Friday Night Free Films
The Northampton Committee Peace and Justice Film Series

Most Friday nights at 7:00 p.m., we show a documentary film relating to peace and justice at the Frances Crowe Community Room, 60 Masonic Street in Northampton. Enter via Woodstar Cafe, at the front of the building. The venue is accessible.

The screenings are free unless otherwise noted. Discussion follows.

Up Next

May 24 Schooling the World: the White Man's Last Burden
The Western education system is exported to cultures where it is not appropriate.
Upcoming Films
Date Film
May 31 The Ghosts of Jeju
To put down a 1948 Communist insurrection, South Korea conducted a brutal, scorched-earth occupation of the island of Jeju.
Previous Films
Date Film
May 17 Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry
A portrait of dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei
May 10 Doctors of the Dark Side
Doctors and psychologists play a critical role in torture.
May 3 The Wobblies
A look at the Industrial Workers of the World, one of America's most radical labor unions
Apr 26 The Invisible War
A look at shortcomings of the military's response to sexual assault of women within its ranks
Apr 19 Granito
Guatemalans piece together the 1982 genocide of 200,000 Mayans.
Apr 12 Slavery by Another Name
Make-up showing from 2/8 Black slavery did not end with the Civil War; PBS looks at the phenomenon in the period from 1865-1945.
Apr 5 A Fierce Green Fire
An in-depth look at the environmental movement through five important campaigns
Mar 29 The Suzuki Diaries
The Nature of Things host David Suzuki and his daughter travel through Europe exploring whether there is hope for a sustainable future, and what it might look like.
Mar 22 Harvest of Empire
Democracy Now's Juan Gonzalez argues that America's burgeoning Latino population is partly the result of U.S. colonialism in Latin America.
Mar 15 Roadmap to Apartheid
A detailed consideration of the comparison between the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and South Africa's Apartheid era
Mar 8 Salt of the Earth
In a blacklisted 1954 film, Mexican-American workers strike for equal pay, while the women among them fight for an equal voice.
Mar 1 Detropia
Once prosperous, Detroit must reinvent its economy.
Feb 22 5 Broken Cameras
A Palestinian in the path of Israeli development uses a series of cameras to document the life of his family and the resistance of his community.
Feb 15 A Burning Question
The Media Education Foundation looks at how perception management confounds the reality of Global Warming.
Feb 8 Slavery by Another Name
Postponed to April 12. Black slavery did not end with the Civil War; PBS looks at the phenomenon in the period from 1865-1945.
Feb 1 Medea Benjamin on Drones
Medea Benjamin of Code Pink will speak at the Friends Meeting House, 43 Center Street
Jan 25 Dakota 38
A Native American spiritual leader and Vietnam vet leads a pilgrimage to the site of mass hanging of Dakota Indians in 1862.
Jan 18 Latinos Beyond Reel
The Latino population is under-represented and vilified in the film and television media. New from the Media Education Foundation
Jan 11 H2Oil
Extracting oil from Alberta's tar sands involves surface-mining pristine forests and contaminating vast volumes of water.
[Makeup showing for 12/7/12 equipment failure]
Jan 4 The Flaw
Reflections on Alan Greenspan's 2008 comment that the economic crash may have been the result of a 'flaw in the model'
2012 Films
Date Film
Dec 28 The New Great Game
Political changes in the Middle East diminish the influence of the West.
Dec 21 The Minister's War
In 1939, a Massachusetts minister and his wife go to eastern Europe to help Jews and others escape persecution.
Dec 14 Agrofuels and The Dirty Truth about Coal
Diverting food to fuel increases hunger and encourages damaging monocropping; pollution from coal is a serious problem affecting the entire nation. Discussion with Coal filmmaker Alexia Prichard.
Dec 7 H2Oil
Extracting oil from Alberta's tar sands involves surface-mining pristine forests and contaminating vast volumes of water.
Nov 30 Waiting for Mercy: the Case against Yassin Aref and Mohammed Hossain
A closeup of an FBI-manufactured terrorist plot, and the two Albany Muslims who took the fall. Discussion with the filmmaker, Lynn Jackson.
Nov 23 No film
Nov 16 The Thick Dark Fog
A Lakota man heals from the childhood repression of his identity and culture at a Native American boarding school.
Nov 9 Witness against Drones
Northampton Committee member Paki Wieland will report on an anti-drone action she attended in South Waziristan, Pakistan.
Nov 2 The Welcome
Veteran families in a group therapy retreat exemplify courage, honesty, and love as they attempt to work their experience into poetry.
  October 2012: Truth and Reconciliation
This October we presented four films on Truth and Reconciliation, in collaboration with the UMass History Department's 2012 Feinberg Family Distinguished Lecture Series.
Oct 26 Greensboro: Closer to the Truth
A Truth and Reconciliation Commission investigates the 1979 Greensboro Massacre, in which Klansmen murdered five activists. Discussion with Marty Nathan, who survived the attack.
Oct 19 Facing the Truth, with Bill Moyers, Part II
Bill Moyers documents South Africa's epic Truth and Reconciliation project. Part I will be shown at UMass as part of the Feinberg Lecture Series, Wednesday, october 17, 7:00 p.m., Thompson 106; discussion there will be led by UMass Professor John Higginson.
Oct 12 State of Fear: The Truth about Terrorism
Peru looks at its response to internal terrorism, which was to suspend democracy and impose a brutal military occupation on the countryside.
Oct 5 Silent Thunder: The Search for Truth and Reconciliation
Canada's ongoing efforts to come to terms with the forcible removal of First Nation children to residential schools
2012
Sep 28 Lives Worth Living
Fred Fay turned the misfortune of his spinal cord injury into a passion to help launch the Disability Rights Movement.
Sep 21 The Fruits of Our Labor: Afghan Perspectives on Film
Ordinary Afghans struggle to address their social and economic needs. Discussion with the film maker.
Sep 14 Monseñor: the Last Journey of Óscar Romero
Archbishop Oscar Romero worked tirelessly for social justince in El Salvador until his assassination in 1980.
Aug 31 Controlling Interest: the World of the Multinational Corporation
A 1978 look at multinational corporations and the effects of the flow of capital and jobs across borders
Aug 24 Los Deportados en Tijuana
Deportees in Tijuana are often desperate; the Casa Refugio Elvira shelters some of them. Discussion with Rosalie Miller, who has been working with the San Diego County Border Angels.
Aug 17 Love Free or Die
When New Hampshire Episcopalians elect a gay bishop, the wider Church re-examines its values.
Aug 10 Paper City
Holyoke youth talk about their perspective on issues of racial, economic, and social justice. Discussion with the film maker, Akil Gibbons
Aug 3 Knocking at the Devil's Door
A comprehensive look at the dangers of nuclear power by anti-nuclear activist Gary Null
Jul 27 Dreamland
A candid but compassionate look at gambling's effect on workaday residents of Las Vegas
Jul 20 Deafening Silence
A rich and complex inside view of the dictatorship in Burma
Jul 13 Too Big to Fail
An HBO dramatization of the 2008 financial meltdown
Jul 6 If a Tree Falls
The story of Earth Liberation Front's Daniel McGowan raises questions about environmentalism, activism, and terrorism.
2012
Jun 29 The Koch Brothers Exposed
Two oil billionaires bankroll organizations working to further a destructive right-wing agenda.
Jun 22 Towards a Sustainable Future
In India, the experimental new-age community of Auroville has prospered for four decades as a model of sustainability. Disucssion with Julian Lines, national director of Auroville International.
Jun 15 The Pipe
On behalf of Shell Oil, Ireland uses force to take land from unwilling farmers.
Jun 8 Just Do It
A year in the secretive world of nonviolent environmental direct actdion
Jun 1 Precious Knowledge: Arizona's battle over Ethnic Studies
Arizona's legislature abolishes its acclaimed Mexican-American Studies high-school curriculum. Discussion with Natalia Mu&noz of La Prensa Western Mass.
May 25 The Greening of Southie
Builders, developers and environmentalists scramble to complete a Boston deep-green construction project
May 18 Farewell to Factory Towns?
MassMOCA's home of North Adams, MA is a case study in the complex issues facing former factory towns. Discussion with the film maker, Maynard Seider.
May 11 The Purity Myth
The "virginity movement" dominates women by demonizing the expression of female sexual power.
May 4 Afghanistan 1362
A travelogue by East Germans visiting Afghanistan in 1983, the fourth year of the Soviet occupation
Apr 27 Tejid@s Junt@s: the Alta Gracia Story
A hard-won campaign by workers, students, and activists changes a factory in the Dominican Republic from a Nike sweatshop to a respectable workplace. Discussion with Will Delphia, the film maker.
Apr 20 Across Divides: Peacebuilding in Nepal
The Amherst-based Karuna Center for Peacebuilding works with the fledgling democracy in Nepal. Discussion with Karuna Center's Paula Green and Olivia Dreier.
Apr 13 Protection
In areas where HIV is prevalent, such as sub-Saharan Africa, condoms are the only realistic barrier to HIV spread - and the social and political forces that discourage their use are wildly destructive. Discussion with Hampshire College professor Jill Lewis, who made the film.
Apr 6 Witness to War: Dr. Charlie Clements and Common Man, Uncommon Vision
An Air Force pilot sours on killing and becomes a rural doctor in the midst of Reagan's dirty war in El Savaldor. Also, the story of labor and civil rights leader César Chavéz.
2012
Mar 30 Donor Opium: The impact of international aid to Palestine and Home Front: Portraits from Sheikh Jarra
Aid to Palestine comes with problematic contingencies; Israelis in an East Jerusalem neighborhood join Palestinians to protest evictions.
Mar 23 Forks over Knives
Two nutrition researchers argue that a vegan, whole-food diet reduces one's risk of heart disease, cancer, and other health problems.
Mar 16 Bahrain: Shouting in the Dark
With little outside support, Bahrain's pro-democracy movement has faced brutal violence that has contained it for a year. Discussion with Northampton Committee member Paki Wieland, who was part of the Witness Bahrain project.
Mar 9 Dark Circle
A 1982 look at the nuclear weapons industry focuses on Rocky Flats, Diablo Canyon (a civilian reactor used to produce weapon ingredients), and the test explosions.
Mar 2 Pray the Devil Back to Hell
Liberian women come together to end a civil war.
Feb 24 Hidden Battles
Five veterans from different wars - including late local Vietnam veteran George Williams - discuss the pain of having killed and what it has meant in their lives
Feb 17 Blue Gold: World Water Wars
As the demand for water grows, corporations and militaries are positioning themselves to control the dwindling supplies.
Feb 10 At the Death House Door
Death-row chaplain Carroll Pickett presided at 95 Texas executions, each of which affected him deeply. He is now an activist against capital punishment.
Feb 3 How to Start a Revolution
Many modern revolutions have followed the instructions set forth by nonviolence theorist Gene Sharp in his free book From Dictatorship to Democracy (the link is to a PDF of the actual book).
Jan 27 Blood in the Mobile
A visit to a tin mine in Congo, where profits fund the Bloodiest War on Earth - and to the headquarters of Nokia, to talk about where they get tin for cell phones.
Jan 20 Maquilopolis
One of the ways NAFTA was supposed to help Mexicans was by creating a factory zone at the U.S.-Mexico border. How is that working out?
Jan 13 MLK: "Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam"
We will watch and discuss one of MLK's most important speeches, in which he introduces to the civil rights movement the connection between racism and war.
Jan 6 Texas Gold
A scrappy Texas mother and fisherwoman takes on Dow Chemical for the pollution that is destroying her shrimpery and sickening her neighbors.
2011 Films
Date Film
Dec 16 El Muro
A look at the human end environmental costs of the new border wall between San Diego and Tijuana
Dec 9 A Place Called Chiapas
Begun as a response to the disastrous 1994 NAFTA treaty, a Mexican rebellion simmers on.
Dec 2 Poto Mitan
The activism of Haitian women shows that change is possible even amid monumental obstacles.
Nov 25 No film
Thanksgiving holiday
Nov 18 La Marcha
The campaign to pass a strong Living Wage law in Sante Fe, New Mexico
Nov 11 Burning the Future: Coal in America
As the world struggles with coal over global warming, West Virginians are fighting to keep their mountains from being blown up.
Nov 4 Recycled Life and Manos de Madre
A huge landfill in Guatemala is home to a community of 50,000 desperate scavengers
  October 2011: Mass Incarceration in the U.S.
This month we are teaming up with Lois Ahrens and the Real Cost of Prisons Project to bring you four films about the politics and consequences of the abusive system of incarceration in the U.S.
Oct 28 Charisse Shumate: Fighting for Our Lives
An activist life-term prisoner champions human rights and inspires others.
Oct 21 Concrete, Steel and Paint: A film about crime, restoration and healing
In a complex and subtle story of reconciliation, inmates and victims of their crimes attempt to work together on murals.
Oct 14 Yes, In My Backyard
An examination of an economically depressed small town that, like many others, decided to base their economy on new prisons.
Oct 7 Up the Ridge
The disturbing example of Kentucky's Wallens Ridge State Prison exposes the politics, money, racism and cruelty of a prison-bound approach to justice.
2011
Sep 30 Gashole
Corporate interests work behind the scenes to keep America dependent on oil.
Sep 23 Women in Black
A movement started by Israeli women protests the oppression of the Palestinians
Sep 16 Grounds for Resistance
A coffee shop near Fort Lewis, WA gives G.I.s a quiet, informative place to contemplate their situation.
Sep 9 King Corn
Two friends grow an acre of corn while documenting corn's role in the American experience. With UMass environmental history professor David Glassberg.
Sep 2 Control Room
The fascinating chaos of a press room shared by U.S. and Arab journalists, as well as the the U.S. military press liaison, at the start of the Iraq War.
Aug 26 Tears of Gaza
The view from the ground of Israel's 2008-9 bombing of the blockaded Gaza Strip. The campaign killed 1,400 civilians in Gaza.
Aug 19 FAIR's 25th Anniversary Conference
Video of a March 2011 panel with Amy Goodman, Noam Chomsky, and Glenn Greenwald. Chomsky's speech, "The U.S. and Its Allies Will Do Anything to Prevent Democracy in the Arab World," was featured on Democracy Now!.
Aug 12 Hot Coffee
A woman's lawsuit against McDonald's over burns from overheated coffee is made into a PR stunt by industries attacking consumers' rights through "tort reform."
Aug 5 Forgotten Bomb
With the Cold War long over, why is the world still on a footing of nuclear "Mutual Assured Destruction?"
Jul 29 Home
Aerial footage from all corners of the world captures diverse human experiences and threats to fragile ecologies.
Jul 22 Freedom Riders
PBS takes a 50-year look back at a difficult but pivotal victory in the Civil Rights Movement.
Jul 15 Honduras: Democracy, a Model of National Security
Talk by local peacemaker Sherrill Hogan on her recent trip to Honduras
Jul 8 The Real Dirt on Farmer John
About to lose his land, a flamboyant Midwest farmer goes organic.
Jul 1 Collapse
Director Chris Smith presents a mesmerizing interview with Peak Oil theorist Micheal Ruppert.
2011
Jun 24 Having the Life of Our Times
No film. An evening of performances caps a three-day event by the Iraqi Children's Art Exchange. At the Center for the Arts, 17 New South Street
Jun 17 The Take
In the wake of Argentina's 2001 economic collapse, workers occupy and restart their idled factories. Discussion with Michele Spring-Moore, a Northampton Committee member who recently traveled to Argentina
Jun 10 Project 798: New Art in New China
In honor of detained Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, a look at contemporary art, political resistance, and globalization in China
Jun 3 Budrus
The inspiring story and remarkable success of a father-and-daughter peace-building team in Palestine
May 27 A Killer Bargain
The work that globalization offers often comes with pollution and life-threatening working conditions.
May 20 The Ordinary Radicals
Among young Christians, a revolutionary movement seeks to embody Jesus' views on social justice.
May 13 Returning Fire
A new film from MEF takes a critical look at the phenomenon of first-person shooter computer games. Discussion with Media Education Foundation founder and director Sut Jhally.
May 6 Arna's Children
Director Juliano Mer-Khamis documents a theater school for Palestinian children affected by the Occupation. Mer-Khamis was assassinated last month.
Apr 29 Inside Job
The economic meltdown of 2008 was caused by Wall Street's systematic theft of trillions of dollars.
Apr 22 Earth Days
From PBS' American Experience series, a history of the environmental movement.
Apr 15 Islam: Empire of Faith (second half)
The conclusion of PBS's miniseries on the history, faith, and practice of Islam.
Apr 8 Islam: Empire of Faith (first half)
The first half of PBS's miniseries on the history, faith, and practice of Islam.
Apr 1 The Yes Men Fix the World
In their second movie, the Yes Men play "identity-correcting" pranks on Dow Chemical, ExxonMobil, Halliburton, HUD, and the notorious U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
2011
Mar 25 The Economics of Happiness
The Localization Movement decries the miseries of globalization and promotes local models of business.
Mar 18 Open Shutters Iraq
Six Iraqi women undertake an ambitious project combining a spiritual journey with photography.
Mar 11 Paying the Price: Killing the Children of Iraq
In a 2000 film, John Pilger explores the Iraq Sanctions imposed in 1991 after the First Gulf War, their deadly effects on children, and the politics behind them.
Mar 4 Enemies of Happiness
The career of outspoken Afghan politician Malalai Joya, who will visit the Valley later this March.
Feb 25 Ciclovida: Lifecycle
A bike trip through South America to gather heirloom seeds and document industrial agriculture's effect on indigenous society; discussion with Loren and Matt Feinstein, the film makers
Feb 18 The End of Poverty
Through history, poverty is the result of policies that redistribute wealth to the already-wealthy.
Feb 11 Pax Americana: the Weaponization of Space
Orbital warfare is unthinkable, yet our tax dollars go towards planning it.
Feb 4 Not Just a Game: Power, Politics & American Sports
A new MEF film explores the political machinations that play out through major sports, and the athlete-activists who buck the system.
Jan 28 To Know is Not Enough
Hampshire College Students for Justice in Palestine persuade the college to divest of holdings that profit from the Occupation of Palestine. Discussion with members of the group.
Jan 21 South of the Border
Oliver Stone and Tariq Ali look at Latin America's leftward shift and the leaders who focus it
Jan 14 King: Man of Peace in a Time of War
A rarely-seen interview with King; his colleagues and admirers reflect on his work.
Jan 7 WikiRebels: The Documentary
A Swedish TV program looks at WikiLeaks, the powerful new anti-secrecy organization that has changed the political and military landscape by exposing corruption and war crimes.
2010 Films
Date Film
Dec 17 This Land Is Our Land: The Fight to Reclaim the Commons
A movement recognizes that shared property and cultural references are essential to democracy, but they are being sold to corporations instead.
Dec 10 Bhopali
The suffering and the fight for justice continue today from the 1984 Union Carbide disaster that killed and maimed tens of thousands.
Dec 3 Gasland
Natural gas drilling is moving into rural communities irresponsibly, contaminating the groundwater.
Nov 19 China from the Inside: Freedom and Justice
PBS looks at China's current state of freedom (e.g., for Tibetans, Catholics, and Falun Gong) and justice (evictions and land grabs, AIDS, and corruption). We will also show parts of The Gate of Heavenly Peace that show imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo's role in the 1989 democracy movement.
Nov 12 Life in Occupied Palestine
Jewish activist Anna Baltzer's film documenting life under Occupation and the nonviolent efforts to resist it.
Nov 5 To Know is Not Enough
Hampshire College Students for Justice in Palestine persuade the college to divest of holdings that profit from the Occupation of Palestine. Discussion with members of the group.
Oct 29 (Astro)Turf Wars
How corporate America is faking a grassroots revolution by organizing, financing, and over-reporting the "Tea Party" and popular resistance to healthcare and climate science.

Note: The previously scheduled movie, Gasland, will be shown next month.

Oct 22 Farm for the Future
Alarmed by the world's energy insecurity and her farm's dependence on cheap oil, a farmer seeks a low-energy future.
Oct 15 The Teacher (El Brigadista)
In the days just after the Revolution, a young Cuban is sent to the countryside to teach. This is a 1977 drama by a major Cuban director, Octavio Cortázar. Co-sponsored by the Cuba Solidarity Committee.
Oct 8 First Strike: Portrait of an Activist
A non-violent activist is tried for destroying a small part of America's nuclear first-strike capability.
Oct 1 Enemies of Happiness
The career of outspoken Afghan politician Malalai Joya
2010
Sep 24 The Road to Guantanamo
Captured in Afghanistan, three British men are held and mistreated for years, then released without charge. Discussion with Nancy Talanian of No More Guantanamos.
Sep 17 Anthrax War
The frightening world of modern germ warfare research. Special guest, John Bonifaz.
Sep 10 Harvest of Grief
Indian farmers are being wiped out by debt after being enticed into using Monsanto's expensive GM cotton regimen. Discussion with Amherst College Professor Amrita Basu, the film maker's daughter.
Sep 3 The Most Dangerous Man in America
The story of Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers. With special guest, Randy Kehler.
Aug 27 Guazapa: Yesterday's Enemies
In a former battleground, the years since the Salvadoran Civil War have brought both problems and hope.
Aug 20 Kunstler, Disturbing the Universe
The story of controversial civil rights lawyer William Kunstler, as told by his daughters
Aug 13 The End of the Line
Global fisheries will disappear soon unless responsible fishing policies are enacted.
Aug 6 Amazing Grace and Chuck
A Little-Leaguer leads a campaign for nuclear disarmament.
Jul 30 Seeing Red
The history of American Communism
Jul 23 Plunder: the Crime of our Time
The sub-prime crisis, and the global downturn that followed, were caused by massive, institutionalized theft.
Jul 16 Dirt! The Movie
An underappreciated miracle, soil has a vast impact on our social, political, economic, and geologic climate.
Jul 9 Burma VJ
Risking their freedom and their lives, video journalists document the 2007 uprising against the military dictatorship in Burma.
Jul 2 Tough Guise
A new film from the Media Education Foundation examines media portrayals of masculinity.
2010
Jun 25 The Money Fix
The form our economy takes is largely dictated by the nature of money; alternative monetary systems can solve problems.
Jun 18 Scarred Lands and Wounded Lives
From weapons production, through combat and cleanup, war has a massive environmental impact that is routinely ignored.
Jun 11 Under Our Skin
The twisted tale of a baffling disease - Lyme - emerging under a broken health care system
Jun 4 Sir, No Sir!
Disillusioned with colonial war, Vietnam G.I.s coalesce into a formidable resistance movement.
May 28 Dr. Strangelove
Stanley Kubrik's classic fictional look at the horrific possibilities of the nuclear arms race
May 21 the | visitors
A weekly charter bus carries visitors to the distant prisons where their loved ones are incarcerated.
May 14 In Transition 1.0: from Oil Dependence to Local Resilience
A positive, solutions-focused movement helps retool local communities for a petroleum-free future.
May 7 Pastors for Peace - People to People and Sin Embargo
Films on two forces defying the embargo: the annual Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba, and the ingenuity of the Cuban people
Apr 30 Crude: The Real Price of Oil
When Amazonians sue, a trial court examines Chevron's contamination of a swath of rainforest.
Apr 23 Hope Along the Wind
The life of radical gay-rights activist Harry Hay
Apr 16 Food, Inc.
The corporate model of food production harms workers, animals, consumers, and the environment.
Apr 9 Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai
An activist leads a grassroots movement to plant trees and build democracy in Kenya.
Apr 2 Sophie Scholl: The Final Days
The last days of Sophie Scholl, member of the White Rose, a nonviolent resistance group in Nazi Germany
2010
Mar 26 Naji Al-Ali: An Artist With a Vision
The life and assassination of Palestine's most famous political cartoonist
Mar 19 Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo
Lawyers, inmates, and others talk about America's shameful descent into kidnapping and torture.
Mar 12 Rachel
A young American woman is killed by an IDF bulldozer while protesting the destruction of a Palestinian home.
Mar 5 The Mean World Syndrome: Media Violence and the Cultivation of Fear
A new Media Education Foundation film examines how TV violence makes people more fearful and more likely to accept violent solutions to social problems.
Feb 26 Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train
The life of historian Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States
Feb 19 Death and Taxes
Resisters and experts explain the how and why of War Tax Resistance. Local war tax resisters Randy Kehler and Andrea Ayvazian will attend and discuss.
Feb 12 Haiti: Killing the Dream
The 1991 coup and its place in Haiti's long history of colonial meddling
Feb 5 USA vs. Al-Arian
A tenured Florida professor is arrested in 2003, charged with terrorism, and acquitted - yet remains in Federal custody. Co-sponsored by the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, the Middle East Peace Coalition, and No More Guantanamos.
Jan 29 The Young Honduran Revolution
Thousands of Honduran students protesting the 2009 military coup clash with police.
Jan 22 Afghan Women: A History of Struggle
Afghanistan's last quarter-century of war, occupation and repression, as experienced by women activists.
Jan 15 At the River I Stand
Details of Martin Luther King's Poor People's Campaign, the Memphis Sanitation Strike, and the run-up to the assassination.
Jan 8 Fighting the Massachusetts Chainsaw Massacre
Presentation by Chris Matera and Dave Gafney of Massachusetts Forest Watch on renewed clear-cutting in Massachusetts and the proposed wood-burning "biomass" power plant
2009 Films
Date Film
Dec 18 Coal Country
The practice of of mountaintop removal and its impact on local communities, residents, and miners.
Dec 11 The Good Fight: The Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War
With the major powers ambivalent about fascism at its outset, socialist and anarchist Americans sneak into Spain to fight the Nazis.
Dec 4 Pray the Devil Back to Hell
Liberian women come together to end a civil war.
Nov 27 A Killer Bargain
The menial work that globalization brings often comes with pollution and life-threatening working conditions.
Nov 20 The Orange Revolution
Taking to the streets, millions of Ukrainians stop an attempt to steal their 2004 presidential election.
Nov 13 638 Ways to Kill Castro
The CIA and Cuban exiles have made hundreds of attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro.
Nov 6 Holy Land: Common Ground
Israelis and Palestinians work together for peace in their shared homeland.
Oct 30 Fierce Light
Spiritual activism around the world; interviews with Alice Walker, Desmond Tutu, Thich Nhat Hahn and more
Oct 23 Blind Spot
As currently constructed, the global economy will not withstand the changes required to save our ecology.
Oct 16 Consume This Movie
Consumerism has become a core part of Americans' lifestyles, but resource depletion, climate change, and social injustice make it unconscionable.
Oct 9 Money-Driven Medicine
Because its primary mission is profit rather than health care, our system costs double that of other nations. Co-sponsored by the Hampshire/Franklin Health Care Coalition.
Oct 2 View from a Grain of Sand
The last three decades of Afghanistan's history, as lived by three Afghan women.
2009
Sep 25 Swimming Up the Tigris: Real-Life Encounters with Iraq
Author Barbara Aziz talks about her recent book documenting the effect of sanctions on the Iraqi people
Sep 18 A Dangerous Business Revisited
A follow-up to the story of an iron foundry where weak safety laws failed to protect workers
Sep 11 Tragedy in the Holy Land : The Second Uprising
Examining core Palestinian issues of land and identity clarifies the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Co-sponsored by the Middle East Peace Coalition.
Sep 4 Communities in Dialogue: Healing the Wounds of War
The Karuna Center for Peacebuilding works to prevent and transform religious, ethnic and political conflict. With Karuna Center Director Paula Green.
Aug 28 Tell the Truth and Run: George Seldes and the American Press
The story of muckraker George Seldes reveals the limits of journalistic freedom in 20th-century America
Aug 21 Profit motive and the whispering wind
A visual meditation on progressive U.S. history inspired by Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States
Aug 14 Climate of Hope and Nuclear Deception
Pitfalls of the nuclear fuel cycle, and the promise of an alternative-energy future
Aug 7 The Strangest Dream
The life of Joseph Rotblat, who walked away from the Manhattan Project to work for peace
Jul 31 Rethink Afghanistan
Director Robert Greenwald takes a sobering look at the prospects for a military solution in Afghanistan.
Jul 24 Beyond Elections
Details of the recent trend towards grassroots democracy in Latin America
Jul 17 Women of Planet Diversity
A 2008 gathering explores the future of agriculture, emphasizing the dangers of overly industrial farming.
Jul 10 The Singing Revolution
As the totalitarian USSR withers under the light of glasnost, Estonia chooses nonviolence as its path to independence.
Jul 3 Flow: for the Love of Water
Corporations can't own the air; should they own the water? With water-rights activist Maude Barlow.
2009
Jun 26 Addicted to Plastic
The startling scope of the plastics pollution problem; includes a visit to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Jun 19 Afghan Women: A History of Struggle
Afghanistan's last quarter-century of war, occupation and repression, as experienced by women activists.
Jun 12 F.T.A.
A comedy troupe featuring Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland speaks to the G.I. Resistance movement during the Vietnam war.
Jun 5 No Secret Anymore
LGBT rights pioneers Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, who founded America's first lesbian rights group
May 29 The Battle of the Bag and Message in the Waves
Plastic supermarket bags have become a serious pollution problem. Co-sponsored by The BagShare Project.
May 22 Consuming Kids
A multi-billion dollar marketing machine uses the latest advances in psychology and neuroscience to target your children. A Media Education Foundation film.
May 15 View from a Grain of Sand
The last three decades of Afghanistan's history, as lived by three Afghan women.
May 8 Sick Around the World
How health care coverage works in five other capitalist democracies
May 1 Capitalism Hits the Fan
An MEF film of a presentation by UMass economics professor Rick Wolff on the roots of the economic crisis.
Apr 24 Suite Habana
A day in the life of thirteen ordinary Cubans. Co-sponsored by the Pioneer Valley Cuba Solidarity Committee.
Apr 17 Progressives in the Age of Obama
Northampton activists discuss single-payer health care and other issues with Nation correspondent John Nichols in March 2009. Filmed by MEF founder Sut Jhally. Co-sponsored by the Single Payer Health Care Committee.
Apr 10 Disarm
A documentary on the global effort to ban and clean up land mines
Apr 7 Robbing the Cradle of Civilization
Special Tuesday showing of a film on the looting of the Baghdad Museum and other sites at the start of the war. Discussion with Iraqi Children's Art Exchange director Claudia Lefko and antiquarian Jill Bierly.
Apr 3 Film moved to Tuesday, April 7
2009
Mar 27 I Remember 1948 and Gaza
Palestinian elders share memories of the year they became refugees.
Mar 20 Why We Fight
America's aggressive military policy since World War II has been largely driven by the industries that support it.
Mar 13 The Ground Truth
Iraq veterans talk about the realities of recruitment, war, and the psychological aftermath.
Mar 6 The Conscientious Objector
The story of Desmond Doss, whose heroism in the Battle of Okinawa made him the first conscientious objector to win the Medal of Honor.
Feb 27 Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land
The American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee heavily censors U.S. media in their portrayal of the Occupation.
Feb 20 Up the Yangtze
A "Farewell Cruise" highlights the social context and consequences of the Three Gorges Dam.
Feb 13 The Secret Pain
The practice and aftermath of female genital mutilation; discussion with Kate Kendal, the film's subject
Feb 6 Constantine's Sword
Ex-priest and Boston Globe columnist James Carroll explores the roots of violence and intolerance in religion, especially Catholicism.
Jan 30 The Dhamma Brothers
Inmates at a maximum-security prison undertake the rigorous ten-day Vipassana meditation program.
Jan 23 Body of War
Gravely wounded in an unnecessary war, an Iraq veteran turns to the peace movement. Second showing, with Iraq Veterans Against the War
Jan 16 Blood and Oil
A new movie from MEF, starring Five Colleges Professor and Nation correspondent Michael Klare, argues that America uses its military as its energy policy. Prof. Klare will be on hand to lead discussion.
Jan 9 Mountaintop Removal
A primary cause of global warming, the coal industry also gruesomely destroys some of America's most beautiful hill country.
Jan 2 Body of War
Gravely wounded in an unnecessary war, an Iraq veteran turns to the peace movement. Also showing January 23.
2008 Films
Date Film
Dec 26 No film
Dec 19 The U.S. vs. John Lennon
When the former Beatle becomes politically active in the U.S., Nixon seeks to have him deported.
Dec 12 Palestine: Normal Life, Resistance, and Endless Occupation
Slide show and talk by daring activist Sherrill Hogan on her recent nine weeks in Palestine. Co-sponsored by the Middle East Peace Coalition.
Dec 5 The Forest for the Trees
The story of EarthFirst! activist Judi Bari, who was framed by the FBI for an attack that nearly killed her. The film maker, Bernadine Mellis, will be on hand to lead discussion.
Nov 28 No film
Nov 21 Garbage Warrior
Eco-visionaries fight for the right to build energy-independent housing using reclaimed materials
Nov 14 Bloqueo: Looking at the U.S. Embargo Against Cuba
The U.S. embargo unfairly hurts Cubans, but helps keep the country's socialism pure.
Nov 7 On the Line
A look at the people behind the movement to close the School of the Americas, which trains Latin American soldiers to help the U.S. dominate Latin America.
Oct 31 Halloween party!
Join us for cider, cookies, and recent political comedy videos. Costume optional.
Oct 24 Aristide and the Endless Revolution
The 2004 kidnapping of Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide continues a long history of colonial domination over the impoverished nation. Discussion will include the recent hurricanes, the effects of which were amplified by the country's poverty.
Oct 17 The Internationale
The story of The Internationale, the anthem of the left that has been translated into dozens of languages.
Oct 10 Finding our Voices
A passionate look at the U.S. anti-war movement since 9/11. The film maker, Holly Stadtler, will be on hand to lead discussion.
Oct 3 Bus Rider's Union
In Los Angeles, bus riders unionize to change a political climate that neglects public transportation.
2008
Sep 26 Climate of Hope
Australian anti-nuclear activists present and lead discussion of a short film on climate change, the hazards of nuclear power, and alternatives.
Sep 19 Considering Democracy
An examination of the core issues that affect us and our identity as a nation; discussion with the film maker, Keya Lea Horiuchi.
Sep 12 Step by Step: Keeping the Arts Alive
A ballroom-dancing program for youth in inner-city Springfield. Discussion with the film maker, Julie Akeret, and the film's subjects, program founders Allyson and George Gouzounis.
Sep 5 The Take
Amid economic collapse, workers take over and restart their idle factories. AnnaMarie Russo will lead a discussion of the principles of anarchy demonstrated in the film.
Aug 29 Iran is not the Problem
A thoughtful examination of the political and historical context of the current saber-rattling with Iran.
Aug 22 The World According to Monsanto
Aggressive and unscrupulous, agricultural giant Monsanto does far more harm than good in the fight against world hunger.
Note: The originally advertised Garbage Warrior will not be shown this week.
Aug 15 The Shape of Water
Five women activists in far-flung situations work for peace and justice.
Aug 8 Iraq's Lost Generation
The BBC investigates the Iraqi refugee crisis, where 4 million - 20 percent of Iraq's population - have been displaced.
Jul 25 The Century of the Self
An intense BBC documentary looks at the the psychological basis of consumerism and how it has been used to engineer a selfish, complacent society. Shown over two Fridays.
Jul 18 Rush to War
Another look at the deceptions and propaganda that led us into Iraq.
Jul 11 The 11th Hour
Leonardo DiCaprio's follow-up to "An Inconvenient Truth" looks at the current state of the environment. Sponsored by GreenNorthampton.org.
Jul 4 No film
2008
Jun 27 F.O.R. Iran Report
Rudy Perkins reports on his recent trip to Iran with the Fellowship of Reconciliation.
Jun 20 Made in L.A.
Three Latina immigrants organize to win basic workers' rights from a clothing retailer.
Jun 13 Freedom of Expression
A new film from MEF details how copyright law is being abused to limit free speech.
Jun 6 Encounter Point
Bereaved Palestinians and Israelis work together to end the bloodshed in the Occupied Territories.
May 30 Occupation 101
A comprehensive rundown of the situation in the Occupied Territories
May 23 Pete Seeger: The Power of Song
The career of folk-music legend Pete Seeger, author of such peace-and-justice anthems as "If I Had a Hammer," "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," and "Turn! Turn! Turn!"
May 16 Two Angry Moms
Two women take on the problem of nutritionally worthless food in schools. Co-sponsored with Food Bank Farm in support of the Proper School Nutrition Bill being considered on Beacon Hill.
May 9 Chocolate Country
A cooperative in the Dominican Republic helps redefine global trade from the bottom up. With the film makers.
May 2 The Diamond Empire
How an advertising campaign made a worthless type of rock precious. An MEF film.
Apr 25 Talking Trash and The Story of Stuff
Waste management in a surreal Texas town; an overview of the many problems of consumerism.
Apr 18 Another Way to Be
Indigenous wisdom from the Amazon basin points the way to an all-important societal change: presentation by Susan Lantz, with video from The Pachamama Alliance.
Apr 11 Echando Raices/Taking Root
From the AFSC, a candid look at immigration in the U.S.
Apr 4 What a Way to Go: Life at the End of Empire
Parts 3 and 4 of a series examining global capitalism as a collapsing empire.
2008
Mar 28 Mission Against Terror
The story of the Cuban 5, Cuban anti-terror agents who were arrested and given long prison terms in the U.S - and examples of the U.S. terrorism they were trying to stop.
Mar 21 In Search of Gandhi
A filmmaker follows the route of Gandhi's Salt March to see whether his hopes for social justice and democracy in India have been fulfilled.
Mar 14 Union Maids
Three rank-and-file union organizers tell uplifting stories of class and gender struggle at the height of the labor movement in the 1930's.
Mar 7 Winter Soldier
The story of the 1971 Winter Soldier Investigation, a public hearing put together by Vietnam Veterans Against the War to publicize U.S. war crimes in Vietnam.

Iraq Veterans Against the War has organized similar hearings for March 13-16 in Washington to publicize today's version of that inhumanity in Iraq and Afghanistan. See our page for local viewing opportunities.

Feb 29 No End in Sight
Insiders expose the incompetence and hubris with which the Iraq war was prosecuted.
Feb 22 In Search of Gandhi
A filmmaker follows the route of Gandhi's Salt March to see what grows there today.
Feb 15 Bam 6.6
The humanity of Iranian people shines against the backdrop of a tragic earthquake.
Feb 8 Uncounted
Details of fraud in the 2004 and 2006 elections, and a call to action to avoid a repeat.
Feb 1 The Water Front
The declining industrial city of Highland Park, Michigan finds it can no longer pay for water.
Jan 25 A Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict, Part II
Danish resistance to Nazi occupation; Polish Solidarity; the nonviolent ouster of Chilean dictator Pinochet
Jan 18 A Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict, Part I
Nashville desegregation; Gandhi; the end of Apartheid
Jan 11 Ghosts of Abu Ghraib
The policy and the psychology that led to the outing of America as a nation that practices torture
Jan 4 Bolivia Presentation
Presentation by Marty Nathan and Elliot Fratkin on Bolivia, currently a flashpoint in the struggle for Latin American democracy.
2007 Films
Date Film
Dec 14 Little Birds
From Japan, an unabashed look at the devastation of the Iraq War.
Dec 7 Greensboro: Closer to the Truth
A truth and reconciliation commission helps heal the wounds of the 1979 Greensboro Massacre. With Marty Nathan, massacre survivor and former director of the Greensboro Justice Fund.
Nov 30 The Refusal
The story of Franz Jägerstätter, whose conscientious objection to serving as a Nazi cost him his life.
Nov 23 The Great Energy Revolution
Optimist Guy Dauncey looks past the calamities of our fossil fuel dependence.
Nov 16 Five New Short Films from Iraq
Five recent short films from the Baghdad Independent Film and Television College
Nov 9 Child Soldiers
Smith Professor Joanne Corbin talks about the tragedy of child soldiers, specifically in Uganda.
Nov 2 Inside Burma
John Pilger's look at the brutal history of one of the world's most repressive regimes provides a clear context for events unfolding today.
Oct 26 Dangerous Living: Coming Out in the Developing World
In countries where homosexuality is illegal, the struggle for acceptance has high stakes.
Oct 19 War Made Easy
Free repeat showing of a new film from the Media Education Foundation shows how the U.S. war machine is greased with government deception and media collusion.
Oct 12 The War on Democracy
U.S. interference in Venezuela's transition from oligarchy to socialism is part of a deadly pattern that has been repeated time and again in Latin America.
Oct 5 Theologians Under Hitler
The German Christian Church generally aligned itself with the Nazis. How could this happen? Could it happen again?
2007
Sep 28 War Made Easy
A new film from the Media Education Foundation shows how the U.S. war machine is greased with government deception and media collusion. Non-free, sponsored by MEF, at Academy of Music.
Sep 21 Ghosts of Abu Ghraib
The policy and the psychology that led to the outing of America as a torture nation.
Sep 14 Local Iranians' Views and Experiences
A special educational forum and Q-and-A with local Iranians. Special location: Room 106, Seelye Hall, Smith College
Sep 7 About Baghdad
Interviews with ordinary Baghdad residents show mixed feelings shortly after the 2003 invasion.
Aug 31 Stolen Childhoods
Children around the world are forced to work, and activists work to expose the practice.
Aug 24 Dorothy Day: Don't Call Me a Saint
The life of pacifist and social justice activist Dorothy Day, who founded the Catholic Worker movement.
Aug 17 The Trial of the Catonsville Nine
Catholic Worker activists are sent to prison for destroying draft records during the Vietnam war. Special guest: Catonsville Niner Tom Lewis.
Aug 10 Zabelka: The Reluctant Prophet
The chaplain to the atomic-bomb aircrews has a dramatic change of heart.
Aug 3 Original Child Bomb
Declassified footage, photographs, drawings and testimonies from Hiroshima and Nagasaki show the human cost of nuclear weapons and connect this painful history to current U.S. militarism.
Jul 27 Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin
The life of openly gay African-American activist Bayard Rustin, a central figure in the nonviolent struggle for civil rights in the 1960s.
Jul 20 Broken Rainbow
A 1974 law continues the genocide by forcing 10,000 Navajo from their ancestral land.
Jul 13 The White Rose
The story of a nonviolent student resistance group within Nazi Germany.
Jul 6 An Unreasonable Man
The life and career of American gadfly Ralph Nader.
2007
Jun 29 Jesus Camp
At a summer camp in North Dakota, children learn the fundamentals of fundamentalism.
Jun 22 Clean Transportation in the Valley
A discussion with MassBike's James Lowenthal about alternatives to the endless grind of automobile traffic.
Jun 15 Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People
The Media Education Foundation documents unflattering portrayals of Arabs in movies and on TV.
Jun 8 Combatants for Peace
Former soldiers from opposite sides of the Israel-Palestine conflict turn toward discussion and peace. This is a video of a January event in Amherst.
Jun 1 Iraq in Fragments
Beautifully filmed portraits of unremarkable Sunni, Shiite, and Kurdish Iraqis.
May 25 Talking of Power
Grassroots participants in the Venezuelan revolution talk about their experiences.
May 18 Out of Balance: ExxonMobil's Impact on Climate Change
ExxonMobil's misinformation campaign against climate change is part of a pattern of anti-social behavior. With the film's creator, Tom Jackson.
May 11 Dying to Live: A Migrant's Journey
A heartfelt look at Mexican immigrants, their motivations, and the hatred they endure at the hands of the country that employs them.
May 4 China Blue
Did cheap Chinese labor make the bluejeans you're wearing? "China Blue" takes you inside the factory for a candid look at the workers, the bosses, and the conditions that power the American way of life. Today is also the 88th anniversary of China's May 4 Movement.
Apr 27 Chernobyl Heart
Consequences of the 1986 reactor fire include displacement, disease, and fear.
Apr 20 The Iron Wall
Isreal's settlements, and now the Separation Wall, work against a vision for peace.
Apr 13 The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community
A positive view of humanity's prospects as it outgrows its ability to ignore its problems.
Apr 6 Crude Impact
Humanity's appetite for oil collides with local cultures, other species, and the planet itself.
2007
Mar 30 Iron-Jawed Angels
Young activists Alice Paul and Lucy Burns risk their lives leading the U.S. women's suffrage movement to victory. (Drama)
Mar 23 ¡Salud!
Cuba's powerhouse health-care system, a source of revolutionary pride, fans out around the world to help.
Mar 16 China Blue
Did cheap Chinese labor make the bluejeans you're wearing? "China Blue" takes you inside the factory for a candid look at the workers, the bosses, and the conditions that power the American way of life.
Mar 9 Buyer Be Fair: The Promise of Product Certification
Globalization too often takes the form of exploitation. Can fair-trade certification programs bring some justice to the picture? "Buyer Be Fair" takes the viewer around the world to examine the prospects, focusing on successes in the coffee and timber industries.
Mar 2 Up the Ridge
The disturbing example of Kentucky's Wallens Ridge State Prison exposes the politics, money, racism and cruelty of a prison-bound approach to justice.
Feb 23 When the Levees Broke
Parts 3 & 4 of Spike Lee's four-part documentary on Katrina
Feb 16 When the Levees Broke
Parts 1 & 2 of Spike Lee's four-part documentary on Katrina
Feb 9 The Murder of Fred Hampton
FBI and Chicago Police raid the apartment of a Black Panther leader.
Feb 2 The Road to Guantánamo
Three British men are detained for three years in a U.S. prison that practices torture.
Jan 26 This Is What Democracy Looks Like
A detailed look at the 1999 World Trade Organization protests in Seattle, and how they awakened a new generation of activists.
Jan 19 We
Arundhati Roy's classic Come September speech set to a stunning montage of music and images of war.
Jan 12 The Ground Truth
Iraq veterans talk about the realities of recruitment, war, and the psychological aftermath.
Jan 5 Outlawed: Extraordinary Rendition, Torture and Disappearances in the 'War on Terror'
The stories of Khaled El-Masri and Binyam Mohamed, survivors of secret detention and torture by the United States. Also, a short video of a conversation with Guantánamo detainee Moazzem Begg.
2006 Films
Date Film
Dec 29 Advertising and the End of the World
The implications of advertising on sustainability: a presentation by UMass professor and Media Education Foundation executive director Sut Jhally.
Dec 22 No film
Dec 15 The Words of Rachel Corrie
A play based on a series of e-mails to her family from 23-year-old American peace activist Rachel Corrie, who was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer while defending a Palestinian family's home.
Dec 8 Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land
Northampton's own Media Education Foundation exposes the stunning level of censorship in U.S. coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Dec 1 American Blackout
Rep. Cynthia McKinney and others investigate cheating during the 2000 and 2004 elections.
Nov 24 No film
Nov 17 Transgender Teens
The story of two male-to-female teenagers: one has the support of her family and the other is forced to fend for herself on the streets. A discussion with trans teens will follow the film. Co-sponsored with UMass Generation Q.
Nov 10 No film: Northampton Independent Film Festival
Nov 3 Iraq for Sale: the War Profiteers
Robert Greenwald shows how U.S. corporations conspire with the Bush administration to make billions off war and reconstruction.
Oct 27 Urban Homesteading: Building Small-Scale Community Economies
Off the grid in the heart of Springfield, homesteaders Kristin Brennan and Daniel Staub will explain how we can take steps in our daily lives towards creating self-sufficient community economies.
Oct 20 Standing on My Sisters' Shoulders
The role of ordinary women in the Civil Rights Movement.
Oct 13 The Color of Fear
Eight men of various ethnicities gather to have "the dialog that most of us fear, but hope will happen in our lifetime."
Oct 6 Race: The Power of an Illusion, Part 3
Race is real, but it's a political concept, not a scientific one. Part 3 of this PBS series examines institutional advantages of being "white."
2006
Sep 29 Palestine is Still the Issue
John Pilger's followup to his 1977 film of the same name asks why there has been no progress in 25 years.
Sep 22 The Camden 28
The 1971 trial and acquittal of anti-war activists who had raided Selective Service offices to destroy draft records.
Sep 15 Sir, No Sir!
The G.I. resistance movement to the Vietnam War.
Sep 8 A Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict
The last three parts of the six-part PBS documentary on case studies of successful nonviolence.
Sep 1 A Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict
The first three parts of the six-part PBS documentary on case studies of successful nonviolence.
Aug 25 Lawn Pesticides: An Unacceptable Risk
The risk of lawn pesticides to children and pets, organic alternatives, and community efforts to end the use of pesticides in public landscaping.
Aug 18 Divided Highways: The Interstates and the Transformation of American Life
The forces behind Americas lack of intercity rail transit, its car culture, and its oil dependence.
Aug 11 Grain of Sand
The history of Mexico's National Education Workers Union and its annual strike in Oaxaca, which was violently repressed this year.
Aug 4 The Future of Food
An in-depth investigation of the pitfalls of industrial agriculture and corporate control of food production, and a look at the alternatives of organic and sustainable practices.
Jul 28 Plan Columbia: Cashing In on the Drug War Failure
A look at the complex issues of drug-trafficking and civil struggle in Columbia.
Jul 21 Kabul in Winter: Afghanistan Without Peace
Journalist and women's rights activist Ann Jones, who spent three years in Kabul after the U.S. bombing, will talk about the ongoing struggle of women in Afghanistan and the failure of the U.S. invasion to deliver on its promises of improved conditions.
Jul 14 The Big Buy: Tom Delay's Stolen Congress
Robert Greenwald's new look at the extensive corruption of our current congress. Cosponsored by Social Workers for Peace and Justice.
Jul 7 Michael Franti: I Know I'm Not Alone
Activist and musician Michael Franti of Spearhead travels to Iraq, Palestine and Israel to explore the human cost of war with a group of friends, some video cameras and his guitar.
2006
Jun 30 The Yes Men
An outrageous band of political pranksters takes aim at the World Trade Organization.
Jun 23 The Real Cost of the War on Drugs for Western Massachusetts
Lois Ahrens, Director of the Real Cost of Prisons Project, will present Tulia, Texa s: Scenes from the Drug War, a documentary about a town that suddenly arrested 15% of its black population on made-up drug charges.
Jun 16 Big Bucks, Big Pharma: Marketing Disesase and Pushing Drugs
The world premiere of the Media Education Foundation's latest film on how our understanding of our health is warped by the pharmaceutical industry's intense marketing efforts.
Jun 9 The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil
As the world faces the end of affordable oil, it can look to Cuba, for whom cheap oil ended 15 years ago when the Soviet Union collapsed. The country survived through a crash program of community-based organic agriculture. Special guest, Paige Bridgens of the Montview Neighborhood Farm, will lead discussion.
Jun 2 Fidel
Film maker Estela Bravo presents a biography of the remarkable Cuban leader with a positive slant rather than the negative bias usually found in U.S. media portrayals.

This is the first of two films about Cuba, timed to elicit support for the 2006 Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba, which will stop in Northampton on June 20.
May 26 An Act of Conscience
War tax resisters in Colrain, Massachusetts must fight to keep their home.
May 19 Lovejoy's Nuclear War
An activist destroys a 500-foot tower to help stop a major power plant from being located in Montague.
May 12 Rebels with a Cause
The 1960s through the eyes of the influential group Students for a Democratic Society; special guest, SDS President Carl Oglesby.
May 5 A Shotgun Wedding: Terrorism, Fundamentalism and War in Afghanistan
Local human rights investigator Keith Harmon Snow, fresh from Afghanistan, will share his pictures and his impressions.
Apr 28 Arna's Children
A West Bank woman starts a theater group for children affected by the Israeli occupation.
Apr 21 The Letter
The mayor of Lewiston, Maine ignites a firestorm of racism against the city's Somali immigrant population.
Apr 14 Turtles Can Fly
A group of children cling to their humanity in a Kurdish refugee camp at the start of the Iraq war. (Drama.)
Apr 7 Abbas Goes to Japan
A six-year-old Iraqi who contracts leukemia is sent to Japan for months of treatment. Discussion with Claudia Lefko of the Iraqi Children's Art Exchange Project, which works with pediatric cancer patients in Iraq.
2006
Mar 31 In their Own Words: Iraqi Perspectives on Occupation
Film maker Brian Conley of the Alive in Baghdad Project, a group working to counter the collusive and sloppy coverage of the Occupation by mainstream Western news media, will present his latest video of interviews with ordinary Iraqis.
Mar 24 Two Short Films Featuring Local Activists
The Case for Impeachment with John C. Bonifaz, and We Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For, featuring the Rev. Lennox Yearwood
Mar 17 Class Dismissed: How TV Frames the Working Class
World premiere!
A brand-new film by our own Media Education Foundation examines TV's lowbrow stereotypes about working-class people.
Mar 10 Haiti: Harvest of Hope
Haiti's turbulent course towards democracy during the early 1990's.
Mar 3 Ancient Futures - Learning from Ladakh
A remote land's modernization highlights the root causes of social problems.
Feb 24 The Weather Underground
Amid Vietnam-era turbulence, a band of political bombers sets a vivid counter-example for the peace movement. Special guest, SDS President Carl Oglesby.
Feb 17 Winter Soldier
The 1971 Winter Soldier Investigation, a veterans' group hearing to publicize U.S. war crimes in Vietnam. Special guest, Vietnam veteran Al Miller of the Veterans Education Project.
Feb 10 Long Night's Journey Into Day
South Africa's attempt to treat the wounds of apartheid through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Feb 3 Paul Robeson: Here I Stand
The life of blacklisted activist/entertainer Paul Robeson. From the PBS American Masters series.
Jan 27 EDSA II: People Power in 2001
The 2001 People Power movement in the Philippines, which took on President Jose Estrada. Discussion with UMass Asian History Professor Richard Chu.
Jan 20 Vieques: Worth Every Bit of Struggle
Islanders struggle to reclaim their land from U.S. Navy occupation and bombing. With special guest, the film's producer, Mary Patierno.
Jan 13 Worlds Apart: 9/11 First Responders Against the War
A group of 9/11 first responders visits their counterparts in Afghanistan.
Jan 6 Breakdown
Political and military insiders discuss the disastrous direction of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.
2005 Films
Date Film
Dec 16 The Historic Emergence of Nonviolent Struggle
A classic lecture by nonviolence theoretician Gene Sharp
Dec 9 Favela Rising
A drug dealer in the slums of Rio becomes a social activist, with music as his vehicle.
Dec 2 Weapons of the Spirit
The amazing story of Le Chambon, a French village that hid 5,000 Jews during the Nazi occupation.
Nov 25 No film
Nov 18 People Power: The Philippine Experience
The forces of nonviolence in the run-up to the ouster of Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Nov 11 Film cancelled
Nov 4 Haiti: The Untold Story
Human rights abuses in Haiti since the 2004 coup, including a 2005 massacre of civilians by the U.N.
Oct 28 The Argentina Autonomista Project
A multimedia presentation on women in grassroots activism. Special guest: AAP Coordinator Graciela Monteagudo.
Oct 21 The Forest for the Trees
The story of EarthFirst! activist Judi Bari, who was framed by the FBI for an attack that nearly killed her.
Oct 14 Someone Sang for Me
Local filmmaker Julie Akeret will present her documentary on Springfield gospel singer and community-based music educator Jane Sapp.
Oct 7 The Doctor, the Depleted Uranium, and the Dying Children
A team of DU experts visit contaminated Iraqi battlefields and civilian areas, as well as a Basra cancer ward. (Repeat showing.)
2005
Sep 30 Voices in Wartime
Poets, journalists, soldiers and others offer diverse perspectives on war's effects on soldiers, civilians and society. Also known as Poetry in Wartime.
Sep 9 Truth and Politics: Unanswered Questions about 9/11
David Ray Griffin discusses his book "The 9/11 Commission Report Omissions and Distortions"
Aug 5 Hiroshima: The Forgotten Secret Footage and ABC News: Why We Dropped the Bomb
Forgotten Japanese archival footage of the devastation; Peter Jennings questions the military necessity of the bombs.
Jul 29 Refusing to Kill: Refuseniks from Around the World Speak Out Against Murder, Rape, and Other Torture
Refusers' stories, and the reasons they refuse, in a new film from the Global Women's Strike.
Jul 22 The Doctor, the Depleted Uranium, and the Dying Children
DU investigators visit contaminated Iraqi battlefields and civilian areas, as well as a Basra cancer ward.
Jul 15 9/11 and American Empire: How Should Religious People Respond?
Academic-theologist-turned-9/11-researcher David Ray Griffin outlines current thinking of the 9/11 Truth Movement.
Jul 8 The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear
Parts 3 and 4.
Jul 1 The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear
Parts 1 and 2.
2005
Jun 24 Hijacking Catastrophe: 9/11, Fear, and the Selling of American Empire
The full theatrical version of the classic documentary by our very own Media Education Foundation. With special guest, film producer and MEF executive director Sut Jhally.
Jun 17 Orwell Rolls in His Grave
Has America entered an Orwellian world of doublespeak where outright lies can pass for the truth?
Jun 10 Uncovered: The War on Iraq
Filmmaker Robert Greenwald's point-by-point recapitulation of the Administration's case for war.
Jun 3 Control Room
A candid view inside the Iraq war bureau of Al Jazeera at the start of the war.
May 27 Drowned Out and Nalini by Day, Nancy by Night
India's Narmada River Project; Telephone Support Outsourcing
May 20 The Corporation
Corporate insiders shed light on the "pathological pursuit of profit and power." Special guest speaker Ward Morehouse, co-founder of POCLAD.
May 13 The Take
Amid Argentina's 2001 economic collapse, workers take over their idle factory to restart the machines.
May 6 Bloqueo: Looking at the U.S. Embargo Against Cuba and The Greening of Cuba
Cuba through Cuban eyes; the Pastors for Peace Caravan; and the largest-ever conversion to organic farming.
Apr 29 Venezuela: A 21st Century Revolution
How Venezuela's "Bolivarian revolution" is empowering women and women are powering the revolution.
Apr 22 You Got To Move
The story of Tennessee's influential and bigot-beleaguered Highlander Folk School.
Apr 15 The Agronomist
Feature film maker Jonathan Demme tells the story of Haitian activist Jean L. Dominique.
Apr 8 Eyes On the Prize, Parts 5 and 6
The definitive film account of the American Civil Rights Movement. "Mississippi: Is This America?" and "Bridge to Freedom" (1963-1965)
Apr 1 Eyes On the Prize, Parts 3 and 4
The definitive film account of the American Civil Rights Movement. "Ain't Scared of Your Jails" and "No Easy Walk" (1960-1962)
2005
Mar 25 Eyes On the Prize, Parts 1 and 2
The definitive film account of the American Civil Rights Movement. "Awakenings" and "Fighting Back" (1954-1962)
Mar 19 Shocking and Awful
Special marathon screening of all 13 half-hour episodes on the anniversary of the Iraq war.
Mar 18 The Power of Nightmares, Parts 3 and 4
The science of manipulating fear at the societal level
Mar 11 The Power of Nightmares, Parts 1 and 2
The science of manipulating fear at the societal level
Mar 4 The Gate of Heavenly Peace, Part 2
A detailed look at the 1989 Tiananmen protests.
Feb 25 The Gate of Heavenly Peace, Part 1
A detailed look at the 1989 Tiananmen protests.
Feb 18 The Water Is Ours, Damn It!
Bolivia's water rebellion against Bechtel.
Feb 11 No Film
Feb 4 About Baghdad
Interviews with ordinary folks in Baghdad in the summer of 2003 show complex attitudes towards the U.S.
Jan 28 A Force More Powerful: Bringing Down a Dictator
The overthrow of Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic
Jan 21 A Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict, Part II
Danish resistance to Nazi occupation; Polish Solidarity; the nonviolent ouster of Chilean dictator Pinochet
Jan 14 A Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict, Part I
Nashville desegregation; Gandhi; the end of Apartheid
Jan 7 The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
The 2002 Venezuelan coup that failed to topple popular socialist President Hugo Chavez.
2004 Films
Date Film
Dec 3 Bush's Brain: A Documentary about Karl Rove  
Nov 19 Hidden in Plain Sight
U.S. policy in Latin America through the prism of the School of the Americas
Nov 12 The Oil Factor:
Behind the War on Terror
Nov 7 Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train
Special paid showing
Oct 29 The Fourth World War
Oct 22 No film
Oct 15 Outfoxed:
Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism
Oct 8 The End of Suburbia:
Oil Depletion and the Collapse of The American Dream