SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS DVD SERIES

HIROSHIMA-NAGASAKI COMMEMORATION COMMITTEE


325 East 25th Street, Baltimore, MD 21218

The Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee, Baltimore Quaker Peace and Justice Committee of Homewood and Stony Run Meetings and Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility are continuing the FILM & SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS DVD SERIES. The DVDs will be shown at Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218, on the First Friday. After the peace vigil, there will be a potluck dinner. At 7 PM, from January through June, a DVD will be shown with a discussion to follow. There is no charge, and refreshments will be available.



The series theme is WHY CAN’T WE GET ALONG?



FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013



JOYEUX NOEL [France, 2005] In English the film title means Merry Christmas, and the movie is about the Christmas truce in 1914 during World War I as depicted through the eyes of French, Scottish and German soldiers. It was written and directed by Christian Carion. Of course the commanding officers are furious that soldiers would dare “fraternize” with the enemy. Many of those who participated in the truce will suffer severe consequences.



FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2013



CRIME AFTER CRIME (USA, 2011) is a documentary film directed by Yoav Potash about the case of Deborah Peagler, an incarcerated victim of domestic violence whose case was taken up by pro bono attorneys through the California Habeas Project. The documentary tells the dramatic story of the legal battle to free Peagler, an incarcerated survivor of domestic violence. She was wrongly convicted of the murder of her abusive boyfriend, and given 26 years in prison. Her story takes an unexpected turn two decades later when two rookie land-use attorneys step forward to take her case. Through their perseverance, they bring to light long-lost witnesses, new testimonies from the men who committed the murder, and proof of perjured evidence. Their investigation ultimately attracts global attention to victims of wrongful incarceration and abuse, and becomes a matter of life and death once more.

FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2013

THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR [USA, 1988] is based on the John Nichols novel of the same name, and the author wrote the screenplay with David S. Ward. Directed by Robert Redford, the film has an ensemble cast including Ruben Blades, Sônia Braga, Melanie Griffith, John Heard, Daniel Stern and Christopher Walken. Filmed on location in Truchas, New Mexico, the film is set in the fictional rural town of Milagro, with a population of 426, a predominantly Hispanic and Catholic town, with a largely interrelated population. The film tells of one man's quixotic struggle as he defends his small beanfield and his community against much larger business and state political interests.





FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 2013

EIGHT MEN OUT [USA, 1988] is based on Eliot Asinof's 1963 book by the same name. Written and directed by John Sayles, the film is a dramatization of Major League Baseball's Black Sox scandal, in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox allegedly conspired with gamblers to intentionally lose the 1919 World Series. Much of the movie was filmed at the old Bush Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. See John Cusack, Charlie Sheen and David Straithairn play baseball players before there was a union. A special treat is to see Studs Terkel in the role of a sports reporter.

FRIDAY, MAY 3, 2013

RACHEL: AN AMERICAN CONSCIENCE [Palestine, 2005] Yahya Barakat began work on the documentary the instant he learned that Rachel Corrie had been crushed to death by an Israeli-driven Caterpillar bulldozer. This documentary offers rare footage of Rachel talking to a camera and describing Israeli human rights violations against a Palestinian civilian population. The film opens with grim images of dinosaur-like Caterpillar bulldozers turning urban Rafah into a garbage pile of destroyed buildings. It continues with interviews of Rachel’s fellow International Solidarity Movement volunteers, and concludes with comments from her parents

FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013



TRADING PLACES [USA, 1983] is a satire directed by John Landis and written by Timothy Harris and Herschel Weingrod. The film tells the story of an upper class commodities broker (Dan Aykroyd) and a homeless street hustler (Eddie Murphy) whose lives cross paths when they are unknowingly made part of an elaborate test of nature vs. nurture by the wealthy Duke brothers, Randolph (Ralph Bellamy) and Mortimer (Don Ameche). The film also stars Denholm Elliott and Jamie Lee Curtis. The storyline is often called a modern take on Mark Twain's classic 19th century novel “The Prince and the Pauper.”

Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski [at] verizon.net for further information.