Tri-City Independent Documentary Series

May 12, 2012 (1:30 p.m.)

First Christian Church of Fremont, 36600 Niles Blvd (at Nursery, across from the old Adobe Nursery, a few blocks north of downtown Niles), Fremont 510:797:0895

American Teacher

A discussion following the film will be led by Marjorie Leonard, president-elect of the CAL-Retired Teachers Association, and Sherry Blackman, thirty-year veteran at Walters Jr. High in Fremont.

American Teacher tells the collective story of those closest to the issues in our educational system—the 3.2 million teachers who spend every day in classrooms. Documenting the day-to-day lives and sacrifices of public school teachers, this outstanding film heightens our awareness of the real crisis in our educational system—how little we value our strongest, most committed, and most effective teachers, and the ripple effect this has on how our children learn.

In American Teacher, Oscar winner Matt Damon narrates this eye-opening look at American education, as viewed from the perspective of four dedicated teachers. Directed by Academy Award winner Vanessa Roth (The Third Monday in October) and produced by Dave Eggers (Away We Go), the film aims to address difficult questions about the broken public school system through honest dialogue with the people who strive to give children the education they deserve.

April 14, 2012 (1:30 p.m.)

Niles Discovery Church, 255 H Street (at 3rd), Fremont 510:797:0895

Mother, Caring for 7 Billion

A moderated discussion will take place following the film

This month, Tri-City Documentaries Second Saturday Series presents a powerful film on the population crisis.

Mother, the film, breaks a 40-year taboo by bringing to light an issue that silently fuels our most pressing environmental, humanitarian and social crises - population growth. In 2011 the world population reached 7 billion, a startling seven-fold increase since the first billion occurred 200 years ago.

Population was once at the top of the international agenda, dominating the first Earth Day and the subject of best-selling books like The Population Bomb. Since the 1960s the world population has nearly doubled, adding more than 3 billion people. At the same time, talking about population has become politically incorrect because of the sensitivity of the issues surrounding the topic - religion, economics, family planning and gender inequality. Yet it is an issue we cannot afford to ignore.

Mar 10, 2012 (1:30 p.m.)

Niles Discovery Church, 255 H Street (at 3rd), Fremont 510:797:0895

Dreams Die Hard. Survivors of Slavery in America Tell Their Story

A discussion following the film will be led by Sister Elaine Sanchez of the Sisters of the Holy Family who works with victims, along with an agent from the FBI

In our cities and neighborhoods there are slaves in America today. Around 18,000 people are brought to this country every year as victims of human trafficking. More than 40% of human trafficking in California occurs in the Bay Area, yet hardly anyone is aware of the problem.

The film introduces some victims of human trafficking and the people and groups that are taking risks and kicking down doors to set free slaves in the USA.

Feb 11, 2012 (1:30 p.m.)

Niles Discovery Church, 255 H Street (at 3rd), Fremont 510:797:0895

Thrive

Following the film, a discussion will be moderated by Susan Harmon. She is with the Public Banking Institute, which is campaigning for the creation of a California State Bank similar to the Bank of North Dakota - the only state-owned bank in the nation

Thrive is an unconventional documentary that lifts the veil on what's REALLY going on in our world by following the money upstream - uncovering the global consolidation of power in nearly every aspect of our lives.

Weaving together breakthroughs in science, consciousness and activism, Thrive offers real solutions - empowering us with unprecedented and bold strategies for reclaiming our lives and our future.

Jan 14, 2012 (1:30 p.m.)

Niles Discovery Church, 255 H Street (at 3rd), Fremont 510:797:0895

The Future of Food

Discussion following the film will be led by a representative of the East Bay chapter of Label GMOs.

The Future of Food offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically modified engineered foods that have quietly filled grocery store shelves for the past decade. This film examines the complex web of market and political forces that are changing what we eat, as huge multinational corporations seek to control the world's food system. The film also explores alternatives to large-scale industrial agriculture.

Dec 10, 2011 (1:30 p.m.)

Niles Congregational Church, 255 H Street (at 3rd), Fremont 510:797:0895

Speaking Freely

Discussion following the film will be led by Sharat Lin, PhD, of the San Jose Peace and Justice Center.

For many years John Perkins, author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man and Hoodwinked, was an "economic hit man" in the world of international finance, persuading Third World countries to take on large-scale public works projects. Today most of us recognize that such projects, often financed by the World Bank and IMF, have served to enrich US corporations while creating crippling debt for these "host" countries, effectively turning them into American client states.

Experiencing a change of heart, Perkins resigned in 1981 and has since spoken out about globalization and inequality around the world. Perkins combines the keen insights of someone who knows the system from the inside with the honesty of someone who passionately wants the world to understand.

Nov 12, 2011 (1:30 p.m.)

Niles Congregational Church, 255 H Street (at 3rd), Fremont 510:797:0895

Gasland

Discussion following the showing will be led by Vinnie Bacon, chair of the Southern Alameda chapter of the Sierra Club and a former candidate for Fremont City Council.

If you thought it was impossible to set tap water on fire, think again.

In Gasland, an Oscar-nominated documentary, director Josh Fox journeys across America to examine the effects of natural-gas drilling - from poisoned water sources to kitchen sinks that burst into flames to unhealthy animals and people. Is hydraulic fracting a viable alternative to the country's dwindling energy resources, or, everything considered, do its potential harmful consequences outweigh any positives? Should the US - or any country - be investing in fossil fuels at a time when the results of climate change are becoming more and more ominous?

Fox's film raises these and many more probing questions.

Oct 8, 2011 (1:30 p.m.)

Niles Congregational Church, 255 H Street (at 3rd), Fremont 510:797:0895

Occupation Has No Future

Discussion following the film will be led by Henry Norr, former columnist with the SF Chronicle. His involvement in human rights and pro-Palestine advocacy led to his firing in 2003. Continuing to bear witness, Henry also was a member of the US Boat to Gaza initiative this summer.

In the fall of 2009, a group of US veterans traveled to Israel/Palestine to meet with their Israeli counterparts in an effort to strengthen connections and share experiences.

Occupation Has No Future uses this trip to examine the human costs of Israeli militarism and occupation of the Palestinian West Bank. It also explores the work of both Israelis and Palestinians organizing against militarism and occupation. Given the current controversy surrounding Palestinian statehood, Occcupation Has No Future takes on special pertinence.

Sept 10, 2011 (1:30 p.m.)

Niles Congregational Church, 255 H Street (at 3rd), Fremont 510:797:0895

The War You Don't See

A moderated discussion will take place following the film.

The War You Don't See shows dimensions of recent wars which the corporate mass media don't present. The focus falls upon US malfeasance and war crimes, especially the onslaughts on the city of Fallujah, where white phosphorus and an array of other weapons leveled 70% of the houses, killing or displacing tens of thousands of Iraqis.

But this film also analyzes how governments, especially those of Bush and Blair, sold the war to their publics. Early on, the viewer learns that "official truths are often powerful illusions." Pilger interviews journalists, politicians, and military officials about their roles in the propaganda onslaughts that made the war possible. Without making excuses, Dan Rather points to the pressures, especially the fear of being thought "unpatriotic", that led many journalists to self-censor.

Others, however, are less forthright. Many try to invoke journalistic objectivity, claiming that they report what politicians say and leave it to their audiences to determine what is true. Others hide behind excuses such as not being able to find spokespersons critical of official positions. Yet, as Pilger shows, officials such as former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter were both available and well qualified to debunk the lies about Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction.

While The War You Don't See certainly is powerful in exposing the hidden crimes of war, it is most outstanding in exposing media mythmaking and revealing the ways of press complicity with power.

July 9, 2011 (1:30 p.m.)

Niles Congregational Church, 255 H Street (at 3rd), Fremont 510:797:0895

FLOW (For Love Of Water)

A discussion following the film will be led by Elanor Starmer of Food & Water Watch.

This award-winning documentary investigates what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century - the world water crisis. It builds a case against the growing privatization of the world's dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel. Interviews with scientists and activists intelligently reveal the rapidly building crisis, at both the global and human scale, and the film introduces many of the governmental and corporate culprits behind the water grab, while begging the question of can anyone really own water.

Beyond identifying the problem, FLOW also gives viewers a look at the people and institutions providing practical solutions to the water crisis and those developing new technologies, which are fast becoming blueprints for a successful global and economic turnaround.

June 11, 2011 (1:30 p.m.)

Niles Congregational Church, 255 H Street (at 3rd), Fremont 510:797:0895

Inside Job

A discussion following the film will be led independent researcher Brian Good

More than any other film on the financial meltdown, Inside Job leads viewers through the policy and business decisions that, starting in the 1980s, set the stage for the disaster. And more than anything we've seen, it also helps regular citizens understand complex financial schemes such as derivatives, in which the bankers generated a win/win for themselves and left the public to face a lose/lose. If you see only one film on the financial mess we're still in, this is the one to see. Actor Matt Damon narrates.

May 14, 2011 (1:30 p.m.)

Niles Congregational Church, 255 H Street (at 3rd), Fremont 510:797:0895

The Battle of Chernobyl

A discussion following the film will be led by Marylia Kelley, executive director of Tri Valley CAREs, Communities Against Radioactive Environment

The Battle of Chernobyl dramatically reveals the harrowing efforts to arrest the runaway chain reaction and prevent a second explosion, to "liquidate" the radioactivity, and to seal off the ruined reactor under a mammoth "sarcophagus".

The consequences of this catastrophe, the worst before Fukushima, continue today - with thousands of disabled survivors suffering from the "Chernobyl syndrome" of radiation-related illnesses, and the urgent need to replace the hastily-constructed and now crumbling cover over the still-contaminated reactor. As this remarkable film makes clear, the battle of Chernobyl is far from over.

April 9, 2011 (1:30 p.m.)

Niles Congregational Church, 255 H Street (at 3rd), Fremont 510:797:0895

The Story of Wikileaks

A moderated discussion will follow the film

This fascinating film about the origins of the Wikileaks organization follows an international cast of characters from Australia to Germany, Iceland and the U.S., and takes us into the server bunker in Sweden. We learn about the early hacker life of Julian Assange, and his later decision to form an organization where whistleblowers can anonymously pass information that documents crime and immorality. His stated goal is to expose injustice, and nothing exemplifies this more than the leaked film entitled Collateral Murder.

February 19, 2011 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

Capitalism: A Love Story

A moderated discussion following the film will be led by Larry Shoup, Ph.D., historian, Green Party candidate for Secretary of State in 2002, and author of Rulers and Rebels: A People's History of Early California, 1769-1901.

On the 20-year anniversary of his groundbreaking masterpiece Roger & Me, Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story comes home to the issue he's been examining throughout his career: the disastrous impact of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Americans. But this time the culprit is much bigger than General Motors, and the crime scene is far wider than Flint, Michigan.

Moore (Sicko, Fahrenheit 9/11) takes on capitalism's roots, the floundering U.S. economy, and 2008's global financial meltdown and subsequent bank bailout in this rousing documentary. Combining stories about those who suffer most from Corporate America's greed and insatiable thirst for profits and the people most responsible for myriad crises, Moore embarks on another shocking fact-finding rampage.

November 27, 2010 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

South of the Border

A moderated discussion will follow the film

Oliver Stone, the director of Platoon, JFK, Wall Street, and other features, isn't known for making documentaries. South of the Border is his first, and already it's being discussed as one of his best films. In it, Stone travels to South America to investigate how the U.S. media has depicted Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. He interviews Chavez, as well as Bolivia's Evo Morales, Brazil's Lula da Silva, Argentina's Nestor Kirchner, and Cuba's Raul Castro. The result is an eye-opening, dynamic documentary.

October 30, 2010 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

Body of War

A moderated discussion following the film will be led by Adam Seibert of Courage to Resist

The personal project of former talk show host Phil Donahue, Body of War deals with a subject seldom covered by the news media. It follows Tomas Young, an Iraq War veteran paralyzed from a bullet to the spine, on a physical and emotional journey as he adapts to his new body, deals with the VA bureaucracy, and begins to question the decision to go to war in Iraq. But this is not just a film about one brave man's trauma and recovery. As Young's journey unfolds, the film cuts to Congressional proceedings in the leadup to the war. We are reminded how wars are sold to the public and how they so often circumvent legal constraints.

Body of War has garnered an impressive array of awards: it made the short list for an Oscar nomination, was named Best Documentary of 2007 by the National Board of Review, and received the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.

September 18, 2010 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers

A moderated discussion will follow the film

Winner of seven festival prizes and nominated for an Academy Award, The Most Dangerous Man in America is a remarkably relevant film. It revisits the Vietnam War, a pivotal point in American history, and presents the reactions of Washington and the news media to disclosures of shocking truths about the war and the presidencies of Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon. The film is very much about the inevitable conflicts between press and power - and how, under the First Amendment, the country has navigated those conflicts. It's difficult not to make comparisons to the present, when it's difficult to imagine journalists and networks taking such courageous stands. But as the film demonstrates, it can be done.

The film is also about individual transformation, courage, and moral engagement. It chronicles Pentagon/Rand Corporation insider Daniel Ellsberg's growth from true believer to skeptic, from militarist to pacifist. It focuses on his daring endeavor to leak top-secret government papers that, once published, helped to invalidate the catastrophic intervention and to hasten its end. This absorbing documentary features compelling footage of Ellsberg, Nixon, Walter Cronkite, New York Times editor Max Frankel and other key players in the drama.

June 5, 2010 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

Crude - The Real Price of Oil

A moderated discussion following the film will be led by a representative of Amazon Watch and Rainforest Action Network.

More than three years ago, this feature from acclaimed filmmaker Joe Berlinger began telling one of the most extraordinary environmental disasters of our time, described as the "Amazon Chernobyl". Over the course of three decades of drilling in the Ecuadorian Amazon, U.S. oil giant Chevron deliberately dumped more than 18 billion gallons of toxic wastewater in the rainforest, leaving local native peoples suffering from an epidemic of cancers, miscarriages, and birth defects.

Recently re-edited to keep the film current, Crude is a real-life, high-stakes legal drama that offers a ground level view into the lives of those directly impacted by this tragedy, while revealing a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most extraordinary legal dramas of our time.

March 6, 2010 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

At the Death House Door

Discussion following the film will be led by Natasha Minsker, Death Penalty Policy Director, ACLU of Northern California and Rev. Jeffrey Spencer of Niles Congregational Church.

Peter Gilbert and Steve James examine the state of the death penalty in Texas in this thought-provoking documentary filmed from the perspective of a Hunstville "death house" chaplain who witnessed nearly 100 executions over the course of his career. The film also dissects the controversial execution of Hunstville inmate Carlos De Luna, who died by lethal injection in 1989 despite evidence that suggested his innocence.

February 13, 2010 (1:30 p.m.)

Special Haiti film
Co-sponsored by Niles Congregational Church and the Tri-City Independent Documentary Series
Note location. Admisison is free, though donations for Haiti earthquake relief will be accepted

Niles Congregational Church, 255 H St (at 3rd), Fremont (510) 797-0895

Haiti: We Must Kill the Bandits

Discussion following the film will be led by Charlie Hinton of the Haiti Action Committee

This film traces the historical and political background to the problems in Haiti and speaks to why, although only 100 miles from the shores of the United States, Haiti has become the poorest country in the western hemisphere.

The filmmaker, award-winning journalist Kevin Pina, whose wife is Haitian, has been reporting from the island nation since before the coup d'etat and kidnapping of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004.

The documentary will shed light on some disturbing anomalies of the rescue mission such as why were landing slots available for troop flights to the U.S.-controlled Port-au-Prince International Airport while Doctors Without Borders and other aid flights were diverted to the Dominican Republic?

January 9, 2010 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

Rethink Afghanistan

Discussion following the film will be led by Paul Cox of Veterans for Peace

In response to viewer suggestions and an ongoing national debate, the series is presenting Rethink Afghanistan. A 2009 documentary about the ongoing war in south Asia, the film features experts from Afghanistan, the US, and Russia discussing critical issues like military escalation, the high costs of this war, the inevitable civilian casualties, the use of military contractors and secret operations forces, the impacts on Afghan women, and the effects on Pakistan and the surrounding region. As part of his research process, acclaimed director Robert Greenwald (Iraq for Sale, Outfoxed, Wal-Mart) traveled to Afghanistan to interview members of Afghanistan's parliament, women's rights organizations, and groups representing the peace movement.

Greenwald's ultimate goal is to raise the level of public awareness and discourse, to encourage Americans to raise questions about the war, and to urge Congress to hold oversight hearings. Already the film has contributed to the debate, from which its title is derived. It has encouraged retired Corporal Rick Reyes and other veterans to testify before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and meet with members of Congress. Reyes, who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, told the committee that 'sending more troops will not make the US safer, it will only build more opposition against us. I urge you on behalf of truth and patriotism to consider carefully and rethink Afghanistan.'

December 12, 2009 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

In Debt We Trust

A moderated discussion will take place following the movie led by Carol Brouillet, who has studied this issue in depth

In Debt We Trust shows how the mall replaced the factory as America's dominant economic engine and how big banks and credit card companies buy our Congress and drive us into what a former major bank economist calls modern serfdom. Americans and our government owe trillions in consumer debt and the national debt, a large amount of it to big banks and billions to China. A top government official compares the US today to Rome before its fall. A former prosecutor says that many of these loans are worst than mafia loan-sharking practices. An ex-credit card executive explains how advertising campaigns are deliberately deceptive and misleading.

Filmmaker and former journalist Danny Schechter (WMD: Weapons of Mass Deception) investigates Americans' ongoing love affair with credit cards and the staggering level of personal debt it has created, paying special attention to the relationship between Congress and the credit card industry.

November 21, 2009 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

Taking Root

Discussion will be led by Tabitha Kanogo PhD, University of Nairobi. She is currently a professor of history at UC Berkeley.

Planting trees for fuel, shade, and food is not something that anyone would imagine as the first step toward winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Yet with that simple act, Wangari Maathai, a woman born in rural Kenya, started down the path that reclaimed her country's land from 100 years of deforestation, provided new sources of food and income to rural communities, gave previously impoverished and powerless women a vital political role in their country, and ultimately helped to bring down Kenya's twenty-four-year dictatorship.

October 17, 2009 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

The Judge and the General

A discussion following the film will be led by Andres Cediel, co-producer of the film. A graduate of UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, Cediel is a filmmaker and journalist, currently producing documentaries for Frontline/World.

The 1973 military coup in Chile sent reverberations throughout the hemisphere. Abetted by the CIA, the IMF, and the Nixon administration, Gen. Augusto Pinochet seized power, killing elected socialist President Salvador Allende in the royal palace. Sixteen horrific years later, sensing the waning of their brutal military rule, Pinochet and his cronies negotiated a transition to civilian government intended to guarantee them a heavy hand in succeeding governments — and immunity from prosecution.

The Judge and the General is a profile of inspirational courage, the unusual story of the man who challenged that immunity and literally unearthed evidence of the "disappeared." Juan Guzman, a modest, conservative judge who had long been a Pinochet supporter, was also an idealist with a commitment to justice, however delayed. His fortitude in finding out the truth about the Pinochet regime — including his own blindness to that truth — has unleashed a whirlwind of repressed emotions in Chile and written a new chapter in human rights law.

This event is a collaboration with P.O.V., the PBS award-winning nonfiction film series.

September 19, 2009 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

Occupation 101

A discussion following the film will be led by Barbara Lubin, founder and director of the Middle East Children's Alliance. Lubin recently participated in an American-led relief convoy to Gaza.

A thought-provoking and powerful documentary film on the current and historical root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Occupation 101 presents a comprehensive analysis of the facts and hidden truths surrounding the controversy and dispels many of its long-perceived myths and misconceptions.

The film also details life under Israeli military rule, the role of the United States in the conflict, and the major obstacles that stand in the way of a lasting and viable peace. The roots of the conflict are explained through first-hand on-the-ground experiences from leading Middle East scholars, peace activists, journalists, religious leaders and humanitarian workers whose voices often have been suppressed in American media outlets.

July 18, 2009 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

9/11: Blueprint for Truth

A discussion following the movie will be led by Kamal Obeid, a structural engineer and member of Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth.

San Francisco Bay Area architect Richard Gage documents forensic evidence, analyzed by architects and engineers, that the three World Trade Center buildings that came down on Sept. 11, 2001 were brought down by controlled demolitions

June 6, 2009 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

Motherland Afghanistan

A discussion following the movie will be led by Rona Popal, Executive Director of the Afghan Coalition and Afghan Women's Association International. Popal was voted International Woman of the Year in 2002, by the Silicon Valley Women's Organization.

Afghan-American filmmaker Sedika Mojadidi shadows her father, a women's health specialist working to rebuild hospitals in war-torn Afghanistan, in this thought-provoking documentary filmed in the wake of the United States' invasion of the region. In a country where one in seven women dies during childbirth, many women are willing to travel for days to receive adequate care from a trained professional.

May 23, 2009 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

Monopoly Men

A discussion following the movie will be led by Carol Brouillet, who has studied this issue in depth.

Thought by many to be a government organization maintained to provide financial accountability in the event of a domestic depression, the actual business of the Fed is shrouded in secrecy.

Many Americans will be shocked to discover that the principle business of the Fed is to print money from nothing, lend it to the U.S. government and charge interest on these loans. Who keeps the interest? Good question. Find out as the connective tissue between this and other top-secret international organizations is explored and exposed.

April 18, 2009 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

The Power of Community

A discussion following the movie will be led by Larry Shoup, who has visited Cuba several times and taught for a month at University of Havana. A former Green Party candidate for Secretary of State, Larry's best known book is 'Imperial Brain Trust'.

In 1989, as the Soviet Union began to falter, Cuba faced a crisis that all countries will sooner or later face: a rapidly declining supply of oil. The response of the Cubans - from government to business to unions to nonprofits, and above all from individuals - was to find creative ways to move rapidly beyond dependence on oil.

With humor and humanity, the Power of Community tracks their struggle to rapidly but sustainably reinvent a whole economy into one that could deliver the goods without cheap Soviet grain or oil. Cuba’s successful transition to a low-energy economy is both hopeful and instructive, especially now when many of us are seeking ways to adapt to tough economic times.

March 14, 2009 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

The Loss of Liberty

Two survivors of the attack: Ron Grantski and CTSN Don Pageler, who appears in the documentary, will lead a discussion following the film.

In 1967, the USS Liberty was attacked in the eastern Mediterranean by unmarked foreign fighter jets, killing 34 and wounding 172 U.S. servicemen. The U.S. government delayed the rescue for 24 hours, then threatened the survivors with death if they told their story.

The Loss of Liberty documents the story of the men who saved their ship. Hear them tell how they were betrayed by the U.S. government, and hear their plea for a Congressional investigation.

January 31, 2009 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

For the Bible Tells Me So

Discussion following the film will be led by Paul Clifford, spokesperson for Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).

Through the experiences of five very normal, deeply Christian, completely American families - including those of former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt and Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson - we discover how insightful people of faith handle the realization of having a gay child. Informed by such respected voices as Bishop Desmond Tutu, Harvard's Rev. Peter Gomes, Orthodox Rabbi Steve Greenberg and Reverend Jimmy Creech, For The Bible Tells Me So offers clarity and understanding to anyone concerned with ongoing conflicts between scripture and sexual identity.

The film poses several difficult questions: Can the love between two people ever be an abomination? Should Christian ethics be guided by literal readings of scripture, or by New Testament teachings calling for kindness? Is a literal reading of The Bible an excuse to judge or even hate? Is the chasm separating gays and lesbians and some Christian groups too wide to cross?

January 3, 2009 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

Standard Operating Procedure

Discussion following the film will be led by Sharat G. Lin of the San Jose Peace & Justice Center. He writes on the global political economy, the Middle East, India, and labor migration

Photographs taken by soldiers in Abu Ghraib prison changed the war in Iraq and changed America’s image of itself. But did the notorious Abu Ghraib photographs document the aberrant behavior of a few "bad apples", or did they constitute evidence of systematic abuse by the American military?

Standard Operating Procedure sets out to examine the context of the photographs. Why were they taken? What was happening outside the frame? The filmmakers talked to the soldiers who took the photographs and who were in the photographs. Who are these people? What were they thinking? Over two years of investigation, they amassed 1-1/2 million words of interview transcript, thousands of pages of unredacted reports, and hundreds of photographs.

In Standard Operating Procedure, Academy-Award winning director Errol Morris, whose previous films include The Thin Blue Line and The Fog of War, turns his camera to another controversial subject - the use of torture by the United States of America. And once again, he has not just delivered an expose, but also investigates the powerful role of media images in public perception and social change.

November 15, 2008 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

The 11th Hour

Discussion following the film led by Paul Rea, author of "Still Seeking the Truth about 9/11" and the forthcoming "Reveille for Reality: Awakening to What Really Happened on 9/11".

Narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, The 11th Hour describes the last moment when change is possible to save the Earth's environment. The film explores how humanity has arrived at this moment, how we live, ho we impact the earth's ecosystems, and what we can do to change our course. More than 50 leading scientists, thinkers, and leaders - including former Soviet Prime Minister Mikhail Gorbachev, renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, and former head of the CIA R. James Woolsey - present the facts and discuss the most important issues that face our planet.

October 4, 2008 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

Iran (Is Not The Problem)

The film's producer, Aaron Newman, and Larry Everest, author of "Oil, Power & Empire", who appears in the film, will lead a discussion following the movie.

IRAN (is not the problem) responds to the failure of the American mass media to provide the public with relevant and accurate information about the standoff between the US and Iran, as happened before with the lead up to the invasion of Iraq.

We have heard that Iran is a nuclear menace in defiance of the international community, bent on "wiping Israel off the map", supporting terrorism, and unwilling to negotiate. This documentary disputes these claims as they are presented to us and puts them in the context of present and historical US imperialism and hypocrisy with respect to Iran. It looks at the struggle for democracy inside Iran, the consequences of the current escalation and the potential US and/or Israeli attack, and suggests some alternatives to consider.

September 6, 2008 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

Darfur Now

Discussion following the film will be led by Nikki Serapio, Stanford University graduate and executive director for Americans Against the Darfur Genocide He is a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition.

This acclaimed documentary follows six people who are striving to end the suffering in Sudan's war-ravaged Darfur. The six - an American activist an international prosecutor, a Sudanese rebel, a sheikh, a leader of the World Food Program, and Don Cheadle, who traverses the globe with fellow actor George Clooney to pressure world leaders - demonstrate the power of one individual to make extraordinary changes. Be an eyewitness to the tragedy and the triumphs, the fear and the pride. Meet the refugees determined to return to their homeland.

To learn about the background of the situation in Darfur, read the Newbor.com story by Barry Shatzman.

June 28, 2008 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

The Corporation

Discussion following the film will be led by Sharat G. Lin of the San Jose Peace & Justice Center. He writes on global political economy, the Middle East, India, and labor migration.

In the mid-1800s corporations emerged as a legal "persons." Imbued with a "personality" of pure self-interest, the next 100 years saw the corporation's rise to dominance. The corporation created unprecedented wealth, but at what cost? The remorseless rationale of "externalities" - the unintended consequences of a transaction between two parties on a third - is responsible for countless cases of illness, death, poverty, pollution, exploitation and lies.

The Corporation explores the nature and spectacular rise of the dominant institution of our time. Taking its status as a legal "person" to the logical conclusion, the film puts the corporation on the psychiatrist's couch to ask "What kind of person is it?" The Corporation includes interviews with 40 corporate insiders and critics - including Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein, Milton Friedman, Howard Zinn, Vandana Shiva and Michael Moore - plus true confessions, case studies and strategies for change.

May 31, 2008 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

USA vs. Al-Arian

Discussion following the film will be led by Hazem Kira, political consultant with the American Muslim Alliance/California Civil Rights Alliance. He will provide an update on the legal case and Al-Arian's physical condition following his recent 57-day hunger strike.

This revealing documentary presents a close portrait of an Arab-American family facing terrorism charges leveled by the U.S. government.

In February 2003, the FBI arrested university professor and political activist Sami Al-Arian in Tampa, Florida. Charged with supporting terrorism, he was placed in solitary confinement for 2-1/2 years before he received a trial.

The film follows Sami, his wife Nahla and their five children through the 6 month long trial and the difficult period after the verdict. It is a personal story of a family, who like many Muslims in the USA today, are fighting against increasing stigmatization and discrimination in a post 911-climate. The film deals with themes of freedom of speech, and the right to a fair trial. It also shows how the media influence public opinion and how the USA`s fear of and fight against terrorism can threaten civil liberties.

April 19, 2008 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

Loose Change 911

Discussion following the film led by Paul Rea, author of "Still Seeking the Truth about 9/11" and the forthcoming "Reveille for Reality: Awakening to What Really Happened on 9/11", and Brian Good

Only three buildings in the world ever have collapsed as a result of fire - and all were part of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. So why them? Why did Vice President Dick Cheney not order the Pentagon to be evacuated when it appeared a hijacked plane was heading toward it? If there is evidence that Osama bin Laden was behind the terrorist attacks, why did the government not provide it to the Taliban when they offered to turn him over? Why was he never indicted? Loose Change 911, Final Cut attempts to answer these and other questions related to the events of that day.

March 8, 2008 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

On the Line

Discussion following the film led by Faye Butler and Louise Lynch. Both have been to the annual demonstration at Fort Benning, Georgia, where Lynch was arrested.

On The Line tells the story of the movement to close the School of the Americas, a U.S. Defense Department facility at Fort Benning, Georgia that trains Latin American soldiers. Referred to by some as "School of Assassins", many of its graduates have been criticized for human rights violations. For example, many of the officers cited in the murder of U.S. nuns, union leaders, journalists, and others in El Salvador were SOA graduates. The school was renamed in 2001 to The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. Up to 1,000 students attend the school - now open to civilians and non-Latin Americans - each year.

This film takes an inside look at the movement to close the school, which is one of the largest non-violent activist groups in the United States today - more than 20,000 people.

February 2, 2008 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

Peace, Propaganda & The Promised Land. U.S. Media & the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Discussion following the film led by Mo Shooer, Jewish Voice for Peace.

Peace, Propaganda & The Promised Land provides a striking comparison of U.S. and international media coverage of the crisis in the Middle East, zeroing in on how structural distortions in United States coverage have reinforced false perceptions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This documentary exposes how the foreign policy interests of American political elites - oil, and a need to have a secure military base in the region, among others - work in combination with Israeli public relations strategies to exercise a powerful influence over how news from the region is reported.

Through the voices of scholars, media critics, peace activists, religious figures and Middle East experts, Peace, Propaganda & The Promised Land carefully analyzes and explains how-- through use of language, framing and context - the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza remains hidden in the news media, and Israeli colonization of the occupied territories appears to be a defensive move rather than an offensive one.

The documentary also explores the ways that U.S. journalists, for reasons ranging from intimidation to a lack of thorough investigation, have become complicit in carrying out Israel's PR campaign. At its core, the film raises questions about the ethics and role of journalism, and the relationship between media and politics.

Interviewees include Seth Ackerman, Mjr. Stav Adivi, Rabbi Arik Ascherman, Hanan Ashrawi, Noam Chomsky, Robert Fisk and Rabbi Michael Lerner.

January 5, 2008 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

Sir! No Sir!

Discussion after the film will be led by two of the soldiers featured in it, Michael Wong and Keith Mather.

In the 1960s an anti-war movement emerged that altered the course of history. This movement didn't take place on college campuses, but in barracks and on aircraft carriers. It flourished in army stockades, navy brigs and in the dingy towns that surround military bases. It penetrated elite military colleges like West Point. And it spread throughout the battlefields of Vietnam. It was a movement no one expected, least of all those in it. Hundreds went to prison and thousands into exile. And by 1971 it had, in the words of one colonel, infested the entire armed services. Yet today few people know about the GI movement against the war in Vietnam.

This story of the rebellion of thousands of American soldiers against the war has never been told in film. This is certainly not for lack of evidence. By the Pentagon's own figures, 503,926 "incidents of desertion" occurred between 1966 and 1971; officers were being "fragged" (killed with fragmentation grenades by their own troops) at an alarming rate; and by 1971 entire units were refusing to go into battle in unprecedented numbers. In the course of a few short years, over 200 underground newspapers were published by soldiers around the world; local and national antiwar GI organizations were joined by thousands; thousands more demonstrated against the war at every major base in the world in 1970 and 1971, including in Vietnam itself; stockades and federal prisons were filling up with soldiers jailed for their opposition to the war and the military.

Yet today, with hundreds of thousands of American GIs once again occupying countries on the other side of the world, these history-changing events have been erased from America's public memory.

Sir! No Sir! aims to change all that, exploring the impact the movement on the military and the war, and telling the story of how and why the GI Movement has been replaced with the myth of the spat-upon veteran.

Sir! No Sir! challenges deeply-held beliefs not just about the Vietnam War and those who fought it, but about the world we live in today. It is a vivid portrayal of William Faulkner's famous observation that "The past isn't dead; it isn't even past."

Discussion after the film will be led by two of the soldiers featured in it, Michael Wong and Keith Mather.

Saturday, Nov. 17, 2007 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

Hacking Democracy

This outstanding documentary - nominated for an Emmy in Investigative Journalism - exposes the dangers of electronic voting machines, which now count about 90% of America's votes. Its real subject, the health of American democracy, could hardly be more important or timely.

Filmed over 3 years, this expose tracks investigations done by citizen activists as they take on the voting industry, targeting the Diebold Corporation. The film uncovers incendiary evidence from the trash cans of Texas to the ballot boxes of Ohio, exposing secrecy, votes in the trash, hackable software and election officials rigging the presidential recount.

This documentary has impact. Since the film was completed, two Ohio election staff featured in Hacking Democracy were sentenced on March 13th, 2007 for rigging the 2004 presidential recount. The film also spurred California's Secretary of State to commission a special report on voting machines by scientists at UC Berkeley.

A discussion after the film will be led by Dr. David Dill, a computer scientist and professor at Stanford University. Dill founded the Verified Voting Foundation (www.verifiedvoting.org) because of his concerns about the security issues around electronic voting.

For more on electronic voting, read the Newbor.com story.

Saturday, Oct. 20, 2007 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

9/11 Mysteries

Along with 9/11 Press for Truth, which the series showed to a large crowd last spring, 9/11 Mysteries is the best-made, most accurate and most compelling of the many films challenging the "official" story about 9/11. Whereas the earlier film focused on government coverups, 9/11 Mysteries explores the strange but often ignored questions surrounding the fall of the World Trade Center Towers.

9/11 Mysteries is scientific as it draws on testimonials from mechanical engineers such as Dr. Judy Wood and physicists such as Dr. Steven Jones. Rare footage illustrates several mysterious features of the "collapses". In fact, close inspection reveals several features of planned demolitions. The film also raises a question sure to come up during the political campaign: why did Mayor Rudy Giualini acknowledge that "we were told the World Trade Center was going to collapse" but did not warn either first responders or workers in the buildings? This important film should be seen and pondered by thoughtful Americans.

Interactive discussion follows the showing, led by Dr. Paul Rea. A longtime English professor, Rea is the author of Still Seeking the Truth about 9/11 and the forthcoming Fingerprints all over the Crime.

Saturday, Sept. 22, 2007 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us To Death

Narrated by Sean Penn, the film deals with how governments bent on war-making have relied on a vast arsenal of propaganda techniques to overcome resistance at home and disapproval abroad. Looking closely at the spin strategies employed by today's pundits and public officials to build support for the invasion of Iraq, striking parallels to the information wars waged by earlier administrations are revealed, both Democratic and Republican.

Moving from Vietnam to Iraq, the film examines how news reports have become nearly indistinguishable from White House and Pentagon talking points.

Discussion will follow lead by Mickey Huff, MA, who teaches critical thinking courses at several Bay Area colleges. A sharp analyst of propaganda, Huff is particularly interested in how the news media can create a climate that makes war all too easy.

Saturday, June 2, 2007 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

Arsenal of Hypocrisy

The glory days of NASA are over! Today the Military Industrial Complex is marching towards world dominance through Space technology on behalf of global corporate interest. To understand how and why the Space program will be used to fight all future wars on earth from Space, it's important to understand how the public has been misled about the origins and true purpose of the Space program.

The discussion following the film will be led by David Dionisi, founder of the Teach Peace Foundation, ex military intelligence officer and author of "American Hiroshima: The Reasons Why and a Call to Strengthen America's Democracy".

Saturday, May 5, 2007 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

Shut Up and Sing: The Dixie Chicks

Directed by Academy Award-winner Barbara Kopple and a hit at the Toronto Film Festival, the documentary centers on country music's Dixie Chicks and the nationwide vilification over critical statements made about Texas and President Bush in 2003. Over a three-year period, the singers went from darlings of the industry to political targets, receiving constant death threats and being demonized by the national media, boycotted by Clear Channel radio, and even denounced by some of their fans. A parable of free political and artistic expression in a democratic society.

The group made an impressive come-back winning five Grammy Awards in February of this year, one of them for the song featured in the movie: Not Ready to Make Nice.

Discussion will follow led by Professor Richard B. Simon who teaches writing and critical thinking at Chabot College and Dominican University, and is a contributing editor at Relix magazine which published his article "Media Consolidation, the Sound of one Hand Clapping". He is also a frequent on-air commentator on current affairs on KQED-FM.

Saturday, April 14, 2007 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

Who Killed the Electric Car?

Amid ever increasing gas prices, this film delves into the short life of the GM EV1 electric car - once popular in the 1990s and now fallen by the roadside. How could such an efficient, green-friendly vehicle fail to transform our garages and skies? Through interviews with government officials, former GM employees, and concerned celebrities, including EV1 driver Tom Hanks, the film seeks answers to these questions.

Discussion will follow led by Jerry Pohorsky (featured briefly in the film) of the Santa Clara Electric Vehicle Association. His Toyota RAV electric vehicle will be on view.

Saturday, March 24, 2007 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

9/11 Press for Truth

The film tells the moving and compelling story of four World Trade Center widows, known as the Jersey Girls, who went out of their comfort zone lobbying Congress to open an investigation into the events of that fateful day. Absent their efforts there would have been no inquiry, though sadly, most of their questions went unanswered. Discussion will follow led by Dr. Paul Rea, author of Still Seeking the Truth about 9/11.

Saturday, Feb 3, 2007 (1:30 p.m.)

Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont (510) 745-1400

Iraq For Sale: The War Profiteers

This Saturday at the Library, the film "IRAQ FOR SALE: THE WAR PROFITEERS" will be shown followed by a discussion led by Dr. Sharat G. Lin. Dr. Lin writes on the Middle East, India, global political economy, and the environment. His articles include "Economic roots of conflict in the new world order" and "Who started it? Chronology of the latest crisis in the Middle East."

The film tells the story of what happens to everyday Americans when corporations go to war. Acclaimed director Robert Greenwald takes you inside the lives of soldiers, truck drivers, widows and children who have been changed forever as a result of profiteering in the reconstruction of Iraq.

"A Senator named Harry Truman made a name for himself investigating just such misconduct during World War ll. Back then war profiteers were run out of town. Today it appears they run the town." -- Keith Olbermann.