The Temple International Law Society, in cooperation with the Institute
for International Law and Foreign Policy, is proud to announce the 2003
                            Human Rights and International Law Film Festival running from Friday,
                            October 10th through Friday, November 14th.  The frailty and fleeting
                            nature of civility and law and order are too often masked by the extra-
                            ordinary comforts and privilege we enjoy  in this country today.  This
                            festival examines what happens when those integral componnents of civil
                            society break down whether through an overwhelming natural catastrophe,
                            extra-legal intervention in the political system or economic and social
                            upheaval.  Some of the films will be accompanied by commentary by
                            distinguished individuals offering additional insight into the conditions and
                            situations portrayed in these films.  There will be no admission charge and                                             refreshments will be provided.

ADMISSION IS OPEN TO BEASLEY STUDENTS WITH ID AND THEIR GUESTS
FILMS WILL BE SHOWN AT 6PM ON FRIDAY WITH AN ADDITIONAL MATINEE PERFORMANCE (TIME AND DATE T.B.A.)

OCTOBER 10
PINOCHET'S CHILDREN
Directed by Paula Rodríguez
Produced in Germany, 2002
Running Time:83m
Format: Video
Genre: Documentary
Distribution: Cristina Marx
German Film and Television Academy
Co-Sponsored by the Latin American Law Student Association
GUEST SPEAKER: Professor Henry Richardson

Alejandro Goic was sixteen, Enrique Paris, twelve, and Carolina Tohá, eight years old, when General Pinochet seized power in Chile on September 11, 1973. During the coup Alejandro and Carolina lost their fathers, and all three lost their innocence and their youth. And eventually all went on to become powerful student leaders in the tumultuous eighties. With thoughtful, emotional interviews and rich archival footage, PINOCHET'S CHILDREN is a remarkable film that beautifully renders three people's course of life against the background of the socio-political developments in their homeland.  
Professor Richardson will bring his extensive knowledge of the history of modern Chile, our involvment in the coup and other anti-democratic policies pursued by the United States government and their effects on other countries in the hemisphere.

OCTOBER 17
POWER TRIP
Directed by Paul Devlin
Produced in US/Republic of Georgia, 2003
Running Time: 83m
Format: Video
Genre: Documentary

AES, an American global power company, has purchased Telasi, the ailing electricity distribution company in Tbilisi, capital of the former Soviet Republic of Georgia, from the current government. Under Soviet communism, the government paid for electricity or the cost was negligible. Local AES manager Piers Lewis must now train the entire population that in the new market economy, customers have to pay for their electricity. This means the people of Tbilisi must face the painful reality that a significant portion of their already meager income will have to go to paying their power bills. Most Georgian citizens, large companies and even the Energy Minister choose not to comply and devise ever more clever ways to obtain electricity for free. Led by Lewis, AES now decides it must teach its clients a harsh lesson by disconnecting nonpaying customers from their electricity. In an environment of confrontation, hot tempers, street rioting, pervasive corruption, and even assassination, POWER TRIP takes viewers on a rollercoaster ride as AES struggles to help build a modern nation from the rubble of the Soviet collapse.

OCTOBER 24
RANA'S WEDDING
Directed by Hany Abu-Assad
Produced in Palestine, 2002
Running Time:90m
Format: Video
Genre: Drama
Distributor Arab Film Distribution
Distributor Website: www.arabfilm.com
Film Website: www.ranaswedding.com
Rana wakes up one morning to an ultimatum delivered by her father: She must either choose a husband from a pre-selected list of eligible men, or she must accompany her father abroad. RANA'S WEDDING is a romantic drama about a Palestinian girl who wants to get married to the man of her own choice. With only ten hours to find her boyfriend in occupied Jerusalem, Rana sneaks out of her father's house at daybreak to find her forbidden love, Khalil. Facing barriers and occupation which have become an everyday reality, Rana overcomes her fears and doubts, deciding not to let anyone control her life. By the director of NAZARETH 2000 (HRWIFF 2001), RANA'S WEDDING was shot entirely on location in East-Jerusalem and Ramallah. Winner of the 2003 HRWIFF Nestor Almendros Prize for courage in filmmaking

OCTOBER 31 (HALOWEEN)
SCENE'S FROM AN ENDLESS WAR
Directed by Norman Cowie
Produced in US, 2002
Running Time:32m
Format: Video
Genre: Documentary
Distributor Video Data Bank
Distributor Website: www.vdb.org
Co-Sponsored by the Temple Law Democrats

A humorous and biting experimental documentary on militarism, globalization, and the "war against terrorism." Part meditation, part commentary, SCENES employs recontextualized commercial images, rewritten news crawls, and original footage and interviews to question received wisdom and common sense assumptions about current American policies.


NOVEMBER 7
STATE OF DENIAL
Directed by Elaine Epstein
Produced in US, 2002
Running Time:86m
Format: Video
Genre: Documentary
Distributor:Lovett Productions, Inc
Website: www.stateofdenial.org
"Does HIV cause AIDS? How can a virus cause a syndrome? It can't!" -South African President Thabo Mbeki, August 2000.  Through six intimate and powerful portraits, State of Denial takes an unprecedented look at how the citizens of South Africa are living with the AIDS epidemic, given the climate of confusion and neglect perpetuated by President Mbeki's administration. Revealing conversations with dozens of South Africans adds context to these portraits, capturing the unbreakable spirit of a people determined to conduct their lives with dignity, grace, and humor. Producer/Director Elaine Epstein, a native South African who has worked extensively in AIDS and public health, offers a unique insider's look at the complex issues affecting the nearly five million South Africans living with HIV and AIDS. A film of quiet outrage, State of Denial weaves the personal with the political to create an uplifting portrait of ordinary people in an extraordinary struggle to survive. Sundance Film Festival, 2003

NOVEMBER 14
WELCOME TO HADASSAH HOSPITAL
Directed by Ramón Gieling
Produced in The Netherlands, 2002
Running Time:50m
Format: Video
Genre: Documentary
Distributor Netherlands Public Broadcasting
Distributor Website: www.npbsales.com

In WELCOME TO HADASSAH HOSPITAL director Ramón Gieling takes a startling, close-up look at the individuals who make up the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. Filmmaker Gieling cleverly exposes the pulse of his film when he chooses as his main character the charismatic, controversial and bluntly philosophical Dr. Avi Rivkind who, along with his staff, must regularly treat those affected by, and sometimes those involved in the planning of the numerous suicide attacks which take place in Israel. In a tangible twist of irony, victims and offenders are often treated side by side. The doctors take the situation for granted and make no distinction between their patients; for the patients, the situation is more difficult to swallow. A powerful film about integrity and humanity set against the violence in Israel today.

All films and descriptions courtesy of Human Rights Watch