Larimer Center

3:00PM SUSPINO: A CRY FOR ROMA with REFUGEES

5:00PM AND ALONG CAME A SPIDER with THE TREE THAT REMEMBERS

7:00PM A SEAT AT THE TABLE: STRUGGLING FOR AMERICAN INDIAN RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

SUSPINO: A CRY FOR ROMA

Director: Gillian Darling Kovanic
2003. Canada. 72 min. Romanes, Romanian and Italian with English subtitles

Suspino: A Cry for Roma takes an unflinching look at the persecution that continues to plague Europe's largest and most vilified minority. With the fall of communism and rise of right-wing nationalism, the Roma (or Gypsies as they are pejoratively called) have become scapegoats for Eastern Europe's nascent democracies. Because of violent conflicts and discrimination, tens of thousands of Eastern European Roma are fleeing their countries. The film focuses on Romania where Europe's largest concentration of Roma are considered 'public enemies', and Italy, where the Roma are classified as nomads and relegated to living in camps. Here they are denied basic human rights available to refugees and foreign residents.

Filmmakers/Distributors Contact Information:
Gillian Darling Kovanic
tamarin@telus.net

Plays with:

REFUGEES

Director: Tobias Khol, Marisa Marinho Pinto
2000. Italy. 10 min. English

A short film produced by Colors magazine that provides a glimpse into the experiences of the refugees fleeing the fighting in East Timor.

Filmmakers/Distributors Contact Information:
Joe Togneri
joe.togneri@fabrica.it

AND ALONG CAME A SPIDER

Director: Maziar Bahari
2002. Iran. 53 min. Farsi with English subtitles

A shocking portrait of the world of a recently captured serial killer, who sees his killing of prostitutes as in accordance with Islamic teaching. Over the space of a year, 16 women were murdered in the Iranian city of Mashad. Because the victims were lured into the killer's traps, the press soon called these the "spider killings." All but one of the victims had previously been arrested for prostitution and drug-related crimes. When a 39-year-old contractor is arrested and confesses to the crimes, he claims divine support for the atrocities he has committed. His mother, wife, son, and many neighbors agree. And Along Came a Spider visits with the families of the victims, with the perpetrator and his family, and with prostitutes in this holy city. Most chillingly, the killer's son proudly reenacts a murder, and suggests that he wants to grow up to be like his father. This is a chilling film about cycles of moral vengeance.

Filmmakers/Distributors Contact Information:
Maziar Bahari
maziarbahari@yahoo.com

Plays with:

THE TREE THAT REMEMBERS

Director: Masoud Raouf
2002. Canada. 50 min. English

In 1992 a young Iranian student hanged himself from a tree on the outskirts of a small Ontario town. He had escaped the Ayatollahs' regime, but he could not escape his past. News of the young stranger's death hit home with filmmaker Masoud Raouf. He too is part of the generation of Iranians who rose up against the Shah's despotic rule - only to be cruelly persecuted by an equally murderous new regime. While anchored in specific history, this film reflects on the broad themes of oppression and survival, pouring light into a somber universe and finding unexpected fragments of hope.

Filmmakers/Distributors Contact Information:
John Sirabella
National Film Board of Canada
Phone: (212) 629-8890
j.sirabella@nfb.ca

A SEAT AT THE TABLE: STRUGGLING FOR AMERICAN INDIAN RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

Director: Gary Rhine
2003. USA. 90 min. English

In December of 1999, seven thousand spiritual leaders and scholars fromaround the world converged on Cape Town, South Africa, to participate inthe 3rd Parliament of The Worlds Religions. Legendary Professor of religious studies, Huston Smith (The World's Religions) attended, and hosted one-on-one conversations with a delegation of 8 American Indian leaders regarding the problems Indian people currently face in practicing their ceremonies. The program includes excerpts of messages by His Holiness The Dalai Lama, South African President Nelson Mandela and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Hosted by film maker Gary Rhine, Q&A will follow the screening.

Filmmakers/Distributors Contact Information: Gary Rhine
Kifaru Productions
Phone: (310) 457-1617
rhino@kifaru.com