force on Latin America and the Caribbean Colombia Program since January 2002.  Jutta has many years of experience working for peace and justice, including more than four years in Chiapas, Mexico, and has visited Colombia several times, and speaks on Colombia and Colombian grassroots peace initiatives and gives media interviews on the subject.

May 4, 2004: Arms for the Poor
Experts explore how the arms industry in America influences our Congress to encourage and expand the sale of high tech weapons across the globe. This destabilizes entire regions and impoverishes countries where "the poor cry out for for food and doctors, not guns and Generals."  25 min, 1998

Cine Golden Eagle Award Winner






Also on May 4, 2004: In Whose Interest Leads us on an eye-opening journey, questioning the effects of U.S. foreign policy over the past 50 years, revealing a pattern of intervention, the film focuses on Guatemala, Vietnam, East Timor, El Salvador, and Palestine/Israel. Archival footage, photographs and media tidbits are dynamically interwoven with personal eye-witness accounts and commentary from academics -- such as Noam Chomsky -- religious leaders and politicians.   27 min, 2002

Rush Rehm of Classics and Drama at Stanford, author of many books and articles and an activist will speak and lead a discussion after the film.   Prof. Rehm also teaches a seminar titled "Noam Chomsky: The Drama of Résistance" which presets information and analysis to encourage action and activism.

April 20, 2004: Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land
 Exposes how the foreign policy interests of American political elites exercise a powerful influence over news reporting about the Middle East conflict. Combining American and British TV news clips with observations of analysts, journalists, and political activists, the film provides an historical overview, a striking media comparison, and an examination of factors that have distorted U.S. media coverage and, in turn, American public opinion. 80 min, 2004

Journalist Alison Weir the founder of "If Americans Knew," an organization dedicated to providing Americans with information on topics of importance that are misreported or under-reported in the American media, will present the film and give a presentation after the film on the three studies of Bay Area newspapers, on the reporting of the Middle East conflict.

April 13, 2004: Haiti, Harvest of Hope (All donations go to Haiti Emergency Relief Fund)
 Originally planned as a documentary about democracy coming to Haiti with the election of Jean-Betrand Aristide in December 1990, filming had to be stopped due to another military coup.  Kevin Pina, the filmmaker returned to Haiti and spent the next three weeks chronicling the brutality and machinations of Haiti's new military leaders and their supporters and then again in 1994 in to film Aristide's return. He has since then filmed another 27 min update.  Part of the first film together with the latest update will be shown.  57 min, 1998, 2003 

Pierre La Boissiere, activist and the founder of Haiti Action Committee in Berkeley, will present the films and lead a discussion after the screening.

mainlogoApril 6, 2004: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Winner of over 20 international awards, this fascinating documentary records the coup attempt against Hugo Chavez, in 2002, supported by the upper 20% of the economic class in Venezuela and the Bush administration.  The coup attempt failed two days later as the nation’s working class took to the streets and military officers loyal to Chavez restored the people's elected government.  74 min, 2003

Dawn Gable, actively involved in Venezuelan politics and Founder of the International Bolivarian Circle: Cyber-Solidarity, the co-creator and co-manager of the Bolivarian Circles official website , will present the film and lead a discussion after the screening.

2003 Film Series

July 22, 2003: Bombies - Directed by Jack Silberman, 57 mins, 2002

Between 1964 and 1973 the United States conducted a secret air war, dropping over 2 million tons of bombs and making tiny Laos the most heavily bombed country in history. 90 million cluster bombs were dropped on Laos. Millions of these 'cluster bombs' did not explode when dropped, leaving the country massively contaminated with 'bombies' as dangerous now as when they fell a quarter century ago, killing people every day, just as they did 30 years ago.

Golden Gate Award, San Francisco International Film Festival
Gold Plaque, Chicago International Television Awards
Best of Festival and Best of Category, Vermont International Film Festival
Special Prize for Environmental Education, Ökomedia Festival, Freiburg
The Japan Prize, Adult Division
Honorable Mention, Columbus International Film Festival

Nominated for Best Social Documentary, Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival

 

August 5, 2003: Samsara – Directed by Ellen Bruno, 29 mins

Documents the struggle of the Cambodian people to rebuild a shattered society in a climate of war and with limited resources. Ancient prophecy Buddhist teachings, and folklore provide a context for understanding the Cambodian tragedy, bringing a humanistic perspective to a country in deep political turmoil.

Gold Apple, Best of Northern California, National Educational Film Festival
Blue Ribbon Award,  American Film Festival
John Grierson Award
Edward R. Murrow Award
Special Jury Award, Sundance Film Festival
Student Academy Award,  Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science
Gold Special Jury Award,  Houston International Film Festival
Asahi Shinbu Award, Hiroshima International Film Festival
Best Cinematography, Best Documentary  Focus Awards

August 5, 2003: Satya, Prayer for the Enemy, Directed by Ellen Bruno, 28 mins

Since the Chinese occupation of Tibet, more than one million Tibetans have been tortured, executed or starved to death for their role in demonstrations against the Chinese occupation.  Tibetan Buddhist nuns have fearlessly staged demonstrations for independence and countless nuns have been imprisoned and tortured.  Satya focuses on the testimonies of these nuns, revealing continued religious oppression and human rights abuses in occupied Tibet and seeks to understand the basis and inspiration for this choice of nonviolence, and the spiritual principles that influence their understanding of the enemy.

July 1, 2003: Gaza Strip  - Directed by James Longley, 74 mins, 2002   Arabic & French with English Subtitles

“Gaza Strip” pushes the viewer headlong into the tumult of the Israeli-occupied Gaza, examining the lives and views of ordinary Palestinians.  The documentary often sees the world through the eyes of young people. The central character is Mohammed Hejazi, a 13-year-old paperboy in Gaza City, one of the young “stone-throwers” who risk their lives throwing rocks at Israeli tanks across the barbwire fences.  "The absence of voice-over narration and talking-head interviews gives his portrait of daily life under duress a riveting immediacy ... in the best verite tradition, there are moments in ''Gaza Strip'' that disclose a wrenching human reality deeper and more basic than any politics." -- A. O. Scott, The New York Times

Special Mention, Festival dei Popoli, Florence