More Film Goodness

The 14th annual Amnesty International Film Festival kicks off this Thursday, November 12th. All films are screened at the Vancity Theatre (Vancouver International Film Centre) at 1181 Seymour Street (at Davie) and pricing is as follows: General admission ($9), and matinees / students / seniors / underemployed persons ($7). A few films of mention are:

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13

12 pm (noon) – double bill (matinee)

Justicia Now!
Martin O’Brien and Robbie Proctor/ 2007 / 31 min

This film reveals Chevron Texaco's toxic legacy in the Northern Ecuadorian region of the Amazon rainforest and introduces viewers to a courageous group of people called Los Afectados (The Affected Ones) who are seeking justice for sickness and death in the largest environmental class action lawsuit in history. Featuring appearances by Daryl Hannah and Stuart Townsend.

Our Land, My People
Amnesty International / UK / 2009 / 30 min

The Lubicon Cree of northern Alberta tell the story of their long struggle to defend their culture. Three decades of intensive oil and gas development have caused massive environmental destruction, driving this hunting and trapping society into extreme poverty. But the Lubicon have never given up hope. They continue to work to preserve their way of life for future generations.

+ + +

6:30 pm

The Blood of Kouan Kouan
Yorgos Avgeropoulos / Greece / 2008 / 64 min / Vancouver premiere

In the virgin tropical forests of the Amazon, the region with the richest biodiversity in the world, an unspeakable crime is being committed against humankind. Texaco is accused of dumping 18.5 billion gallons of toxic oil waste into the Ecuadorian Amazonia. Ancient Indigenous populations are disappearing on a massive scale, as pollution kill animals they hunt and causes illnesses.

8:15 pm

Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai
Lisa Merton and Alan Dater / USA / 2008 / 80 min

Planting trees for fuel, shade, and food is not something anyone would imagine as the first step toward winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Yet with that simple act Wangari Maathai, a woman born in rural Kenya, started down the path that reclaimed her country’s land from 100 years of deforestation, provided new sources of food and income to rural communities, gave powerless women a vital political role in their country and helped bring down Kenya's twenty-four-year dictatorship.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +



Non-Profit Documentaries, a film course starting in January 2010

Pull Focus is an innovative film centre that partners aspiring filmmakers with charities/non-profits to create much needed film content. We teach students how to write, shoot and edit documentary films that may be useful for fundraising or community outreach work. If you or someone you know who may be interested in taking a documentary course, please check out our website. Our one-month intensive course begins January 4, 2010.