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The following films will be showing at Shared Planet 2008:
Bringing Down a Dictator | On The Verge | Every Step You Take | The Carbon Connection | The Bottom Line: Privatizing the World | Homo Toxicus | The Lijjat Sisterhood |Leaving Fear Behind | Press Freedom: “Collateral Damage”
Bringing Down a Dictator
Bringing Down A Dictator documents the spectacular defeat of Slobodan Milosevic in October, 2000, not by force of arms but by non-violent strategy of honest elections and massive civil disobedience mainly led by the Serbian student movement.
This will be presented by Almira Cemmell, a former Student Union of Serbia leader and an early Otpor! (‘Resistance!’in English) activist. The film will be followed by Questions & Answers with Almira
On the Verge
In 2004 a group of Brighton peace campaigners began to bang pots and pans outside their local arms manufacturers EDO MBM in disgust of their part in the Iraq war. This has grown into the Smash EDO campaign, which has cost the company millions, been the subject of large scale police operations and has tested the right to protest in the UK.
Every Step You Take
With an estimated four million CCTV cameras, Britain is by far the most-watched nation on earth. But why haven’t other nations copied the schemes if they are as successful as the Home Office and the police claim? Are there any vested interests in the proliferation of CCTV?
Featuring interviews with researchers and experts, director Nino Leitner tries to answer these questions, and compares the surveillance reality in Britain with that of his home country Austria.
Watch the trailer on the right.
The Carbon Connection
Two communities affected by one new global market: the trade in carbon dioxide. As part of the deal to reduce greenhouse gases that cause dangerous climate change, major polluters can now buy carbon credits that allow them to pay someone else to reduce emissions instead of cutting their own pollution.
In Scotland a town has been polluted by oil and chemical companies since the 1940s. In Brazil local people’s water and land is being swallowed up by destructive monoculture eucalyptus tree plantations. Both communities now share a new threat.
The film will be introduced by Kevin Smith from Carbon Trade Watch
The bottom line: Privatizing the world
Just as God created the World in seven days, today the All Powerfull Businessman is intending to sell it -in seven days. His ultimate goal: to declare the Total Market.
Using an effective parody of the \”Voice-Of-God\” documentary style, the film shows the consequences of the world is submission to private interests: a Canadian farmer is sued by Monsanto because patented seeds brought by the wind were growing in its fields; traditional knowledge is being patented in India; American people without insurance are denied healthcare, businessmen want to sell the Canadian fresh water to the highest bidder while thousands of people in the world are desperately needing it.
Can the human community survive if all elements essential to life (water, healthcare etc.) and all elements forming the very basis of life itself (genes) become commercial goods? Will human rights prevail on corporate private profits?
Homo Toxicus
A hard-hitting, first-person investigation into the chemical contaminants we don’t know about in our bodies. Heavy metals, pesticides, PCBs, endocrine disrupters… are we bequeathing our toxic load to our children along with our DNA? Will the cautionary principle be enough to outweigh the financial interests tied to the manufacturing of toxic chemicals?
Victims ask questions, representatives from corporations and government reply.
The Lijjat Sisterhood
The film documents the success story of a 300 crore women’s cooperative the Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad. It explores what it means to be part of this sisterhood through the eyes of four key protagonists, their colleagues and their families.
This film won the Special Jury award at the National Awards 2004.
Leaving Fear Behind
Leaving Fear Behind is a heroic film shot by Tibetans from inside Tibet, who longed to bring Tibetan voices to the Beijing Olympic Games and tell the world of their plight and their heartfelt grievances against Chinese rule.
The footage was smuggled out of Tibet under extraordinary circumstances. The filmmakers were detained soon after sending their tapes out, and remain in detention today.
Watch the trailer on the right
Presented by Students for A Free Tibet
Press Freedom: “Collateral Damage”
This short film was released by the National Union of Journalists to highlight some of the problems faced by journalists covering public demonstrations
