“An engrossing, wrenching and tender documentary film, ‘Praying with Lior’ introduces Lior Liebling, also called ‘the little rebbe.’ Lior has Down syndrome, and has spent his entire life praying with utter abandon. Is he a ‘spiritual genius’ as many around him say? Or simply the vessel that contains everyone's unfulfilled wishes and expectations? … ‘Praying with Lior’ is not just a documentary film for diverse audiences. It's also the centerpiece of an ambitious outreach campaign to change the way people with disabilities are perceived and received by faith communities.” (Source: http://www.prayingwithlior.com/)

Free and Open to the Public. For more information: http://www.prayingwithlior.com/

Contact: Dr. Thomas Neuville 

Sponsor: Department of Special Education.

"Written and directed by Brett Morgen (THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE), CHICAGO 10 presents contemporary history with a forced perspective, mixing bold and original animation with extraordinary archival footage that explores the build-up to and unraveling of the Chicago Conspiracy Trial.  Set to the music of revolution, then and now, CHICAGO 10 is a parable of hope, courage and ultimate victory, the story of young Americans speaking out and taking a stand in the face of an oppressive and armed government." (Source http://www.participantmedia.com/films/In+Theaters/457/Chicago10)

Free and Open to the Public. For More Information, see http://www.takepart.com/Chicago10

Contact: Dr. Jill Craven 

Sponsors: The MU Ciné Club and The Constitution Day Committee 

“Based on the true story of screenwriter Oscar Torres's embattled childhood, Luis Mandoki's Innocent Voices is the poignant tale of Chava (Carlos Padilla), an eleven-year-old boy who suddenly becomes the ‘man of the house’ after his father abandons the family in the middle of a civil war.” (Source: Source:  http://www.innocentvoicesmovie.com/)

This film complements this year’s common reading, A Long Way Gone, Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah.

Free and Open to the Public. For more information: http://www.innocentvoicesmovie.com/

Contact: Dr. Rita Smith Wade-El

Sponsors: Frederick Douglass Black Culture Celebration, University Theme, Humanities Film Festival and Common Reading. 
 

“Newton I. Aduaka’s scorching portrait of an African child who is kidnapped and turned into a soldier for a rebel militia.” (Source: http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/movies/13ezra.html)

This film complements this year’s common reading, A Long Way Gone, Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah.

Free and Open to the Public. For More Information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0923688/

Contact: Dr. Rita Smith Wade-El 

Sponsors: Frederick Douglass Black Culture Celebration, University Theme, Humanities Film Festival, and Common Reading. 
 

“Winner of the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Road to Guantanamo is a terrifying, first-hand account of three British citizens who were held for two years without charges in the American military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.” Free and open to the public.

Source: http://www.roadtoguantanamomovie.com/

Free and Open to the Public. For More Information: http://www.roadtoguantanamomovie.com/

Contact: Dr. Greg Seigworth 

“Nepal recently has begun the peace process to rebuild the country after an eleven-year violent struggle, dubbed the ‘People’s War’ between government security forces and Maoist rebels. Throughout the conflict, both the Nepal Army and the Maoist Army heavily recruited children into their ranks. ‘Returned’ is a feature length documentary video that follows several Nepali youths as they attempt to reintegrate back into civil society after their association with armed groups linked to the ‘People’s War.’” (Source: http://www.nepaldocumentary.com/TheFilm.aspx)

Director Robert Keonig will lead discussion of the film.  Several of Koenig's documentaries focus on human rights in Mongolia and Nepal; these have aired on PBS, ABC, CBS, and NBC. 

This film complements this year’s common reading, A Long Way Gone, Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah.

Free and open to the public.  For more information: http://www.nepaldocumentary.com/TheFilm.aspx

Contact: Dr. Rita Smith Wade-El 

Sponsors: Frederick Douglass Black Culture Celebration, University Theme, Humanities Film Festival, and Common Reading. 

“How do you measure the distance from an African village to an American city? What does it mean to be a refugee in today's ‘global village’? ‘Rain in a Dry Land’ provides eye-opening answers as it chronicles the fortunes of two Somali Bantu families transported by relief agencies from years of civil war and refugee life to Atlanta, Georgia, and Springfield, Massachusetts.”  (Source: http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2007/raininadryland/)

Free and open to the public. For more Information: http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2007/raininadryland/

Contact: Dr. Timothy Mahoney 

“In ‘Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone’ … actor Michael Douglas hosts a sobering look at exploited children in this war-torn country where diamonds are traded for weapons.” “’I don’t know how old I am,’ said Abu Bakar Bangura, a slight and serious young boy from the West African country of Sierra Leone. ‘I was very young when I was taken from my family,’ he explained. Abu, as he is known, is one of the 10,000 children who were abducted from their homes and forced to become soldiers by both the pro-government and the rebel forces during the 10-year civil war that tore his country apart.  An estimated 300,000 children like Abu have been kidnapped or conscripted to fight as a child soldiers in wars around the world. In some ways, they are the lucky ones. They survived.” ( Source: https://unp.un.org/details.aspx?pid=10609 and http://www.un.org/works/goingon/soldiers/abu_story.html)

This film complements this year’s common reading, A Long Way Gone, Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah.  A United Nations representative will lead discussion.

Free and open to the public.  For More Information: http://www.un.org/works/goingon/soldiers/goingon_soldiers.html

Contact: Rita Smith Wade-El

Sponsors: Frederick Douglass Black Culture Celebration, University Theme, Humanities Film Festival, and Common Reading.