The City of Photographers

Sebastián Moreno Mardones, Chile, 2006, 80m.

In Spanish with English subtitles.

During Pinochet’s long regime, a motley crew of photojournalists shot and framed Chile’s people and turmoil from many points of view. In the streets, in the middle of bloody riots and protests, these fearless photographers learned their craft and created many of the now legendary images which helped focus world attention on the Pinochet regime’s repressive tactics. For them, taking pictures was a form of involvement, even resistance, a way of being more than mere spectators but vital actors. Pinochet had the power and the guns, but these photographers had the camera—the people’s weapon. They lived dangerously and they lived to tell. This is their story.

Enemies of Happiness

Eva Mulvad, Denmark, 2006; 58m.

In English, Farsi and Pashto.

Malalai Joya became one of Afghanistan’s most famous (and infamous) women in 2003 when she challenged the power of warlords in the country’s new government. Two years later, she ran in her country’s first democratic parliamentary election in over 30 years. She campaigned surrounded by armed guards, in a country where the majority of people are illiterate, warlords use threats and bribes to control the ballots, and many women cannot leave their children to vote. Winner of the 2007 HRWIFF Nestor Almendros Prize, and the Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Prize: Documentary.

Everything’s Cool

Daniel B. Gold, Judith Helfand, USA, 2006, 100m.

In English.

With comedic insight, Daniel Gold and Judith Helfand (Blue Vinyl) weave a character-driven, behind-the-scenes tale about the worldwide problem of global warming. They chronicle the struggle between two groups of global warming messengers. The “good guys” include a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who repeatedly tries to retire but can’t, and two thirty-something, Berkeley based “eco-messiahs,” otherwise known as the “Bad Boys of Environmentalism.” On the other side, the “bad guys” are mostly industry-sponsored hacks who have until now derailed public attention and paralyzed the nation with their manufactured doubt. As much about messaging as it is about the messengers, this documentary explores what it will take to move the United States from laggard to leader on global warming. Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival 2007.

The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo

Lisa F. Jackson, USA, 2008, 76m.

In Swahili, French, and English.

Shot in the war zones of the Democratic Republic of Congo, this film sensitively yet unflinchingly brings to light the plight of women and girls caught in this country’s intractable conflict. Until now, the stories of these women have never been told to the rest of the world. A survivor of rape herself, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Lisa Jackson travels through Congo to understand what is happening and why. The documentary features interviews with activists, peacekeepers, physicians, and even the indifferent rapists. But the most moving moments of the film come as survivors recount their personal stories. This powerful film provides inspiring examples of resiliency, resistance, courage, and grace. Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival 2008.

Hot House

Shimon Dotan, Israel, 2006, 89m.

In Hebrew, English and Arabic with English subtitles.

Some 9,000 Palestinians are imprisoned in Israeli jails on security charges. This probing documentary explores the emergence of a Palestinian national leadership within Israeli prisons. The film offers a rare look at the experiences, motivations, and mindsets of Fatah and Hamas members serving multiple life sentences. It also shows the remarkable degree to which these prisoners influence the political process in the outside world. Hot House provides an opportunity to observe events of historic proportions at their nascent beginnings while shattering the stereotypes presented by the mainstream media on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Winner of the Special Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival 2007.

Lumo

Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt and Nelson Walker III, co-directors Louis Abelman and Lynn True, Democratic Republic of Congo/US, 2007; 76m.

In Swahili, French, and English.

In eastern Congo, vying militias, armies, and bandits use rape as a weapon of terror. Recently engaged to a young man from her village, 20-year-old Lumo Sinai can’t wait to have children and start a family. But when she crosses paths with marauding soldiers who brutally attack her, she is left with a fistula – a condition that renders her incontinent and threatens her ability to give birth. Rejected by her fiancé and cast aside by her family, Lumo finds her way to a hospital for rape survivors. Buoyed by the love of the hospital staff, Lumo and her friends keep alive the hope of one day resuming their former lives, thanks to an operation that can restore them fully to health.

Sari's Mother

James Longley, US, 2006; 21m.

In Arabic.

Filmed in Iraq over a period of one year, Sari’s Mother is a haunting portrait of the struggle of an Iraqi mother to find help for her 10-year-old son, Sari, who is dying of AIDS. This short documentary enters the lives of this family living in the restive Mahmudiyah area of central Iraq. They make their living by selling milk and butter, and farming land rented from their neighbors. Amidst their work, Sari’s mother administers injections to her son, whose condition is gradually deteriorating as his immune system fails. She seeks help in Baghdad’s hospitals and ministries, but discovers that the Iraqi healthcare system is in even worse condition under US occupation than before the war.

Strange Culture

Lynn Hershman Leeson, USA, 2007, 76m.

In English.

As professor and artist was preparing an exhibition in 2004 that allowed participants to test food labeled “organic” for the presence of genetically modified organisms, his wife died from heart failure. Kurtz called 911, but when the police arrived and saw the materials for the exhibition they called the FBI. Agents impounded his computers, cat, and even his wife’s body, and held Kurtz as a suspected bio-terrorist. He faces up to 20 years in prison on mail and wire fraud charges relating to his acquisition of materials for the exhibit. Actors dramatize part of the story that Kurtz cannot legally discuss in this documentary about post-9/11 paranoia and the risks artists face when their work questions government policies. Official Selection, Berlin International Film Festival 2007.

The Unforeseen

Laura Dunn, US, 2007; 93m.

This beautifully crafted documentary follows the career of Gary Bradley, a Texas farm boy who became one of Austin’s most powerful real estate developers. At his peak, Bradley transformed 4,000 acres of Hill Country into one of the largest and fastest-selling subdivisions. When the development threatened a local treasure – a natural, spring-fed swimming hole known as Barton Springs – the community fought back and the subdivision became a lightning rod for environmental activism. Under the governorship of George W. Bush, development laws changed, and the water quality at Barton Springs, as well as the landscape of Austin, was irreversibly altered.

Schedule and Venue Information

Saturday, February 2nd
6:00pm Everything's Cool
8:00pm The Unforseen
Introduced by Teresa Caldeira, Department of City and Regional Planning, UC Berkeley, who after the screening will also moderate a discussion about environmentalism with Michael Shellenberger, one of the “bad boys of environmentalism” featured in Everything’s Cool.

Thursday, February 7th
7:00pm Hot House

Sunday, February 10th
5:30pm Strange Culture
7:05pm The City of Photographers
Introduced by Naomi Roht-Arriaza, UC Hastings College of Law. Discussion about art and social change with Lynn Hershman Leeson, director of Strange Culture, and freelance documentary photographer Theo Rigby to follow screenings.

Sunday, February 24th
2:00pm Lumo
Introduced by Patrick Vinck, Berkeley-Tulane Initiative for Vulnerable Populations. Presented in conjunction with the African Film Festival.

3:45pm Sari's Mother, followed by: Enemies of Happiness
Introduced by Rachel Shigekane, Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley, who after the screenings will also moderate a discussion about the impact of social and political issues on women with Shannon Farley, executive director of Spark, and Muadi Mukenge, senior program officer for Africa at the Global Fund for Women.

Admission Prices:

Single feature:

$5.50 for BAM/PFA members, UC Berkeley students
$9.50 for adults (18-64)
$6.50 for UC Berkeley faculty and staff, non-UC Berkeley students, senior citizens (65 and over), disabled persons, youth (17 and under)

Additional feature:
$4 for all patrons

Advance tickets are available for all PFA programs. Tickets may be purchased online or charged by phone (credit card only) up to one day before the program for pickup at Will Call at the PFA Theater box office. The service charge for online ticket purchases is $1 per ticket for BAM/PFA members and UC Berkeley students, and $1.50 per ticket for all others. Charge-by-phone service is free for members; all others pay a $1-per-ticket service charge.

Tickets may also be purchased in person with cash, credit card, or personal check at the museum’s Bancroft lobby admissions desk daily from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and at the PFA Theater box office starting one hour before the first show time of the day.

YBCA Ticket Prices
$10 regular admission
$8 for seniors, students, and teachers
$8 for YBCA members

Online
Purchase tickets anytime online in real time for most YBCA programs at www.ybca.org. A $3-per-order convenience fee applies for ticket purchases. YBCA members waive this fee.

In Person
Visit the YBCA box office located inside the Galleries and Forum Building, 701 Mission Street at Third. There is no convenience charge for tickets purchased in person at the YBCA box office.
Hours: Tue., Wed., Fri., Sat., and Sun.: noon – 5:00 p.m.
Thu.: noon – 8:00 p.m.
Closed Mondays and major holidays
Venue box offices open 90 minutes prior to film screenings.