Email:sesame@evergreen.com
Phone: (360) 867-6724
MySpace: www.myspace.com/sesametesc
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SESAME c/o Student Activities
The Evergreen State College
Olympia, WA 98505
This classic film depicts an episode in the war of independence in French Occupied Algeria in the capital city of Algiers. It reconstructs the events of November 1954 to December1962 in Algiers during the Algerian War of Independence. Upon its release in France, the film was banned for fear of its political implications and brutal scenes depicting torture, considered incendiary to the French, were cut from the British and U.S. releases.
• Nominated for three Academy Award
• Venice Film Festival Grand Prize
Filmmaker: Gillo Pontecorvo
Question & Answer with Mohammed Bentlemsani
Born in 1950, Mohammed Bentlamsani's childhood was during the French occupation and the Algerian resistance movement. Born in a town 30 miles south of Algiers in Medea Mohammed witnessed the murder of his cousin by the French occupational forces in November of 1961.
Sponsored by Mind Screen
7:00pm Lecture Hall 1
Doors Open at 8:00pm, Show Starts at 8:30pm
Tickets Available at Rainy Day Records and TESC Bookstore
Students $10/$13 General $15/$18
8:30pm Longhouse
Breaking Ranks is a moving documentary that examines the current phenomena of US soldiers seeking refuge in Canada. With intimate access to four American military "deserters," their lawyer and families, this film documents their experiences as they try to exercise their consciences amidst profound emotional, ethical and international consequences.
Filmmaker: Michelle Mason
Guest Speaker: Chanan Suarezdiaz
Chanan Suarezdiaz is president of Seattle Chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War. After his deployment in Iraq in 2005-2006, he was honored with a Purple Heart and Navy Commendation Medal with Valor.
Sponsored by Women's Resource Center
7:00pm Lecture Hall 1
Since 9-11 and the passage of the USA Patriot Act, balancing civil liberties with national security is a major concern. VOICES IN EXILE follows an astonishing 20-year deportation case against Palestinians in Los Angeles that foreshadows current government use of "secret evidence." This riveting video examines plans for rounding up Arab Americans, reminiscent of the WWII internment of Japanese Americans.
• Honorable Mention, San Francisco International Film Festival
• Finalist, Women in the Director's Chair
• Certificate of Merit, NY Expo of Short Films & Videos
Filmmaker: Joan Mandell
Guest Speakers: Joan Mandell (Filmmaker)& Michel Shehadeh (LA 8 Defendant)
Michel Shehadeh is one of the leading respondents in the landmark Los Angeles Eight case, the longest running political immigration case in US history. Recently all charges were dropped by the government against the LA 8 after twenty-one years of legal struggle. His writings appeared in many publications such as the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, Al-Jazeera net and Al-Adab magazine
Joan Mandell award-winning films, Tales from Arab Detroit, Gaza Ghetto, and Voices in Exile are widely taught on US college campuses. As a university educator, Joan Mandell has taught film and video production, international film history and media literacy at the University of California/Irvine and the College for Contemporary Studies, Detroit.
7:00pm Lecture Hall 1
A decade after the disastrous US humanitarian intervention in Somalia, HornAfrik, the first independent TV and radio station in war-ravaged Mogadishu, was established by three brave Somali-Canadians in the face of chaos and devastation. Their vision was to forge a path to peace through freedom of expression, impartial news, and debate. The station's talk shows have become incredibly popular, providing a unique way for Mogadishu's marginalized residents to speak out without being silenced.
Filmmaker: Judy Jackson
Sponsored by Amnesty International
4:00pm Seminar 2 C1105
This documentary explores Iranian cinema through a compelling blend of archival footage, excerpts from representative and landmark Iranian films, and interviews with Iranian filmmakers, film critics and film historians. It shows the struggles against censorship, traditional cinematic formulas and traces the development of the Iranian film industry intertwined with the country's political history. Iranian cinema is original, with its own codes, references, aesthetic and auteurs, and has become an essential forum of expression within the country.
Filmmaker: Nader Takmil Homayoun
4:00pm Seminar 2 C1105
The documentary film Women in Struggle is about Palestinian women whom are ex-political detainees demonstrating their struggle during their years of imprisonment in Israeli jails exploring the affects and influence on their present life and their future outlook.
• Ismaelia Film Fest, Hussam Ali Award & Jury Mention
• AMWA (American Muslim Women in America) Excellence in Media Award
Filmmaker: Buthina Canaan Khoury
Guest Speaker: Therese Saliba, PhD
Third World Feminist and Middle East Studies scholar, Therese Saliba will speak after the film. A former Fulbright scholar in Palestine (1995-96), Dr. Saliba has edited and been featured in numerous collections of writing on Islam, women and Arab literature.
7:00pm Lecture Hall 1
Paradise Now follows Palestinian childhood friends Said and Khaled who live in Nablus and have been recruited for suicide attacks in Tel Aviv. It focuses on what would be their last days together. Paradise Now was the first Palestinian film nominated for an Academy Award as Best Foreign Language Film.
• Best Foreign Language Film, 2005 Golden Globes
• Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film
Filmmaker: Hany Abu-Assad
Guest Speaker: Steve Niva, PhD
Steve Niva teaches International Politics and Middle East Studies at Evergreen. His primary areas of research and writing include the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East; Islamist movements; political, economic and cultural globalization; and critical sovereignty studies.
Sponsored by Mind Screen & Evergreen Hillel
7:00pm Lecture Hall 1
Doctor Omer Salih Mahdi, an ER doctor at Al Yarmouk during the invasion, brings camera crews through the inundated hospital to document the extent of the violence and casualties that the invasion and occupation have engendered. The film first appeared on BBC with the title Baghdad: a Doctor's Story, with the "doctor" remaining anonymous. The film was recently released on HBO with the new title Baghdad Hospital: Inside the Red Zone, after Omer and his family left Iraq.
• 2007 International Emmy Award for news and current affairs.
Guest Filmmaker: Dr. Omer Salih Mahdi
Dr. Omer Salih Mahdi was born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1977 and graduated from medical school in 2001. He ceased practicing medicine in 2005 and began working as with NPR and the BBC. He left Iraq with his family in 2007 for Syria after numerous attacks on members of his family. He is now studying Journalism at Ball State University in Indiana.
Sponsored by Evergreen Pre-Health Society
7:00pm Lecture Hall 1
In this heartwarming success story, a group of Moroccan Hip Hop artists share a dream of organizing a professional concert for a hometown crowd. The artists use their native language and culture to express their worldview on history, rivalries, conflicts and, above all, reflections on the meaning of Hip Hop and its birthplace, America.
• Best Documentary, Atlanta Hip Hop Film Festival
• Jury Award, Thin Line Film Festival
Guest Filmmaker: Joshua Asen
Joshua was an elementary ESL teacher in Brooklyn when, on a visit to Morocco came into contact with the artists depicting in the film. With the help of a Fullbright grant and the good will of the various artists, Joshua followed the progress of the festival with his camera.
7:00pm Housing Community Center
The village of Bil'in is about to lose over a half of its territory to the Separation Barrier and to the Jewish settlement of Modi'in Elite. The residents of the village decide to embark on a non-violent struggle against the construction of the barrier and are joined by international and Israeli activists.
Guest Speaker: Paul Larudee
Paul Larudee is a human rights activist working with the Free Gaza Campaign. He has a Ph.D. in linguistics from Georgetown University and spent 14 years in Arab countries as a contracted U.S. government advisor, Fulbright-Hays exchange lecturer, teacher, training administrator and graduate student. Paul will speak about international solidarity work and non-violent resistance in the Occupied Territories.
4:00pm Seminar 2 C1105
Zero Degrees of Separation looks at the Middle East conflict and the Palestinian Occupation, through the eyes of mixed Palestinian and Israeli gay and lesbian couples.
Filmmaker: Elle Flanders
7:00pm Lecture Hall 1
Search for Freedom traces the dramatic social and political history of Afghanistan from the 1920s to the present through the stories of four remarkable women. Through their personal stories, a surprising portrait of Afghanistan’s history emerges. Stunning archival footage from the early 20th century captures a time of remarkable progress and freedom for women that belies most Western perceptions.
Filmmaker: Munizae Jahangir
4:00pm Seminar 2 C1105
U.S. vs. Al-Arian is the documentary of the unjust accusation and trial of university professor Sami Al-Arian, a supporter of Palestinian independence and activism. The film lays bare the consequences of a racist and imperialist war waged upon the soil of the Middle East as well as domestically with the persecution of Muslims and dissidents.
• Best Film New Orleans Human Rights Film Festival 2007
Filmmaker: Line Halverson
Guest Speaker: Jose Gomez
Jose Gomez, former executive assistant to Cesar Chavez and graduate of Harvard Law School, will speak after the film.
7:00pm Lecture Hall 1
Gay and Lesbian Middle Easterners who live in the United States must frequently combat the negative stereotypes revolving around both their sexuality and their race. The film features interviews with a variety of young men, women and their family members who share with viewers some of the experiences, joys and sorrows of this diverse community.
• Best Documentary 2003 New York Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
• Best Documentary (Audience Award) & Honorable Mention (Ragazzi Prize - Juried Award) 2003 Turin International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
Filmmakers: Peter Barbosa, Garett Lenoir
Student led discussion to follow screening
Sponsored by Women of Color Coalition
5:00pm Seminar 2 E1105