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The CIGJ Cinema and Peacebuilding Seminar Series aims to promote deeper understanding of conflict and post-conflict situations.

Upcoming Events

TBA.

Past Events

Film: Scenes from an Occupation - "The Law Of Violence" 27 August

Presented by the director Carmela Baranowska. More information here.
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Hedley Bull 1
Ground Floor,
Hedley Bull Centre, ANU

Stolen Youth Video and Memory of the Cactus
12.30pm Monday 18 August 2008

Stolen Youth Video
Defence for Children International - Palestine Section (DCI/PS)  has produced a 20-minute documentary highlighting the experiences of Palestinian child prisoners. The documentary is called Stolen Youth and includes interviews with ex-child detainees, their families and their DCI/PS lawyer, as well as exclusive footage from inside an Israeli Military Court.

Memory of the Cactus
A 42 minute documentary film that combines the cactus and the memories it stands for. The film addresses the story of the destruction of the Palestinian villages of Latroun in the Occupied West Bank and the forcible transfer of their civilian population in 1967.  Over 40 years later, the Israeli occupation continues, and villagers remain displaced.The film follows two separate but parallel journeys.  Aisha Um Najeh takes us down the painful road that Palestinians have been forcefully pushed down, separating them in time and place from the land they nurtured; while Israelis walk freely through that land, enjoying its fruits.  The stems of the cactus, however, take a  few of them to discover the reality of the crime committed. 

Post screening discussion will be led by Dr Michelle Burgis, has most recently been in Palestine where she is currently completing an internship with Al-Haq (www.alhaq.org). Michelle will continue her interest in the region professionally as she is taking up a lecturing position in Middle East Studies at the School of International Relations at the University of St Andrews, Scotland in September.

Bougainville Sky
12.30 Tuesday 29 April 2008
Room 1.04, Coombs Extension Building (8), ANU

A film about Bougainville's transition from bitter civil war to peace, and about the music and the people who made it happen.

On war-torn Bougainville Island, a young Australian songwriter found himself working for the world's first ever unarmed international peace keeping operation. This film tells the story of how he worked with music and humour to help the people of Bougainville find the courage to untangle themselves from the web of a bitter civil war.

When war on the remote Papua New Guinea Island of Bougainville ended, the combatants invited the international community to send in a peace-keeping force on one condition: they come unarmed. The invitation was reluctantly accepted, and a young Australian songwriter Iain 'Fred' Smith found himself amongst those working for the world's first ever unarmed international peace-keeping operation.

With no coercive powers at their disposal to enforce the peace, innovation and communication were the only option. Bougainville Sky tells the story of how Smith worked with music and humour to help the people of Bougainville overcome years of fear and distrust to restore peace. - from Ronin Films: http://www.roninfilms.com.au/feature/2418643179.html

Directed by Nick Agafonoff. Released 2004. Run time: 75 min.

Post screening discussion was led by Fred Smith, songwriter and central figure in the film, and an expert commentator.

For more information on Fred Smith please visit: http://www.fredsmith.com.au/pages/mainpage.html

Land of the Morning Star
Thursday 13 March 2008

The western half of the island of New Guinea has been known by many names including Netherlands New Guinea, West Papua, Irian Jaya and Papua. It is an extraordinary place where snow-capped mountains drain into massive rivers and 250 languages are spoken. Yet, despite its wild beauty and rich culture, it remains strangely forgotten. Land of the Morning Star reveals the turbulent history of a troubled country, swept up in the power play of international politics.
For centuries, the world has jostled for control of this rugged, isolated region, with its abundant natural resources and strategic position. First outside contact was with the Muslims of Malacca, who came in search of slaves and the prized feathers of birds of paradise. They were followed by European spice traders staking out colonial territory. By the mid 1800s, the Dutch had secured their claim. Then during World War Two, the sleepy outpost was transformed into a massive US military base. By the 1960s, President Sukarno had made the area the 26th province of Indonesia. Today, if transmigration continues, the indigenous Melanesian people are set to become a minority in their own land.
Through eyewitness accounts and rare archival film, this fascinating documentary paints a picture that is intimate in detail but epic in scope. It is a sweeping saga of colonial ambitions, cold war sellouts and fervent nationalism, which highlights the role of players such as Australia and the UN at crucial points. By providing a background to this complex story, this timely film helps us understand the reality of life today in the land of the morning star. -full review available at: http://www.abc.net.au/tv/guide/netw/200402/highlights/223719.htm

Directed by Mark Worth. Released: 2003. Run time 55 minutes.

Post screening discussion will be led by Professor John Braithwaite. John's current research is focusing on Peace Building and Responsive Governance in Indonesia and the Pacific and is funded with the assistance of the ARC Discovery Scheme.

Live and Become
Thursday 23 August 2007

In 1984, in a Sudanese refugee camp sheltering Ethiopians displaced by civil war and famine, the Israeli army ran a clandestine operation to airlift thousands of Falashas to Israel. This is the story of an Ethiopian boy who, orchestrated by his mother, is passed off as an Ethiopian Jew to escape his ravaged country. She orders her son to never divulge the secret, imploring him to "live and become". This ambitious film which covers over a decade of turbulent Israeli history is a knockout. It depicts the racism towards the Falasha in Israel against which Schlomo’s new family fiercely defend him and the film takes a liberal line on the Palestine/Israeli situation. The writer/director Radu Mihaileanu emigrated to Israel from Romania and from there he went to France, his father had changed their name so he is a man who understands the confusions of hidden identity. He’s brought that beautifully to life in a sweeping story that encompasses so much.
- Margaret Pomeranz, full review available at: http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s1601742.htm

Directed: Radu Mihaileanu. Released: 06/04/2006. Run time: 149 mins. Subtitled in English.

Pre screening discussion was led by Gil Oren, PhD Department of International Relations, RSPAS. Gil's PhD thesis 'The Politics of Indigenous Self-Determination at the UN: The Impact of the Transnational Indigenous Peoples' Movement' investigates how indigenous peoples have been able to use the UN to achieve their goals.
For more information on Gil please see his student profile at:: http://rspas.anu.edu.au/ir/studies/phd/oren.php

The Iron Wall
Thursday 26 July 2007

In 1923 Vladimir Jabotinsky, leading intellectual of the Zionist movement and father of the right wing of that movement, wrote:

"Zionist colonization must either stop, or else proceed regardless of the native population. Which means that it 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 these words became the official and unspoken policy of the Zionist movement and later the state of Israel. Settlements were used from the beginning to create a Zionist foothold in Palestine.

This eye-opening documentary exposes the Israel's colonization policy and follows the timeline, size, population of the "settlements," and their impact on the peace process. This film also touches on the latest project to make the settlements a permanent fact on the ground; the annexation Wall that Israel is building in the West Bank, and its impact on the Palestinian people.
-More information about this documentary can be found at http://www.theironwall.ps/

Directed by Mohammed Alatar. Released April 2006. Runtime 52 minutes. English, Arabic, & Hebrew. English subtitles.

Post screening discussion was led by Michelle Burgis (CIGJ/RegNet) on the situation in Palestine. Michelle's PhD thesis explores the arguments of Arab states before the International Court of Justice.

Hiroshima Mon Amour
Friday 8 June 2007

A central theme of the film is the necessity to come to terms with the horrors of the past. Both characters in the film (the actress and the architect) have painful memories of the war, and their liaison seems to represent some kind of rapprochement between East and West. "You are Hiroshima. You are Nevers" is how the film ends, suggesting that the torment of the Hiroshima disaster, like the painful love affair, will one day be forgotten.
Few films leave such a lasting impression as Resnais’ Hiroshima mon amour. The stunning photography of contemporary Hiroshima, blended with bleak images of war-time France, is pure art, brought to life by a moving musical score. Whilst lacking the structure of the conventional film form, this film offers an experience that is supremely more satisfying and profoundly moving.
- James Travers, full review can be viewed at http://filmsdefrance.com/FDF_Hiroshima_mon_amour_rev.html

Directed by Alain Resnais. Released 1959. Runtime 91 min; B&W

Post Screening discussion was led by Usha Natarajan, a PhD candidate researching the war in Iraq and what it reveals about the nature of international law.

Hotel Rwanda
Monday 14 May 2007


"During 100 terrifying days in 1994, nearly 1 million people died in a horrific genocide in the African country of Rwanda, as the ruling members of the Hutu tribe began a calculated effort to wipe out the Tutsi minority. This unholy act of inhumanity was compounded by the fact that the world stood silently by and did nothing to intervene. The film "Hotel Rwanda" is based on an actual event that occurred during that terrible time, the attempt of one man -- a hotel manager named Paul Rusesabagina -- to save as many people as possible."

-http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Movies/12/29/review.rwanda/index.html

Directed by Terry George. Released 2004. 117 mins

Post-Screening Discussion:

Lisa Jones led a discussion on the situation in Rwanda. Lisa has recently returned to Australia after 12 years of political and humanitarian work with the United Nations in a variety of roles and countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda, Cyprus and New York. From 2002, this work included addressing the problem of sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations personnel and partner organizations and developing strategies and practices for prevention and response. Efforts to agree on and implement a system-wide code of conduct and policy for responding to the needs of victims raised a number of human rights issues, as well as strong personal views.

Passabe
Thursday 15 March 2007

““I have murdered someone.” A startling confession from an ordinary East Timorese farmer is the core of this fascinating film about justice, reconciliation and forgiveness. In the days following East Timor’s vote for independence from Indonesia in 1999, hundreds of pro-Indonesian militiamen embarked on an orgy of violence, killing almost one thousand villagers. Four years later, a UN-backed commission attempted to mend communities shattered by violence by providing a forum for villagers to own up to crimes committed during the chaos of 1999. The village of Passabe was the site of one of the worst massacres of 1999 yet, at the Passabe hearings, tight-lipped former militiamen stand and admit to such petty crimes as stealing or property damage... until one farmer confesses to murder while serving with the militia. With the truth voiced, the villages are faced with the uneasy prospect of attempting reconciliation without justice. Both a portrait of village life in nascent East Timor and an enquiry into the universal nature of reconciliation, Passabe is compelling viewing.”

- http://www.melbournefilmfestival.com.au/2006_Festival/film.php?film_id=4197

Directed by D James Leong and Lynn Lee. Released 2005. English subtitles. 110mins

Post-Screening Discussion:

Bu Wilson and John Braithwaite led a discussion on the situation in East-Timor. Bu’s PhD thesis explores the Development of the East Timorese Police Force 1999-2006. John is currently involved in the Peacebuilding and Responsive Governance focusing on Indonesia and the Pacific region.

For more information on this documentary visit http://www.passabe.com

Cry Freetown
Thursday 1 March 2007

“ Sorious Samura's "Cry Freetown" has become a phenomenon. A brutal portrayal of what happened in Freetown, capital of Sierra Leone in January 1999, the film has succeeded in making the horror of this country's civil war a matter of international outrage. Sorious Samura shot the film at great risk for his own life, keenly aware of the fact that the strong images he recorded were the only thing that could shake the world from its indifference to the plight of his countrymen, women and children. ”

- http://www.cryfreetown.org/

Directed by Ron McCullagh. Filmed 1999. Released 2000

Warning : The video and images are extremely violent and viewer discretion is advised.

Post Screening Discussion:

Dr Augustine Park led a brief post-film discussion on post-conflict Sierra Leone. Augustine is a post-doctoral fellow at RegNet, whose research focuses on child soldiers in Sierra Leone.

The Battle of Algiers
Friday 17 November 2006

Flyer

"Contrary to what you're thinking, this is Algiers in the mid-1950s. The film is Gillo Pontecorvo's 1965 classic "The Battle of Algiers", an electrifying, ground-level re-enactment of Algeria's struggle for independence from its French masters. . Too much can be made of parallels with recent events in Iraq but the chafing, mutually uncomprehending collision of Western occupiers and Muslim occupied has never been captured with such dispassionate, thrilling clarity."

Liberia: An Uncivil War
27 October 2006

Flyer

"While Jonathan Stack filmed in Monrovia capturing the last months of President Charles Taylor's regime, James Brabazon traveled with the LURD rebel army as they marched on the capital city. The filmmakers gained extraordinary access to both sides in the conflict and the film gives a palpable sense of life in a war zone." - www.gabrielfilms.com

Directed by Jonathan Stack and James Brabazon. Filmed in 2003. Released in 2004. Length: 102 Minutes. Language: English. Warning: this film contains disturbing scenes.

Post-screening discussion: Dr. Jeremy Farrall (CIGJ/RegNet) led a brief post-film discussion on the situation in Liberia. From 2004-2006 Jeremy worked as a policy adviser for the UN Mission in Liberia.