Documentaries: OSI and Sundance Institute

The Open Society Institute and the Sundance Institute present a series of
nineteen of the most provocative documentaries made with support from the
Soros/Sundance Documentary Fund. All movies will be shown at Film Forum.

Thursday, October 26

1:30 p.m.
Stranger with a Camera (Elizabeth Barret, 2000). A thoughtful examination
into the murder of a Canadian filmmaker who traveled to Appalachia in the
1960s to document poverty.

4:00 p.m.
Long Night’s Journey into Day (Frances Reid and Deborah Hoffman, 1999). An
inspiring portrait of four cases brought before the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission, illustrating South Africa’s quest for
restorative justice.

7:00 p.m.
Calling the Ghosts: A Story about Rape, War, and Women (Mandy Jacobson and
Karmen Jelincic, 1996). A gripping account of the struggle for justice by
two Bosnian women raped in a Serbian concentration camp. Preceded
by Red Rubber Boots (Jasmila Zbanic, 2000), a haunting portrayal of one
woman’s search for the remains of her family, who were killed by the
Serbian army during the Bosnian war.

Friday, October 27

1:30 p.m.
Hillbrow Kids (Michael Hammon and Jacqueline Gögen, 1999). A revealing
conversation with street children in Johannesburg coping with the
hardships of post-apartheid South Africa.

4:00 p.m.
Southern Comfort (Kate Davis, 2000). A moving depiction of the lethal cost
of discrimination in the United States today, through the story of a
female-to-male transsexual who dies of ovarian cancer after repeatedly
being denied medical treatment. Followed by a conversation with the
director.

6:30 p.m.
Children Underground (Edet Belzberg, 2001). An intimate look at the lives
of abandoned and runaway youths who make their home below the streets of
Bucharest, Romania. Followed by a conversation with the director.

9:00 p.m.
Persons of Interest (Alison Maclean and Tobias Perse, 2003). Former
detainees of South Asian and Middle Eastern descent who were arbitrarily
arrested and interrogated in the aftermath of September 11, 2001,
tell their stories. Followed by a conversation with the directors.
Preceded by Asylum (Sandy McLeod and Gini Reticker, 2003). A young
Ghanaian woman seeks refugee status in the United States to escape the
threat of female genital mutilation.

Saturday, October 28

1:30 p.m.
Iran: Veiled Appearances (Thierry Michel, 2002). An unprecedented glimpse
into the fractured society of Iran, exploring the lives of students,
soldiers,artists, and religious figures.

3:30 p.m.
Punitive Damage (Annie Goldson, 1999). After her son is shot by the
Indonesian military in a mother sets out on a quest for truth and justice
that brings her to an American courtroom and puts the Indonesian
government on trial. Preceded by Still Standing: A Youth Organizers
Television (YO-TV) Documentary on Hurricane Katrina (2006). A poignant
story of the challenges faced by a Hurricane Katrina survivor six
months after the storm, documented by a group of student filmmakers.
Followed by a conversation with the director and crew members.

6:30 p.m.
My American Dream: How Democracy Works Now (Shari Robertson and Michael
Camerini, work-in-progress). An exploration into the lives of 24 people
engaged in the struggle surrounding U.S. immigration policy. Followed
by a conversation with the directors.

9:00 p.m.
One Day in September (Kevin MacDonald). A gripping account of the attack
on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, weaving archival footage
with contemporary interviews.

Sunday, October 29

1:30 p.m.
Senorita Extraviada (Missing Young Woman) (Lourdes Portillo, 2001). A
haunting investigation into the disappearance of hundreds of young women
in Juárez, Mexico. Preceded by There Are Women in Russian Villages (Pavel
Kostomarov and Antoin Kattin, 2006), a troubling look at the feminization
of poverty in Russia, where women are the poorest members of the
population.

4:00 p.m.
Life and Debt (Stephanie Black, 2001). An unsparing depiction of the
impact of globalization on Jamaica,with narration written by Jamaica
Kincaid.

6:30 p.m.
The Inner Tour (Ra'anan Alexandrowicz, 2001). A story of a group of
Palestinians traveling around Israel for the first time, filmed just
months before Middle East tensions escalated in 2000.

9:00 p.m.
Liberia: An Uncivil War (Jonathan Stack and James Brabazon, 2004). An
inside look at the civil war in Liberia and the siege of its capital,
including exclusive interviews with President Charles Taylor. Followed by
a conversation with the director.