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The fifth part of the Eyes Wide Open Film Series concluded in May 2007.
See the current program for Part XI, running every other Thursday through May 2010.
Eyes Wide Open Film Series, Part V
The USC4P&J documentary films series, Eyes Wide Open, continues with a fifth series of films every other Wednesday through May 2007.
Films will be screened at Linux Club (Ostiense near the ex Mercati generali - see map and directions) starting at 7pm followed by a brief discussion, to continue over a pizza at a nearby pizzeria.
There is no charge for the screenings though donations to help cover costs of DVDs and shipping are greatly appreciated. Linux Club requires an annual membership card at 5 Euro/year.
The program for the series through May is as follows:
Feb 7 - Why We Fight (2005)
Why We Fight is the provocative new documentary from acclaimed
filmmaker
Eugene Jarecki (The Trials of Henry Kissinger) and winner of the Grand Jury
Prize at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.
Named after the series of short films by legendary director Frank Capra that
explored America's reasons for entering World War II, Why We Fight surveys a
half-century of military conflicts, asking how - and answering why - a nation
of, by and for the people has become the savings-and-loan of a government
system whose survival depends on an Orwellian state of constant war.
Why We Fight features interviews and observations by a "who's who" of
military and Washington insiders including Senator John McCain, Gore Vidal,
and Dan Rather. Beginning with President Dwight D. Eisenhower's prescient
1961 speech warning of the rise of the "military industrial complex," Why We
Fight moves far beyond the headlines of various American military operations
to the deeper questions of why America seemingly is always at war. What are
the forces - political, economic, and ideological - that drive us to clash
against an ever-changing enemy? Just why does America fight? Unforgettable,
powerful and at times disturbing, Why We Fight will challenge viewers
long after the last fade-out.
*All proceeds from this screening will go to the defense fund for Agustín Aguayo, currently being held in a U.S. military prison in Germany for refusing to deploy to Iraq. He faces up to seven years in prison. Read more about Agustín's story: aguayodefense.org
Directed by: Eugene Jarecki Run time: 98 minutes Web site:Why We Fight
Feb 21 - Who Killed the Electric Car? (2006)
Investigates the birth and death of the
electric car, as well as the role of renewable energy and sustainable living
in the future.
With gasoline prices approaching $4/gallon, fossil fuel
shortages, unrest in oil producing regions around the globe and mainstream
consumer adoption of the hybrid electric car (more than 140,000
Prius' sold this year), this story couldn't be more relevant or important.
The foremost goal in making this movie is to educate and enlighten audiences
with the story of this car, its place in history and in the larger story of
our car culture and how it enables our continuing addiction to foreign oil.
This is an important film with an important message that not only calls to
task the officials who squelched the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate, but all
of the other accomplices, government, the car companies, Big Oil, even
Eco-darling Hydrogen as well as consumers, who turned their backs on the car
and embrace instead the SUV. Our documentary investigates the death
and resurrection of the electric car, as well as the role of renewable energy
and sustainable living in our country's future; issues which affect everyone
from progressive liberals to the neo-conservative right.
Mar 7 - The Iron Wall (2006)
In 1923, Vladmir Jabotinsky – father of the Zionist right – wrote:
"Zionist colonization… can proceed and develop only under the protection of a power that is independent of the native population – behind an IRON WALL, which the native population cannot breach."
From that day on, these words became the official and unspoken policy of the Zionist movement and, later, the State of Israel. Colonies, often referred to as "settlements," were used to solidify the Zionist foothold throughout historic Palestine.
Following the 1967 occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, more than 200 settlements and outposts have been built in these territories, in violation of international law. The Iron Wall exposes this phenomenon and follows the timeline, size, and population of the settlements, reveals how their construction has been a cornerstone of Israeli policy, and demonstrates how the Wall secures them as permanent and irreversible facts on the ground.
This documentary warns that a contiguous and viable Palestinian state is becoming no longer possible, and that the chances for a peaceful resolution of the conflict are slipping away.
The Iron Wall features interviews with prominent Israeli and Palestinian peace activists and political analysts, including Jeff Halper, Akiva Eldar, Hind Khoury, and others. Also included are eye-opening interviews with Israeli settlers and soldiers, and Palestinian farmers.
"The best description of the barrier, its routing and impact is shown in the film The Iron Wall." - President Jimmy Carter
Directed by : Mohammed Alatar Run time: 52 minutes Web site:The Iron Wall
Mar 21 - Terrorstorm (2006)
In this documentary, filmmaker Alex Jones takes a look at global terrorist attacks, including Italy, and the bombings in London and Madrid. Jones is highly critical of the methodology behind the various governments who are fighting back against such activities, and offers some pointers on how he thinks these situations can be resolved peacefully.
Directed by : Alex Jones Run time: 113 minutes Web site:Terrorstorm
Apr 4 Conservative Film Special The Ultra-Left: What They Really Think(2004) This stunning documentary provides an in-depth analysis of the beliefs of the ultra-left . . . and a clear-headed conservative response.
From Socialism to Communism, from economic and religious oppression to the elimination individual freedoms -- the ultra-left say it’s all for the common good, but their sordid history tells a different tale.
“The Roots of the Ultra Left” traces Socialism back to colonial times when Robert Owen purchased the town of New Harmony, Indiana, for his great experiment. Owen’s elimination of private property, religion, and the traditional social order was an complete failure. But Socialism still spread, and the ultra-left continued to become more extreme.
In “The Roots of the Ultra Left,” you’ll hear the “Leftist wisdom” from such enlightened sources as fanatical protesters, elitist academics, and the Clintons. A total of 35 liberal beliefs are addressed, including Profit comes from evil greed, Traditional morality is always bad, Make God illegal and more ideology that will make you blood boil . . .
Don’t miss the documentary the Left doesn’t want you to see.
Apr 18 - Big Easy to Big Empty - The Untold Story of the Drowning of New Orleans (2006)
August 29th 2006 marked the one year anniversary of the devastation in New Orleans caused by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. This Special Greg Palast Report brings you exclusive footage and the stories you won’t hear on the other networks — the hidden political agendas and the suppressed eyewitness reports.
In this half-hour film, Greg Palast and his team visit New Orleans to investigate what has happened since Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast last year. On his visit, he discovers that the population of New Orleans is miniscule, the reconstruction sparse, suicide rates are climbing, and many have not, nor know how to, return to the city that care forgot. He examines why residents had to leave, what really caused the flood and why they aren’t returning.
May 2 - Walking the Line (2005)
Offers a harrowing view of the chaos, absurdity, and senseless deaths along
the U.S.-Mexico border through private citizens who are taking the law into their own
hands. Southern Arizona, a region celebrated for its history of lawlessness, has become the
most highly trafficked area for immigrants in the world—and one of the most dangerous. A
shift in border policy forces migrants to cross the unforgiving desert where thousands die;
those who make it face volatile civilian militias.
The film explores the front lines of what many fatigue-wearing, self-styled warriors dub a “border war.” A commander marshals his armed troops, cocks his rifle, and maps out
maneuvers when suspected immigrants invade the property. A nighttime raid led by a cigar-chomping
vigilante leads to the capture of startled migrant workers. Walking the Line offers
an intimate look into what drives these individuals to such extremes.
Standing in opposition to the vigilantes, humanitarians organize to prevent migrant deaths.
Confronting the growing crisis, they too find themselves on the wrong side of the law. A
Tucson pastor is indicted on federal felony charges for aiding and abetting while an
American Indian faces banishment from his reservation for constructing water stations.
At once disturbing, offbeat, and revealing, the film offers a scathing critique of a
policy—and people—gone mad. Following rancher vigilantes with semiautomatic
weapons, outlaw pastors with four-wheel drives, and impoverished immigrants with dreams
of a better life, Walking the Line explores the uncertain line between what is patriotic, what
is moral, and what is just.
Directors: Jeremy Levine and Landon Van Soest Run time: 57 minutes Web site: Walking the Line
May 16 - Independent Intervention (2006)
Award-winning documentary follows a Norwegian filmmaker in the United States, who questions how the US media cover the war in Iraq. The film investigates important issues that govern today’s information flow, and looks at how this system reveals itself during times of war and political turmoil. As the major US networks remove human suffering from their presentation of war, Operation Iraqi Freedom is portrayed as a success for the spread of democracy and freedom. This film brings awareness to the disparity between the war the American people see through the corporate controlled media and the realities on the ground in Iraq. Independent Intervention explores how the growing media democracy movement in the US works to challenge the mass media.
The film features Amy Goodman, Noam Chomsky, Dahr Jamail, Danny Schechter, Norman Solomon, David Barsamian, Kalle Lasn, James Zogby and Jim Hightower. It also includes the voices of Howard Zinn, Michael Moore, Bill Moyers, Arundhati Roy, Jeremy Scahill, US Senators and Iraqi people.
May 30 - The U.S. vs John Lennon (2006)
A compelling look at the efforts of the United States government to silence one of rock & roll's most outspoken war critics in this documentary detailing the Vietnam-era struggle between the Richard Nixon administration and iconic peace activist John Lennon. The Vietnam War was raging and the nightly news was filled with stories of failed offensives and massacred U.S. troops. As anti-war protests back home gained momentum, it was the hopeful voice of former Beatle Lennon that served to perfectly encapsulate the frustrations felt by many citizens that the U.S. had gotten caught up in an quagmire from which there was seemingly no end in sight. There's a high price to be paid for standing strong in your beliefs and openly criticizing the ruling elite, though, and now, through interviews with those who knew him best and revealing glimpses into an era where all hope seemed lost, filmmakers finally uncover the truth behind the Nixon administration's highly classified efforts to isolate and eventually deport the man whose powerful words threatened to actually make sense in a world slowly suffocated by the grip of insanity.
Directors: David Leaf and
John Scheinfeld Run time: 96 minutes Web site: The U.S. vs John Lennon
Special thanks to the filmmakers and producers as well as Linux Club for their support.
Map and Directions See map of area Closest metro station: Garbatella. Take the exit "Ostiense", cross the tracks via the overpass, walk straight to via Ostiense, turn left and walk a couple of blocks to via Libetta, make another left and look for Linux. By bus, the 23 runs from the Vatican, along the Tiber, through Testaccio and along via Ostiense.
See the ATAC web site for more options.
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Ongoing/Future Events
Our Eyes Wide Open Film Series is suspended; for further information click here.
Upshot of our Nov. 9th group discussion on current politics:
It wasn't the Russians that got us Trump. Or Comey. Or even the massive GOP election fraud. It was the DNC.* *Dem National Committee
To learn how to stop the DNC
from delivering us another Trump, read Autopsy: the Democratic Party in Crisis.
Photo of a school in Yemen bombed by Saudi Arabian jets supplied by the U.S. and fueled in the air by the U.S. Air Force.
Tell Trump to STOP THIS CARNAGE, not fuel it! Click here.
Also participate in the CodePink email and/or phone initiative:
Click here to sign a petition, to put an end to the sanctions against Syria - their only effect is to take a terrible toll on the population, causing them to migrate! And click here to see the video by the Italian Committee to lift sanctions against Syria.
Did someone tell you that U.S. military intervention in Iraq was over? Not true: we're at it again. This time the pretext to drop bombs is "curbing ISIS" (which was created by the U.S. in the first place, to overturn al-Malaki in Iraq and then Assad in Syria, and is now out of hand.
Like what happened to "our" creature al Qaeda in Afghanistan). And the death toll continues to rise...
Write your senators and tell them: "Enough! U.S. out!! Iraq has shown it can curb ISIS by itself!"
*All proceeds from this screening will go to the defense fund for 
