There are a number of upcoming film events scheduled for Sarratt Cinema that we wish to bring to your attention. These events are free and open to the public.
To mark the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq by the United States, Vanderbilt University is offering a film and discussion series examining the war.
"The aim of this series is to bring home the reality and true cost of war by portrayals from many different angles - that of soldiers, their families, Iraqi citizens, the media, corporate profiteers and so on," said David C. Wood, Centennial Professor of Philosophy and organizer of the film series with JoEl Logiudice, director of the Office of Arts and Creative Engagement.
The Iraq War: 5 Years and Counting series begins 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19, with a screening of The Ground Truth: After the Killing Ends, a documentary by Patricia Foulkrod that follows young Americans through recruitment, training, combat in Iraq and their return home.
Discussions and responses led by Vanderbilt faculty and graduate students will follow each of the films. The first response will be led by Monica Casper, associate professor of sociology and director of the Women's and Gender Studies Program. Professor Casper will discuss the film, "The Ground Truth," in terms of masculinity and disability issues. She will also situate it in the personal context of a recent loss of a family member in combat.
Wednesday, February 20
Battle of Algiers
Presented by Communication Studies and Film Studies Program
A documentary-style depiction of the Algerian people's struggle to liberate themselves from France between 1954 and 1962. Winner of 11 International awards, nominated for 3 Academy Awards. French and Arabic with English subtitles. Director: Gillo Pontecorvo
Thursday, February 21
Yesterday
Presented by Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center
First-ever South African film to win Oscar nomination, tells the story of a young Zulu mother who is HIV positive. Zulu with English subtitles. Director: Darrell James Roodt. Film introduction by Dr. Frank Dobson, director of Black Cultural Center and Darrell Smith, vice-president of the Africa Channel.
The rest of the schedule:
Saturday, Feb. 23, Turtles Can Fly by Bahman Ghobadi, set in a Kurdish refugee camp on the Iraqi-Turkish border on the eve of the invasion of Iraq by the United States.
Monday, Feb. 25, The War Tapes by Deborah Scranton, the first documentary war movie filmed by soldiers themselves.
Thursday, Feb. 28, in the multipurpose room of The Commons, The Road to Guantanamo by Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross, a first-hand account of three British citizens who were held for two years at Guantanamo Bay without being charged with a crime.
Monday, March 10, Control Room by Jehane Noujam, a documenatry about Al Jazeera, the Arab world's most popular news outlet.
Tuesday, March 11, a lecture by Control Room star Josh Rushing on "Spin: The Art of Selling War." Rushing is a former U.S. Marine captain who served as spokesperson at Central Command in Doha, Quatar, during Operation Iraqi Freedom and currently is a military and current affairs correspondent at Al Jazerra English.
Sunday, March 23, Iraq in Fragments by James Longley, a documentary of the war-torn country as seen through the eyes of Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.
Tuesday, March 25, Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers by Robert Greenwald, a documentary that takes the viewer inside the lives of soldiers, truck drivers, widows and children who have been changed forever as a result of profiteering in the reconstruction of Iraq.
Thursday, March 27, No End in Sight, a documentary that chronicles Iraq's descent into guerilla war, warlord rule, criminality and anarchy.
Sunday, March 30, In the Valley of Elah, a fictional drama based on the story of Richard Davis, an Iraq War veteran murdered after returning home in 2003. The film stars Tommy Lee Jones, Susan Sarandon and Charlize Theron.
