WARS AND WAVES
SRI LANKA’S INTERNALLY DISPLACED
Australia 2007 • Director: Sam de Silva • 28 minutes • English/Sinhala/Tamil with English Subtitles
In Sri Lanka, a natural disaster and ongoing conflict have displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Those who lost everything to the December 2004 tsunami still wait for permanent housing. Families evicted from the North of Sri Lanka continue to live in temporary shelters.
And now the recommencement of the war is forcing people to flee their homes once more, towards refugee camps and uncertain futures…
Screenings
| Wellington | Sunday 11 May, 1.30pm | Friday 16 May, 6.15pm |
| Auckland | Sunday 18 May, 1.30pm | Friday 23 May, 6.15pm |
| Christchurch | Sunday 25 May, 1.30pm | Friday 30 May, 6.15pm |
| Dunedin | Sunday 1 June, 1.30pm | Friday 6 June, 6.15pm |
MOTHER AND WALL
Czech Republic 2007 • Director: Zuzana Vondráčková • 11 minutes • No Dialogue
Festivals: Munich 2007
They provide most people with shelter, a home and security. For others they represent a hopeless situation and suffering. In a historical context, walls often become a symbol for inequality and barriers between people. In this film, the wall is a metaphor for inhuman actions, infringement of freedom and the segregation of people.
Screenings
| Wellington | Friday 9 May, 8.15pm | Sunday 11 May, 5.45pm |
| Auckland | Friday 16 May, 8.15pm, | Sunday 18 May, 5.45pm |
| Christchurch | Friday 23 May, 8.15pm | Sunday 25 May, 5.45pm |
| Dunedin | Friday 30 May, 8.15pm | Sunday 1 June, 5.45pm |
FORBIDDEN RIGHTS
Palestine 2007 • Director: c/o Mouth The Roars • 12 minutes • Arabic with English Subtitles
Forbidden Rights focuses on the rights of the child as highlighted by the United Nations. The film was produced by young people of Palestine after attending just 15 hours of filmmaking workshops run by Mouth That Roars in Bethlehem.
This short film looks at young people growing up in Palestine and covers their thoughts and feelings on subjects such as curfews, hobbies, punishments, and education.
Screenings
| Wellington | Sunday 11 May, 3.45pm | Monday 12 May, 8.30pm |
| Auckland | Sunday 18 May, 3.45pm | Monday 19 May, 6.00pm |
| Christchurch | Sunday 25 May, 3.45pm | Monday 26 May, 6.00pm |
| Dunedin | Sunday 1 June, 3.45pm | Monday 2 June, 6.00pm |
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND THE UNITED NATIONS: Vol.1
USA 2006 • Director: Rebecca Sommer • 30 minutes • Russian/French/Spanish/Portugese/etc with English Subtitles
What can you do when your land has been taken away from you, your culture destroyed and your language is dying? How does it feel when history books describe your ancestors as savages and the people who killed and displaced them are portrayed as heroes? Where can you go with your grievances, when the courts will not take your cases and the police treat you as an enemy? When disaster strikes and atrocities are committed, the world looks to the United Nations to intervene, react and to help, but for the longest time, the doors of the UN were closed to indigenous peoples and for decades they were left to fend for themselves.
The film brings to life a truly historic moment for indigenous peoples from around the world. It is a real life story of hope. And now, with their foot in the door, the indigenous peoples of the world want to make a difference and influence the actions of the United Nations.
Screenings
| Wellington | Monday 12 May, 6.30pm | Wednesday 14 May, 6.00pm |
| Auckland | Monday 19 May, 8.00pm | Wednesday 21 May, 6.00pm |
| Christchurch | Monday 26 May, 8.00pm | Wednesday 28 May, 6.00pm |
| Dunedin | Monday 2 June, 8.00pm | Wednesday 28 May, 6.00pm |
NOW WE ARE FEARLESS
New Zealand 2005 • Director: Natasha Turner • 27 minutes • English/Tamil with English Subtitles
This moving documentary shows how the untouchable and tribal South Indian women use collective action to successfully fight injustice and discrimination, and how their lives were changed by community development led by the Women’s Development Resource Centre.
Through this organisation, untouchable women in over 300 villages and communities have discovered the effectiveness of collective action to break down caste barriers, free their families from indentured labour, and identify and act on their legal rights.
The women’s activities include protesting, lobbying and writing petitions to improve their living conditions, standing for political office and establishing a bank to provide small loans.
India has a long tradition of community development. This is one of the most inspiring examples, supported by CWS and NZAID.
Screenings
| Wellington | Saturday 10 May, 3.45pm | Sunday 11 May, 7.45pm |
| Auckland | Saturday 17 May, 3.45pm | Sunday 18 May, 7.45pm |
| Christchurch | Saturday 24 May, 3.45pm | Sunday 25 May, 7.45pm |
| Dunedin | Saturday 31 May, 3.45pm | Sunday 1 June, 7.45pm |
CHILDREN OF THE GOLDEN HORSE
Italy/Germany/Thailand 2007 • Director: Claudia Pelz • 29 minutes • German/Thai with English Subtitles
Festivals: MEFEST Serbia, EPONA France, Doc 5 Scotland, 2007
Ten-year old Jattae is a so-called “Hilltriber”, one of over 100,000 members of ethnic minorities who are currently settled in the mountains of North Thailand. Like most of these people, Jattae’s family is living close to the subsistence level. According to Thai law, the mountain people are no longer allowed to live in their traditional way as nomadic farmers using slash and burn techniques. But there are no alternatives!
Their own cultures and languages make it hard to integrate the “Hilltribes” into Thai society. Without Thai citizenship, Jattae has no right to school education or health care. Many of the inhabitants of his village already escaped from poverty through drug dealing and prostitution. That’s not the way Jattae wants to go! He dreams of becoming a famous Thai boxer and of getting his own fast black horse!
This wish may seem a long way from reality. But Jattae’s dream is close to becoming true, when he is given the chance to live together with 17 other children and more than 120 horses in a Buddhist Temple nearby. His initial enthusiasm does not last for long however, when he finds out that his idol Phra Khru Ba, the monk who runs the temple, no longer has much time to be a father figure and teacher for the children as he was in the past. His controversial appearance and his unusual relief campaign for the hilltribers have made the charismatic temple leader famous. Jattae finds the monk in a difficult situation, torn between popularity and the desire for reflection.
Although the first weeks in the temple do not meet Jattae’s expectations, his dream of the horse and his faith in Kruh Ba Nua Chai still keep his hope for a better future alive.
Joining Jattae during a very important month in his life, this film is a unique document of faith, conflicts, and the dreams of the unknown poor and famous holy people.
Screenings
| Wellington | Saturday 10 May, 6.00pm | Tuesday 13 May, 8.15pm |
| Auckland | Saturday 17 May, 6.00pm | Tuesday 20 May, 8.15pm |
| Christchurch | Saturday 24 May, 6.00pm | Tuesday 27 May, 8.15pm |
| Dunedin | Saturday 31 May, 6.00pm | Tuesday 3 June, 8.15pm |
BOWLING FOR ZIMBABWE
Australia/Zimbabwe 2007 • Director: Dominik Vukovic & James Grucza •
28 minutes • English/Shona with English Subtitles
Festivals: Australian HRAFF 2007
The film follows the extraordinary lives of those enduring the current crises in Zimbabwe. For Itai, a cricketing scholarship may be his only chance at a life beyond mere survival. He must play to win.
Screenings
| Wellington | Tuesday 13 May, 6.00pm | Thursday 15 May, 8.15pm |
| Auckland | Tuesday 20 May, 6.00pm | Thursday 22 May, 8.15pm |
| Christchurch | Tuesday 27 May, 6.00pm | Thursday 29 May, 8.15pm |
| Dunedin | Tuesday 3 June, 6.00pm | Thursday 5 June, 8.15pm |
WESTERN SAHARA
AFRICA’S LAST COLONY
USA 2007 • Director: JoMarie Fecci & Shantha Bloemen • 57 minutes • English/Arabic/Sahawri with English Subtitles
The Saga of Western Sahara is told through the experiences of Sahrawis living in refugee camps in Southern Algeria for 30 years. From the beginning of their liberation struggle in the 1970s to the unending wait for a promised UN-sponsored referendum, they have remained true to their aspirations and committed to an independent homeland despite international indifference to their cause. Meanwhile, Morocco, a former French colony and strong American ally, has been rewarded for its aggression and occupation of the Sahrawis’ desert homeland.
This history of promises and betrayal is interwoven with the harrowing story of the family of Mulay & Ama Didi. Amma recounts how she was forced to leave her infant daughter behind during the chaos of the Moroccan invasion. Now after 29 years of separation, she has new hope, as a recently introduced UNHCR (The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) “family reunion” programme offers mother and daughter an opportunity to meet. As Amma anxiously waits to find out if her daughter will be allowed to visit, the camera chronicles the family’s daily life as they struggle for dignity and self-determination. In the process, viewers learn how the Sahrawis built the basis of a vibrant democracy in exile while they continue to wait for a long-promised referendum.
Western Sahara, Africa’s Last Colony illustrates the continuing legacy of colonialism as other peoples’ struggles for freedom and self-determination are misinterpreted by our own preoccupations – be it in the context of the cold war through the 1980s or the war against terror today – compromising our principles and crippling organisations, like the United Nations, that seek to create a more just world order.
Screenings
| Wellington | Monday 12 May, 6.30pm | Wednesday 14 May, 6.00pm |
| Auckland | Monday 19 May, 8.00pm | Wednesday 21 May, 6.00pm |
| Christchurch | Monday 26 May, 8.00pm | Wednesday 28 May, 6.00pm |
| Dunedin | Monday 2 June, 8.00pm | Wednesday 4 June, 6.00pm |
OCCUPATION 101
VOICES OF THE SILENCED MAJORITY
USA/Occupied Palestine/Israel 2006 • Director: Sufyan & Abdallah Omeish •
90 minutes • English/Arabic with English Subtitles
Festivals: WINNER Golden Palm Award Int’l Beverly Hills Film Festival 2007
Occupation 101 presents a comprehensive analysis of the facts and hidden truths surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and dispels many of its long-perceived myths and misconceptions. The film also details life under Israeli military rule, the role of the United States in the conflict, and the major obstacles that stand in the way of a lasting and viable peace.
Unlike any other film produced on the conflict, Occupation 101 explains the complicated reality with precision storytelling and gives audiences a complete context in which to better understand the Israeli-Palestinian debate. The roots of the conflict are explained with thought-provoking commentaries from leading Middle East scholars, peace activists, journalists, religious leaders, and humanitarian workers whose voices have too often been suppressed in American media.
Screenings
| Wellington | Wednesday 14 May, 8.00pm | Thursday 15 May, 6.00pm |
| Auckland | Wednesday 21 May, 8.00pm | Thursday 22 May, 6.00pm |
| Christchurch | Wednesday 28 May, 8.00pm | Thursday 29 May, 6.00pm |
| Dunedin | Wednesday 4 June, 8.00pm | Thursday 5 June, 6.00pm |
NOW THE PEOPLE HAVE AWOKEN
EXPLORING VENEZUELA’S REVOLUTION
New Zealand/Venezuela 2007 • Director: Ricardo Restrepo & Julia Capon •
55 minutes • English/Spanish with English Subtitles
Festivals: Sweet Onion IFF, Red Rocks IFF, Toronto ILFF, 2007
Venezuela has been on Washington’s enemy list in recent years. It also sits atop the biggest oil reserves in the world and claims to promote a new socialism. What makes Venezuela tick? Having survived a military coup in 2002, Venezuela’s President, Hugo Chavez, is regularly depicted as the dictator squandering the wealth of the nation and repressing democratic freedoms. Who else but Venezuela’s repeatedly elected dictator would publicly call the president of the US “the devil”? The film cuts through the conventional wisdom on Venezuela, using the December 2006 elections as a spyglass for the rest of the social transformation ongoing in the country. Who is behind the “revolutionary” movement, what has it done, and what does it seek? These questions and more are analysed through interviews with Noam Chomsky, Eva Golinger, Paul Buchanan, Greg Wilpert, and Michael Fox. This is a film about the people building a new Venezuela.
Screenings
| Wellington | Saturday 10 May, 3.45pm | Sunday 11 May, 7.45pm |
| Auckland | Saturday 17 May, 3.45pm | Sunday 18 May, 7.45pm |
| Christchurch | Saturday 24 May, 3.45pm | Sunday 25 May, 7.45pm |
| Dunedin | Saturday 31 May, 3.45pm | Sunday 1 June, 7.45pm |
2008 Dates
Wellington 8 - 16 May
Paramount Theatre
Auckland 15 - 23 May
Rialto Newmarket
Christchurch 22 - 30 May
Regent on Worcester
Dunedin 29 May - 6 June
Rialto Dunedin