
Home Events Join us Contact us Equipment Past events Links	Lent Term 2009 Events Street Children: Screening of "The Children of Leningradsky" and "Odessa - my mother" Date: April (exact date TBC) Time: TBC Location: TBC In Moscow there are around 30,000 children living on the streets. In Odessa the statistics are between 3000 and 4000. The children live on their own, usually in groups, the street is their only home. "The Children of Leningradsky" was nominated for Oscar and received numerous other awards for its portrayal of street kids from Leningradsky Train Station. "Odessa - my mother" was shot by one of our committee members during her work as a volunteer with street children in Odessa. Oscar Evening: "Salim Baba", "God Sleeps in Rwanda" and "Sari's Mother" Salim Baba "God Sleeps in Rwanda" Date: 9 March 2009 Time: 7:30pm Location: Graduate Union, 17 Mill Lane, Cambridge CB2 1RX, UK We will show three short documentaries that were nominated to Oscar in previous years. "Salim Baba" is a history of Salim Muhammad, a 55-year old man who lives in one of Indian provinces. Since the age of ten he has made a living using a hand-cranked projector to screen discarded film scraps for the kids in his surrounding neighbourhoods. "God Sleeps in Rwanda" talks about five women affected by the Rwandan genocide. "Sari's Mother" follows an Iraqi woman as she looks for a medical help for her 10-year old son, who is dying of AIDS. A great opportunity to see some of the most appreciated short forms in the past two years! Care and Love (关爱之家) - A Film by Ai Xiaoming (Chinese with English subtitles) Date: 2 March 2009 Time: 7pm Location: Graduate Union, 17 Mill Lane, Cambridge CB2 1RX, UK "We were all born in the mid to late 90s. When our mothers gave birth to us, they were given contaminated blood, and were infected with HIV... We don't know what we have done wrong, or why we have AIDS..." A man-made AIDS disaster. 70,000 infected. But don't sue us or you'll be in trouble. And do not show this film. "Care and Love" (2007) tells the story of Liu Xianhong, a Chinese villager who contracted HIV through a blood transfusion during childbirth. Lack of regulation in Chinese blood transfusion practise has leaded to mass HIV infection, with estimation of number of people affected ranging from tens of thousands to over a million. The film recounts how Liu Xianhong publicized her story, filed a lawsuit with her 8-year-old son against the hospital, and eventually received compensation. The bitter experiences of several families, and the collective effort by people living with HIV to defend their rights, resulted in the "Care and Love Group". Entry is free, but donations to the Care and Love Group welcome. Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Theme: "Bil'in My Love" "Democracy Isn't Built on Demonstrators' Bodies", Date: 23 February 2009 (Mon) Time: 7:30pm Location: Graduate Union, 17 Mill Lane, Cambridge CB2 1RX, UK Bil'in Habibti/Bil'in My Love Bil'in my love tells the story of a small Palestinian village trying to save itself and to break the occupation in a non-violent resistance against the Israeli Army. Under the pretext of security, the village of Bil'in is about to lose more than half of its lands to the Israeli separation fence and to the neighboring Israeli settlement. In an attempt to stop the bulldozers, tear gas, beatings, arrests and live ammunition, the villagers confront the army in creative weekly demonstrations. It's not an ordinary documentary, because after following the struggle, in dozens of other villages, Shai Carmeli-Pollak arrives in Bil'in first and foremost, as an activist fighting the occupation and only then as filmmaker. Awards: The Wolgin Award for Full-length Documentary Film - The Jerusalem International Film Festival 2006 Honorable Mention - 'Movies That Matter Award' - Rotterdam International Film Festival 2007 Second Audience Choice - Sarajevo Film Festival on August 2007 Democracy isn't built on demonstratos' bodies (2004) On December 26, 2003, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) deliberately shot at Gil Namati, a 21 year old Israeli protester that demonstrated against the separation fence/wall. Gil was shot in both legs by two live bullets. The incident created a media storm and raised many question. What would have happened if the IDF didn't lie about the shooting of Gil Namati. Would it have justified the actions taken by the security forces? Is there a difference between shooting a Jew and a non-Jew? This film is divided into three parts, the first part presents the investigation which was shown at the press conference and proved the IDF was lying about the reasons for the shooting, the second part criticizes the investigation itself and how the media reacted and portrayed the incident and the separation barrier, and the third part is a propaganda piece about the "danger" the anarchists poses in Israel. Festivals: OVNI Film Festival - Spain !f Istanbul AFM International Independent Film Festival - Turkey Projectile anarchist film festival 2006 - UK MIX 21: NY Queer Experimental Film Festival - USA TOTAL DENIAL Date: 3 February 2009 (Tue) Time: 7:30 Location: Queen's Building Lecture Theatre, Emmanuel College, Cambridge, UK The inspiring story of fifteen villagers from the jungles of Burma whose quest for justice eventually leads them to bring a case to a US court against two oil giants – UNOCAL and TOTAL – for human rights abuse. For five years producer/director Milena Kaneva collected accounts from Burmese villagers of forced labour, relocation of villages, rape, and murder associated with construction of the Yadana pipeline. In 1995 a landmark lawsuit was brought against UNOCAL and TOTAL that drew international attention to the pervasive abuses in Burma. Peter Frankental, Economic Relations Programme Director for AIUK, will lead a discussion on the issues the film raises after the showing. RWANDA - COPING WITH THE MEMORIES OF GENOCIDE Screening of 'Memory Places' by Piotr Cieplak Date: 2 February 2009 (Mon) Time: 7-7.45pm Location: Grad Union, Silver Street (behind Pitt building), Cambridge, UK FREE entry. 'Memory Places' is a short film/photo essay (20 minutes) about memorial sites and commemorative practice in Rwanda. It takes a subjective and personal look at the way in which the victims of the 1994 genocide, which claimed at least 800,000 lives, are remembered and honoured. It also attempts to examine how these places of memory exist within the rest of the Rwandan landscape and are perceived by outsiders. The filmmaker, Piotr Cieplak, will be present to talk about his film and have a discussion at the end. CHINA'S LONG ROAD TO DEMOCRACY Documentary Screening cum Speaker Presentation Date: 29 January 2009 (Thu) Time: 18:00-21:00 Location: Ramsden Room, St Catherine's College, Cambridge, UK Ex-prisoner of conscience and 89' Tiananmen student activist talks about democracy, dissent and defending one's rights. Together with the screening of "TaiShi village", a documentary shot under dangerous condition about grassroot democracy, the challenges it faces and the potential it possesses. A double whammy not to be missed! ___________________________ Documentary: TaiShi Village Chinese with English subtitles In 2005, the villagers of TaiShi made a bold bid for democracy: they tried to vote off their village chief. On the way they had to overcome police violence, arbitrary arrest and intimidation. Would they succeed or are they doomed to fail? And what does it say about democracy in China? Guest Speaker: Mr. SHAO Jiang Shao Jiang is a democracy activist involved in organising the Tiananmen democracy protest in 1989, while he was studying at Beijing University. That was the protest which unfortunately ended in carnage, and Shao witnessed the massacre firsthand. He was subsequently imprisoned for his heavy involvement, went into exile, and is now a writer and academic researcher at the Centre for the Study of Democracy, University of Westminster. His knowledge and experience make him one of the best qualified people to talk about the Chinese's long struggle for democracy. Free admission. All welcome. ____________________________ Co-organised with the Chinese Salon www.srcf.ucam.org/salon Part of the "China: 60 Years On" Project and Visible Record's "Chinese Documnetary Film Education Program - School Tour" Visible Record is kindly sponsored by The Robert HN Ho Family Foundation.