The 19th annual festival runs from June 13 to 26, presenting documentaries covering a wide range of current political and social issues, including injustice in Brazil's juvenile courts, child trafficking in China, rape in the Congo, the U.S. health insurance crisis, the murder of a crusading journalist and a human rights lawyer's battle to bring a killer dictator to trial. Several of the films focus on women who're trying to cope with the realities and hardships of war in Kashmir, Nepal and Palestine, and make a difference. As indicated, some of the films are set for TV broadcast. So, mark your calendars.
The Recruiter (2008)
Sergeant First Class Clay Usie, a leading Army recruiter, stirs Houma, Louisiana's young men and women to enlist by begining to work with them several years before their eligibility. The film follows four of his recruits who enter boot camp--and realize the Army isn't what they were led to expect it would be. The situation is further complicated by the increasing number the Houma community's Iraq War casualties. Directed by Edet Belzberg, in English, 86 minutes. Will premiere on HBO on July 28.The Sari Soldiers (2008)
In Nepal, at the height of armed conflict between the repressive Royal Nepal Army and ragtag Maoist insurrgents, six women representing all sides of the multifaceted conflict--the mother of a tortured and abducted daughter, a Maoist commander, a soldier in the Royal Nepal Army, a royalist who tries to defeat the rebels, a student activist and a human rights lawyer--come forth to seek justice and try to bring peace and democracy to their country. Directed by Julie Bridgham, in Nepali with English subtitles, 90 minutes.This Way Up (2007)
Elderly residents at Our Lady Of Pains, a nursing home for Palestinians, face isolation and despair when the West Bank Wall is erected just yards from their home's front door and cuts them off from visits with families and friends. Directed by Gerogi Lazarevski, Arabic with English subtitles, 60 minutes.To See If I'm Smiling (2007)
In Israel, girls are drafted for military service at age 18, and are assigned to serve, along with male soldiers, in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. In this film, six women candidly recount their tours of duty, revealing the angst they suffered while serving as medic, education officer, combat soldier and in other capacities. The film is a powerful expose about the dehumanizing aspects of military service. Cirected by Tamar Yarom, in Hebrew with English subtitles, 59 minutes.Traces of the Trade (2008)
Filmmaker Katrina Browne, having discovered that her family (the prominent New England DeWolfs) had been America's foremost slave traders, goes on a journey of investigation with several relatives to trace her families slave trading from Rhode Island to Ghana to Cuba. Their journey and the film reveal the extent to which the slave trade funded the founding of our country. In English, 86 minutes. The film's broadcast premiere is on PBS on June 24.USA vs. Al-Arian (2007)
Post 9-11, pro-Palestinian university professor Sami Al-Arian is charged with fundinging a Palesinian terrorist group and incarcerated for two and a half years while awaiting trial. The film shows how his family deals with his imprisonment and the strain of trial preparation and media spin. Directed by Line Halvorsen, in Arabic with English subtitles, 98 minutes.
