Follow us on facebook & twitter!

Description:

When the residents of Budrus learn that the Israeli army plans to build the Separation Barrier through their town, cutting them off from neighboring Palestinian villages and uprooting their precious olive groves, they decide to organize. Under the leadership of Ayed Morrar, Palestinian men of all political factions come together to wage an unarmed struggle to preserve their lands. Victory seems unlikely until Ayed’s 15-year-old daughter steps in to organize a female contingent that brings the women of Budrus to the front lines in a tense stand-off with the military.

As word of the nonviolent protest spreads, Israeli citizens, international activists and Palestinians from other villages join the people of Budrus to demand that the Barrier be moved. Struggling side by side, father and daughter unleash an inspiring, yet little-known movement that is still gaining ground today. Featuring interviews with unarmed demonstrators, Israeli soldiers and the citizens of Budrus, this harrowing, action-filled, and ultimately inspiring documentary has given hope to audiences around the world with its story of the ground-breaking nonviolent movement spreading across the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

DVD Special Features:
Trailer
Q&A with Director
Checkpoints Award
“What’s your Calling”
Language: Arabic, Hebrew & English | Subtitles: English

Reviews:

“A poignant chronicle… This inspiring  documentary stresses peaceful resistance as the best means of conflict resolution.” - Variety

“A complex … documentary that shows a balanced picture of its competing protagonists. It finds a story for the future… in the shape of a social movement driven by pragmatism.”  - Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitun

“A moving sliver of hope that nonviolent resistance may yet blossom out of violence.” – New York Magazine

“A powerful film filled with the kind of hope you rarely see around this issue.” – Michael Moore

“ This story is a journey that stretches beyond borders to provide hope, and it should be seen by everyone.” – Jessica Alba, Actress

“A strong piece of work from intelligent filmmakers.” – The Jewish Week

“Budrus chronicles a small victory in a much larger and uncertain battle, but with so much hopelessness in the region, it’s worth highlighting and, hopefully, emulating.” – The Nation

Trailer:

On TV

This film is not yet on TV.

In Theaters

At Festivals

Winner, Bellingham Human Rights Film Festival, 2011
Winner, Inaugural Ridenhour Documentary Film Prize, 2011
Winner, Amnesty’s Matter of Act Human Rights Award, 2011
Winner, Panorama Audience Award Second Prize, Berlin International Film Festival, 2010
Winner, Special Jury Mention, Tribeca Film Festival, 2010
Winner, Audience Award, San Francisco International Film Festival, 2010
Winner, Honorable Mention Spirit of Freedom Award, Jerusalem International Film Festival 2010
Winner, Witness Award at Silverdocs Film Festival, 2010
Winner, Honorable Mention of the Jury, Documenta Madrid 10
Winner, Amnesty Italia Award, Pesaro Film Festival, 2010
Winner, Founders Prize, Best of Fest, Nonfiction, Traverse City Film Festival, 2010
Winner, Checkpoints Award, Bergen International Film Festival, 2010
Winner, Festival des Libertés Prize, Festival des Libertés, 2010
Winner, Spirit of Freedom Documentary Award, Bahamas International Film Festival, 2010

Cultural Bridge Gala, Dubai International Film Festival, 2009

Official Selection, Human Rights Watch International Film Festival London, 2010

Official Selection, Thessaloniki International Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, E Tudo Verdade/It’s All True Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Hot Docs Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Sydney Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Planete Doc Review, 2010

Official Selection, Documentarist Film Festival, Istanbul, 2010

Official Selection, DokuFest Kosovo, 2010

Official Selection, Woods Hole Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Rhode Island International Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, EBS International Documentary Festival, Korea, 2010

Official Selection, Festival do Rio, 2010

Official Selection, Take One Action Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Bergen International Film Festival, Norway, 2010

Official Selection, Mumbai International Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Festival des Libertes, 2010

Official Selection, Doha Tribeca Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Jihlava International Documentary Festival, 2010

Official Selection, St. Louis International Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Milwaukee International Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Jakarta International Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Bend Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Toronto Palestine Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Boston Palestine Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Arab Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Rehoboth Beach Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Ad Hoc: Inconvenient Films, 2010

Official Selection, One World Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Lens Politica Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Doha Tribeca Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Reykjavik International Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Camden International Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Palestine Human Rights Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Global Peace Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, International Women’s Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, 2010

Additional Awards:

Winner, King Hussein Leadership Prize, 2009

Description:

While visiting Iraq in 2007 for the premiere of his first feature film, Ahlaam, director Mohamed Al-Daradji summons the courage to look back over the turbulent past three years of his life and the making of his film in a volatile war zone.

Undaunted by ever present dangers and heartbreaking chaos, Mohamed returned to his home in Baghdad in 2004. The Iraq he had once known had vanished, replaced by the gritty aftermath of 35 years of dictatorship, three wars, and the wake of occupation. Finding the once vibrant streets consumed by unemployment, poverty, and madness, he strives to fulfill his dream of making a film in the country he loves.

Determined not to succumb to physical and emotional strife, Mohamed’s camera rolls on as the world begins to unravel around him. A spectrum of society previously sidelined by images of war is introduced to the audience: a young child sings for Saddam; a father grieves for his hanged son; a young actor thinks back on his time in prison; a troubled friend becomes lost in madness.

Struggling against seemingly insurmountable hurdles involving persecution, imprisonment, personal injury, terrorist attacks, and the numerous restrictions established by U.S. troops, Al-Daradji proves himself to be one of the world’s most truly independent filmmakers. War, Love, God, & Madness is the riveting film that documents his experience of making cinematic art in one of the most dangerous and chaotic places on Earth.

Reviews:

“The horrific toll on cast and crew during the making of Iraqi feature Ahlaam is told by its helmer, Mohamed Al-Daradji, in War, Love, God, & Madness. More than merely a companion piece to the 2005 drama, docu provides a disturbing look at the situation in occupied Baghdad, when safety was illusory and kidnapping and torture became not merely a hypothetical fear but a reality.” – Jay Weissberg, Variety

“War, Love, God, & Madness offers a staggering and petrifying insight into the very real dangers faced by Al-Daradji and his crew as they attempt to give politics a bodyswerve, in favour of lending the average person on the street a voice.” – Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film

“This isn’t just a film about making a film, but a film about not letting go of your dreams even when circumstances are at their worst.” – Robin Ruinsky, Film School Rejects

“An amazing and uplifting documentary, which shows precisely how dangerous shooting in Iraq can be.” – Mark Kermode, BBC

Trailer:

At Festivals

2008 – Premiered at the Rotterdamn International Film Festival

2008 – Top 10 Best Films at the Tribeca International Film Festival

2009 – Grand Jury Prize at the Ismailia International Film Festival (Egypt)

2009 – Cinema City International Film Festival (Siberia)

2010 – Jury Special Mention at the Moqavemat International Film Festival (Iran)

2010 – Bradford International Film Festival (UK)

2010 – Washington D.C. International Film Festival: Arabian Sights

2011 – Thessaloniki International Film Festival

2011 – San Francisco Arab Film Festival

2011 – Calgary Arab Film Festival

Blu-ray version is available. Click here to buy the Blu-ray

Description:

With “an elegiac poignancy” (New York Times), director James Allen Smith’s Floored ” captures the waning heyday of the Chicago Trading Pits” (ABC News) and tells the bizarre and gripping stories of the traders—”overgrown kids with money, brains and a pathological need to release stress” (Barron’s) whose chaotic, audacious and thrill-seeking way of life has all but vanished with the recent shift toward automated computerized stock trading.

“A lively documentary about a profession that has almost been wiped out” (Bloomberg.com), Floored takes audiences into the lives of the Chicago trading floor’s everyman—from those who have gracefully adapted to the new age of electronic trading to those who have defiantly refused to change—and offers a fascinating examination of the never-ending pursuit of the American Dream. Prairie Miller of News Blaze calls Floored “a must-see about greed, material obsession, perpetually unfulfilled lust for loot, shoving matches, and suicide.”

Reviews:

“Floored focuses on the working-class wolves who stalk Chicago… Director James Allen Smith delves deep…”  - Eric Hynes, Time Out

“(Floored) captures waning heyday of Chicago Trading Pits…”  - Michael Hirtzer, ABC News

“There’s an elegiac poignancy in James Allen Smith’s Floored”  - Andy Webster, The New York Times

“A must-see about greed, material obsession, perpetually unfulfilled lust for loot, shoving matches, and suicide.”  - Prairie Miller, News Blaze

“…a lively documentary about a profession that has almost been wiped out.”  - Rick Warner, Bloomberg.com

“Floored profiles a handful of eccentric (read: obnoxious) traders attempting the difficult transition to electronic exchange. Stock-doc acknowledges the high-pressure stakes that led many traders to addiction and suicide…”  - Andrew Schenker, Village Voice

“I enjoyed the hell out of the film”  - Ain’t It Cool News

“This is a memorable portrait of men whose experience buying and selling futures hardly prepared them for what their own future held in store.”  - J.R. Jones, Chicago Reader

” (Smith) captured the traders when their lives were at a turning point.”  - Crain’s New York Business

Trailer:

At Festivals

Description:

A devoted son of Holocaust survivors and ardent critic of Israeli foreign policy, the polarizing American political scientist and author Norman Finkelstein has been called a lunatic and self-hating Jew by some, and an inspirational revolutionary by others. Uncompromising even in the face of his denial of tenure at DePaul University, Finkelstein is revealed as a complex, politically isolated figure who puts the pursuit of justice above the security of his academic career. Exploring the difficult and deeply-felt issues at the heart of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, American Radical is the insightful and enraging documentary that follows Finkelstein around the world as he attempts to negotiate a powerful voice among his impassioned critics and supporters.

“For us, Norman Finkelstein is the consummate documentary subject: a complex firebrand, principled to the end, at the apex of some of the world’s longest conflicts. He rarely appears in mainstream media, yet always ends up in controversies. Finkelstein’s life is about focus, through a prism of his upbringing by Holocaust survivors. The dogged, relentless pursuit of his principles and foes can both inspire and repel. At once agitator, comedian, and merciless scholar, Finkelstein creates as many storms as he enters. Few will go where he does—a Jew deliberately walking into Hizbollah headquarters, into a Palestinian refugee camp, or into a room filled with those who vehemently oppose his views to speak his mind. When radicals collide, does it create more understanding? Some would argue that it does. Others would claim that Finkelstein’s principled but too often bitter advocacy does much to discredit the cause of a just resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Audiences can decide for themselves.” —directors David Ridgen & Nicolas Rossier

Reviews:

“American Radical is a powerful film — brave, bold, incendiary. I highly recommend it!”
– Michael Moore, award-winning documentary filmmaker

“American Radical is a nuanced and powerful portrait of the scholar Norman Finkelstien, one of the nation’s most courageous and embattled intellectuals.  It is a reminder that mendacity and timidity, when in the service of conventional beliefs, are more highly prized in most universities that truth.  It illustrates that those who unmask the lies of the intellectual elite swiftly become their victims.  The power and subtext of this film, however, is not in the wars fought between Finkelstien and those like Alan Dershowitz who seek to destroy him, but in Finkelstein’s powerful fealty to his mother’s suffering in the Warsaw Ghetto and later the Nazi death camps.  Finkelstein sees in all who are oppressed his mother’s degradation and pain.  This is a movie that is, at its core, about the unshakable bond of love between a parent and a true and faithful son who refuses to forget or compromise.”
—Chris Hedges, former New York Times War & Middle East Correspondent and author of “American Fascists”

“’American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein’ is a cautiously respectful documentary portrait of a political firebrand who presents himself as a beacon of moral truth in the murk of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
—Stephen Holden, New York Times

“Surprisingly entertaining…a compelling portrait of a difficult man.”
—Mark Cohen, The Jewish Daily Forward

“Presents a humanizing portrait of a complex and principled individual…‘American Radical’ deserves to be seen widely as a fascinating introduction to the man and his views.”
—Susan Ryan, Cineaste Magazine

“A fascinating, well-rounded portrait of Finkelstein that simultaneously informs, inspires and infuriates…the filmmakers ride a delicate line, assembling a warts-and-all portrait that shows why Finkelstein is deeply respected and equally reviled.”
—Mark Achbar, director of ’The Corporation’ and ’Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media’

“With impressive restraint, the fascinatingly thorny ‘American Radical’ is less interested in the validity of Finkelstein’s ideas—seriously mounted, if inflammatory—and more in the topsy-turvy life of today’s professional academic. Amazingly, that choice doesn’t result in a boring movie.”
—Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York

“A guaranteed argument starter…an engaging portrait of an academic whose work is both fueled and undermined by his vitriolic personality.”
—J.R. Jones, Chicago Reader

“‘American Radical’…presents a more balanced portrait of Finkelstein, who, when his passion doesn’t carry him off on a wave of anger, is shown to be thoughtful, intelligent and deeply melancholy.”
—George Robinson, The Jewish Week

“(Norman Finkelstein’s) conclusions can be debated, his methods can be deplored, but as (‘American Radical’ directors) Ridgen and Rossier take pains to point out, a man so rigorously committed to putting an end to oppression ought not be so easily dismissed, even if coming to grips with such a challenging figure may be finally as difficult as getting to the bottom of the Arab-Israeli conflict itself.”
—Andrew Schenker, Slant Magazine

“A blood-boiling, very good documentary.”
—Mark Keizer, Boxoffice Magazine

Trailer:

On TV

AlJazeera English (International)
RT News (International)
LINK TV (US)
FSTV (US)
PBS selected stations (US)
AlJazeera Arabic (Middle East)
Yes TV (Israel)
TBS Latina (Latin America)
Historia (Spain)
Canal 7 (Argentina)
Planete (Poland)
IBRI TV
Press TV (International)
AlJazeera Turkey
AlJazeera Documentary Channel
Sky TV (NZ)

In Theaters

Typecast Releasing is pleased to announce that American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein, the new feature-length documentary film from directors David Ridgen (Mississippi Cold Case) and Nicolas Rossier (Aristide and the Endless Revolution), enjoyed a successful premiere and week-long run in NYC at Anthology Film Archives in February—with Norman Finkelstein and the directors in attendance at opening weekend screenings for Q&A. A full list of theaters where American Radical will be playing can be found here:

* February 11-17, 2010 . New York, NY at Anthology Film Archives
* March 8-11, 2010 . Seattle, WA at Northwest Film Forum
* March 12-18, 2010 . Los Angeles, CA at Laemmle Theatres
* March 23-30, 2010 . New Orleans, LA at Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center
* March 28, 2010 . San Francisco, CA at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
* April 15-16, 2010 . Columbus, OH at Wexner Center for the Arts
* April 23-29, 2010 . Montreal, QC at Cinema du Parc
* May 23-26, 2010 . Vancouver, BC at Pacific Cinematheque
* June 3, 2010 . San Francisco, CA at Roxie Theater
* August 8-12, 2010 . Saskatoon, SK at the Broadway Theatre
* November 11, 2010 . Philadelphia, PA at International House

At Festivals

*September 2009 . Chicago Underground Film Festival . Chicago, IL. USA
*September 2009 . DocuDays: Beirut International Film Festival . Beirut . LEBANON
*October 2009 . North of Nowhere Expo . Edmonton, AB . CANADA
*October 2009 . Boston Palestine Film Festival . Boston, MA. USA
*October 2009 . Carleton Cinema Politica . Ottawa, ON . CANADA
*November 2009 . Sheffield International Documentary Festival . Sheffield . ENGLAND
*November 2009 . Copenhagen International Documentary Festival . Copenhagen . DENMARK
*November 2009 . International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam . Amsterdam . THE NETHERLANDS
*November 2009 . Rencontres Internationales du Documentaire de Montreal . Montreal, QC . CANADA
*December 2009 . Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival . Jerusalem . ISRAEL
*January 2010 . Argus Film Festival . Denver, CO . USA
*January 2010 . Atlanta Jewish Film Festival . Atlanta, GA . USA
*March 2010 . KinoTeatr.doc Film Festival . Moscow . RUSSIA
*March 2010 . New Orleans International Human Rights Film Festival . New Orleans, LA . USA
*April 2010 . Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine . Buenos Aires . ARGENTINA
*April 2010 . Frontline Film Screenings . London . ENGLAND
*April 2010 . It’s All True Documentary Film Festival . Sao Paolo & Rio de Janeiro . BRAZIL
*April 2010 . Chicago Palestine Film Festival . Chicago, IL . USA
*May 2010 . Hot Docs Film Festival . Toronto, ON . CANADA
*May 2010 . DOXA Documentary Film Festival . Vancouver, BC . CANADA
*May 2010 . Planete Doc Review Film Festival . Warsaw . POLAND
*June 2010 . Biografilm Festival . Bologna . ITALY
*June 2010 . Documentarist Film Festival . Istanbul . TURKEY
*July 27-August 1, 2010 . Traverse City Film Festival . Traverse City, MI . USA
*September 10-19, 2010 . Milano Film Festival . Milan . ITALY
*October 1-21, 2010 . Tri-Continental Film Festival . Johannesburg . SOUTH AFRICA
*October 20-27, 2010 . Bergen International Film Festival . Bergen . NORWAY
*November 8-12, 2010 . Iran International Documentary Film Festival . Tehran . IRAN
*November 23-28, 2010 . Warsaw Jewish Film Festival . Warsaw . POLAND
*January 2011 . Courrier International/Mk2 Night . Paris . France
*February 2011 . Documentary Edge Film Festival . Auckland . New Zealand
*April 2011 . London Palestinian Film Festival . London . UK
*May 2011 . Cinema Politica . Paris . France

Links:

Review: Finkelstein’s transformation to victim hero in “American Radical” – Electronic Intifada

Interested in the work of Prof. Finkelstein? Take a look at “This Time We Went Too Far,” his newest book at the ORBooks website.

“Better than any other book, ‘This Time We Went Too Far’ shows how the massive destruction visited on Gaza was not an accidental byproduct of the Israeli invasion but its barely concealed objective.” — Raja Shehadeh, author, Palestinian Walks

On Demand

Watch this film instantly through YouTube Rentals!

This title is currently out of print.

Description:

2-Disc Special Edition!

An opus in three parts, Iraq In Fragments offers a series of intimate, passionately-felt portraits: A fatherless 11-year-old is apprenticed to the domineering owner of a Baghdad garage; Sadr followers in two Shiite cities rally for regional elections while enforcing Islamic law at the point of a gun; a family of Kurdish farmers welcomes the US presence, which has allowed them a measure of freedom previously denied.

American director James Longley spent more than two years filming in Iraq to create this stunningly photographed, poetically rendered documentary of the war-torn country as seen through the eyes of Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds. Winner of Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Editing awards in the 2006 Sundance Film Festival documentary competition, the film was also awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the 2006 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, was named Best Documentary at the Chicago International Film Festival, and was nominated for Best Documentary at the 2007 Academy Awards.

Special Features

• Feature-length audio commentary by director James Longley
• James Longley’s short film Iraq Before The War
• James Longley’s Academy Award nominated (2008) short film Sari’s Mother on Home Video DVD copies
• 15-minute director interview hosted by film critic Robert Horton
• Short films by students from Baghdad’s Independent Film & Television College
• English, French, German, Japanese & Spanish subtitle options
• 5.1 & 2.0 audio
• Beautiful 16×9 transfer
• Trailers

Reviews:

“. . . if Longley’s astonishing feat of poetic agitation has a precedent in the entire history of documentary, I’m not aware of it.” - Rob Nelson, The Village Voice

“[An] evocative, heartbreaking documentary told from three disparate but equally compelling perspectives: the Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.” – Kevin Williamson, Jam!Movies

“Iraq in Fragments … is a well-crafted, thoughtful study of the dueling divisiveness and hope that will define the region long after foreign troops leave.” - John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press

“A timely, lyrical and candid look at daily life in a post-invasion Iraq.” - Dennis Schwartz, Ozus’ World Movie Reviews

“James Longley’s haunting, oblique film, Iraq in Fragments, presents a collage of images, sounds and characters in an intimate, partial portrait of an unraveling nation.” - A.O. Scott, New York Times

“The struggles recorded in his dazzling Iraq in Fragments aren’t battlefield conflicts, but the personal, religious and political efforts of Iraqi citizens to reassemble their shattered lives.” – Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

“A remarkable example of the conjunction of a burningly topical and newsworthy subject with a brilliant filmmaker.” - Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

“The film is unusual among Iraq documentaries for its impressionistic, frequently gorgeous cinematography and for its structure …” – Kyle Smith, New York Post

“A documentary of stunning immediacy and marvelous images…” – Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

Trailer:

In Theaters

This film is not currently playing in theaters.

At Festivals

Academy Award Nominee: Best Documentary Feature, 2006

Home Video DVD copies also include Sari’s Mother, an Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary Short, 2007. Also available on Blu-ray!

On Demand

Watch this film instantly through YouTube Rentals!

Description:

Seattle’s do-it-yourself ethic and uncompromising artistic sensibilities are at the center of Seattle Women in Film , an eclectic collection of the best short films by Seattle’s top women filmmakers.

Presenting a total of twenty-one works, each by a different filmmaker, Seattle Women in Film features witty, accomplished and imaginative shorts that provide a rare peek into the heart of the Seattle independent film scene.

Curated by Seattle’s own 911 Media Arts Center, the Seattle Women in Film collection is sure to impress and inspire, while giving audiences around the globe a glimpse of the Emerald City’s independent filmmaking spirit.

The Films

Trailer:

Trailer Reel 1:

Trailer Reel 2:

In Theaters

This film is no longer in theaters.

At Festivals

This film is no longer in festivals.

Description:

Write, shoot and edit a short non-fiction film in just 5 days. You must use an all-volunteer crew, none of whom will be getting much sleep in order to submit the film before the judges’ deadline.

Started in 2006, The International Documentary Challenge is a timed competition in which filmmakers are given just five days to create and complete a short non-fiction film. The participants all work during the same time period and are required to ship their finished films by a strict deadline. The filmmakers must choose between two documentary genres and are assigned a specific theme each year that helps dictate the content and direction of their film.

This DVD collection features a variety of short non-fiction works from around the globe – from China to New York City; from Seattle to Amsterdam; from Montana to Japan – representing the very best from filmmakers who participated in the first three years of theInternational Documentary Challenge. If you’re interested in participating in the next International Documentary Challenge, you can find details at www.docchallenge.org.

Sponsored by: Hotdocs, POV, Big Sky Film Festival, KDHX, Documentary Educational Resource, Film Action Oregon, IDA, DOC, Dokufest, 48 hour film project

Trailer:

In Theaters

This film is no longer in theaters.

At Festivals

This film is no longer at film festivals.

Description:

NATIONAL BROADCAST ON PBS’ P.O.V.

Nestled below the rugged peaks of the Northern Rockies in Montana lies the worst case of community-wide exposure to a toxic substance in U.S. history. In the small town of Libby, many hundreds of people are sick or have already died from asbestos exposure. Libby, Montana takes a long working day’s journey into a blue-collar community, and finds a different reality — one where the American Dream exacts a terrible price.

Reviews

“If the political pressure to prosecute Grace’s executives to the full extent of the law persists, it will be due in part to this deeply moving film. Many critics have praised the ‘objectivity’ of filmmakers Doug Hawes-Davis and Drury Gunn Carr; what they mean is that the directors let the headlines, residents, and Lovick tell the story. This time-tested documentary technique seems fresh in the wake of last year’s much-more-publicized and vocally political Fahrenheit 9/11, but at its root is the recognition that Libby, Montana isn’t a red-state or blue-state story. It is a story about American democracy and American capitalism, and the battle that must constantly be waged to keep the latter from consuming the former.”
- San Antonio Current

Trailer:

In Theaters

This film is no longer in theaters.

At Festivals

This film is no longer at film festivals.

Description:

Twenty-two year old Corporal Jonathan Santos had documented his 37 days of military service in Iraq in a personal diary before a roadside bomb took his life and the lives of several of his friends and servicemen on October 15, 2004. Jonathan’s mother, Doris, wasn’t aware that her son had kept a diary until his Tuff Box™ – a soldier’s chest filled with their most valuable items – was sent to her after his death. Upon opening the box, she discovered his “little green book” and a stack of videocassettes on which he had recorded daily life in Iraq.

When Doris is finally able to bring herself to watch the tapes, she finds images of Jonathan’s arrival in Iraq, pictures from a cousin’s wedding he was able to attend while on leave, and scenes of Jonathan laughing and joking with his Army buddies including Private Matthew Drake, one of Jonathan’s best friends, who was the sole survivor of the attack in which Jonathan was killed. The record of Jonathan’s final few weeks, in which he expresses fears and doubts never voiced to his family in person, is at once inspiring, personal and profound.

Both an affecting story of courage and a universal tribute to soldiers everywhere, The Corporal’s Diary follows Doris’ journey as she moves beyond her pain to meet with the families of others who have lost loved ones in the war. Together they share stories, offer comfort and pay tribute to the lives of the brave young servicemen and women who have sacrificed their lives in Iraq.

DVD Extras:

Reviews:

“A heartfelt tribute to a human being by those who loved him.” - Bill White, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

“Santos’ footage is remarkable for its unremarkable scenes of soldiers joking and complaining of the boredom and mundane facts of life in a confusing war zone. There is seemingly nothing special about them. They could be your neighbors or your sons.”- David Allen, Stars and Stripes

“The content of each journal is so entertaining and compelling that, if one didn’t know better, a viewer might assume The Corporal’s Diary was yet another faux documentary about the war told from the perspective of a fictional serviceman.”- Tom Keogh, Seattle Times

Trailer:

In Theaters

This film is no longer in theaters.

At Festivals

This film is no longer at film festivals.

On Demand

Watch this film instantly through YouTube Rentals!

Follow us on facebook & twitter!

Description:

Just when the world is losing hope for the possibility of resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict comes Encounter Point . Created by a Palestinian, Israeli, North and South American team, Encounter Point moves beyond sensational and dogmatic imagery to tell the story of an Israeli settler, a Palestinian ex-prisoner, a bereaved Israeli mother and a wounded Palestinian bereaved brother who risk their safety and public standing to press for an end to the conflict. They are at the vanguard of a movement to push Palestinian and Israeli societies to a tipping point, forging a new consensus for nonviolence and peace. Perhaps years from now, their actions will be recognized as a catalyst for constructive change in the region. Encounter Point is a film about hope, true courage and implicitly about the silence of journalists and politicians who pay little attention to vital grassroots peace efforts.

Encounter Point ‘s Israeli/Palestinian/North American/ Brazilian production team of young women includes: director & producer Ronit Avni (formerly of WITNESS), co-director Julia Bacha (co-writer/editor of the award-winning documentary Control Room ), producers Nahanni Rous and Joline Makhlouf, the first Palestinian female pilot. Encounter Point was edited in Jerusalem and Park Slope, Brooklyn, and features original music by Kareem Roustom, who combines classical Arabic melodies and instruments with traditional Jewish Klezmer to form a harmonious fusion that mirrors the subject matter.

Encounter Point ‘s World Premiere was at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. The Canadian premiere was at Hot Docs, and the West Coast premiere was at the San Francisco International Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary. Encounter Point has subsequently won the 2006 Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Rencontres Film Festival in Montreal, the Best Musical Score Award at the Bend Film Festival and the 2006 Spirit of Freedom Award at the Bahamas Film Festival. It has screened in Dubai, Jerusalem, Jenin and more than 35 other cities worldwide.

A 52-minute classroom version of Encounter Point is now available for institutional purchase.

Reviews:

“It isn’t often that you see a film about Israelis and Palestinians that can be called hopeful, but Ronit Avni’s assured, thoughtful and clear-eyed documentary certainly qualifies. ”
- Anita Gates, New York Times

“It may not break any new aesthetic ground, but Encounter Point might just be the most optimistic film about this conflict you’ll ever see.”
- Bilge Ebri, New York Magazine

“A riveting documentary. . . blazes with a kind of spiritual grace.”
- Village Voice

Trailer:

In Theaters

1/19/2011 – Pine Hills Branch Albany Public Library (517 Western Ave. Albany, NY)

At Festivals

This film is no longer at film festivals.