Admission to all films is free and open to the public.
The films will be screened in the Community Room, on the 1st floor of the library off the main lobby.
Thursday May 12
12:00 p.m.
THIRST *
Running time: 57 minutes
A piercing look at the global corporate drive to control and profit from our water -- from bottles to tap. Is water part of a shared "commons," a human right for all people? Or is it a commodity to be bought, sold and traded in a global marketplace? THIRST tells the stories of communities in Bolivia, India, and the United States that are asking these fundamental questions, as water becomes the most valuable global resource of the 21st Century. A PBS P.O.V. film. More information.
Running time: 57 minutes
* Followed by moderated discussion.
Also screens Saturday at 4:00 p.m.
2:00 p.m.
STRANGE FRUIT
Running time: 57 minutes
STRANGE FRUIT explores the history and legacy of a song unique in the annals of American music. Best-known from Billie Holiday's haunting 1939 rendition, the song "Strange Fruit" is a harrowing portrayal of the lynching of a black man in the American South. The film tells a dramatic story of America's past by using one of the most influential protest songs ever written as its epicenter. The saga brings us face-to-face with the terror of lynching as it spotlights the courage and heroism of those who fought for racial justice when to do so was to risk ostracism and livelihood if white - and death if black. It examines the history of lynching, and the interplay of race, labor, the Left and popular culture that would give rise to the civil rights movement.
Also screens Sunday at 2:15 p.m.
3:00 p.m.
CHILDREN IN WAR
Running time: 108 minutes
CHILDREN IN WAR is a powerful, compassionate and disturbing report on the effects of war and terrorism on children caught in the midst of armed conflict. Filmed on location in Bosnia, Rwanda, Israel and Northern Ireland, this feature-length documentary explores war-torn neighborhoods, orphanages, schools and refugee camps. The tragedy of war is witnessed through the eyes of children. More information.
5:00 - 7:15 p.m.
* ** OPENING RECEPTION ***
Ranjit and friends.
Ranjit is an international recording artist and local musician who sings socially conscious, original music and accompanys himself on guitar and piano. (5:00 - 6:00 p.m.)
Please join us at our opening reception and meet some of the filmmakers and people from local organizations. Refreshments will be served. A screening of
the AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CONCERT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS will be screened featuring performances by
Tracy Chapman, Youssou N’Dour, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Bruce Springsteen and Shania Twain.
(6:00 - 7:15)
7:30 p.m.
HOW DO YOU SPELL MURDER? *
Running time: 39 minutes
This film chronicles a year in the life of illiterate prisoners in the NJ State Prison and explores the powerful connection between illiteracy and crime. However, many of these same men are achieving a measure of hope, a sense of personal freedom: they are finally learning how to read. More information.
* The film will be followed by a discussion with the filmmakers, Susan and Alan Raymond, who will explore the relationship between illiteracy and crime.
Friday May 13
12:00
OF CIVIL WRONGS AND RIGHTS: THE FRED KOREMATSU STORY *
Running time: 56 minutes
Fred Korematsu was probably never more American than when he resisted and then challenged in court the forced internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Korematsu lost his landmark Supreme Court case in 1944, but never his indignation and resolve. OF CIVIL WRONGS AND RIGHTS is the untold history of the 40-year legal fight to vindicate Korematsu — one that finally turned a civil injustice into a civil rights victory. A PBS P.O.V. film. More information.
* Followed by moderated discussion.
2:00 p.m.
APPROACH OF DAWN: FORGING PEACE IN GUATEMALA
Running time: 53 minutes
A 36-year civil war has left over 150,000 dead and more than 1 million displaced in Guatemala. This program presents stirring portraits of three Mayan women and their efforts on behalf of peace. Adela, a widow, bravely sustains her refugee family. Justina tirelessly travels the countryside explaining the human rights movement to fellow villagers. Francesca, a Mayan priestess, reaffirms the cultural identity of her people. Stunning photography evokes the Mayan Popul Vuh creation story and punctuates the women’s courageous struggle.
3:30 p.m.
FREE TO FLY
Running time: 33 minutes
This is the story of the struggle to maintain links between the Cuban and American people. The U.S. embargo on Cuba has severely limited the degree to which U.S. citizens can legally travel to Cuba. This film begins with the idea that families have the right to see one another and that U.S. citizens have the constitutional right to go where they please, arguing that such travel strengthens family ties, fosters cultural exchange and builds understanding. More information.
4:30 p.m.
STATE OF DENIAL *
Running time: 83 minutes
An unprecedented and unflinching look at how nearly five million South Africans are living with the AIDS epidemic amid a climate of confusion and governmental neglect.
A PBS POV PRODUCTION. More information.
* Followed by moderated discussion.
7:00 p.m.
DEADLINE *
Running time: 90 minutes
Illinois, Fall 2002: Governor George Ryan faces shocking findings about flaws in his state’s capital punishment system that call his long-held beliefs into question. Suddenly, he must make one of the most difficult decisions of his life —ignore this disturbing evidence, or transform the entire Illinois capital punishment system. The stakes of this decision are the lives of over 170 people and Ryan’s own political career. And he has only a few months to issue his final decision. DEADLINE captures the ensuing dramatic series of events as they unfold. DEADLINE directors Katy Chevigny and Kirsten Johnson tackle the volatile topic of the American capital punishment system with intelligence, compassion and balance. Furthermore, they capture the extraordinary transformation of one man who holds the power of life and death in his hands. More information.
* Followed by a discussion moderated by Kate Germond from Centurion Ministries.
Saturday May 14
11:00 a.m.
RYAN'S WELL
Running time: 25 minutes
At the age of six, Ryan Hreljac learned that without access to clean water people become ill and sometimes even die. He set out to raise $70 towards building a well in Africa, and, having reached his goal in four months, Ryan kept working and organizing. He has now raised over $1,000,000 and his work has helped to change the lives of thousands of people in Africa. Ryan has become a compelling voice for water-poor people in the developing world. His story has inspired many to take responsibility for the woes of the world, whether in their own communities, or like Ryan, in far away places. More information.
12:00 p.m.
PROMISES
Running time: 106 minutes
Through the stories of seven children living in diverse areas of Israel/Palestine, the filmmakers interweave the complex political and geographic history of this region of the Middle East. The film was shot between 1997-2000, a time of relative peace, but the statements and feelings of the children are perhaps more poignant in the light of the current situation. More information.
2:30 p.m.
BOMBIES
Running time: 57 minutes
Between 1964 and 1973 the United States conducted a secret air war, dropping over 2 million tons of bombs and making tiny Laos the most heavily bombed country in history. Millions of these 'cluster bombs' did not explode when dropped, leaving the country massively contaminated with 'bombies' as dangerous now as when they fell a quarter century ago. Bombies examines the problem of unexploded cluster bombs through the personal experiences of a group of Laotians and foreigners and argues for their elimination as a weapon of war. Unfortunately they are still a standard part of the US arsenal and were dropped both in Kosovo and now Afghanistan. More information.
4:00 p.m.
THIRST *
Running time: 57 minutes
A piercing look at the global corporate drive to control and profit from our water -- from bottles to tap. Is water part of a shared "commons", a human right for all people? Or is it a commodity to be bought, sold, and traded in a global marketplace? THIRST tells the stories of communities in Bolivia, India, and the United States that are asking these fundamental questions, as water becomes the most valuable global resource of the 21st Century. A PBS P.O.V. film. More information.
* Followed by moderated discussion.
Also screens Thursday at noon.
7:00 p.m.
THE CORPORATION *
Running time: 145 minutes
One hundred and fifty years ago, the corporation was a relatively insignificant entity. Today, it is a vivid, dramatic and 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.
This complex and highly entertaining documentary examines the far-reaching repercussions of the corporation’s increasing preeminence. Featuring illuminating interviews with Noam Chomsky, Michael Moore, Howard Zinn and many others, THE CORPORATION charts the spectacular rise of an institution aimed at achieving specific economic goals as it also recounts victories against this apparently invincible force. More information.
* Followed by a discussion moderated by Lewis L. Maltby, President, National Workrights Institute.
Sunday May 15
1:00 p.m.
POTE MAK SONJE: THE RABOTEAU TRIAL
Running time: 56 minutes
The military junta that overthrew Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 1991, killed and tortured thousands during its three-year reign. In the most brutal single massacre, the coup government indiscriminately murdered scores of Aristide supporters in the leftist fishing village of Raboteau in 1994. In conjunction with eyewitness accounts, this gripping film documents the landmark trial in November 2000 that convicted 16 military officials responsible for the massacre.
2:15 p.m.
STRANGE FRUIT *
Running time: 57 minutes
STRANGE FRUIT explores the history and legacy of a song unique in the annals of American music. Best-known from Billie Holiday's haunting 1939 rendition, the song "Strange Fruit" is a harrowing portrayal of the lynching of a black man in the American South.
The film tells a dramatic story of America's past by using one of the most influential protest songs ever written as its epicenter. The saga brings us face-to-face with the terror of lynching as it spotlights the courage and heroism of those who fought for racial justice when to do so was to risk ostracism and livelihood if white - and death if black. It examines the history of lynching, and the interplay of race, labor, the Left and popular culture that would give rise to the civil rights movement.
Also screens Thursday at 2:00 p.m.
* Followed by a discussion moderated by Mark Taylor, Professor of Theology and Culture, Princeton Theological Seminary.
4:00 p.m.
EVERY MOTHER'S SON *
Running time:52 minutes
In the late 1990s, three victims of police brutality made headlines around the country: Amadou Diallo, the young West African man whose killing sparked intense public protest; Anthony Baez, killed in an illegal choke-hold; and Gary (Gidone) Busch, a Hasidic Jew shot and killed outside his Brooklyn home. "Every Mother's Son" tells of the victims' three mothers who came together to demand justice and accountability. More information.
* Following the screening, Tami Gold, filmmaker, and Iris Baez, one of the mothers featured in the film, will discuss the film and the issues surrounding police brutality.
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