Film Series Schedule, Spring 2006

Theme: Freeflow Ecologies

Feb 8 Thirst Is water part of a shared "commons," a human right for all people? Or is it a commodity to be bought, sold, and traded in a global marketplace? "Thirst" tells the stories of communities in Bolivia, India, and the United States that are asking these fundamental questions. Global corporations are rapidly becoming involved with local water supplies, trying to combine private profits with what many feel should be a fundamental right to water access. (2004, 62 mins)

 

Feb 15 Fishing in the Sea of Greed This film documents how livelihoods and environments are destroyed by “rape and run” fishing industries. This film documents the response of one fishing community in India working under the leadership of the National Fishworkers Forum and the World Forum of Fishworkers and Fish Harvesters to protect their lives. (1998, 45 mins)

 

Feb 22 Litigating Disaster Bhopal was the biggest and deadliest chemical disaster of all time. This powerful new film explores how Union Carbide successfully manipulated both the US and the Indian legal systems against each other to avoid having to defend its record in court. The film follows the case brought by a young Indian-American lawyer on behalf of the victims in front of the Federal District Court in New York. (2004, 52 mins)

 

Mar 1 American Thirst, Canadian Water This lucid and well-organized documentary explores the political issues behind national control of water. A political dispute has broken out between Canada and the U.S. and Mexico over NAFTA's original clause stating that water could be sold between the three countries. Many Canadian legislators disapprove of treating water as a commodity; they would halt its sale out of the country and rewrite the NAFTA clause. The film examines a lawsuit that could set a international legal precedent that could turn water into a tradable commodity in the global marketplace. (2000, 43 mins)

 

Mar 29 Crapshoot This film looks at the failure of our current sewage disposal system and presents alternatives. This is an eye-opening journey around the world to explore different approaches to sewage. Filmed in Italy, India, Sweden, the United States and Canada, this bold documentary questions whether the sewer is alleviating or compounding our waste problem. While scientists warn of links between sewage practices and potential health risks, our fundamental attitudes toward waste are being challenged by activists, engineers, and concerned citizens alike. (2004, 52 mins)

Apr 5 Drowned Out “Drowned Out” follows the Jalsindhi villagers to be displaced by the Narmada Dam through hunger strikes, rallies, police brutality and a six-year Supreme Court case. It stays with them as the dam fills and the river starts to rise. In the next few weeks, their village will disappear underwater as the giant Narmada Dam fills. Bestselling author Arundhati Roy joins the fight against the dam and asks the difficult questions. Will the water go to poor farmers or to rich industrialists? (2003, 75 mins)

Apr 12 Nanga Parbat Pakistan's fast-growing mountain, Nanga Parbat in the far western part of the Himalayas, challenges geological theory. The initial studies by a young Pakistani geologist, Qasim Jan, lead to an international inquiry into the nature and history of Nanga Parbat that eventually change geological theory forever. This is actually a very young mountain eroding at a spectacular rate due to glaciers, the Indus River, and immense precipitation; yet at the same time it is growing faster than any other mountain on Earth. More importantly, its high growth rate is directly due to the erosion it endures. (2002, 57 mins)

 

Apr 19 Chinatown This is a complex and superbly crafted period drama that has become Polanski's most critically acclaimed film. Private investigator Gittes discovers an elaborate scam that involves firstly drying up the San Fernando Valley by diverting water away from it, then to buy up the land cheaply, and finally to re-divert the water back to the valley so that the property becomes fertile and the price skyrockets. (1974, 131 mins)

 

All films are screened on Wednesdays at 7 pm in Little Hall 114

Refreshments will be served. Students, faculty, and public guests welcome.

For further information email enstcoordinator@mail.colgate.edu