[Peace-discuss] Request for Co-Sponsorship of IDF Human Rights Film Series

[Jen Tayabji]

To AWARE members:

I am contacting you to request the co-sponsorship of your organization for
an upcoming event at the Illinois Disciples Foundation.

It is my pleasure to announce that the Illinois Disciples Foundation (IDF)
will soon begin our 3rd Annual Human Rights Film Series.  The series will
present important documentary films dealing with issues of human rights
and social justice.  This years films will confront issues ranging from
the continuing war in Iraq and post-9/11 Muslim and Arab American racism
and harassment to issues of environmental sustainability, LGBT struggles
for equal rights and the failed drug-war in Colombia.

These films will be presented to the public, free of charge, on evenings
in late March and April at the Illinois Disciples Foundation.  In
addition, the films will be presented by local activists and community
members who will moderate discussions about the issues presented in the
films with the people who come to the viewings.

IDF is very excited about this event, which has grown in popularity since
we began the series two years ago.  We hope that you will join the IDF in
supporting this wonderful event for the community, and tell your members
and supporters about the film series.

Please respond to this message by Friday, March 18th if your
organization would like to lend its name in co-sponsorship to the IDF's
3rd Annual Human Rights Film Series.  Although a monetary donation is not
required for co-sponsorship, we at IDF appreciate any support that you are
willing to give.  Please send your responses to Jen Tayabji at
tayabji at shout.net or call the IDF office at 352-8721.  Feel free to
contact me for more information about the film series.

Read below for more complete information about the films, dates, and
showing information:


SOLDIERS PAY – March 31, 2005

SOLDIERS PAY is a meditation on the current war in Iraq. David O. Russell
(“Three Kings”), together with co-filmmakers Tricia Regan and Juan Carlos
Zaldivar, interviewed dozens of people over a six-week period, and created
a chorus of voices including veterans of the war, Iraqis who rose up
against Saddam after the last Gulf war and escaped to the U.S.,
journalists, politicians, and psychologists.

SOLDIERS PAY is not a partisan film; it listens to people from all sides
and of varying opinions.  The film strives to give a full picture of a
morally ambiguous war, one that is exacting an enormous toll on our
soldiers, on Iraq, and on America.

*Joe Miller of Vietnam Veterans Against the War will facilitate the
showing of SOLDIERS PAY.

For more information go to:
http://www.truthuncovered.com/soldierspay.html


PLAN COLOMBIA:  CASHING IN ON THE DRUG WAR FAILURE – April 7, 2005

A 20-year "war on drugs" in Colombia has been paid for by the U.S.
taxpayers. Still, more and more drugs and narco-dollars are entering the
U.S. every year. Is it a mere failure by Washington? Or is it a
smokescreen to secure Colombia's oil & natural resources?

*Facilitator TBA.

For more information go to:  http://www.docworkers.com/plancolombia.htm


BALLOT MEASURE 9 – April 14, 2005

In Oregon's 1992 election, Ballot Measure 9 was proposed, an anti-gay
initiative, which would have denied civil rights to gay people. It was
defeated by a 53-47 percent margin. Director Heather MacDonald delves into
this explosive debate by speaking with representatives from both sides;
from brave members of the gay community who risked constant harassment and
personal attacks to stand up for what they believed in, as well as Lon
Mabon, sponsor of Measure 9 and Chair of the Oregon Citizen's Alliance,
who summed it up as "a simple battle between good and evil."

*Facilitator TBA.


END OF SUBURBIA – April 21, 2005

Since World War II North Americans have invested much of their newfound
wealth in suburbia. It has promised a sense of space, affordability,
family life and upward mobility. As the population of suburban sprawl has
exploded in the past 50 years, so too the suburban way of life has become
embedded in the American consciousness.

But as we enter the 21st century, serious questions are beginning to
emerge about the sustainability of this way of life. With brutal honesty
and a touch of irony, The End of Suburbia explores the American Way of
Life and its prospects as the planet approaches a critical era, as global
demand for fossil fuels begins to outstrip supply. World Oil Peak and the
inevitable decline of fossil fuels are upon us now, some scientists and
policy makers argue in this documentary.  The consequences of inaction in
the face of this global crisis are enormous.

*Facilitator TBA.

For more information go to:  http://www.endofsuburbia.com


BROTHERS AND OTHERS – April 26, 2005

The atrocities witnessed by the world on September 11, 2001 were hateful
acts by terrorists who chose to view their victims not as people but as
symbols of a perceived evil.  By jailing thousands of Arabs, Muslims and
South Asians without evidence or due process, is America perpetuating the
cycle of hate and ignorance, which claimed so many innocent lives?

Featuring interviews with such experts as Noam Chomsky and James Zogby,
BROTHERS AND OTHERS is a one-hour documentary on the impact of 9/11 on
Muslims and Arabs in America. The film follows a number of immigrants and
Americans as they struggle in the heightened climate of hate, FBI and INS
investigations, and economic hardships that erupted following the attacks
on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

*Facilitator TBA.

For more information go to:  http://www.arabfilm.com/item/244/


In Solidarity,
Jen Tayabji
IDF Executive Director