Parallax View Friday September 22 at The Victory Grill 6:30-10:30pm


Program details:


6:30-8:00pm
PALESTINE BLUES dir. Nida Sinnokrot
(US/Palestine 2005, 80 min, Mini-DV)
Palestine Blues follows the repercussions of the Israeli Security Wall and Settlement expansion in the engulfed/annexed Palestinian farming communities of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Instead of focusing on the object of the Wall, this documentary examines the grassroots resistance movement that has sprung up against it. Palestine Blues is not a "traditional" political reportage but rather an interminable road trip across hard and liquid borders, across a terrain that is being erased as it is being traversed.

Nida Sinnokrot is a Palestinian-American artist and filmmaker. His films, installations, and sculptures, which have shown nationally and internationally, often explore complex notions of time and space in a phenomenological investigation of Diaspora consciousness. After completing his undergraduate studies in Radio, Television, and Film at the University of Texas at Austin, Nida moved to New York where he received an MFA in Film and Video from Bard College. Nida recently completed the Whitney Museum of American Art Independent Study Program, is a 2002 Rockefeller Media Fellow, and was recently awarded a Paul Robeson media grant.


9:00-10:00pm
SAMIDOUN: A MULTIMEDIA JOURNEY THROUGH THE 34-DAY WAR IN LEBANON AND ITS AFTERMATH with Andrew Stern which interweaves video, still photography and audio collected in the field with video by Democracy Now!'s Ana Nogueira

Samidoun interweaves still photography and audio collected in the field by award winning documentary photographer Andrew Stern. It takes us on a heart-wrenching journey through the devastating 34- day war in Lebanon and its aftermath post cease-fire. It is a uniquely intimate look at the human cost of this bloody conflict that took the lives of at least 1600 people, wounded thousands, and displaced over one million. Stern's work takes us to the scene of massive bombings, travels through the desolation of Lebanon's destroyed landscape, bears witness as people emerge from the rubble to bury their dead, and ultimately reveals the steadfast determination of the Lebanese people to survive and rebuild their country in the face of unimaginable violence and national anguish. Stern's work is a reminder of the importance and power of independent journalism, in the face of a mainstream media that increasingly presents a one sided and superficial perspective.

Following Stern, will be Ana Nogueira's hard-hitting TV news reports for Democracy Now!, which form the basis for her half-hour documentary. Nogueira was a correspondent for Democracy Now! during the war and stayed in Lebanon to document its long-lasting effects on this ravaged country. Samidoun links Nogueira's reports into a cohesive narrative that portrays the horrific impact of Israel's attacks on the people of Lebanon and the civilian infrastructure. It takes viewers inside hospitals in Lebanon to the ruins of Bint Jbail, Aitta Chaab, and Yaroun to tobacco fields filled with Israeli cluster bombs to the oil-slicked Lebanese coastline and provides a rare glimpse into the hearts of ordinary people whose lives have been changed forever.

"Samidoun" translates from Arabic to "Steadfastness", or "Those Who Stay." In this presentation, we will provide information on the Lebanese grassroots coalition of the same name that provided desperately needed services to thousands of the internally displaced during the war. They are currently working to help families return to their homes and rebuild their lives. For more information or to get involved or contribute, visit www.samidoun.org.


Andrew Stern is a photojournalist committed to documenting critical social and political issues. His compelling imagery has been recognized for the intimate relationship he develops with his subjects, as well as the time he spends to immerse himself in a story. He has photographed in over 20 countries and his award winning work has appeared in The Guardian Weekend Magazine, Clamor, Yes!, Adbusters, Readers Digest, Harper's, The New York Times, Internazionale, Die Welt, La Jornada and many other publications both domestically and internationally. Andrew is also co-author of We Are Everywhere: The Irresistible Rise of Global Anticapitalism (Verso, 2003). He has documented the economic collapse and popular uprising in Argentina, the war in Iraq, native land struggles in Greenland, the westernization of tribal East Africans, street kids in Calcutta, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, coca farmers in Bolivia, the global protest movements, and is currently in Lebanon covering the most recent Israeli invasion.

Ana Nogueira is television journalist and media activist. She worked as a producer for Democracy Now for four years and is now a correspondent for the award-winning daily news program. Ana is also a founder of the NYC Independent Media Center and its newspaper, the Indypendent. She has been deeply involved in the growth of the Indymedia Network worldwide, believing that citizen journalism plays a critical role in helping us understand the tumultuous world in which we live.