([personal profile] catscradle Oct. 21st, 2002 01:52 pm)
So the University is sponsering this under the aupisces of my academic department:

"Bridges to the Future: American History and Values in Light of Sept. 11th," a yearlong, statewide effort to encourage exploration and greater understanding of American history and values.


This apparently means the American History and Values of White Anglo/Saxon Protestants. They threw in Elie Wisel to placate the activists, I think. Of 15 scheduled speakers, he's the only one not pushing mom, apple pie, the handing over of our free will to John Ashcroft and the bombing of Iraq. Not directly, at least. I'm guessing they got him to speak to push an Israeli agenda. I have nothing but extreme respect of Elie Wisel, so I'm not saying he's coming here to nay-say the Palestinians. But the Judaic Studies department here has been trying to get him for years with no luck, so it leaves me a bit suspicious that the University got him to be one of their first speakers for the Bridges Project.

Well, a co-worker and I got together and talked to the Bridges organizer, concerned over the right-slant this project is taking. She agreed completely with us and has granted us money to sponser 15 films and/or documentaries that illustrate the other side of "history and vaules in America" to be run the week before or after a speaker hits town. The film will be followed by a panel to talk and debate over the films. I couldn't believe we actually were granted room space to do this. Hopefully more than 10 tightly packed people can fill the room.

Anyway - need help finding films. We've got a list right now, but we need more to review before we set these out to the public. If you can think of movies or documentaries that deal with things like: Native American civil issues, Civil Rights movement, Women's movement, Japanese-American WWII Camps, American government aiding waring countries (Like El Salvador, Afghanistan, East Timor, etc. . .) AIDS moevemtent - anything you think is of great social importance, please drop me a note - either here or at my address.

Thanks =)

From: [identity profile] wiebke.livejournal.com

Film suggestion


Steph,

Of the top of my head, you definitely should try and locate The Panama Deception, about the U.S. invasion of Panama, as perpetrated by Bush Sr. It was done around the time of the Gulf War and seems pretty applicable to the entire modern warfare / imperialist mindset of the Bush family.

I may think of some other films later.

Wiebke

From: [identity profile] wiebke.livejournal.com

Finding film


FYI, you can find out all about that film here. Found link through Google. Lots of info on it and you can buy it.

From: [identity profile] almostnever.livejournal.com


LABOR MOVEMENT! I know there must be documentaries; isn't there one called Bread and Roses? But all I can think of offhand is Norma Rae.

Michael Moore's Roger & Me!

Bob Roberts, a satirical movie on right-wing politics.

Rrrm, that's all I've got at the moment.

From: [identity profile] moiradarling.livejournal.com


Reds would be an interesting movie, I think.

From: [identity profile] wiebke.livejournal.com

Bread and Roses


Bread and Roses is actually very familiar to me, as the song and the phrase originated during a circa 1910s labor strike in the industrial city of Lawrence, Massachusetts, which neighbors my hometown of Andover. The church I grew up in supported a non-profit called Bread and Roses and I used to know the words.

According to IMDB, there is a 1999 movie called Bread & Roses that uses the term as a reference but it's not about the actual strike, which was quite dramatic as it involved women specifically protesting that they were being treated as less than human. I found a review by the Political Film Society (which is probably a good place to look for movies!)

From: [identity profile] ladybd.livejournal.com

Angola


Steph,

I don't know if this is exactly what you're looking for, but one of the most moving documentaries I've seen lately was dedicated to life inside Angola State Prison in Louisiana. It was a deeply disturbing look at how possibly innocent men were railroaded by the system - I have yet to shake off the effects. *And* (again relying on my shaky memory) it was, I believe nominated for an Oscar... I think. Heck, it might have even won. If such a thing would interest you let me know and I'll hunt it down for you. Even if you don't want it for the film festival, I'll bet you'd like it.

From: [identity profile] ladybd.livejournal.com


Just by the by, I know that Bob Roberts was supposed to be a comedy... but I thought it one of the finer horror movies I've ever seen.

From: [identity profile] catscradle.livejournal.com

Re: Finding film


I put this one on the list of potentials. Thanks a lot, Wiebke =)

From: [identity profile] catscradle.livejournal.com


I looked up Bread and Roses and it's up for consideration. I also found a documentary called Salt of the Earth, which looks like it's on the same vein. Thanks for the suggestion!

We've got Roger and Me - in fact, we're trying to get Michael Moore here to speak - we'll see how that goes. . .

Bob Roberts is fantastic! LadyBD is right though - it's a horror flick *g*

From: [identity profile] catscradle.livejournal.com


Well, Reds is about John Reed, the American Communist Party leader. It's a great movie, but it doesn't really reflect American life and values, so much as the main character's disilusionment with the Soviet communists.

From: [identity profile] catscradle.livejournal.com

Re: Angola


I forgot about this film! It's called The Farm: Angola, USA

And this will definately be on the list - thanks for jarring my memory =)
.

Profile

catscradle

Most Popular Tags

Powered by Dreamwidth Studios

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags