Sundance DocSource » War & Conflict

Budrus

jbacha — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:38:15 +0000

Director: Julia Bacha

Budrus Has A Hammer follows a Palestinian leader who unites Fatah, Hamas and Israelis in an unarmed movement to save his village from destruction. Success eludes them until his 15-year-old daughter jumps into the fray.

Ayed Morrar, an unlikely Palestinian community organizer, unites all Palestinian political factions and Israelis. Together, they wage a lengthy lunch-counter-sit-in-style unarmed struggle to save his village from destruction by Israel’s Separation Barrier. Victory seems improbable until his 15-year-old daughter, Iltezam, launches a women’s contingent that quickly moves to the front lines. They not only save the village, but push the Barrier back behind the internationally-recognized armistice line that separates the West Bank from Israel. In the process, Ayed and Iltezam unleash an inspiring, yet little-known, movement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories that is still gaining ground today. In an action-filled documentary featuring exclusive archival footage of this movement from its infancy, Budrus Has A Hammer will inspire, charm and challenge audiences worldwide.

While this film is about one Palestinian village, it tells a much bigger story about what is possible in the Middle East. Ayed succeeded in doing what many believe to be impossible: uniting all Palestinian factions, including Fatah and Hamas; drawing women into the heart of the struggle through the leadership of his daughter, Iltezam; and encouraging hundreds of Israelis to cross into Palestinian territory for the first time and join a nonviolent movement.

Budrus Has A Hammer includes diverse voices from the leaders of the village to the Israeli border police officers stationed in Budrus at that time. While many documentaries about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict either romanticize the notion of peace, or dwell entirely on the suffering of victims of the conflict, this film focuses on the success of a Palestinian-led nonviolent movement. The protagonists not only succeeded in moving the Separation Barrier completely off Palestinian lands, they also built lasting relationships between Fatah, Hamas and Israeli activists that still thrive today, serving as a model for other communities. The story of Budrus represents what could happen in the region. With humor and frankness, this cinema verite film captures the setbacks and triumphs of an inspiring movement.

www.justvision.org
www.encounterpoint.com

Cinema Jenin

mvetter — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:34:49 +0000

Directors: Marcus Vetter and Alex Bakri

Cinema Jenin is a Fellini-esque documentary comedy taking place in the West Bank city of Jenin following a local initiative to re-open the old and only cinema in the city.

Cinema was once a staple of Palestinian cultural life. Thirty years ago, the cityscapes of the West Bank’s major towns—Nablus, Qalqilya, Tulkarm, and Jenin—were dotted with movie theaters. They all closed in 1987, during the first Intifada. Today there are almost no cinemas operating in the Palestinian controlled territories.

Cinema Jenin was one of these old movie theaters. Founded in the 1960s, it was once the largest cinema in the territories. Hundreds of people visited it each day to see the best movies made across the Arab world. Over the years, they also began screening action films, American B-movies, and even porn. The cinema closed in 1987. Today, the building is a hollow echo of the Palestinian economy in general. It is crumbling and seems just about to collapse; taking all the old stories it once contained crashing down with it. And yet, there are still hints of its glamour days for anyone to see.

Not far from the cinema, in the Jenin refugee camp lives Ismail Khatib. Ismail had his own brief moment of fame when his young son was killed by an Israeli soldier, who mistook his toy for a gun. In an unprecedented attempt to overcome the hatred that has plagued Jenin for far too long, Ismail agreed to have his son’s organs transplanted in both Palestinian and Jewish patients. His inspiring story featured in the press for several weeks, and was the subject of Marcus Vetter’s last film, A Heart from Jenin. It also led to a generous donation by the Italian government that was used to open a youth center in the refugee camp, where Ismail had spent his whole life. In recognition of his remarkable gift of life, Ismail was asked to run the youth center. The reopening of Cinema Jenin is, for him, the inevitable next step in his efforts to improve the quality of life for people living in the squalor of the camp.

Joining Ismail in his new mission is his project manager Fakhri Hamad. Fakhri was forced to shut his shoe store since he had no customers. Instead he decided to volunteer at the youth center, and has been working on the theater project ever since for no pay. For him, and for so many people like him, Cinema Jenin is a lifesaver that will one day rescue him from his economic situation. He hopes the project will succeed, and that he will succeed with it. At first glance the project seems to be going well, but the team still encounters many problems along the way. Not only must they raise enough money to pay for the renovation; they must also overcome the religious conservatives who oppose the project and where it might lead. The film follows its characters as they evolve and grow as entrepreneurs until the grand opening of the theatre when they will learn whether their efforts where successful or will they have to resume their old life in the refugee camp.

The Georgian Year

Nino Kirtadze — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:30:28 +0000

Director: Nino Kirtadze

The Georgian Year takes an intimate look at a defining year for this young democracy, from the presidential elections in January 2008 to a state of chaos and war and the resulting aftermath.

This fable of power takes place in the ex-Soviet republic of Georgia. From the presidential elections in January 2008, when everything seemed possible, to a state of chaos and war and the resulting aftermath, the film will expose this critical year and turning point that reveal an international power struggle much larger than Georgia’s borders, intimately capturing the essence of ‘nation building’ in all its human and political drama.

Georgia, Abkhazia, Russia : The war option / Global Policy Forum, 13.05.2008
http://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/171/29880.html

Georgia pays price for its Nato ambitions / Telegraph UK, 08.08.2008
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/georgia/2524629/Georgia-pays-price-for-its-Nato-ambitions.html

The dangers of ‘business as usual’ with Russia / EU Observer, 02.12.2008
http://euobserver.com/24/27218

Georgia-Russia: Still Insecure and Dangerous / International Crisis Group, 22.06.2009
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=6171&l=1

The Georgia-Russia war a year on / Open Democracy, 14.08.2009
http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/the-georgia-russia-war-a-year-on
Links related to previous work by Nino Kirtadze :

For God, Tsar and the Fatherland (aka Durakovo, Village of Fools), part of the Why Democracy? documentary collection
http://www.whydemocracy.net

Nino Kirtadze, Durakovo: Village of Fools / Sundance Film Festival 2008
http://www.sundance.org/festival/insider/2008-01-20-MTA-kirtadze.asp

Interview with Nino Kirtadze / The Epoch Times
http://epoch-archive.com/a1/en/us/lax/2008/02-Feb/21/B2_EET.pdf

The Pipeline Next Door / Variety, 28.03.2006
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117930062.html?categoryid=31&cs=1

Iran: Open Letter to the Sundance Community from Robert Redford

Agnes Varnum — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:52:15 +0000

July 20, 2009

This weekend, Iranian-born artist Shirin Neshat, a Sundance Institute Artist Trustee, sat at our annual Board Retreat and described in terrifying detail a situation we all know about, but perhaps not in enough detail. Among many others recently arrested in Iran’s post-election demonstrations are Iranian artists, journalists, filmmakers and human rights leaders, including some filmmakers who have received Sundance support. Shirin spoke of torture, and in extreme cases, executions. The situation is urgent.

When the press doesn’t cover an issue adequately, it runs the risk of falling off of the radar. Sundance Institute reaches out now to artists everywhere to stand witness until our colleagues, and all detainees, are freed.

This week, Shirin is one of the organizers of a hunger strike demonstration at the United Nations in New York City on behalf of her fellow Iranians, asking for their immediate release. On the evenings of July 22, 23, and 24, I ask the Sundance alumni community to stand with her and draw attention to this great human rights violation. Shirin has added detailed information below for you about the gatherings. This is just one of the many things you can do to keep international attention focused on the issue.

Sundance Institute has long stood for freedom of expression and the power of human rights through artist’s eyes. Lend your efforts — your voice can make a difference.

Robert Redford, President and Founder, Sundance Institute

The Reckoning: The Battle For the International Criminal Court

pyates — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:16:09 +0000

Director: Pamela Yates
Producer: Paco de Onis

Over 120 countries have united to form the International Criminal Court (ICC) — the first permanent court created to prosecute perpetrators, no matter how powerful, of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide. The Reckoning follows dynamic ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo and his team for three years across four continents as he issues arrest warrants for Lord’s Resistance Army leaders in Uganda, puts Congolese warlords on trial, shakes up the Colombian justice system, and charges Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir with genocide in Darfur. Like a deft thriller, The Reckoning keeps you on the edge of your seat. Will the prosecutor succeed? Will the world ensure that justice prevails?

An Official Selection of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival

Meet Camp Victory Director Carol Dysinger

kfeeley — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 01:11:21 +0000

Filmmaker and NYU professor Carol Dysinger has been holed up at Radical Avid in New York for the last six months with her editing associate Michelle Chang preparing her film. The invitation to participate in the Documentary Edit and Story Lab presented an opportunity for Carol to develop a feature documentary. In between teaching, editing and occassionally getting a good night sleep Carol agreed to answer our questions:

Q: Growing up, what films impacted you and showed you the power of storytelling?

A: Strangely, I started in fiction filmmaking. The films that I have been most affected by are the films that gave you permission to tell a story that you didn’t see anywhere else, told in a new way. Films like Tokyo Story by Yasujiro Ozu. That film could illicit a certain kind of emotion by holding onto to things. It didn’t try to argue the audience into feeling specific emotions. In terms of documentary, for me, it was Hearts and Minds by Peter Davis. In its different parts it looks at things in a verite way. He said he wanted a film with “dead air” meaning no narrator explaining what was happening. By moving from images of a football game to soldiers walking by, these images at first appeared unrelated. He organized the film in a way that it felt like it had a secret structure. He built understanding through the accumulations of details. To me, working in film is about articulating things that cannot be said with words. I like films that do that for audience.

Q: The impact, both positive and negative, a filmmaker can have on the lives of the individuals and communities he/she documents is widely discussed. Can you describe the impact that the people in your film have had on your life?

A: The real impact is hard to say. Right now, a lot of what I think about are the people like Cl. Siyar and Col. Shute. I was very aware in production about what happens to filmmakers and journalists who are embedded with the military. It’s hard to separate your personal beliefs when you’re there with these guys. I was struck though as I was for once the only tree-hugging, pro-gay marriage, liberal Democrat in the room. The thing that’s hard to articulate that I greatly value is the time we had to talk. Talk about our beliefs in an open and honest way. I also felt something just being among these American soldiers that made me remember what core American values are about. It has nothing to do with your political leaning left or right, but more to do with responsibility. Showing up for people and having no excuses. Doing whatever it takes to do what you say you’re going to do and not sweating. There were numerous times both men looked out for me because that is who they were, not because they were assigned to the task. Sometimes living on the left (politically) is a very romantic culture, with a lot of excuses and little action. These men did not talk about it, they simply looked out for the people around them.

Q: If someone made a “behind the scenes” documentary about your film, what would the theme song be?

A: What song does the Duracell bunny sing? For me, it would probably be a song by Patti Smith if anything with a long guitar solo. Or a sound effects record.

Q: Do you blame punk music for your career choice?

A: Absolutely. When I was young my first job was cutting the video for “Rock the Casbah” by The Clash. After that I never looked back!

Camp Victory, Afghanistan

Carol Dysinger — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:32:44 +0000

Director: Carol Dysinger

Logline: Camp Victory, Afghanistan is a verite documentary that tells the story of several U.S. National Guardsmen stationed in Herat, Afghanistan and the Afghan officers they are assigned to train .

Synopsis: These Americans along with a band of Afghans have been given the enormous task of building the 207th Corps of the nascent Afghan National Army into an institution capable of providing security, stability, peace and justice to a tattered, volatile nation. Although the United States has poured military aid into Afghanistan, money alone does not produce an army; people do. And these Afghans and Americans have more in common than anyone would expect.

With lives on the line and the military budget ballooning, can a modern Afghan army be created when 80% of the enlistees are illiterate; all are impoverished; the weaponry is second rate; and the enemy is elusive, dangerous, and lawless?

Using nearly 300 hours of verité footage shot between 2005 and 2008, Camp Victory, Afghanistan, directed by Carol Dysinger, is the first film to examine the reality of building a functioning Afghan military-the initial critical step toward bringing stability and peace to Afghanistan.

The Oath

Laura Poitras — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:30:34 +0000

Director: Laura Poitras

Logline: Filmed in Yemen, The Oath is a family drama about two men whose fateful encounter in 1996 set them on a course of events that would lead to Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden, 9/11, Guantanamo Bay, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Release is the second documentary (after My Country, My Country) in a trilogy titled The New American Century about America post 9/11.

Synopsis: Unraveling like a lush, gripping novel that constantly subverts expectations, The Oath is the interlocking drama of two brothers-in-law, Abu Jandal and Salim Hamdam, whose associations with al Qaeda in the 1990s propelled them on divergent courses. The film delves into Abu Jandal’s daily life as a taxi driver in Sana’a, Yemen, and Hamdan’s military tribunal in Guantanamo Bay prison. Abu Jandal and Hamdan’s personal stories—how they came to serve as Osama bin Laden’s bodyguard and driver respectively—act as prisms through which to humanize and contextualize a world the Western media demonizes. As Hamdan’s trial progresses, his military lawyers challenge fundamental flaws in the court system. As charismatic Abu Jandal dialogues with his son, Muslim students, and journalists, he generously unveils the complex evolution of his belief system since 9/11.

Exquisitely constructed so multiple threads and time periods commingle seamlessly, and gaining astonishingly intimate access to subjects and information, The Oath illuminates a realm too long misunderstood.

Award: EXCELLENCE IN CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD: U.S. DOCUMENTARY, SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2010

Easy Like Water

Glenn Baker — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 21:01:47 +0000

Director: Glenn Baker
Producer: Stephen Sapienza
Social Entrepreneur: Abul Hasanat Mohammed Rezwan

Easy Like Water is a feature documentary about floating schools, solar power, and the fate of the earth.

In Bangladesh, solar-powered floating schools are turning the front lines of climate change into a community of learning. As the water steals the land, one man’s vision is re-casting the rising rivers as channels of communication, and transforming people’s lives.

Mohammed Rezwan, an architect by training, has conjured up the equivalent of environmental Jujitsu, harnessing the power of water to educate and unify the community. With a fleet of 88 boats and internet-connected computers powered by the sun, his project is bringing education to rural Bangladeshis, including many girls who have never had access to school before.

The film will dramatically demonstrate how, as rising waters threaten to create millions of refugees worldwide, climate change is becoming the gravest human rights challenge of our time. Yet Easy Like Water offers hope: it is an inspiring story of local people creating resilient strategies with appropriate technology. In the context of the stark realities, this message of tenacity and action will galvanize audiences.

Project Update

Easy Like Water is pleased to announce support from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. The film has been invited to participate in the Good Pitch forum at IFP’s Independent Film Week in New York in September 2009. We are partnering with the U.N. Environmental Programme to present an excerpt from the film at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009.

Muhammad Yunus Banks on America (WT)

Gayle Ferraro — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 20:35:42 +0000

Director: Gayle Ferraro
Social Entrepreneur: Muhammad Yunus

The story has evolved into a story of people working together which is larger than the sum of its parts. Tapping into the success of Muhammad Yunus after winning the Nobel Peace Prize (2006), Grameen America has opened in Queens, NY replicating his banking model after the program he started in Bangladesh. Opening in a developed country soon has its challenges for Dr. Yunus, the new bank workers and the women who hope to change their lives with the money-generating collateral-free loans that offer them hope to live better lives. The film portrays the integrity of the poor and the fixed mind-sets of the rich in an economic environment that ultimately reveals a deeper view of what really works.

Project Status

We are working towards a fine cut and hope to lock picture the first week of October. Check out a recent series of posts by Gayle Ferraro from the 2009 Skoll World Forum at Filmmaker magazine.

Sundance DocSource » War & Conflict

Budrus

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Cinema Jenin

Other Articles

The Georgian Year

Other Articles

Iran: Open Letter to the Sundance Community from Robert Redford

Other Articles

The Reckoning: The Battle For the International Criminal Court

Suggested links for more information:

Other Articles

Meet Camp Victory Director Carol Dysinger

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Camp Victory, Afghanistan

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The Oath

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Easy Like Water

Project Update

Suggested links for more information

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Muhammad Yunus Banks on America (WT)

Project Status

Suggested links for additional information

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