(Please note that the scheduled screening of Arna’s Children is still to be confirmed, BIFS recommends referring to our website nearer to the time for any possible last minute changes and confirmations; http://www.birmingham-film.org/)

Programme of Events

Tuesday 6 September 7.30pm

Library Theatre

The Green Wave (E)

Dir: Ali Samadi Ahadi Iran 2010

1hr 20mins Farsi with subtitles

Mixing documentary with collage and animation, this is the story of protests in Iran over the election of conservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Green is the colour of hope and of Islam and was a unifying symbol for the demonstrators.

Thursday 8 September 6pm

Vivid

Just Do It (E)

Dir: Emily James UK 2010 1hr 29mins

Following a group of non-violent environmental protesters as they actively demonstrate at a number of sites, risking arrest to speak their minds.

Thursday 8 September 8.15pm

Vivid

An Independent Mind (E)

Dir: Rex Bloomstein UK 2008 1hr 29mins

Addressing Article 19 about the right to freedom of opinion and expression, we are shown how eight international artists and journalists have experienced resistance and persecution to voice their points of view.

Tuesday 13 September 6.15pm

Library Theatre

Pray the Devil Back to Hell (E)

Dir: Geni Reticker USA 2008 1hr 12mins

The inspirational story of how the Christian & Muslim women of Liberia united to call for an end to civil war with a peace movement.

Tuesday 13 September 8.15pm

Library Theatre

The Night of Truth (18)

Dir: Fanta Régina Nacro Burkina Faso/ France 2004

1hr 36mins French, Dioula & Mooré with subtitles

Set in a fictitious West African country, the leaders of two opposing tribes in a long civil war come together to partake in a reconciliatory feast.

Thursday 15 September 6.15pm

Library Theatre

The Coca-Cola Case (E)

Dir: Carmen Garcia & Hermán Gutiérrez USA 2009

1hr 25mins English/ Spanish with subtitles

Investigating allegations that Coke have funded the murders of trade unionists in Colombia and Guatemala, where their workers are being shamelessly exploited, activist Ray Rogers and his ‘Killer Coke’ campaign have made waves for the company.

Thursday 15 September 8pm

Library Theatre

The Official Story (15)

Dir: Luis Puenzo Argentina 1985

1hr 54mins Spanish with subtitles

The wife of an Argentinian lawyer begins to ask questions about the mother of their five year-old adopted daughter. The truth is somewhat more distressing than she could have possibly imagined. This powerful drama won numerous awards, including an Oscar.

Tuesday 20 September 7pm

Library Theatre

Four Days Inside Guantánamo (E)

Dir: Luc Côté & Patricio Henriquiz

Australia/Canada/UK 2010 1hr 40mins

Fifteen year-old Canadian citizen Omar Khadr was captured in Afghanistan and sent to Guantánamo Bay in 2002. Using real security camera footage, the film analyses the methods of forced dialogue and what is morally acceptable.

Thursday 22 September ?pm

Light House, Wolverhampton

Arna’s Children (E)

Dir: Danniel Danniel & Juliano Mer-Khamis Israel/Netherlands 2004

1hr 25mins Arabic/Hebrew with subtitles

Jewess Arna Mer Khamis was a champion for the rights of Palestinians and the founder of a theatre group for children, giving them a chance to be creative and learn amidst Israeli oppression, squalor and poverty.

Tuesday 27 September 6pm

Midlands Arts Centre

A Better Life (12A)

Dir: Chris Weitz USA 2011 1hr 38mins

Carlos is a Mexican immigrant who lives in L.A. and gardens for a living. He’s also a single parent with a teenage son. Echoing De Sica’s ‘Bicycle Thieves’, Weitz’s film highlights the fear of deportation that illegals have to live with every day.

Wednesday 28 September 6.15pm

Library Theatre

Article 12 (E)

Dir: Juan Manuel Biaiñ UK/Argentina 2010 1hr 16mins

Exploring the current state of privacy and the rise of surveillance, a number of academics, cultural figures and technologists share their insightful thoughts on an increasing climate of fear.

Wednesday 28 September 8pm

Library Theatre

Defeat of the Champion (E)

Dir: Ken Fero UK 2011 25mins

In Birmingham 2010, police covertly erected a number of CCTV cameras for ‘Project Champion’ – an anti-terrorist initiative which incensed members of the communities it was ring fencing. This is the story of how it was successfully opposed.

Tuesday 4 October 6.15pm

Library Theatre

Pavee Céilidh (E)

Dir: Kareim El-Jamal UK 2009 48mins

Irish travellers have born the brunt of prejudice and ignorance for many years. This film allows them to speak about their culture, their community, and their experiences in the UK.

Tuesday 4 October 8pm

Library Theatre

Our Generation (E)

Dir: Sinem Saban Australia 2010 1hr 13mins

Highlighting the plight of Aborigines in Australia and focusing on a tribe in the Northern Territory, this shocking documentary reveals how the natives have been systematically persecuted and abused by the government.

Festival Venues / Ticket Prices

Birmingham Library Theatre

Located just off Chamberlain Square, next to the Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham B3 3HQ

0121 303 2323

http://www.birmingham-film.org/

Tickets:

£4 Full price

£3 Concessions (Senior Citizens, Under 15s, ES40, NUS & Get Fit Card Holders)

Special price for both films on the night – £7 Full price, £5 Concessions

Tickets will only be available on the door on the night – no advance sales.

Vivid

140 Heath Mill Lane, Digbeth, Birmingham B9 4AR

0121 766 7876

http://www.vivid.org.uk/

Ticket prices and availability same as those for the Library Theatre

Midlands Arts Centre (mac)

Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham B12 9QH

0121 446 3232

http://www.macarts.co.uk/

Tickets:

£6.50 Full price

£4.50 Concessions (Senior Citizens, Under 15s, ES40, NUS & Get Fit Card Holders)

Light House Media Centre, Wolverhampton

The Chubb Buildings, Fryer Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1HT

01902 716055

http://light-house.co.uk/

Tickets:
£5.80 Full price

£4.40 Concessions (Senior Citizens, Under 15s, ES40, NUS & Get Fit Card Holders)

Señaló además, que “la Operación Cóndor, fue un pacto criminal entre las dictaduras militares  de América Latina que  dejó un saldo más de 100.000 víctimas en la Región, entre dirigentes de la clase obrera, estudiantes ,profesores, periodistas, artistas,  religiosos/as, líderes indígenas, campesinos, abogados, médicos, fiscales, jueces, intelectuales: LA CLASE PENSANTE DE AMERICA LATINA”.

Enfatizó que “en este momento en el que hay tomar decisiones electorales, porque las decisiones ciudadanas que se adoptan en el territorio de Chile, involucran ahora, al MERCOSUR, a la región y al mundo. Por ello, es necesario recordar para no repetir. En el caso específico de Cóndor, hay que tener presente que el dictador Augusto Pinochet, ejecutó la orden del entonces Secretario de Estado norteamericano, Henry Kissinger para la creación y funcionamiento de   la OPERACIÓN CONDOR. PACTO CRIMINAL entre los militares de Argentina, Brasil, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay y Uruguay en la década del 70”.

“Me preocupa además – agregó- que el prestigioso escritor peruano Mario Vargas Llosa, haya brindado un “espaldarazo” al candidato Piñera quien contribuyó con la instalación de un modelo económico que fabrica pobres a lo largo de todo el mundo escudados en las recetas de Milton Friedman, pero lo más grave son las evidencias de los documentos desclasificados que permiten observar la participación o cercanía con acciones represivas del régimen de Terrorismo de Estado implantado por Pinochet. “ Me pregunto entonces, de qué modo esta propuesta de Piñeira contribuirá a la democracia en América Latina si el mismo estuvo vinculado a las más graves violaciones a los Derechos Humanos. Realmente no lo sé, pero invito a reflexionar sobre el tema.  Más allá de las figuras estelares que puedan decir piropos a favor de Piñeira, están estos antecedentes sobre los que hay que pensar para decidir hacia dónde va nuestro voto.”

De este modo reflexionó el Dr. Martín Almada, quien fue una destacada figura en el Festival de Cine Social y de los Derechos Humanos “Cine Otro” que finalizó ayer sábado en  Valparaíso, Chile, donde se presentó el film “Vestigios de un sueño” cortometraje del paraguayo Erich Fischer que está siendo presentado con mucho éxito en diversos países europeos. El film relata la experiencia social y educativa que llevó a cabo Almada en Paraguay y que le costó años de prisión en la dictadura de Stroessner y que determinó su investigación sobre el Terrorismo de Estado que culminó con el descubrimiento del llamado “Archivo del Terror” el 22 de diciembre de 1992 en una edificio policial cercano a la capital paraguaya. Este descubrimiento, permitió sacar a la luz toneladas de documentos que contienen, entre otros, el acta de nacimiento de la Operación Cóndor  en Santiago de Chile, bajo la dictadura de Pinochet. Un logro que como él mismo dijo, permitió “pasar del rumor siniestro a la verdad comprobada”. “Para el caso de Chile, permitió al Juez español Baltasar Garzón contar con las pruebas contundentes para el proceso judicial que llevó a cabo en Inglaterra contra Pinochet.