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 IN
SHIFTING SANDS (92’, USA 2002)*
German Premiere. Directed by Scott Ritter (Five Rivers). Features Scott Ritter, Rolf Ekeus (former head of UNSCOM), Tariq Aziz (former deputy president under Saddam Hussein), et al.
 PLAN
COLOMBIA (58’, USA 2003)*
German Premiere. Directed by Audrey Brohey and Gerard Ungerman (Free Will Productions). Narrated by Ed Asner. Features Noam Chomsky, the late Senator Paul Wellstone, Colombian Green Party Presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, U.S. Members of Congress John Conyers and Jim McGovern, U.S. State Department officials, a World Wildlife Fund scientist as well as many Colombians and guerilla-leaders.  The
film sheds light on drug-trafficking, civil struggle, and the impact of
the chemical-spray program carried out by the U.S. defense contractor Dyncorps.
Why does Plan Colombia focus on spraying coca fields in rebel-held parts
of the country -- when coca is also grown in many parts of Colombia that
are under the control of the government and its right-wing paramilitaries?
Oil may be a factor in the struggle for Colombia, which is thought to have
reserves comparable to those of neighboring Venezuela. The film includes
interviews with Noam Chomsky and the late Senator Paul Wellstone - the
crusading antiwar Democrat from Minnesota, who was killed together with
his wife and daughter in a plane crash shortly before his expected reelection
in November 2002.
new.plancolombia.org www.freewillprod.com Repeat July 8th, 6 p.m., in double feature with "Hidden Wars."  AFTER
MATH - UNANSWERED QUESTIONS OF 9/11 (30’, USA 2002)*
German Premiere. By The Guerilla News Network (GNN). Music and narration by PARIS (rap legend). Features George Soros, Mary Schiavo (aviation disaster attorney), Catherine Austin Fitts (Undersecretary of Housing under Bush Sr.) Nafeez Ahmed ("The War on Freedom"), David McMichael (former CIA analyst), Michel Chossudovsky (Author: War and Globalization), Peter Dale Scott (poet and historian, UC Berkeley), Riva Enteen (Executive Director, SF National Lawyer's Guild), John Judge (COPA), Mike Ruppert (former LAPD, publisher of From the Wilderness), Alex Jones (talk radio, infowars.com).  With
the ongoing controversy over the federal probe into the September 11 terrorist
attacks, The Guerilla News Network decided to pre-empt the government and
produce its own version of a 'truth commission' with AfterMath:
Unanswered Questions from 9/11. Narrated by Hip Hop legend Paris
and featuring interviews shot by GNN syndicate producers in six cities,
AfterMath features nine (9) people answering eleven (11) of the most pressing
questions that emanate from the terrible and, as yet, unexplained, events
of that day. As you will see, these are questions that continue to overshadow
and critically challenge the official 'version' of the story. To what extent
should airlines have been prepared for 9/11? What did the Bush administration
know and when? Why wasn’t the US military able to intercept the hijacked
planes? How did the administration respond to the failures of the military
and Intelligence agencies on 9/11? What ties, if any, did the US government
and Intelligence agencies have with the terrorists or their supporters?
Were there plans for a war in central Asia prior to September 11? Is there
an underlying motive, besides the War on Terror, for the US military presence
in Central Asia? Is there any historical evidence to suggest that the government
may have used the 9/11 attacks to justify its war in Central Asia? How
has the government's reaction to the terrorist attacks affected the rule
of law in the United States? How has recent legislation like the PATRIOT
ACT and the Homeland Security bill affected the lives of American people?
And what can we do? In a fast and furious style puts MTV to shame, AfterMath
is a trip down the rabbit hole, into the chilling realization that the
full story of 9/11, "the day that changed everything," remains veiled in
secrecy.
www.guerrillanews.com/after_math/  July
6th, 8 p.m. - AfterMath premieres together with
+ two short films by Shadow Government TV, including the now-classic "Bush at Booker" (30' total).  HEAVEN
ON EARTH (52’, FRG 2001)
Directed by Rick Minnich (Hochschule für Film & Fernsehen "Konrad Wolf” and Hoferichter & Jacobs GmbH). Featuring: Barbara Fairchild, Jennifer Wilson, Matthew and Molly Matney, Randy Brooks, Richard Clark, Jimmy Nicholas, General Paul Tibbets. Music: Antonin Dvorak, Irving Berlin, F. Scott Key, F.W. Meacham, Jan Dargatz, Jeff Gibson, The Steeles, Boudleaux Bryant. Director of Photography: Eeva Fleig. Sound: Dietrich Körner, Editors: Robert Schneider, Xina Graff HEAVEN ON EARTH follows filmmaker Rick Minnich’s quest to find the perfect America which Branson promises to be. Seeped in nostalgia, and wallowing in stars, stripes and neon lights, Branson is populated by such colorful figures as USO pin-up girl Jennifer Wilson, country music star Barbara Fairchild, boy wonder Matthew Matney, and, of course, Jesus Christ himself in the bombastic musical “The Promise.“ Mixing show numbers, interviews, and behind the scenes shots, HEAVEN ON EARTH weaves a dense portrait of the making of the American myth. The film climaxes with the largest Veteran's Day celebration in the United States, including a rare, chilling interview with General Paul Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay, in which he reflects upon his dropping of the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Still only a small dot on the map, Branson now offers more theater seats than Las Vegas and Broadway combined, and has established itself as the second most popular drive-to holiday destination in the United States Awards: FIPA d'Or, Biarritz 2002, Babelsberger Medienpreis for best thesis film (doc.) 2001. www.rickfilms.de/pages/fotosHOE.html   double
feature: Selection 2000
UNPRECEDENTED (58’, USA 2002)* German Premiere: Directed by Richard Ray Pérez and Joan Sekler. +COUNTING ON DEMOCRACY (67', USA 2002) Directed by Danny Schechter The 2000 election was marred by irregularities, injustices, and sinister voter purges, in a state governed by the "winning" candidate's Brother Jeb. Thousands of black Floridians were purposely put on a statewide list of "felons" and purged from the voting lists, and thus denied their right to vote - although the vast majority of them had never committed any crime. This Republican strategem was intended to suppress the Democratic vote, since 93 percent of African-Americans are registered Democrats. More than 175,000 ballots went uncounted by Florida's voting machines. No complete hand recount was ever conducted, as required by Florida law. A year after the election, a consortium of U.S. media organizations published the results of an exhaustive study of these unread ballots, and found that Al Gore had received more votes total than Bush. Gore would have been the forty-third president of the United States - if the U.S. Supreme Court had not intervened to stop the full recount ordered by Florida's highest court.  The
two films closely examine the actions of key players like Jeb Bush and
Katherine Harris, with their ties and loyalties to the Bush campaign. Members
of the NAACP, People for the American Way and numerous political representatives
describe the cut-throat mentality the Republican Party adopted in the race
for the presidency before, during and after the election. In a memorable
scene in UNPRECEDENTED, Perez
and Sekler freeze-frame a 'protest' against the ballot recount, identifying
participants as staff members of Republican elected officials.
UNPRECEDENTED is the winner of the Grand Festival Award for documentary at the Berkeley Video and Film Festival, the Audience Documentary Award at the Sacramento Film and Music Festival and the Route 66 Award for best documentary feature at the Winslow International Film Festival. www.unprecedented.org
July 7, 8 p.m. - Selection 2000 double feature.  DCTV:
3 Films About Iraq
INSIDE IRAQ WITH NOWHERE TO HIDE (27’, USA 1991)* + SADDAM SPEAKS (36’, USA 1993)* + BRIDGE TO BAGHDAD (49’, USA 2003)* By Jon Alpert of Downtown Community Television, New York City 
The Event: On March 1st, 2003, while world leaders met behind closed doors, 6 young Americans and 7 young Iraqis stepped forward to participate in a historic dialogue. At Downtown Community Television Center (DCTV) in a loft in lower Manhattan and at the Orfali Art Gallery in Baghdad, these youths were able to transcend time zones and national borders to speak freely as peers with the help of satellite technology. The Participants: World-renowned documentary filmmaker Jon Alpert and his team traveled to Baghdad weeks before the satellite conversation in search of the true voice of Iraqi youths. After struggling against the many demands of the Iraqi Ministry of Information, Alpert managed to assemble a group of young Iraqis willing to speak openly about their lives, their families, and their opinions - voices rarely heard in American media. What’s more, Alpert was able to film their lives intensively the entire week before the show, creating unique video diaries of each of the Iraqi participants. In these stirring cinema verite pieces, the full life of a young Iraqi citizen is revealed. Saif, 21, shows the camera the steel metal doors his parents recently installed throughout his house for fear that the American soldiers would be coming “door by door." Hamsa, 22, takes the viewer around her home, now empty as the furniture has been sold off for money so that the family may eat. Walid, a 17-year old alienated teenager, shows us the blank wall where his father, an army officer, tore down his rock-and-roll posters, and later gives us a concert with his heavy metal band. These riveting seven individuals were joined by an equally diverse group of American faces and opinions including a former army soldier, the head of an anti-war student movement group, a first-generation Korean immigrant, and the son of a conservative Lutheran pastor. The Conversation: As the inheritors of the good and bad consequences of their leaders' decisions, these young people were anxious to discuss anything and everything directly with their peers. The dialogue lasted for ninety minutes and covered everything from the Backstreet Boys and the realities of traditional Muslim dating practices to the larger, pressing realities of a possible war, the failing UN inspections, and the absenceof free media and public dissent in Iraq. When asked about the restrictions on their lives, Aisha, a beautiful 20-year old aspiring clothes designer, expressed frustration in not being able to choose her own career path (she now studies computers) and Suha, the fiery Hajib-wearing young Muslim, spoke enthusiastically about her deep-seated (but unobtainable) desire to visit Washington, DC. American panelists like Katrina, 22, who entered the dialogue adamantly against the war, left the conversation with new considerations. She was surprised to find that the Iraqi youths seemed to align her anti-war stance to an implicit support of the Hussein regime. “I am so used to being the crazy liberal, and this shifted the spectrum a whole lot for me," said Baker when joined by the other American panelists in a filmed debriefing after the satellite feed. Other panelists were similarly bewildered as the conversation brought new nuance and empathy to issues otherwise reported and explained only by those many years older than themselves. “All I could think was they were just like me," one American audience member stated repeatedly after the show. The Struggle to Broadcast: In the weeks since the taping of the Bridge to Baghdad youth dialogue, the producers from DCTV and NextNext Entertainment have struggled to find a television outlet in order to offer American audiences the chance to hear the voices and opinions of their own youth and the youth of Iraq on the war. They were turned down by every major television broadcaster in the country. As the war commenced in Iraq, the producers of Bridge to Baghdad sought out alternative media outlets across the country in order to air this historic dialogue.  Saddam
Speaks (1993, 18’, Jon Alpert, DCTV). "On our way to meet Saddam, two
years after the Persian Gulf War, we talked with Iraqi people-car salesmen,
fish mongers, shopkeepers, doctors, and a group of Iraqi Jews inside their
quiet synagogue. There might be a blockade, but the streets of Baghdad
were jumping and gasoline ran like water. Meanwhile, the sight of children's
dying bodies, ravaged by war and hospitals unable to get badly needed medicines,
remind us of the devastation wrought on this area a short time ago. We
may think the war is over, but in the everyday experiences of the Iraqi
people, it isn't. Still, the Iraqi people lionize their leader. This program
culminates in our exclusive interview with Saddam Hussein. We discuss the
Mother of all Battles, the suffering of his people, his dictatorship, and
Israeli-Palestinian issues. Would Saddam wage war if he had it to do all
over again? He'll tell you." Co-produced with RAI Television, Italy. Awards:
Amsterdam Documentary Film Festival, Houston Worldfest Gold Award.
Inside Iraq with No Place to Hide (22’, 1991, DCTV). Combines footage of "Inside Iraq" with "No Place to Hide." In 1991, "Inside Iraq" was the only uncensored American television report to come out of Iraq during the Persian Gulf War. Originally slated for broadcast on NBC news, it was yanked just three hours before airtime by the president of the network. Was "Inside Iraq," which revealed that this war was not as clean as it appeared to the American public nor the bombs so smart, too hot for TV? Travelling through Iraq with an unusual degree of freedom, the filmmakers were able to visit a number of Iraqi cities whose infrastructure had been entirely destroyed. Shortages of water, electricity and medicine are rampant and doctors stand helpless to save wounded and starving babies as they wither away in their mothers' arms. This video presents an uncompromising view of the destruction of war and will provoke intense discussion about censorship and the role of media in wartime. Awards: 1991 Dallas Video Festival, 32 Festival Dei Popoli Antenna Cinema, Italy Columbus Film Festival, International Film & Video Fest. of New York, Tokyo Video Festival, Worldfest Houston. www.dctvny.org July 4, 8p.m.: DCTV program
 HIDDEN
WARS OF DESERT STORM (64’, USA 2000)
Directed by Audrey Brohey and Gerard Ungerman (Free Will Productions). Soundtrack by Fritz Heede. Narrated by two-time Academy Award winner, actor John Hurt. Features the commander of Desert Storm, General Norman Schwarzkopf, the former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, UN Iraq Program Director Denis Halliday and UNSCOM team-leader Scott Ritter, and many others. Large selection of archival footage and moving images recently brought back from Iraq.  Why
did the coalition abandon the uprising of the Iraqi people at the end of
the war? What purpose did the postwar embargo against Iraq serve, if not
to weaken Saddam Hussein - a result it evidently failed to achieve before
the invasion of 2003? What is the truth behind the mysterious "Gulf War
Syndrome" that now affects hundreds of thousands of Gulf War veterans and
local populations, with more and more people getting sick from it every
day?
The film-makers' two-year investigation into these questions turned up documents never before seen on television. Hidden Wars of Desert Storm provides background history of the Middle East, reviews the lies used to whip up the war hysteria of 1991, and reveals the devastating effects of the massive bombing of Iraq and the use of depleted uranium munitions. www.hiddenwars.org www.freewillprod.com
 THE
TRUTH & LIES OF 9/11 (140’, USA 2002)*
German Premiere: Taped lecture by former LAPD officer and journalist Michael C. Ruppert (From the Wilderness newsletter) at Portland State University, November 2001. Additional interviews/appearances with Peter Dale Scott (poet and historian, U.C. Berkeley), Catherine Austin Fitts (former assistant Secretary of HUD under Bush I), John Metzger (political scientist, Michigan State University) and members of the U.S. House of Representatives Cynthia McKinney, Democrat of Georgia, Barbara Lee, Democrat of California, and Ron Paul, Republican of Texas. Former LAPD narcotics officer
Mike Ruppert has spent 20 years crusading to expose drug dealing and infiltration
of the police by the CIA. Following Sept. 11, the publisher of the From
the Wilderness newsletter made waves by claiming that - contrary to the
official story - elements of the U.S. government had specific knowledge
of the attacks well in advance of Sept. 2001. To this day, in a never-ending
series of lectures across the United States and around the world, Ruppert
continues to argue his highly controversial thesis: that the Bush administration
intentionally allowed the Sept. 11 attacks to go ahead, so as to gain the
justification for an already-planned war in Afghanistan and for an extreme
right-wing program of repression and militarization in the United States
itself. In this film, Ruppert methodically presents the evidence for his
case at a Nov. 2001 lecture, which ended with a standing ovation from a
crowd of 800 people in Portland, Oregon. The broadcast media have accused
Ruppert of unfounded conspiracy theory, even more so on the left/alternative
end of the political spectrum. But he was recently able to raise more than
100,000 dollars from his Internet readership towards the purchase of full-page
advertisements in major American newspapers, with the intent of repeating
his claims to a potential audience of more than 40 million readers. By
featuring this lecture at the festival, we are giving viewers the chance
to decide for themselves what they think.
THE PANAMA DECEPTION (92', USA 1992)*  Directed
by Barbara
Trent (The Empowerment
Project). Narrated by Elizabeth Montgomery (Bewitched). 1993 Academy
Award, Best Documentary Feature. Read
the Oscar acceptance speech by Barbara Trent.
The
Panama Deception documents the untold story of the December 1989
U.S. invasion of Panama; the events which led to it; the excessive force
used; the enormity of the death and destruction; and the devastating aftermath.
The Panama Deception uncovers the real reasons for this internationally
condemned attack, presenting a view of the invasion which widely differs
from that portrayed by the U.S. media and exposes how the U.S. government
and the mainstream media suppressed information about this foreign policy
disaster. The Panama Deception includes never before seen footage of the
invasion and its aftermath, as well as interviews with both invasion proponents
like Gen. Maxwell Thurman, Panamanian President Endara and Pentagon spokesperson
Pete Williams, and opponents like U.S. Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY.),
Panamanian human rights workers Olga Mejia and Isabel Corro and former
Panamanian diplomat Humberto Brown. Network news clips and media critics
contribute to a staggering analysis of media control and self censorship
relevant to any news coverage today, particularly during times of war.
Among the film's excellent reviews are: "meticulously researched" (Hal
Hinson, Washington Post); "outstanding" (Betsy Sherman, Boston Globe);
"tough....provocative....moving....beautifully edited" (Vincent Canby,
New York Times); and "lays out simply and forcefully the case against the
'official' version" (Peter Rainer, Los Angeles Times).
COVERUP: BEHIND THE IRAN CONTRA AFFAIR (72', USA 1988) Directed by Barbara Trent (The Empowerment Project). Narrated by Elizabeth Montgomery (Bewitched). Features Peter Dale Scott, David MacMichael, the National Security Archives, Jonathan Kwitney, the late great Rep. Henry Gonzalez, Barbara Honneger et al. Music by Richard Elliot, Pink Floyd, Los Lobos and more.
 BROTHERS
AND OTHERS: THE IMPACT OF 9/11 ON ARABS
AND MUSLIMS IN AMERICA (53’, USA 2002)*
German Premiere:
Directed by Nicolas Rossier. (Baraka Productions - dist. Monarch Films)
In the post-Sept. 11 climate of suspicion, thousands of people of Arab nationality in the United States were arrested and detained for months at a time, often with no due process whatsoever. Most of those arrested were cleared of possible terrorist links, but many continued to be held in jail and were later deported for immigration violations. BROTHERS AND OTHERS tells their stories, the hardships faced by individuals and families alike. Here are some of their stories: --A Pakistani immigrant, a father of 6 children (3 born in the United States), a homeowner and shop keeper in Brooklyn, NY who has been living in the United States for 10 years, is arrested a few months after the 9/11 attack. He is held in jail for many months and faces deportation for visa violations. His wife tries to maintain the business and keep the family together. Barely able to speak or write English, and with no knowledge of her husband's suppliers or business arrangements, she struggles in vain to keep their store open. Gradually, lacking inventory and cash flow, she is forced to shut it down, sell their home, and, on learning that her husband is to be deported, must return, reluctantly, to her native Pakistan. --A couple engaged to be married, she American born. He is an Iranian immigrant, living in the United States for four years. Shortly after the 9/11 attack, the couple goes on vacation in Montana, in the northern United States near the Canadian border. They are stopped by the state police in a random check and asked to produce identification. Since he is of Arab nationality, the car is checked for weapons and he is detained. It is discovered that he has overstayed his visa. He is arrested and sent a thousand miles away, to be held in prison until he can be investigated. Kept in near solitary confinement, he is handcuffed whenever he has to leave the cell. He suffers a heart attack. He recovers, but is only released 4 months later, after his fiance obtains lawyers and puts up a bond of $30,000 to guarantee his appearance in court. Until his legal situation is cleared, the couple are legally barred from marrying. These stories and others are told in this powerful new documentary. Additionally, we hear from observers such as Norm Chomsky, Al-Haaj Ghazi Y Khankan (Executive Director of the Council of America-Islamic Relations), ACLU attorney Lucas Guttentag, and others. www.barakaproductions.com/home.html http://www.mfilms.com/documentaries5.html (scroll down) http://www.arabfilm.com/item/244/
"Brothers and Others is a film that tells the truth about an aspect of our recent history that most of us would rather ignore. It shines a bright light on the disastrous federal law enforcement response to the 9/11 tragedy by showing us the havoc that ethnic profiling and mass immigration detentions have wreaked on so many innocent lives. This film is a powerful document, and every American who cares about justice, fairness, and the ideals enshrined in our Constitution should see it and heed its message." - David A. Harris, author "Profiles in Injustice: Why Racial Profiling Cannot Work" (The New Press, 2002), Soros Senior Fellow, Open Society Institute "The filmmaker has really captured the human cost and real-life consequences of the 9/11 arrests ... very compelling." - Lucas Guttentag, American Civil Liberties Union "An insightful documentary." - Human Rights Watch "As we wage a war against
global terrorism and extremists in our midst, Brothers and Others
is a powerful documentary about the 'hidden' victims of 9/11, the
thousands of Arabs and Muslims who have been detained without trial
and many of whose lives have been shattered. It reminds us of the
need to balance our desire for security with an equal concern for
the rule of law and civil liberties which make America the great
nation that it is." - John L. Esposito - Author of Islamic Threat: Myth
or Reality and Professor of Religion and International Affairs at
Georgetown University
Our Feature Film THE KILLING FLOOR (118’, USA 1984) Director: William Duke Starring: Damien Leake, Moses Gunn, Alfre Woodard. Written and produced by Elsa Rassbach.
 During
the economic boom spurred by World War I, a young black man from Mississippi
moves north to make his fortune. Landing a job on the "killing floor" at
a meat-packing plant, he becomes involved in the labor movement. But mounting
racial pressure places him between the unionists and other blacks, and
he is ultimately swept into the Chicago race riots of 1919. Bill Duke’s
hard-hitting docudrama, produced for PBS’s AMERICAN PLAYHOUSE, mixes documentary
footage with a dramatization of the events leading up to the riots, to
powerful effect. Duke’s film plunges the audience into the era, giving
an intimate and compelling view of that time. Just as the film spares nothing
in its portrayal of the brutality of the slaughterhouse, it is equally
honest in its depiction of the complexities that racial and cultural differences
brought to the union movement. It’s a testament to Bill Duke’s vision as
a filmmaker that he chose such a difficult and compelling subject for his
feature debut.
July 9, 8 p.m. -- Discussion
with the film's writer and producer Elsa Rassbach.
THE KILLING FLOOR is the true story of a Southern black migrant who defied the rising racial tensions in the Chicago Stockyards during World War I and joined with Polish and German workers to build an interracial union, only to see these efforts jeopardized by the brutal 1919 Race Riot. After hearing that labor shortages mean high-paying jobs for blacks in northern cities, Frank Custer (Damien Leake) leaves his wife Mattie (Alfre Woodard) and his children in Mississippi to travel to Chicago with his best friend, Thomas Joshua (Ernest Rayford). Frank lands a job on the cattle "killing floor" and is taken under the wing of "Heavy" Williams (Moses Gunn), who has had bitter experiences with white workers. Thomas is beaten up by white thugs and decides to enlist in the army. Frank at first resists joining the white-led union, but he finally becomes a member after a German immigrant, Bill Bremer (Clarence Felder) helps him to rise from laborer to butcher. The union begins to rely on Frank to organize other blacks, and he thus incurs the wrath of "Heavy," who considers Frank a traitor to his race. With the war raging and supplies for the troops critical, the government brings about a compromise of the meatpacking companies with the union. Wages rise, and Frank brings Mattie and the children to Chicago. Thomas returns from the war a hero, but also a much more violent man who carries a pistol and threatens white racists with it. Soldiers returning from the battlefields must compete with black workers for jobs. Racial tensions mount. During a union rally "Heavy" provokes rioting in the Stockyards. Tensions boil over into the city streets in the violent Race Riot of 1919, in which Thomas is killed. It is unsafe for blacks to walk to work in the Stockyards. Disillusioned with the union, most blacks turn against Frank and follow "Heavy." When the meatpacking companies offer to escort the black workers back into the Stockyards on condition that they stay out of the union, the union calls for all workers to stay home to avoid more bloodshed. Frank breaks with Bill Bremer and goes in to work with the black workers. Secretly he wears his union button to begin the task of organizing all over again. The screenplay by Leslie
Lee is based upon an original story by Producer Elsa Rassbach
The film has received many awards, including the Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Award and the Cine Golden Eagle. It has been shown in numerous festivals such as Cannes (Critic's Week), London, Locarno, Mannheim. The film was created for US public television and premiered in the American Playhouse series. It has also been shown on Channel Four in England and had theatrical screenings in New York, LA, and London.
URANIUM BATTLEFIELDS (43’, UK/USA 1997) Dir. Jeremy Lovering: During the Gulf war, British and American forces used, for the first time, a new weapon - artillery shells made from depleted uranium. These devastating missles where highly effective but they have left an unknown legacy which may last for generations, affecting allied veterans and Iraqi civilians alike. American Veteran Carol Picou returned from the Gulf with serious health problems. This is the story of her quest for answers as to why she is so ill.
July 5, 6 p.m.
 Professor
Arthur Kinoy
"If they put the word Commie on someone, that meant that that person was an agent to the Soviets, that meant that that person was dangerous and had to be done away with."
DOING JUSTICE – THE LIFE AND TRIALS OF ARTHUR KINOY (51’, 1994) Dir. Abby Ginzberg. + NOAM CHOMSKY: WAR ON IRAQ Lecture at the Agape Central, Culver City, California, April 6, 2003
Arthur Kinoy, constitutional scholar and people's lawyer, changed American history through the legal system. His efforts to obtain a stay of execution for the Rosenbergs first brought him national attention. Throughout the 1960s he worked tirelessly on landmark civil rights cases, often with the late William Kunstler, who is featured prominently in the tape. Kinoy headed the legal team in the Mississippi Challenge case which almost unseated the state's five white US Congressmen on the basis that the state systematically disenfranchised Blacks through intimidation and harassment. He defeated now-Supreme Court Justice Renquist in a case challenging the FBI's wire-tapping of the Gray Panthers; this decision later played a prominent role in the Watergate hearings. Narrated by Congressman Ron Dellums, Doing Justice includes excerpts of his arguments before the Supreme Court, as well as interviews with judges, lawyers, and his students. Kinoy's passion for justice is absolutely contagious.
July 8, 10:30 p.m. - present for discussion will be Kinoy's associate, David MacBryde, native of Texas and graduate of Yale University.
The Iraq crisis drove Berlin filmmakers to spontaneously produce a documentary film during this year’s Berlinale. F2s-berlinale is a dialectical montage based on interviews, statements and short films. Almost all were against the war, but the point-of-view could not have been more differentiated. For example, while Jack Valenti stands behind his President, but diplomatically and in a roundabout way condemns war, John Hurt is in despair because no-one has even tried to look closer at the motives behind the attack on the Twin Towers. The next steps: Tribeca Festival April 03; Cannes Festival May 2003 A bridge from Berlin to New York and further to Cannes will be spanned, to contra the present speechlessness between Europe and the USA in an artistic manner. While f2s-Berlinale reflected the helplessness and the anger, now we would like to investigate the political background and media developments, und show how media-makers can carry out their responsibilities and possibilities. All the material from Berlin, New York and Cannes will be put together into a film, which reflects the state of the participants of the festivals. Statement by the director about the film Aus Anlass der Irakkrise
begannen Berliner Filmemacher während der diesjährigen Berlinale
einen Dokumentarfilm zu drehen, in dem die Ohnmacht gegenüber politischen
und medialen Entwicklungen thematisiert wird. Es entstand eine dialektische
Montage aus Interviews, Statements und freestyles. Obwohl fast alle Protagonisten
den Krieg ablehnten, hätten die Standpunkte nicht unterschiedlicher
sein können: während sich z. B. Jack Valenti hinter seinen Präsidenten
stellte, aber diplomatisch verklausuliert den Krieg verurteilte, fragte
John Hurt verzweifelt, warum niemand auch nur den Versuch unternahm, die
Motive der Anschläge auf die Twin Towers näher zu betrachten.
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Produced
on the eve of the 1988 election, 
These
subjects remain painfully relevant. John Poindexter, the White House's
fall-guy for Iran-Contra, convicted on five felony counts of lying to Congress,
is back in government as the head of the Total Information Awareness project
at the Pentagon's research arm, DARPA (see his department's unbelievable
logo, right). His job will be to create the most powerful database technology
in history, potentially able to electronically track everything everyone
does in real time - for the purpose of "catching terrorists," of course.