ROOFTOP FILMS presents Films for the New Democracy October 2004 Midwest Tour Independent Media can change the world. That's why Rooftop Films and Clamor Magazine are traveling through the election battleground, presenting new, independent films about the pressing issues facing America on November 2nd and beyond. Here are the stories of ordinary individuals, not scheming politicos; the voices of the people, not the corporations. And they are not fair and balanced; these filmmakers have a point of view. They've found something beautiful that they want to celebrate or something terrible they want to change. With these films we'll take you from the streets of New York, through the farms of Iowa, to the homes and hospitals of Baghdad, and let you consider what you want your democracy to look like. The tour is traveling the Midwest. For up to the minute information about the tour dates and locations, please visit Clamor Magazine's tour page. Rooftop Films has just put together a new DVD, Films for the New Democracy, a compilation of some of the best new political short documentaries, animation, experimental films, found footage, PSAs, and video satire from the last two years. The DVD is a limited edition and they're going to go fast, so order one online now at the Clamor Online InfoShop. If you are interested in putting on your own Rooftop Films show in your community by publicly exhibiting the Democracy DVD, you can purchase a DVD with a screening license and show our program in your local theater, microcinema, café, bar, union hall, classroom, or student center. Purchase an exhibition license and help keep the microcinema revolution rolling! And, finally, we are still setting up stops on our tour, so if you are interested in bringing our Swing State Tour to your town this October, please email program@rooftopfilms.com. PROGRAM A: Getting Through to the President (Sarah and Emily Kunstler, 9:00) For three days, at one Greenwich Village payphone, hundreds of New Yorkers tried to get through to the President. From May 5th trough the 8th The Documentary Campaign commandeered a payphone in Washington Square Park to record telephone calls made to the White House. With both humor and sincerity, New Yorkers fed quarters into a payphone and braved busy signals and excessive hold times to get their voices heard on topics such as the environment, healthcare, gay marriage, the war in Iraq, and much more. Dance of Death (Mark Reed, 24:00) George W. doesn't like to be in the same place with relatives of soldiers stationed or killed in Iraq, effectively keeping their opinions from creeping into the national debate. Mark Reed decided he didn't have a problem being seen with them. (This is a shortened version of the original 28-minute film.) Dance of Death is part of the "Shocking and Awful" series, by Deep Dish TV, screening on cable and around the country. Suckers (Bryan Boyce, 0:30) Many on the political left feel that Dubya does nothing but dissemble, but Bryan Boyce has caught him telling the truth at least once. Vision Test (Wes Kim, 6:00)* Who would you feel most comfortable with as CEO of a Fortune 500 company? What begins as a routine eye exam turns into an examination of people's subconscious attitudes towards race, gender and power. Vision Test is based on a study of racial bias conducted by The Committee of 100, a national nonpartisan organization that targets important issues that concern the Chinese-American community, as well as issues affecting U.S.-China relations. * Curated by MediaRights (www.mediathatmattersfest.org) The Light (Brian Doyle, 10:00) If ever Rooftop Films worried about our flickering lights disturbing the peaceful night, this stunning film will calm our fears. This homage to the incredible illumination of New York begins with the most simple structures, and builds to a climax with the ominous 9/11 memorial, which seems otherworldly, and yet perfect for the city that never sleeps. PROGRAM B: Republican Thugs (Matt Lenski and Sam Marks 1:00) Shit's Perfect. Mission Accomplished. As We Sow (Jan Weber, 23:00)** As farmers leave the land in record numbers, contract production, marketing and the associated industrialization of agriculture continue to expand. With the consolidation of food production into fewer and fewer hands, farmers are rapidly becoming obsolete. This intimate documentary about Iowa pig farmers shows us city folk why we should care about where our food comes from and how it's produced, revealing a desperate struggle for land itself ƒ who controls it and how, and at what cost to people and communities, to animals and the environment, and to the very essence of our democracy. ** Curated by Rural Route Films (www.ruralroutefilms.com) Mexican Link (Tepeyac Television Service, 9:00) Rooftop Films became acquainted with the Tepeyac Association in the aftermath of September 11th, when we helped them raise money for the families of undocumented Latino workers who died in the Windows On The World restaurant. Now, Tepeyac returns to Rooftop with a cutout animation which tells the real stories of undocumented immigrants, demonstrating that although these workers are the backbone of the American economy, they benefit the least. To find out more, visit www.tepeyac.org. Mardi Gras: Made In China (David Redmon, 21:00),br> David Redmon follows "The Bead Trail" backwards from the bacchanalia at Mardi Gras to the factories in Fuzhou where the beads are made, to the oil fields in Iraq where American companies mine the petroleum products that go into plastic. When each group is shown images of the other, the cycle of misunderstanding goes a long way to explaining how the unjust system is kept in place. PROGRAM C: G.I. Joe PSAs (Eric Fensler, various 0:30 - 1:30) Eric Fensler re-edits and overdubs some all too American 80s cartoons, twisting and flipping the advice handed out by the boys and girls in uniform. FTAA: Info War (New York Independent Media Center, 12:00) You would think that if there were lots of footage of the Miami police department attacking protestors at the 2003 meeting of the Free Trade Area of the Americas that the mainstream media would think it was at least worth looking at. And you would expect that the press would be intrigued if homeless men testified on video that Miami police had told encouraged them to attack activists and steal their cameras. But you'd be wrong. Like Twenty Impossibles (Annemarie Jacir, 17:00) Using a neo-realist narrative style in the vein of the new Iranian masters, Annemarie Jacir tells a too true story of an ethnically mixed documentary film crew stopped at an Israeli checkpoint in Palestine. The Real Face of Occupation (Deep Dish Television, 17:00) Everyone in the world gets to see what America does in Iraq, except for Americans. Deep Dish Television and their collaborators don't believe that this should be so, so they went out and shot videos in the heart of the occupation, following the troops on housing raids, visiting the tattered offices of independent newspapers, and listening to the concerns of citizens that have to walk through sewage overflow every day just to get down the street. (This is a shortened version of the original 28-minute film.) 30 Seconds of Hate (Bryan Boyce, 0:30) Henry Kissinger finally loosens up and lets us know what he really thinks of us. PROGRAM D: Revolutions Per Minute (Alex Roper 3:00) There are many ways to celebrate the 4th of July. Packing a record player full of fireworks is just one of them. I Promise Africa (Jerry A. Henry 2:00) A sweet short song of regret dedicated to a very troubled place. Forbidden to Wander (Susan Youssef, 35:00) In this hypnotizing home movie, a young woman returns to explore her native Gaza. Without judgment, Youssef documents the daily lives of people in an occupied land ƒ the difficulties of buying groceries, following your favorite film stars, passing mail from town to town. Along the way, Youssef is harassed at a protest, witnesses the horror of a bombing, and helps a friend flea the country. But it is the crush she develops on one of her hosts which sets the tone for the film, a lush and melancholy love letter. AC-130 Gunship (Anonymous 8:00) According to the US Air Force, the AC-130 Gunship, a war plane known as Spectre, "uses video cameras, infrared and radar sensors to find and track targets on the ground and distinguish them from friendly forces." In this anonymous video posted to the web, it's the pilots themselves who seem to have trouble distinguishing between a mosque and a military target. Terra (Aristomenis Tsribas, 6:45) In a peaceful and distant future world, a strong young alien woman named Mala asserts her independence by looking through a telescope, questioning a slowly approaching visitor. Some call it a god. However, as Mala watches, it is revealed in all it's horrifying glory. God bless America and her thousand points of light. Sunset Strip (Pete Bergeron 2:00) "There's something happening here. What it is ain't exactly clear." Now it is. Support the Tour Touring (like all our endeavors) costs money. And when we're touring for such a great cause—the freedom and health of the world—we'd like to think we can count on our supporters to help us out. Please, take a minute and make a tax-deductible donation to Rooftop Films through our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas. It's quick, it's easy, it's online, and it will help us bring these informative films to places where information is needed.