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Friday Flicks

March 19, 2010: Capitalism: A Love Story
Michael Moore looks at the price that Americans pay for “loving” capitalism. The movie tells the stories of ordinary citizens who have lost their jobs, their homes, and their savings. Moore exposes shocking practices of corporations which benefit from the deaths and financial difficulties of individuals.

February 19, 2010: The Oath
Selected for its world premier at  the Sundance Film Festival in January, 2010, this film was directed by Laura Poitras, niece of UUSG Members Gail & George Tattersfield. Filmed in Yemen, The Oath tells the story of two men whose fateful encounter in 1996 set them on a course of events that led them to Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden, 9/11, Guantanamo, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

January 15, 2010: Fresh
Selected for presentation at five national and international film festivals in 2009, the film takes an uplifting look at how people are making a difference in food production and choices. More inspiring than older flicks which focused on crowded feedlots and dismal slaughterhouses, Fresh challenges our eating habits while providing examples of ways in which we can make a difference.  

November 20, 2009: Peace is Every Step
“Peace is Every Step” documents the life, personality, and message of Nobel peace prize nominee, Thich Nhat Hanh. This world leader, scholar, and poet is a Buddhist monk who survived the Vietnamese War.  A teacher with a powerful message, he tells deceptively simple stories to illustrate how he has lived nonviolently, finding peace within himself and sharing that peace with others.  

October 16, 2009: Nonviolent Communication
International peacekeepers who have helped to resolve  conflicts in Sri Lanka and in Guatemala presented a film depicting their experiences. Representing the Nonviolent Peaceforce Organization, Rita Webb and Dr. Ann Frisch used techniques for nonviolent communication developed by Marshall Rosenberg. Also participating in the program will be Thom Thomas, who will show a film providing an overview of Rosenberg’s approach

September 18, 2009: Blue Gold: World Water Wars
Blue Gold: World Water Wars is a prize-winning documentary that examines our water crisis.
Corporate giants, private investors, and corrupt governments vie for control of the dwindling fresh water supply, prompting protests, lawsuits, and revolutions from citizens fighting for the right to survive. The director, Sam Bozzo, wrote, “I made this film because while Global Warming is an issue of ‘how’ we live, the water crisis is an issue of ‘if’ we live.” In addition to depicting the horrors of the situation, Blue Gold also proposes ideas that will work to help the world avoid an epidemic.  

August 21, 2009: Rethink Afghanistan
Recently released film by acclaimed director Robert Greenwald (Iraq for Sale, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, etc.) Civilians continue to be killed by American and coalition forces as the war in Afghanistan stretches into its eighth year. The film focuses on objectives of the war, the potential for destabilizing Pakistan, and the costs in money, lives, and U.S. credibility.

July 17, 2009: Sicko
Michael Moore’s film has been hailed as a “brilliant diagnosis of the U.S. healthcare system ... dishing laughs and outrage in equal measure, this is the rare movie that could actually change our world.” The film will be followed by a discussion and action alert opportunities focusing on national healthcare reform.

June 19, 2009: Beyond Our Differences
Winner of many awards, The film has been called “a gigantic effort.” It features interviews with the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Ela Gandhi, and Van Jones, as well as leaders of Judaism, Islam, and major figures in politics, culture, arts, and science. Together, this diverse set of influential individuals create a unified message of hope that extends across the world’s religions.

May 15, 2009: This Palestinian Life
This Palestinian Life is a film by Philip Rizk, an Egyptian journalist and Wheaton College graduate.
Rizk has created is a documentary about nonviolent resistance to the Israeli occupation, and the illegal Israeli annexation of Palestinian land. While some Palestinians return Israeli violence with further violence, the vast majority do not. The Arabic word for such everyday acts of nonviolent protest is “sumoud,“ meaning steadfastness and perseverance.

March 20, 2009: Promise of America
Promise of America director, Janet Fitch, will join us to screen this film about the Million Mom March in 2000. A generationally, racially, and ethnically diverse crowd of 820,000 came together from across the United States and the world to demonstrate against gun violence. Participants’ personal motivations to attend the event are explored, along with barriers which they overcame and their responses to the experience. A range of professionals examine the ethical, medical, and international ramifications of gun violence. The film concerns the effects of demonstrations as much as it examines issues regarding gun violence.

February 20, 2009: A Jihad for Love
A Jihad for Love is the world's first feature documentary to explore the complex global intersections between Islam and homosexuality. The film enters the many worlds of Islam by illuminating multiple stories as diverse as Islam itself. A Jihad for Love travels a wide geographic arc presenting lives from India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa and France. Always filming in secret and as a Muslim, the director made the film from within the faith, depicting Islam with the same respect that the film's characters show for it. This sensitive documentary tells the story of individuals torn between their faith and their sexuality. The title, incidentally, is not ironic, but instead embraces the true meaning of jihad, “struggle”. (http://www.firstrunfeatures.com/jihadforlove_press.html)

January 15, 2009: Afghan Stories
With fighting and casualties increasing in Afghanistan, the film gives a face to the struggle by introducing us to a member of the Afghan royal family who was tortured by the Taliban, a refugee couple, a father who is dedicated to peace and his soldier son, an aid worker, US soldiers, and Afghan warlords.

November 2008: American Harvest
Released on October 14, this award-winning film “points out the flaws and inconsistencies of the current U.S. policy on immigration”. "The documentary powerfully portrays the truth about agriculture and migrant labor in the United States at the present time. In a series of candid interviews with farmers and farmworkers from Florida to New York, the viewer learns the facts and dispels the myths connected with migrant farmworkers. The film portrays the migrant reality that can't be ignored and which is rarely seen by most people." (from the New York farm bureau website, www.nyfb.org)

October 2008: This Brave Nation
A recently-released film targeting people of all ages who want to know how they can make a difference in today’s world. “This Brave Nation” spotlights people who have impacted the world around them: Bonnie Raitt, Dolores Huerta, Tom Hayden, and Naomi Klein. What motivated them to get involved – to stop being observers and to take action against injustice? How have their voices been heard? Each of the activists has a unique story. Only one was born into a family of activists. The DVD explores how and why these individuals make decisions that changed the lives of countless people.

September 2008: 18 in ‘08
A new film targeting teens voting for the first time was shown just a few weeks before the October 7 voter registration deadline. An independent and non-partisan film, 18 in ’08 explores the national issues at stake for youth in the 2008 election, how decisions made by officials elected this term will affect their generation for years to come, the role of the news media in engaging voters, and candidates who inspire youth to participate in the political process. The film features interviews with many of the most influential politicians of today, as well as popular culture figures, political activists, media commentators, and student leaders.

May 2008: Uncounted
A documentary about the disenfranchisement of voters since 1999. David Earnhardt’s documentary explores a variety of problems, including insufficient numbers of voting machines, machines which did not operate, inaccurate voter registration records, machines which “flipped” votes or recorded thousands of votes in precincts with fewer than a thousand registered voters, etc.

April 2008: Who Killed the Electric Car?
It was among the fastest, most efficient production cars ever built. It ran on electricity, produced no emissions, and catapulted American technology to the forefront of the automotive industry. The lucky few who drove it never wanted to give it up. So why did General Motors crush its fleet of EV-1 electric vehicles in the Arizona desert? The film chronicles the life and mysterious death of the EV-1; examining the cultural and economic ripple effects caused by its conception and how they reverberated through the halls of government and big business. (-Chris Paine, on www.whokilledtheelectriccar.com/press)

March 2008: Blackwater Invades Illinois
One hundred miles west of Geneva, on 80 acres in Jo Daviess County, Blackwater USA is preparing to expand its private army training facilities. Some characterize Blackwater as a group which is hired to enforce the law while at the same time viewing itself as above the law. Come view a video which analyzes the role, funding, and accountability of this organization which is currently registering people for classes that are slated to begin in April. Information about Action Alerts regarding the outsourcing of security will be available.

February 2008: What I’ve Learned about U.S. Foreign Policy
You may have heard of Iran-Contra and wondered how that came to be. Or perhaps you’ve seen Charlie Wilson’s War , not a documentary but based on some truth about U.S. involvement in a covert war in Afganistan. Have you heard of the School of the Americas? It is discussed too and so are someformer CIA operatives, military people, Bill Moyers,and much more. You may be surprised - even amazed - at what the government has done in your name.