The second half of the 2007-08 Global Issues Film Festival sponsored by Kettering University, Mott Community College and the University of Michigan-Flint begins Wednesday, Jan. 30 and continues through Saturday, Feb. 2 on the campus of Kettering University. The films will be screened in McKinnon Theater in the Academic Building at the corner of Third and Chevrolet avenues, and are shown free of charge.
Five films, including documentaries and an original scripted film by Kettering alumnae Diane Cheklich, explore topics as diverse as the plight of AIDs orphans in South Africa, corporate outsourcing in the U.S., and the long-term effects of modern war on soldiers.
The Films:
Angels in the Dust - Wed., Jan. 30, 7 p.m. (95 minutes-English) directed by Louise Hogarth
The story of a courageous, self-sacrificing, fiercely loving woman who chooses a spiritual path over a material one. Marion Cloete, a university-trained therapist, walked away from a privileged life in a wealthy Johannesburg suburb to establish Boikarabelo, an extraordinary village and school that provide shelter, food, and education to more than 550 South African AIDS orphans. The film offers a clear pathway of hope and a replicable paradigm for the future.
Kabul Transit - Thurs., Jan. 31, 7 p.m. (88 minutes, English subtitles) directed by David Edwards, Maliha Zulfacar and Gregory Whitmore
A street-level documentary that explores the soul of a city devastated by nearly three decades of war, filled with a generation that has seen nothing but destruction. Rather than taking a sensationalist outsider’s perspective, this masterful documentary offers panoramic views of the city, as if filmed by an everyman on the streets and illustrating the current state of the city and its people.
Offshore: A corporate tale of cowboys and Indians - Fri. Feb. 1, 7 p.m. (90 minutes, English) directed by Diane Cheklich
The film follows three American employees whose jobs are being outsourced and the three Indian employees who must be trained by the people whose jobs they are taking. It also features the struggle between the owner of the business, the employees in charge of the transition on both sides and an annoying investigative reporter who covers the outsourcing. Diana Cheklich, director and producer of film will host a question and answer period after the screening.
Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers - Sat., Feb. 2, 1 p.m. (75 minutes, English) produced and directed by Robert Greenwald
Portraying the actions of U.S. corporate contractors in the U.S.-Iraq war, this documentary includes interviews with employees and former employees of such companies as Halliburton, CACI, and KBR, that suggest government cronyism gives contractors enormous freedom to profit from supplying support and material to American troops while providing little oversight.
Hidden Wounds - Sat., Feb. 2, 2:30 p.m. (57 minutes, English) directed by Iris Adler
It's estimated that one in five of the troops returning from the current war in Iraq will suffer some form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD.) This powerful documentary explores this painful reality through the stories of three veterans and their struggles to overcome the trauma of their experiences: Nate Fick fought in Afghanistan and then Iraq; Sgt. Russell Anderson served in the Army for four years in the late sixties and then went to Iraq in 2004; and Jeff Lucey spent a year as a truck driver in Iraq. Richard Mach, Ph.D., Healing Inquiries, will facilitate the question and answer period following the film.
These films represent the second half of the 2007-2008 Global Issues Film Festival. The 2008-09 GIFF will begin November 7 and 8, 2008 at the Mott Community College Regional Technology Center.
The Sixth Annual Global Issues Film Festival, hosted by Kettering University, Mott Community College and the University of Michigan-Flint, continues its tradition of bringing provocative films to Flint. This collaborative festival includes the work of independent filmmakers from around the globe, representing a variety of voices and viewpoints. The festival is sponsored by the Greater Flint Arts Council, the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs, Mott Community College, Kettering University’s Department of Liberal Studies and the University of Michigan-Flint.