Events

RED WITHOUT BLUE is an artistic and groundbreaking portrayal of gender, ide2ntity, and the unswerving bond of twinship despite transformation. An honest portrayal of a family in turmoil, RWB follows a pair of identical twins as one transitions from male to female. Captured over a period of three years, the film documents the twins and their parents, examining the Farley's struggle to redefine their family. The twins' early lives were quintessentially all-American: picture-perfect holidays, supportive parents who cheered them on every step of the way.

Free to Learn is a 70 minute documentary that offers a "fly on the wall" perspective of the daily happenings at The Free School in Albany, New York. Like many of today's radical and democratic schools, The Free School expects children to decide for themselves how to spend their days.

The Free School, however, is unique in that it transcends obstacles that prevent similar schools from reaching a economically and racially diverse range of students and operates in the heart of an inner-city neighborhood.

Life and Debt is that rare breed of documentary which succeeds in both educating and informing its viewers on a complex topic while also entertaining them from start to finish. Thanks in part to the stunning natural beauty of Jamaica, Life and Debt is a cinematically beautiful masterpiece which explores the inherent contradictions and hypocrisies of neo-liberal ideas of development by examining the effects of IMF imposed structural adjustment policies on the idyllic island paradise of Jamaica.

The Meatrix (www.TheMeatrix.com), the most popular online advocacy film in history, won the award for Best Documentary Short at the Fourteenth Annual Environmental Media Awards (EMAs) held November 17th at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles. The film, shown on a segment of Now with Bill Moyers, is an animated spoof of the popular Warner Brothers film "The Matrix." A trenchcoat-clad cow named Moopheus and an enlightened pig named Leo uncover the shocking truth about the way our meat is produced on large factory farms.

En avant programme :

L’UQAM au bord du gouffre
(Québec / 2007 / 15 min / Français)
Julien Robert et Mathieu Waddell, deux finissants en journalisme de l'UQAM, ont réalisé un documentaire expliquant la situation financière actuelle de leur université.

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The Boys of Baraka

King Corn is a feature documentary about two friends, one acre of corn, and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation.

This film is part of a double bill, to be screened with Raised to be Heroes and co-sponsored by Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU)

In 1923 Vladimir Jabotinsky, leading intellectual of the Zionist movement and father of the right wing of that movement, wrote:

This film is part of a double bill, to be screened with The Iron Wall.

They will fight for their country, they will die for their country, but not in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. And although they act on conscience, they pay a steep personal price. Featuring haunting accounts from the front lines, Raised to Be Heroes introduces the latest generation of Israeli soldiers to selectively object to military operations undertaken by their country.

What makes anyone want to blow themselves up for a cause? In this intimate and personal portrait we join two young female elite soldiers trained for the ultimate mission. We share their childhood experiences, their dreams and their families’ loss. Left behind are the mothers.

People are often unaware of just how prevalent persuasive techniques are in the media, and that they are exposed to persuasion on a daily basis in many different forms.

As an introduction to the genre of persuasion, we will examine the complex ways in which the marketing industry targets young adults with messages of consumption. This provocative documentary style is an intriguing and eye opening introduction to the subject of media propaganda.

Haunted by the murders of his family and many of his friends, Anderson Sá is a former drug-trafficker who turns social revolutionary in Rio de Janeiro’s most feared slum. Through hip-hop music, the rhythms of the street, and Afro-Brazilian dance he rallies his community to counteract the violent oppression enforced by teenage drug armies and sustained by corrupt police. At the dawn of liberation, just as collective mobility is overcoming all odds and Anderson’s grassroots Afro Reggae movement is at the height of its success, a tragic accident threatens to silence the movement forever.

In 1999, the residents of Tambogrande, a small town in northern Peru, learned that the Fujimori government had secretly granted mining concessions on their land to the multi-national corporation, Manhattan Minerals. In the ongoing history of attempts by multi-national corporations to exploit Latin America's natural resources, TAMBOGRANDE is a rare success story, on demonstrating how ordinary people can defeat government and corporate collusion, and one that has already become an inspiration to other popular political movements across the continent.

On April 12th 2002 the world awoke to the news that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had been removed from office and had been replaced by a new interim government. What had in fact taken place was the first Latin American coup of the 21st century, and the world's first media coup...

Our food choices have a direct influence on the environment : production, transportation, pollution, etc. Wanting to demystify vegetarianism and veganism, three young adults present their reflections and observations, and
the motivations that brought them to make this short film. During breakfast, they present the fruits of their research. In interviews, dieticians,
vegetarians, artists, and celebrities offer us their knowledge, their experience and their choices in terms of health, the environment and ethics.

In 1999, the residents of Tambogrande, a small town in northern Peru, learned that the Fujimori government had secretly granted mining concessions on their land to the multi-national corporation, Manhattan Minerals. The company's plans for an open-pit gold mine would involve relocation of half of the town's residents, and contaminate the soil and ground water in this agricultural region famous for its fruit orchards.

This special CANADIAN PREMIERE screening will be feature director John Pilger in attendance, for the first time in Canada. The event is a collaboration with the Human Rights Media Institute.

SYNOPSIS:

After working his way through Venezuela, and the Amazon he arrived at the Third World Social Forum in Porte Alegre, Brasil. While waiting for Noam Chomsky to speak in front of 20, 000 participants, he was captivated by the speech of Leonilda Zurita, leader of the Bartolina Sisa Bolivian Federation of women peasant farmers.

She was pleading for the world to take notice of the undeclared war that was being waged against her people.

She was speaking at the World Social Forum after enduring 13 days of struggle in which 9 of her companions had been killed by Bolivian security forces.

The following documentaries will be screened:

Green Green Water
(12 min) Minneapolis, USA, 2005
A familiar tale of the damage created by hydroelectric dams. This is the case of Manitoba's Cree 30 years after their lands and way of life were destroyed. A proposed doubling of output to deliver "green energy" to the USA is dividing the people once more. Filmed by an American consuming the electricity, we witness a story about "The Power to Connect...The Power to Divide...It's About Power..."

Water Thieves
(14 min) Quebec City, 2003. French with English subtitles

When did feminism become a bad word?
Why is it that young independent, progressive women
in today's society feel uncomfortable identifying with the F-word?

Join filmmaker Therese Shechter as she takes a funny, moving
and very personal journey into the heart of Feminism
on the threshold of the 21st century.

Armed with a video camera and an irreverent sense of humor,
Therese talks with Feminist superstars, rowdy frat boys,
liberated Cosmo girls and Radical Cheerleaders, all in her quest
to find out whether Feminism can still be a source
of personal and political power.

Version française à venir.

On September 12, 2002 twenty "at risk" 12-year-old boys from the tough streets of inner-city Baltimore left home to attend the 7th and 8th grade at Baraka, an experimental boarding school located in Kenya, East Africa. Here, faced with a strict academic and disciplinary program as well as the freedom to be normal teenage boys, these brave kids began the daunting journey towards putting their lives on a fresh path.

Director:Faith Morgan
Website: www.powerofcommunity.org

Since 1999, more than 2,000 women have been murdered in Guatemala, with numbers escalating every year, yet lawmakers and government officials turn a blind eye. Powerful and uncompromising, Killer's Paradise uncovers an emotionally wrenching human rights tragedy, while exposing an inept judicial system that allows it to happen. After almost four decades of civil war, Guatemala is a troubled society, but it can also be seen as a microcosm of the pervasive violence and injustice against women worldwide. Discussion with the Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network.

This special PREMIER SCREENING is in conjunction with the Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM) - Montreal's documentary film festival. Special thanks to the producers and the Bavarian Institute for their cooperation in making this screening happen.

In the Same Boat? tells the story of two neighboring fishing communities – one Mi’kmaq, the other non-native - both struggling to defend their ways of life. Shot on Nova Scotia's Bay of Fundy coast, the two-part documentary explores the grounds for solidarity between indigenous and non-native communities, while showing the very different role fishing plays in both cultures.

Dommages de guerre en temps de paix. Depuis 1990, les Forces canadiennes ne cessent de se déployer en divers endroits de la planète : Golfe Persique, Rwanda, Bosnie, Afghanistan, Cambodge, Haïti, Liban...

In 1999, the residents of Tambogrande, a small town in northern Peru, learned that the Fujimori government had secretly granted mining concessions on their land to the multi-national corporation, Manhattan Minerals. The company's plans for an open-pit gold mine would involve relocation of half of the town's residents, and contaminate the soil and ground water in this agricultural region famous for its fruit orchards.

This short from the CBC's Digital Diversity Program, will be screened before Tambogrande.

Did you know that the Canadian post office is currently being sued by an American corporation under the rules of NAFTA? Free trade or subtle sellout? The feature documentary Hoodwinked: The Myth of Free Trade examines some of the less-talked-about effects of free trade and corporate globalization on Canada. It was produced by West/Dunn Productions of Ottawa.

Outfoxed examines how media empires, led by Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, have been running a "race to the bottom" in television news. This film provides an in-depth look at Fox News and the dangers of

One of the most controversial issues of our times: Vancouver's struggle to open Canada's first safeinjection site for drug users. It is the story of a man and a city fighting drugs and addiction. Dean Wilson used to be an IBM salesman. Now he is possible the most outspoken drug addict in Canada. Ann Livingston is the charismatic organizer of Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users. She is a nonuser, driven by an impatient spirituality. In 27 cities around the world, safe injection sites have proven to save lives.

In the Year of the Pig is a 1968 documentary film about the origins of the Vietnam War, directed by Emile de Antonio.

It was nominated for an Academy award for best documentary.

The film, which is in black and white, contains much historical footage and many interviews.

Those interviewed include Harry S. Ashmore, Daniel Berrigan, Philippe Devillers, David Halberstam, Roger Hillsman, Jean Lacouture, Kenneth P. Landon, Thruston B. Morton, Paul Mus, Charlton Osburn, Harrison Salisbury, Ilya Todd, John Toller, David K. Tuck, David Werfel, and John White.

The banana is the cheapest fruit you can buy in Canada at any time of the year and Canadians eat approximately 3 billion bananas a year. In Canadian supermarkets bananas account for over 10% of total sales in the produce section and 1% of total sales. All this despite the fact that the nearest plantation is 5000 kilometres away and the banana is the most perishable fruit on our store shelves. Banana Split takes the viewer on a journey that begins with the hustle and bustle of a fruit market in Thunder Bay, Ontario and ends up with an examination of the daily challenges of life in Honduras.

"... This film about consumerism totally consumed us. It used the language of music video, propaganda and commercial advertising as a response to the forces of globalisation. It fights fire with fire. The questions it raises are ultimately more important than any answers it might suggest. And we believe audiences can only profit from the debate that will ensue. For its originality, sense of humour, irony, forcefulness and visual virtuosity, the Silver Wolf Award goes to SURPLUS."
- The Jury of the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam, Nov.2003.

Eighty-year-old Jimmy Mirikitani survived the trauma of WWII internment camps, Hiroshima, and homelessness by creating art. But when 9/11 threatens his life on the New York City streets and a local filmmaker brings him to her home, the two embark on a journey to confront Jimmy's painful past. An intimate exploration of the lingering wounds of war and the healing powers of friendship and art, this documentary won the Audience Award at its premiere in the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival.

This documentary shows the routine practices of factory farms and slaughterhouses and explores the conditions endured by animals who are raised for meat, eggs, and milk. All the footage was obtained through investigations at U.S. factory farms and slaughterhouses in recent years.

De par le monde, des millions de personnes sont réduites chaque année au déplacement forcé. Que ce soit aux Maldives, au Brésil ou même plus près de nous, ici, au Canada, les récits troublants de ces êtres humains déracinés se recoupent. Les pressions considérables exercées sur les populations rurales dues à la détérioration de leur milieu vital les éloignent de plus en plus de leur mode de vie.

OilCrash, produced and directed by award-winning European journalists and filmmakers Basil Gelpke and Ray McCormack, tells the story of how our civilization’s addiction to oil puts it on a collision course with geology. Compelling, intelligent, and highly entertaining, the film visits with the world’s top experts and comes to a startling, but logical conclusion – our industrial society, built on cheap and readily available oil, must be completely re-imagined and overhauled.

Narcy, Canada’s infamous Iraqi MC, is hijacking the media to dispel stereotypes
about Arabs through Hip Hop. This video is an insight into the mentality of a talented young Arab who’s struggling to make it in the rap game in a post-9/11 world.

Hala Alsalman is an Iraqi-Canadian freelance reporter and video journalist. After two years of working for Reuters TV out of the Middle East, she’s currently focusing on documentary filmmaking. She’s also a magazine feature contributor for Vice and Dazed and Confused.

Multinational coffee companies now rule our shopping malls and supermarkets and dominate the industry worth over $80 billion, making coffee the most valuable trading commodity in the world after oil.

But while we continue to pay for our lattes and cappuccinos, the price paid to coffee farmers remains so low that many have been forced to abandon their coffee fields.

Filmmaker Faisal Lutchmedial goes beyond the activist stereotype as he takes a personal journey into his mother’s native country for the first time. A three month visit to Bangladesh becomes a discovery of family and home that runs parallel with his attempt to tackle the complex issue of global trade.

It is the story of a man and a city fighting drugs and addiction. Dean Wilson used to be an IBM salesman. Now he is possible the most outspoken drug addict in Canada. Ann Livingston is the charismatic organizer of Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users. She is a nonuser, driven by an impatient spirituality. In 27 cities around the world, safe injection sites have proven to save lives. Together, Ann and Dean lead an unpredictable crew of street addicts in their fight to open North America's first safe injection for drug users in Vancouver.

THE FOREST FOR THE TREES is an intimate look at an unlikely team of young activists and old civil rights workers who come together to battle the U.S. government.

Filmmaker Bernadine Mellis is the daughter of 68-year-old civil rights lawyer Dennis Cunningham. Dennis started out his career representing the Black Panthers and the Weathermen.

Dommages de guerre en temps de paix. Depuis 1990, les Forces canadiennes ne cessent de se déployer en divers endroits de la planète : Golfe Persique, Rwanda, Bosnie, Afghanistan, Cambodge, Haïti, Liban...

Website: www.handsoffvenezuela.org

Directed by Melanie MacDonald and Will Roche

PEACE, PROPAGANDA AND THE PROMISED LAND provides a striking comparison of U.S. and international media coverage of the crisis in the Middle East, zeroing in on how structural distortions in U.S. coverage have reinforced false perceptions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This pivotal documentary exposes how the foreign policy interests of American political elites--oil, and a need to have a secure military base in the region, among others--work in combination with Israeli public relations strategies to exercise a powerful influence over how news from the region is reported.