FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 7PM

Damage Done: The Drug War Odyssey
(54 minutes) By Connie Littlefield, Canada

Abstaining From Reality
(9 minutes) Daniele Anastasion, Uganda/USA

Daniele Anastasion, a documentary filmmaker with National Geographic Television, explores the devastating affects of the Bush administration’s “abstinence-only approach” to HIV prevention in Kenya and Uganda. The nine-minute documentary views the current policy as unrealistic and responsible for putting even more of the population in danger. The solution proposed: education, more healthcare services and individual choice.

American Soldier
(3 minutes) Robert Jones, Iraq/USA

Yes, three minutes is more than enough time for Robert Jones to create a powerful piece of cinema about the life of an American soldier told completely through personal family photographs.

Journey of the Piano Teacher
(8 minutes) Danny Weinstein, UK/Vietnam

Anva Luc grew up in the 1970s in Vietnam amidst a war that ended up taking his sight. He escaped the jungles and moved to England where he now works as a piano tuner. Danny Weinstein’s documentary tells Luc’s dreamlike story through abstract imagery and surreal sound.

Salud!
(93 minutes) Connie Field, Cuba/USA

Connie Field’s feature-length documentary examines Cuba’s health-care system, regarded by many as the “best health-care system in the world.” Through the stories and testimonies of international medical students in Cuba as well as experts from around the globe, Salud! delves into the battle for an adequate health-care system.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 7PM

The Devil Came on Horseback
(89 minutes) Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern, Sudan/USA

The Arab government of Darfur, Sudan in Africa has been carrying out a plan to rid the land of all black Africans. The horrible violence has never been as graphically exposed as in this film, through the photos and testimony of former U.S. Marine Captain Brian Steidle.

Global Focus IV: The New Environmentalists
(30 minutes) Will Parrinello, Tom Dusenbery, John Antonelli: Canada, Iceland, Ireland, Mongolia, Peru, Zambia

Canada, Iceland, Ireland, Mongolia, Peru and Zambia are each home to a relentless environmental hero featured in this documentary film narrated by Robert Redford.

Bam 6.6: Humanity Has No Borders
(55 minutes) Jahangir Golestan-Parast, Iran/USA

Bam, a 2,000 year old citadel in Iran, was leveled by a 6.6 magnitude earthquake in 2003. More than 50,000 people were killed; more than 60,000 were left without a home. Jahangir Golestan-Parast’s powerful documentary recalls this tragedy through the eyes of Adele Freeman, an American woman vacationing in Iran with her fiancé when the earthquake hit, killing him.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1:30PM

Tsepong: A Clinic Called Hope
(49 minutes) Patrick Reed, Canada/Lesotho

More than 30 percent of all adults in Lesotho, a small country in southern Africa, are infected with HIV. Patrick Reed’s documentary is about the country’s first AIDS clinic and their fight to stay afloat despite scarce resources and high demands for such healthcare resources.

The Fighting Cholitas
(20 minutes) Mariam Jobrani, Kenneth Kraus, Teresa Deskins, Bolivia

Instead of the WWF, Bolivia has the Fighting Cholitas – ferocious Bolivian female wrestlers who step into the ring every Sunday. This documentary goes behind the scenes of this sport, which continuously packs an auditorium in El Alto, Bolivia.

Mr. Dial Has Something to Say
(60 minutes) Celia Carey, USA

Celia Carey’s documentary probes the world of untrained Southern African-American art. Called “folk” and “primitive” art by the schooled art world, Carey questions those prejudices and shows one of America’s unique artistic styles.

Toxic Bust: Chemicals and Breast Cancer
(41 minutes) Megan Siler, USA

Toxic Bust reveals evidence that chemical exposure is directly linked to breast cancer. Through personal testimonies, Megan Siller’s documentary tries to make sense of a disease that affects so much of the population.