In September 2000, 191 governments committed to halve world poverty by 2015 and set eight “Millennium Development Goals” to achieve this. At the halfway point, eight directors were invited to share their vision of these major issues, each by way of a short film addressing one of these goals. Abderrahmane Sissako’s TIYA’S DREAM (Goal: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger) is set in a small Ethiopian country school where one child looks beyond the classroom discussion; in Gael Garcia Bernal’s THE LETTER (Goal: Achieve universal primary education), a man learns that education is essential to freedom; Mira Nair’s NAINAB (Goal: Promote gender equality and empower women) tells the story of a wife and mother's complicated decision to leave her sheltered life in Brooklyn; Gus Van Sant’s MANSION ON THE HILL (Goal: Reduce child mortality) juxtaposes horrific statistics with grainy slow motion video of carefree American kids; Jan Kounen’s THE STORY OF PANSHIN BEKA (Goal: Improve maternal health) follows a pregnant young mother’s difficult journey through the Amazon to the hospital in the city; Gasper Noé’s SIDA (Goal: Combat HIV/AIDS) offers a portrait of a man with HIV in a hospital in Burkina Faso; in Jane Campion’s THE WATER DIARY (Goal: Ensure environmental sustainability), a young Australian girl’s diary records realities and dreams in the midst of the worst drought in history; and in Wim Wenders’ PERSON TO PERSON (Goal: Develop a partnership for global development), TV station reporters covering the state of Millennium Goals experience an unusual happening.

VISITING ARTIST—Much of the writings and activism of Oregon Poet Laureate William Stafford (1914-1993) focused on the potential for reconciliation as a counterpoint to the choice for war. During World War II, Stafford spent four years in public service camps as a conscientious objector, and began keeping a daily journal which he continued throughout his entire life. Based on these journals, Reiss’s film confronts collective beliefs surrounding war: Why do we believe war is inevitable? Why do we believe it is necessary? While many recent films chronicle what happens once a war is launched, Reiss, through the example of Stafford’s personal exploration, untangles the myths of war that abound before the first shot is fired. Joining Stafford (as voiced by Peter Coyote) are noted activists and literary voices Alice Walker, W. S. Merwin, Maxine Hong Kingston, Robert Bly, Coleman Barks, Michael Meade, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Kim Stafford. Together they embark with Stafford on a search for a wiser and less violent world. (32 mins.)

Haydn Reiss will introduce the film. Sponsored by Beyond War.

FOLLOWED BY

WILLIAM KUNSTLER: DISTURBING THE UNIVERSE
DIRECTORS: SARAH KUNSTLER, EMILY KUNSTLER
US, 2009
In the 1960s and 70s, famed civil rights lawyer William Kunstler (1919-1995) fought for social change with everyone from Martin Luther King Jr. to activists protesting the Vietnam War. When inmates took over Attica Prison, or Native Americans engaged the federal government at Wounded Knee, they asked Kunstler—a self-described “radical lawyer”—to represent them. To his daughters it seemed that he was at the center of everything important that had ever happened. But while they were growing up, Kunstler also stood up for some of the most unpopular members of society—people accused of rape, terrorism, organized crime, and police killings. Who was William Kunstler? Why did he choose the life he did? What is his legacy and where did his family fit in? (90 mins.)

Berlinger’s new film focuses on the infamous “Amazon Chernobyl” case, a 16-year battle between indigenous communities in Ecuador nearly destroyed by oil drilling, and Chevron, one of the world’s largest oil companies. In a sophisticated take on the classic David and Goliath story, Berlinger (BROTHER’S KEEPER) crafts a portrait of the incredible team in the US and Ecuador who have pursued this case against all odds. We see the perspectives of all those involved: the scientists and lawyers employed by Chevron; Ecuadoran judges, activists, and humanitarian organizers; and Ecuador’s president, Rafael Correa, who chose to dramatically intervene in the case.

VISITING ARTIST—Kerala is a small, densely populated state on the southwest coast of India. While it has an annual per capita income of only about $300, paradoxically it has a low infant mortality rate, one of the highest literacy rates in the world, and life expectancy on par with the developed world. Kerala’s citizens enjoy guaranteed affordable healthcare, free public education, and food programs that ensure that no one goes hungry. One of the most progressive communities in the world, at the heart of the culture is a citizen activism that encompasses everything from economic fairness, education, and democracy to women’s rights and environmental protection. Portland filmmaker Tom Chamberlin journeyed to Kerala to explore this unusual culture, emerging with a personal perspective on the values and lessons to be learned as this small society wrestles with the challenges of globalization and attempts to preserve its hard-won values.

Tom Chamberlin will introduce the film.

Sponsored by the Coalition for a Livable Future.

VISITING ARTIST—In 1968, while covering the Vietnam War for the Associated Press, Eddie Adams photographed a Saigon police chief, General Nguyen Nygoc Loan, shooting a Vietcong guerilla point blank. Many regard the shot, which brought Adams fame and a Pulitzer Prize, as the photograph that ultimately ended the war. Vietnam was just one of 13 wars and humanitarian tragedies Adams covered, but it was the one that changed his life indelibly, and which led to a heralded career as a famed celebrity and magazine photographer—an escape from witnessing war and struggle. Adams' story, like that of many photographers whose work was influential in public perception and political outcome, reveals the high price of artistic engagement.

Susan Morgan will introduce the film.

Armed with pocket-sized video cameras, a tenacious band of Burmese reporters face down death to expose the repressive regime controlling their country. In 2007, after decades of self-imposed silence, Burma became headline news across the globe when peaceful Buddhist monks led a massive rebellion. More than 100,000 people took to the streets protesting a cruel dictatorship that has held the country hostage for more than 40 years. Foreign news crews were banned, the internet was shut down, and Burma was closed to the outside world. So how did we witness these events? Enter the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), aka the Burma VJs. Compiled from the shaky handheld footage of the DVB, Østergaard's film pulls us into the heat of the moment as the VJs themselves become the target of the Burmese government. Winner of the Joris Ivens Award and Human Rights Award at the International Documentary Film Festival, Amsterdam.

Post-film panel discussion hosted by Project Maje and the Burma Action Committee.

For nearly 60 years, North Koreans have been governed by a totalitarian regime that controls almost all information entering and leaving the country. A cult of personality surrounds its two recent leaders, Kim Il Sung and his son, Kim Jong Il. For Kim Jong Il’s 46th birthday, a hybrid red begonia named kimjongilia was created, symbolizing wisdom, love, justice, and peace. Heikin’s film draws its name from the rarefied flower and reveals the extraordinary stories told by survivors (interviewed in South Korea, where they now live) of North Korea’s vast and largely hidden prison camps. Their experiences are interspersed with archival footage of North Korean propaganda films and original scenes that illuminate the contours of daily life for people whose every action is monitored and whose every thought could bring official retribution. Far from being a litany of travails or a simple indictment of a government’s actions, KIMJONGILIA is a totally original and ultimately inspiring consideration of the extremes human beings can suffer, while still cherishing hope for a better future.

SINGLE OR DOUBLE FEATURE (Double feature with BIRDWATCHERS)

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Bechis’ intriguing film addresses fundamental human rights issues through a compelling, original story. In Mato Grosso do Sul, a state in southern Brazil, the farmers lead a wealthy and leisurely existence. Their huge fields at the edge of the forest draw hordes of birdwatchers. The Guarani-Kaiowá, indigenous Indians who are the legitimate owners of these sacred lands, are reduced to living on a nearby reservation and serving as impoverished theatrical props for the tourists. No longer willing to accept the authority of the white men who claim to “own” the land, tribal leader Nadio and a local shaman are compelled to organize protests. As an ancient spiritual culture clashes with one built on tyranny, the complexities of a changing society unfold with surprising results. “Furious in its politics and its beauty, the film plays almost like THE GRAPES OF WRATH by way of Herzog’s AGUIRRE, while remaining startlingly original.”—Travis Miles.

SINGLE OR DOUBLE FEATURE (Double feature with KIMJONGILIA)

Double features cost an additional $2 to stay for both films. To purchase an advanced ticket for the double feature, be sure to select the DOUBLE FEATURE rather than the single ticket.