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All screenings are at Walter Reade. Click here for cinema information and to purchase tickets. See related events. MARIA FULL OF GRACE Joshua Marston, USA 2003; 101m. 35mm. drama In Spanish with English subtitles Benefit Screening & Reception Winner of the Dramatic Audience Award at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and two major Awards at the Berlin Film Festival, Joshua Marston's debut feature tells the story of Maria, a young Colombian woman who leaves her family and her job stripping thorns in a rose plantation to work as a "mule," transporting heroin from Colombia to the United States. Like hundreds of women carrying drugs across borders, seventeen-year-old Maria is thrust into the world of international drug trafficking out of desperation. Maria Full of Grace is the story of her fierce determination and of the difficult choices she must make that will eventually lead her into adulthood. Filmmaker Joshua Marston demonstrates a stunning eye for detail and crafts a narrative of disarming authenticity. Through his stark portrayal of a young woman's struggle-her desire to break free from poverty-he examines the meaning of grace and a life of virtue. Benefit Tickets: From $250, seating is limited. To purchase tickets, please call Michelle Leisure, Associate Director of International Special Events at 212-216-1803 or email leisurm@hrw.org This Benefit screening courtesy of HBO Films/Fine Line Features. Thursday, June 10, 2004, 6:00pm THE KITE (New York Premiere) Randa Chahal-Sabbag, France/Lebanon 2003; 80m. 35mm. drama In Arabic with English subtitles From acclaimed filmmaker Randa Chahal Sabbag (Civilized People/Civilisees, winner of the HRWIFF 2001 Nestor Almendros Award) comes this beautifully rendered drama set in her native Lebanon. Lebanon's official selection for this year's foreign Oscar® nomination, The Kite tells the story of 16-year-old Lamia, who, on her wedding day must cross over the barbed wire barrier that separates her Lebanese village from that of her cousin and fiancé Samy, whose village has been annexed by Israel. Between the villages, the border is heavily patrolled. The checkpoint, controlled by both sides, permits newlyweds and corpses to return to their home villages. Lamia reaches the family of her fiancé, abandoning her younger brother, her school, her kite, her mother, her past. But she refuses to consummate her marriage; instead she gradually falls in love with a soldier who has been watching her since the day she crossed the border for the first time. Distributed by Pyramide Films. Friday June 11: 1; Sat June 12: 4; Mon June 14: 9; Thurs June 17: 1 HRW's Work on the US and Juvenile Justice JUVIES (New York Premiere) Leslie Neale, USA 2004; 66m. Video. Documentary. In English Four years ago, high school student Duc Ta was arrested for driving a car from which a gun was shot. Although no one was injured, and Duc was not a member of a gang, had no priors, and was 16 years old, he received a sentence of 35 years to life. From award-winning documentary filmmaker Leslie Neale (Road to Return) comes a riveting look at a world most of us will never see: the world of juvenile offenders who are serving incomprehensibly long prison sentences for crimes they either did not commit or were only marginally involved in. For two years, Neale taught a video production class at Los Angeles Central Juvenile Hall to 12 juveniles who were being tried as adults. Juvies is the product of that class. The film builds a powerful argument, questioning what in our American culture has caused us to demonize our youth and allow the collapse of the juvenile justice system, which has turned its back on its initial mission to protect young people and now sends over 200,000 kids through the adult system each year. Distributed by Chance Films. Preceded by: Three Poems by Spoon Jackson (New York Premiere) Michel Wenzer, Sweden/USA 2003; 14m. 35mm. Documentary. In English Spoon Jackson has spent the last 25 years in U.S. prisons writing poetry to survive. Over the years Swedish filmmaker Michel Wenzer has formed a collaboration with Mr. Jackson through long distance calls from Sweden. In this short film in three parts, Wenzer asks Spoon to recite some of his poetry over the phone line. Distributed by Swedish Film Insitute. Co-presented by the Gere Foundation, the Open Society Institute and The Valley, Inc. Friday June 11: 3:30; Sat June 12: 1:30; Wed June 16: 8:45 HRW's Work on the US and And on Detainees PERSONS OF INTEREST (New York Premiere) Alison Maclean and Tobias Perse, USA 2003; 63m. Video. Documentary. In English After the September 11th terrorist attacks, more than 5000 people, mainly non-U.S. nationals of South Asian or Middle Eastern origin, were taken into custody by the U.S. Justice Department and held indefinitely on grounds of national security. Muslim immigrants were subject to arbitrary arrest, secret detention, solitary confinement, and deportation. Many were denied access to legal representation and communication with their families. During a period when the State Department has made every effort to depersonalize these detentions, refusing to reveal the names or even the number of immigrants detained, the voices of those affected — their testimonials and experiences — become our only window into the human costs of post September 11th immigration policies. Following an unconventional format, Persons of Interest presents a series of encounters between former detainees and directors Maclean and Perse in an empty room which serves both visually and symbolically as an interrogation room, home, and prison cell. Through interviews, family photographs, and letters from prison, the directors have fashioned a compelling and poignant film, allowing those affected a chance to tell their own stories. Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival 2004. Distributed by First Run/Icarus Films. Preceded by: DOWN THE WIRE (New York Premiere) Pip Starr, Australia, 2004, 10m. Video. Documentary. In English Put 1000 of australias most committed activists at the gates of australia's most notorious refugee concentration camp and leave the cops in the pub and something is bound to happen. Down the Wire proves that fences and razor wire is no match for the will for freedom. Distributed by Rockhopper Productions. Contact pip@rhproductions.com.au. Co-presented by the Tribeca Film Festival. Friday June 11: 6:15; Sun June 13: 1:30; Wed June 16: 1 WHAT THE EYE DOESN'T SEE (New York Premiere) Francisco J. Lombardi, Peru 2003; 149m. 35mm. drama In Spanish with English subtitles Acclaimed filmmaker Francisco J. Lombardi (La Boca del Lobo; Tinta Roja; Don't Tell Anyone) delivers his most ambitious project to date with the political psychodrama What the Eye Doesn't See. Set in the final days of Alberto Fujimori's presidency in Peru, the film explores the corruption plaguing many Latin American governments as seen through the eyes of everyday people. What the Eye Doesn't See focuses on the scandal caused by the release of the infamous "Vladi videos" — hidden camera tapes of presidential advisor Vladimiro Montesinos blackmailing high-level government officials — which eventually led to the end of Fujimori's presidency. But rather than recreate true stories, Lombardi uses a colorful array of fictional characters to show the ramifications of dishonest government on individual lives. Six interweaving stories give us a picture of Peru's social reality as its citizens attempt to cope during a critical juncture in their history. Francisco Lombardi is the recipient of HRWIFF's 2004 Irene Diamond Lifetime Achievement Award. What the Eye Doesn't See will have a special presentation at the Film Society's Latin Beat in September. Distributed by Inca Cine. Contact incacine@terra.com.pe. Co-presented by Cinema Tropical. Friday June 11: 8:30 HRW's Work on the US and on the Death Penalty DEADLINE (New York Premiere) Katy Chevigny and Kirsten Johnson, USA 2003; 90m. Video. Documentary. In English On the eve of his departure from office, George Ryan-longtime conservative Republican, supporter of the death penalty, and governor of Illinois-surprised the nation by commuting the sentences of all 167 prisoners on Death Row. Directors Katy Chevigny and Kirsten Johnson bring us directly into the debate and the legal process that is set into motion when a group of Northwestern University journalism students uncover evidence that many people on Illinois' Death Row are innocent, undermining the credibility of the state's entire capital justice system. In the wake of this evidence, Ryan orders special clemency hearings for every prisoner awaiting execution. Within these courtrooms is human drama in its most distilled form. Using unique access to the hearings, prisoners on Death Row, and Governor Ryan, Deadline delivers a measured sense of justice for all its subjects and contributes reason and passion to the ongoing debate about whether nations should employ the ultimate punishment and how justly it is administered. Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival 2004. Distributed by Big Mouth Productions; see also the official site for the documentary. Co-presented by New York Women in Film & Television and the Open Society Institute. Sat June 12: 6:30; Tues June 15: 3; Mon June 21: 8:45 HRW's Work on the US and on LGBT rights SAINTS AND SINNERS Abigail Honor and Yan Vizinberg, USA 2004; 71m. Video. Documentary. In English Saints and Sinners, a documentary by Abigail Honor and Yan Vizinberg, follows the challenging and emotional journey of a devoutly Catholic gay couple determined to marry in a Catholic church. Caring more about formalizing their seven-year union within the Catholic tradition than with legal recognition by the state, Edward DeBonis and Vincent Maniscalco pursue their dream, despite the expected rejection from the local church hierarchy. Even as previously supportive family members express their reservations about receiving communion from a gay Catholic priest, Edward and Vincent audaciously seek to become the first gay couple to have their wedding announcement published in the New York Times. Saints and Sinners is a highly timely vision of love and commitment, which demonstrates that the struggle for equal rights is not just about legal benefits, but the aspiration to find acceptance and affirmation, rather than rejection, from one's chosen religion. Distributed by Avatar Films. Opening at the Quad Cinema, NYC on June 18. Co-presented by Dignity/New York and NewFest: The New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival. Sat June 12: 9:15; Mon June 14: 1:30 HRW's Work on Corporations and Human Rights THE CORPORATION (New York Premiere) Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott, co-written by Joel Bakan, Canada 2003; 145m. 35mm. Documentary. In English A timely inquiry, The Corporation, invites players, pawns, and pundits on an eye-opening journey to reveal the corporation's inner workings, curious history, controversial impacts, and possible futures. One hundred and fifty years ago, the corporation was a relatively insignificant institution. Today, it is a powerful, pervasive presence in all our lives. Like the Church, the Monarchy, and the Communist Party in other times and places, the corporation is today's dominant institution. Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbott and Joel Bakan deftly weave together case studies, anecdotes, and true confessions to reveal behind-the-scenes tensions and influences in several corporate and anti-corporate dramas. Each illuminates an aspect of the corporation's complex character. Featuring interviews with Michael Moore, Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Naomi Klein, and Mark Kingwell, The Corporation charts the spectacular rise of an institution aimed at achieving specific economic goals — but it also recounts victories against this apparently invincible force. Winner of the World Cinema Documentary Audience Award, Sundance Film Festival 2004. Distributed by Zeitgeist Films. Opening at Film Forum, NYC on June 30. Sun June 13: 4 HRW's Work on India and Children BORN INTO BROTHELS (New York Premiere) Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman, USA 2003; 85m. Video. Documentary. In Bengali and English with English subtitles The most stigmatized people in Calcutta's red light district, are not the prostitutes, but their children. In the face of abject poverty, abuse and despair, these kids have little possibility of escaping their mother's fate or creating another type of life. In Born into Brothels, directors Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman chronicle the amazing transformation of the children they come to know in the red light district. Briski, a professional photographer, gives them lessons and cameras, igniting the latent spark of artistic creativity within them. Devoid of sentimentality, the film defies the typical tear-stained, tourist snapshot of the global underbelly. Briski spends years with the children and becomes part of their lives. The children's photographs are prisms into their souls, not anthropological curiosities or primitive imagery. This film is a true testimony to the power of the indelible creative spirit. Winner of the 2004 HRWIFF Nestor Almendros Prize, and the Documentary Audience Award, Sundance Film Festival 2004. Distributed by Red Light Films. Co-presented by the Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival. Sun June 13: 8, Mon June 14: 6:30; Tues June 15: 1 PARADISE LOST (New York Premiere) Ebtisam Mra'ana, Israel 2003; 56m. Video. Documentary. In Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles Paradise, a picturesque fishermen's village overlooking the Mediterranean, is one of the few Palestinian villages remaining on Israel's coastline after the war in 1948. When the director sets out to investigate the secrets of her village, she is warned to be careful, lest her fate is that of Suaad — the mythical "bad girl" who broke the village's political norms, became a PLO activist, served a long prison sentence, and after her release, left the country. The film follows the director to the UK, where she finds Mrs. Suaad George, a Doctor of Law, who despite her self-fulfillment is still haunted by her village and her past. This is a story about recreating a lost history and about defining modern womanhood within a traditional Arab village. Distributed by Women Make Movies. Preceded by: LIKE TWENTY IMPOSSIBLES Annemarie Jacir, Palestine 2003; 17m. 35mm. drama In Hebrew, Arabic and English with English subtitles In a landscape now interrupted by military checkpoints, a group of Palestinian filmmakers attempt to reach Jerusalem. When they decide to avoid a closed checkpoint by taking an unused side road, the landscape unravels, and the passengers' certainties are slowly taken apart by the mundane brutality of military occupation. Official selection, Cannes Film Festival 2003. Distributed by Philistine Films. Contact philistinefilms@hotmail.com Mon June 14: 4; Wed June 16: 6:30; Thurs June 17: 9:15 HRW's Work on Iran and Women's Rights LEILA Dariush Mehrjui, Iran 1999; 129m. 35mm. drama In Farsi with English subtitles Human Rights Watch and First Run Features are proud to announce the beginning of a film distribution collaboration to bring films with human rights themes to a larger audience. To celebrate this collaboration, HRWIFF is proud to present Leila, a penetrating look at Iranian society, and a First Run Features release. Called "the most interesting and accomplished filmmaker the US has never heard of" by Godfrey Cheshire in The New York Press, Dariush Mehrjui has become more familiar to audiences with the critical and box office success of Leila which topped the critics' lists for best films of 1999. Reza and Leila, an attractive and affluent young couple deeply in love and recently married, discover that Leila is unable to conceive. Invoking tradition, Reza's mother convinces her daughter-in-law that Reza must, out of necessity, take a second wife to produce an heir. With beautiful cinematography and powerful acting, Mehrjui delivers the heartbreak that follows in this deeply moving and socially astute film. Distributed by First Run Features. Wed June 16: 3:30; Thurs June 17: 6:30 GOODBYE HUNGARIA (New York Premiere) Jon Nealon, USA/Hungary 2003; 56m. Video. Documentary. In English & Arabic with English subtitles Both political tale and love story, Goodbye Hungaria begins in a refugee camp in Hungary, home to hundreds of men, women and children fleeing war and oppression from every corner of the globe. To the refugees, Eastern Hungary is a cold and unwelcoming place; Asylum is rarely granted, and there are few opportunities for work. For most, the only way out of this legal limbo is through a thriving underground smuggling ring. Jon Nealon's cinema verité documentary chronicles the lives of Abed Al-Sahli a Palestinian refugee who acts as advocate and de facto translator for the camp's Arab population, and Charu Newhouse, an American volunteer. As both Abed and Charu struggle to make life better for the refugees caught in red tape and subject to the vagaries of international politics, their fates become connected. The film traces their unlikely love story from the hopelessness of the camp, to a dramatic arrival in New York City (complete with a startling final scene set in a location that will thrill and move every New Yorker!) where they come to start a new life, together. Distributed by Jon Nealon. Contact nealon@pipeline.com. Preceded by: THE SIXTH SECTION Alex Rivera, USA 2003; 26m. Video. Documentary. In English and Spanish with English subtitles The Sixth Section tells the touching story of Grupo Union, an extraordinary transnational union created by a community of Mexican immigrants living and working in upstate New York. Through their collective efforts they have raised tens of thousands of American dollars to rebuild their Mexican hometown in Boqueron, Puebla. In the past few years, Grupo Union has brought electricity, an ambulance and, most dramatically, a 2,000-seat baseball stadium to Boqueron. This revealing documentary sheds new light on an unexplored dynamic of the global economy and poignantly demonstrates how today's twenty-first century immigrants are redefining "The American Dream." The Sixth Section is co-presented by Cinema Tropical www.cinematropical.com and P.O.V./American Documentary, Inc. www.pbs.org/pov Distributed by Subcine. Co-presented by the Association of Independent Video & Filmmakers (AIVF). Thurs June 17: 3:30; Fri June 18: 9:15; Wed June 23: 9; Thurs June 24: 1:30 ONE SHOT (New York Premiere) Nurit Kedar, Israel, 2004; 60m. Video. Documentary. In Hebrew with English subtitles Filmmaker Nurit Kedar (Borders (HRWIFF 2002); Lebanon Dream (HRWIFF 2003)) spent a year convincing the military authorities in Israel to allow her to interview Israel Defense Force snipers. After five weeks of training an Israeli soldier can become a sniper if he chooses to. Snipers are part of every combat unit. Since the last Intifada Israeli snipers have been used for targeted killing. The sniper is the only soldier who sees the "whites of his victim's eyes." This is what separates these soldiers from the other fighters. The image is of the gun, and the man behind it who waits patiently and calmly in the quiet darkness in order to fulfill the command and shoot one single shot. To some, this image makes the sniper appear as a heroic fighter, to others a cold-blooded murderer. One Shot focuses on snipers still serving in the Israeli Army. For the first time ever they speak about their killings, their feelings, and their morality. Distributed by Catherine Le Clef, Doc and Co Preceded by : DETAIL (New York Premiere) Avi Mograbi, Israel, 2004, 9m. Video. Documentary. In Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles An armored vehicle, a cloud of dust, a bleeding woman, a megaphone, an ambulance, a woman with two children, another ambulance, a weeping girl, a man with white hair, a burst of wind, a reporter, a detail of a bigger picture. Distributed by Avi Mograbi. Contact mograbi@netvision.net.il. Co-presented by Makor www.makor.org Fri June 18: 1:30 and 6:30; Sat June 19: 10; Sun June 20: 9:15; Wed June 23: 4 DEATH SQUADRONS: THE FRENCH SCHOOL (New York Premiere) Mari-Monique Robin, France 2003; 60m. Video. Documentary. In English, French and Spanish with English subtitles Little is known about the involvement of the French military in Operation Condor, established in 1975 by the autocratic governments of South America. This supranational criminal organization's mission was the extermination of political opponents, both in their own countries and abroad. For the first time ever, South American generals, including some of the leading perpetrators of Argentina's "Dirty War," speak in front of the (sometimes hidden) camera. They describe the interrogation lessons taught by French officers in the 1960's and 70's, the torture techniques, and the flights over the Atlantic where many victims were dropped to their deaths. The French perfected their interrogation methods after their defeat in Indo-China and during the Algerian war. Death Squadrons also shows how, during the 1960's, the French were instrumental in training U.S. officers at Fort Bragg on counter-insurgency techniques that were later used by the U.S. military in Vietnam. With Argentina's Supreme Court about to decide whether generals involved in Operation Condor are to be judged in Argentina or extradited to Europe, this firsthand evidence of their involvement, as well as evidence implicating the French government, is explosively relevant to the ongoing battle for human rights. Distributed by First Run/Icarus Films. Followed by: THE WORLD STOPPED WATCHING (New York Premiere) Peter Raymont and Harold Crooks, Canada 2003; 56m. Video. doc In Spanish and English with English subtitles What happens to a country's people when the media spotlight is turned off? As the last battleground of the Cold War the Sandinista/Contra conflict was one of the biggest news stories of the 80s. At that time director Peter Raymont made the award-winning The World is Watching which documented the media circus in 1987 in Managua, Nicaragua. In The World Stopped Watching, Raymont returns, sixteen years on, with two American journalists who appeared in that first documentary. They seek out the subjects of their old photographs and news stories to find out how their lives have changed over the years, and how Nicaragua has changed around them They discover a country no-longer torn apart by armed conflict, but still struggling with the aftermath of desperate poverty and endemic corruption, both of which go tragically unreported in the international press. Distributed by First Run/Icarus Films. Co-presented by Cinema Tropical. Friday June 18: 3:30; Sat June 19: 4:30; Sunday June 20: 6:30 HRW's Work on North Korea and South Korea REPATRIATION (New York Premiere) Dong-won Kim, South Korea 2003; 149m. 35mm. Documentary. In Korean with English subtitles In the spring of 1992 documentary filmmaker Dong-won Kim met Cho Chang-son and Kim Seak-hyoung, two North Koreans arrested by South Korean authorities years before. Convicted of spying for the North, they were incarcerated and spent thirty years as political prisoners. These men, and many others like them, underwent conversion schemes in prison that involved torture: those who renounced their communist beliefs were released from prison early. The others, known as "the unconverted," served their full terms. None could return home to the North, however, until the turn of this century, when tensions between North and South eased significantly. Director Dong-won Kim followed these men for ten years, documenting how they survived — both physically and psychologically — the dehumanizing time spent in prison, and their quest, once released, to finally go home. Winner of the Freedom of Expression Award, Sundance Film Festival 2004. Distributed by Indie Story, Inc. Sat June 19: 1; Mon June 21: 1; Tue June 22: 8 LIBERIA: AN UNCIVIL WAR World Premiere Jonathan Stack and James Brabazon, USA 2004; 90m. Video. Documentary. In English "Liberia, a nation burdened by its past. America, a nation with no memory at all" — Jonathan Stack In Liberia, the summer of 2003 was pure insanity: two armies are in the final battle of a decade-long civil war, holding the capital under siege while thousands die from mortar shells launched from afar. As the soldiers, mostly teenagers, fight a bloody urban battle, the nation prays that American forces show up to put an end to the violence. Liberia, a country founded by freed American slaves, has a long intertwined history with America. While the rebel army, the LURD, attempts to overthrow the Liberian government, President Charles Taylor and his army maintain a strong grip on the city. Acclaimed filmmaker Jonathan Stack (The Farm; Justifiable Homicide (HRWIFF 2002)) and journalist James Brabazon journey to the heart of the conflict, filming the LURD rebels as they fight their way closer to the capital and covering the defense of the capital from the inside. The film situates the fighting within the larger international political context, focusing particularly on America's weak response. It completes the picture with a series of exclusive interviews with the elusive Charles Taylor, a man since indicted for war crimes for heinous abuses against civilians, sexual slavery, and the use of child soldiers. The film presents the complex layers of the conflict and focuses attention on the moral failure of the U.S. to respond to a growing humanitarian crisis. Distributed by Gabriel Films. Co-presented by the African Film Festival Sat June 19: 7:30; Sun June 20: 4; Tues June 22: 1; Wed June 23: 1:30 HRW's Work on Israel/PA and Canada DISCORDIA (New York Premiere) Ben Addelman and Samir Mallal, Canada 2004; 71m. Video. Documentary. In English On the campus of Montreal's Concordia University, an announcement is made that Benjamin Netanyahu, the former prime minister of Israel, will speak, and it has sparked heated debate among the students, some of whom are Pro-Palestine, others Pro-Israel, and still others non-aligned free speech advocates. By the end of the day, the debate has exploded into violent confrontation — and the riot has made international news, from CNN to Al-Jazeera. Charting the turbulent progress of three young campus activists — Samer, the son of Palestinians who lost their ancestral lands in 1967; Noah, the co-president of Hillel, the Jewish students' association co-sponsoring Netanyahu's visit; and Aaron, VP of the student council who identifies strongly as a Jew and has inherited his father's sympathies with the Palestinian cause — this rousing documentary asks what role international politics, religion and culture can and should play in the lives of our college students. Distributed by National Film Board of Canada Preceded by: A KISS IS A KISS IS A KISS (New York Premiere) Uri Bar-On, Israel 2003; 6m. Video. Documentary. In Hebrew with English subtitles From the director of last year's hilarious short 72 Virgins. Four couples — an older woman and a young man; two straight men; a young right wing male settler and a left wing young woman from Tel-Aviv, an Israeli woman soldier and a Palestinian man — all try to conquer their kissing fears and their differences. Distributed by Alma films. Co-presented by Makor. Sun June 20: 1; Mon June 21: 6:30; Tues June 22: 3:30; Thurs June 24: 4:30 HRW's Work on Pakistan and India FOR A PLACE UNDER THE HEAVENS (New York Premiere) Sabiha Sumar, Pakistan 2003; 53m. Video. Documentary. In English and Urdu with English subtitles Acclaimed director Sabiha Sumar offers a fresh and insightful perspective on Pakistan in this finely crafted personal film. Beginning with the creation of Pakistan in 1947, Sumar traces the relationship of Islam to the state in an effort to understand how women are coping with and surviving the impact of religious fundamentalism on civil and political life in her country. Raised in a more secular time, she struggles to comprehend the rise of religious schools — which have expanded in recent years at once unthinkable rates — and presents chilling footage of a mother encouraging her toddler to be a martyr when he grows up. Mixing political analysis with interviews with activist colleagues, noted Islamic scholars and Pakistani women who have chosen to embrace fundamentalism, Sumar's provocative questions dramatically capture the tension between liberal and fundamentalist forces that are shaping life in contemporary Pakistan. Distributed by Women Make Movies. Preceded by: WHEN THE STORM CAME (New York Premiere) Shilpi Gupta, USA 2003; 24m. Video. Documentary. In English and Kashmiri with English subtitles The women of Kunnan Pushpora trek through the jungle to collect firewood for fuel in the militarized valley nestled at the foothills of the Himalayas known as Kashmir. But they are haunted by a night now deeply entrenched in their collective memory. When the Storm Came tells their story and gives a human face to the commonly used "weapon" of war — rape. Distributed by Veritas Films/Shilpi Productions Co-presented by Breakthrough: building human rights culture. Mon June 21: 4:30; Tues June 22: 6:15; Thurs June 24: 9:30 HRW's Work on Children in the US FIGHTING TO LEARN AND LEARNING TO FIGHT World Premiere EVC Youth Producers, USA 2004; 120m (incl Q&A). Video. Documentary. In the Bronx, a group of inspired youth organizers work tirelessly to start their own school, founded on principles of youth empowerment and activism. At the opposite end of New York City, a group of Brooklyn youth — many dropouts from large schools that have failed them — go to battle against City Hall to protect their alternative school from being closed. In Washington Heights, a recent high school graduate unable to make ends meet in the "civilian" world decides that enlisting in the military and risking his life is his best — or only — option for survival. In a year when reports of global fear and violence dominate the mainstream media, youth documentary makers from the Educational Video Center (EVC) tell the forgotten stories of young Americans working to improve their lives here at home. With this presentation of compelling new works documented in cinema verité style, the youth producers bear witness to the daily struggles of their peers, in school and in the military, as they attempt to succeed in a system where the priorities of adult policymakers seem ever more skewed. This evening of youth-produced documentaries will benefit the Educational Video Center, an internationally renowned media arts center celebrating its 20th Anniversary Year. Please note that a limited number of tickets for the screening are available at regular ticket prices thru the Walter Reade Theater box office. Or, donation-level tickets to both the screening and the Benefit Reception may be purchased directly thru EVC. For more information visit www.evc.org or call 212.465.9366 x 12. Distributed by Educational Video Center. Wed June 23:
HRW's Work on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights THE YES MEN Dan Ollman, Sarah Price, Chris Smith, USA 2003; 80m. Video. Documentary. In English A "genderless, loose-knit association of some three hundred imposters worldwide," the Yes Men perpetrate an elaborate and elegant form of culture jamming that has duped accountants in Australia, professors in Finland, and lawyers in Austria. Their project began from a clever imitation, with some devious satirical twists, of George W. Bush's official web-site. After launching a deadpan replica of the WTO website, the Yes Men received invitations requesting that Mike Moore, the WTO's Director-General, speak at conferences. They accepted on his behalf, sending covert Yes Men representatives to clarify the positions of the WTO, promulgating such subversive absurdities as the voluntary dissolution of the World Trade Organization. Filmmakers Ollman, Price and Smith document the beginnings of the Yes Men's anti-globalization efforts and recall some of the group's most spectacular activities. Distributed by United Artists. Opening theatrically in New York and Los Angeles on August 27th with additional cities to follow. Thurs June 24: 7
THE FOURTH ANNUAL MEDIA THAT MATTERS FILM FESTIVAL MediaRights' fourth annual Media That Matters Film Festival launches May 19th, 2004, offers high-impact shorts and take action tools to audiences around the country: online, DVD, TV broadcasts and community screenings all year long. The Media That Matters Film Festival is presented by MediaRights, a non-profit organization helping community organizations and filmmakers to educate and activate their constituencies. MediaRights and the Media That Matters Film Festival are projects of Arts Engine, Inc., a non profit organization. See www.mediathatmattersfest.org for more information. June 11-13: The Human Rights Watch International Film Festival presents an installation of MTMFF in the Frieda and Roy Furman Gallery at the Walter Reade Theater. PHOTO EXHIBIT | Open Wound: Chechnya 1994 to 2003 Every single photograph Stanley Greene took in Chechnya testifies to the suffering of an entire people. No one and nothing is exempt. Families are wiped off the face of the earth and the earth itself is ruined by the overwhelming force used against the people who live there. Human rights violations — killings, rapes, "disappearances", secret detentions — are committed with impunity in this "dirty war." Ever since the September 11 attacks, international concern for human rights abuses in Chechnya appears to have waned, although Russian forces in Chechnya have continued to engage in a brutal campaign against civilians. Since September 11 alone, at least one person per week has "disappeared" after being taken into custody by Russian forces. The muting of Western concern has not been lost on the Kremlin, which has used the "war on terrorism" to justify its actions in Chechnya. From 1994 to 2003, Stanley Greene made some 20 trips to Chechnya as a photographer and he has come back as a witness to the death and destruction that took place, is taking place, and will go on unless the international community refuses to be deceived any longer. With Open Wound: Chechnya 1994 to 2003, an exhibition of images taken from his recently published book of the same title (Trolley), Stanley Greene does not ask us to pity the people of Chechnya. What he demands is our outrage. See www.trolleynet.com for more information. June 11-24 in the Frieda and Roy Furman Gallery at the Walter Reade Theater © Copyright 2001, Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA |
