| February 17, 2009 | ||
| 7:15 pm |
USA vs. Al-Arian
Tuesday, February 17, 7:15, Cornell University, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts Film Forum , $4 all
directed by Line Halvorsen
film series Human Rights Watch Traveling Film Festival
A passionate, outspoken pro-Palestinian activist, university professor Sami Al-Arian was charged in 2003 with funding and supporting a Palestinian terrorist group and held in prison awaiting a trial for two-and-a-half years. USA vs Al-Arian is an intimate family portrait that documents the strain brought on by Al-Arian’s trial, a battle waged both in court and in the media. A tight-knit family unravels before our eyes as trial preparations, strategy, and spin consume their lives. This is a nightmare come to life, as a man is prosecuted for his beliefs rather than his actions. Director Line Halvorsen presents democracy in a new light—in a post-9/11 culture of fear, “security measures” trump free speech, and punishment is meted out in the name of protection. more at hrw.org/legacy/iff/2007/traveling/ video projection
2007, color, 1 hour 38 minutes, Norway
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