Global Peace Film Festival Announces 2009 Film Line-Up

PRLog (Press Release) - Sep 15, 2009 -
The 7th Annual Global Peace Film Festival (GPFF) is proud to announce the films for the 2009 season, set for Sept 22-27, in select locations throughout Central Florida. With a mission to educate and inspire through the art of film, the GPFF strives to move people beyond their political, geographic and personal boundaries to embrace peace. Films will be shown at Bush Auditorium and SunTrust Auditorium at Rollins College; the Orlando Science Center; the Winter Park Public Library;  the Garden Theater in Winter Garden; and UCF Center for Emerging Media screening room (sponsored in part by UCF FILM and the UCF Center for Emerging Media).

The GPFF opens with a free outdoor screening at Rollins College of "The Day After Peace" that charts the ten year journey to establish a worldwide ceasefire day on September 21st, the UN International Day of Peace, and features celebrities including Jude Law and Angelina Jolie.

The arts have always been at the forefront of movements for peace and justice. Two films by Polish documentarian Andrzej Fidyk bring stories from two countries living under dictatorships: North Korea and Belarus.  "Yodok Stories" introduces us to a small group of people who have escaped from North Korean concentration camps and have relocated to South Korea where they decide to make an extraordinary and controversial musical about their experiences.  "Belarusian Waltz" follows performance artist Alexander Pushkin who in his art stands up to “Europe’s last dictator.”  His audacious, comical exploits find him facing the hostility of the police and the consternation of his family.

Last March, thousands of concert-goers were brought together for 3 days by 2 brothers with 1 cause: The Harvest of Hope Foundation.  "Uno: Harvest of Hope Fest"  shares this amazing concert and posits that while we know our doctors, teachers and lawyers, we have little idea about our farm workers.  

"Against the Grain: An Artist’s Survival Guide to Peru" follows four Peruvian artists and raises the question: Is freedom of expression a right or a privilege?  An unusual friendship between the filmmaker and 80-year old Japanese American artist Jimmy Mirikitani develops in "The Cats of Mirikitani".  A survivor of interment camps during World War II who lost much of his family in Hiroshima, this intimate portrait explores the lasting trauma of war and the healing power of art.  

The short film "Across the Sea, Across Time" introduces us to Koshinomiyako on the west coast of Japan and its cultural heritage from Buyeo County in Korea (home of the GPFF-Japan).  "Original Child Bomb" is inspired by the Thomas Merton poem of the same name and is a contemplation on the creation and use of the atomic bomb.  And sacred temple bells become the conduit for peace and reconciliation between former enemies when they are returned from the US to Japan in "Resonance: Odyssey of the Bells" (shown with "Expansive Grounds" – see below).

Two films from the Middle East show heartwarming relationships among Arabs and Israelis.  On the eve of the birth of his first child, the film’s director takes a journey to save his old and beloved Volkswagen in "The Beetle". "Palestine, Beer and Oktoberfest Under Occupation" introduces us to a father/daughter team who make Palestine’s first beer and just want to get everyone drunk and happy.  

Faith is inextricably linked to many people’s views of peace.  "With One Voice" brings together mystics from the world’s great spiritual traditions to share their beliefs in the oneness of human civilization (shown with the short film "70 x 7: The Forgiveness Equation" that asks can we forgive what we cannot forget, introducing us to people who have lost loved ones to brutal murder).  Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers from all corners of the globe come together to share their visions of healing the planet in "For the Next 7 Generations"; and in "Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action" award-winning filmmaker Velcrow Ripper explores the fusion between spirituality and activism.  

The history and future of Tibet are explored in "Tibet’s Cry for Freedom"; "The Dhamma Brothers" takes us behind the walls at a maximum security prison in Alabama where a unique program introduces inmates to an intense program of meditation, where transformation takes place; and a 17-day trip to South Africa transforms the lives of six grieving women from disparate parts of the US in "Motherland".  "Africa’s Daughters" introduces us to two Ugandan girls with one big dream: to lift themselves and their families out of poverty and "12 Stones" shows the transformation of a group of illiterate women in southern Nepal through the work of Heifer International.

Narratives in this year’s festival include "Captain Abu Raed", Jordan’s entry for the 2009 Best Foreign Film Oscar race; Giancarlo Esposito’s directorial debut "Gospel Hill" starring Angela Bassett, Samuel L. Jackson, Nia Long, Julia Stiles, Danny Glover and Esposito; and "A Touch of Spice", an adventure and exploration of memory when an astrophysics professor returns from Greece to his childhood home in Turkey (shown the short narrative with "Open Air").

A bicycle ride to work frames "Dear Mr. Gore", a contemplative response to the film "An Inconvenient Truth".  It will be shown with two short films from local filmmakers: "Epiphany at Chornobyl" and "Ideologies" (The American Dream Song).  "Expansive Grounds"  is a personal exploration of the filmmaker’s identity as a German citizen caused by the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in the center of Berlin.  

Two perspectives on the issue of immigration are considered in "Choosing Absalon" and "The Other Side of Immigration" – the first reveals the impact of immigration laws on a gay couple; the second offers a perspective on undocumented immigration rarely witnessed by American eyes.  

Filmmaker Kenneth Kokin (co-producer of The Usual Suspects and producer of Captain Abu Raed) introduces us to Blake Mycoskie and his company "TOMS Shoes" that gives a pair of new shoes to a child in need for every pair they sell in "For Tomorrow" (Shown with Tibet’s Cry for Freedom).  Screenwriter Richard Willis, Jr. will be on hand to present "Prison Body… Freedom Soul", the story of a World War II and Korea veteran who spent 44 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit and In the Blood: Bridging the Generations" about the crucial role played by African-Americans and immigrants of color in settling the American West.

"The Burning Season" is an eco-thriller about a young man not afraid to confront the challenge of global warming.  The environment features in the programming of several films.  A small fishing village fights the powerful cruise ship industry in "One Village Same Ocean" while "Cracker – The Last Cowboys of Florida" examines the changing landscape for this cattle producing state. Celebrating a Forgotten Place: "The Carr Family Cabin in the Florida Scrub" and "Out Here in the Field: Quail Hill Farm" reveal the importance of preserving ecological treasures and farmland.  

Many filmmakers will be on hand to answer questions after the screening of their films.  

In addition, the GPFF is host to four discussion panels held throughout the week.  Topics range from “What is Peace?” - a dialogue among local Imams and Rabbis; “Making Films that Make a Difference” - with the filmmakers of the upcoming film “Letters to God” that filmed in Orlando; a discussion of Sylvia Caminer’s work-in-progress “Project Tanzania” is the focus of the “Peace Pitch;” and the “Media Day of Dialogue” will look at the issue of press coverage and the health care reform debate.    

Tickets to the GPFF screenings are $8 each, and are on sale now.  Tickets may be purchased at Bullfish Baldwin Park or www.peacefilmfest.org. Patrons may purchase a Silver Pass for $99 or a Gold Pass for $199 via www.redchairproject.com.