(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)

On 3 September the US state department suspended all but  non- humanitarian aid to Honduras and, for the first time, used the term ‘coup d’etat’. However, the response of the Obama administration has been confused and ambiguous providing sustenance for those who perpetrated the coup which would never have succeeded were it not for the tacit support of powerful backers in the US and Latin American countries, among them Senator John McCann, his Latin America policy advisor Otto Reich and the Venezuelan lawyer Robert Carmona- Borgas.

In Honduras  broad based social forces that form the National Front of Resistance Against the  Coup – trade unions, women’s and indigenous organisations, environmental organisations, farmers associations, lawyers, and journalists  – have sustained nation wide protests on an unprecedented level for nearly 90 days despite unrelenting harassment, detentions, disappearances and killings. The National Front of Resistance is calling for international support for the reinstatement of their duly elected president, for the formation of a constituent assembly to write a new constitution, and for the immediate end to violence and repression by the coup regime.

On 21^st August a delegation of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights reported widespread abuses showing a pattern of serious violations including excessive use of force, arbitrary detention, sexual violence, and attacks on the media, as well as several confirmed deaths and possible “disappearances.” The commission also documented an absence of effective legal protections. 

On 22 September, after over eighty days in exile, Manuel Zelaya, returned to Honduras and took shelter in the Brazilian embassy along with 85 members of his cabinet and supporters. The Honduran military and the police surrounded the Embassy and attempted to disperse a crowd of Zelaya supporters by using rubber bullets, water cannon and tear gas.  At least two people were killed and more than 40 people were reported injured. The few media outlets that were broadcasting information about the resistance movement were threatened and some were taken off the air.  All of the international airports were closed. .

In the following days Remote Long Range Acoustic Devices (LRAD-X ) classified as offensive weapons were found inside the Brazilian Embassy. These devices emit high pitched and pain inducing sounds causing bleeding of the nose and stomach, and nausea. This is a violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. A UN Security Council Emergency Session called by Brazil stated: ‘We condemn acts of intimidation against the Brazilian Embassy and call upon the de facto government of Honduras to cease harassing the Embassy. ‘ The response of the coup regime was to give Brazil 10 days to either grant Mr Zelaya asylum or hand him over to face charges of treason.

On 25 September the coup regime detained four diplomats from the Organisation of American States (OAS), including  two US officials, two Canadians and the general secretary of the OAS,  for six hours in the Toncontin International Airport, barring them from entering Honduras to negotiate a peaceful settlement of the crisis..

On 25 September the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights in Honduras (CODEH) issued a report blaming the coup government  of  Roberto Micheletti, for the more than 101 extrajudicial murders and summary executions perpetrated since 28 June.

On 27 September, in an act of further mockery of the global repudiation of his illegitimate regime,   Micheletti issued a decree that will suspend constitutional rights for a period of 45 days. This decree restricts the freedom of expression, prohibits public meetings and freedom of movement , and gives the coup  regime the power to suspend T.V. and radio outlets that “disrupt the peace and public order.” The decree also gives police and military the right to arrest and detain person suspected of exercising these tights.

Further information:

Emergency Committee Against the Coup in Honduras

Central America Women’s Network

National Front for Resistance against the Coup

Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign Action Group

Seemingly the intended victim of the attack was Aida. In this interview Aida talks about the situation facing indigenous peoples in Colombia, the Social and Communitarian Minga, and what it means to be a victim in Colombia.

Saturday 26th September 2009 from 3:00 to 7:00pm

Bolivar Hall, Venezuelan Embassy

54 Grafton Way, London, W1T 5DL

Colombia Solidarity Campaign, Polo Democratico Alternativo UK  &  Coordinadora Latinoamericana