2009, 52 min Canada Directed by Robert Cornellier
Macumba International Inc. www.blackwavethefilm.com
On March 24th 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil supertanker ran aground in Alaska, discharging millions of gallons of crude oil. The incident became the biggest environmental catastrophe in North American history. Over the next twenty years, Riki Ott and the fishers of the little town of Cordova, Alaska waged a legal battle against the world’s most powerful oil company, ExxonMobil. In this film they tell us all about the environmental, social and economic consequences of the oil spill that changed their lives forever. With the prospects of pipelines and greatly increased tanker traffic in our waters, this legacy of the Exxon Valdez should be a wake-up call for everyone.
Saturday, 11:00 a.m. Dennis Hall (Coady International Institute, West Wing) Sponsored by: Atlantic Superstore and StFX Art Department
Ayed Morrar, an unlikely community organizer, brings together Palestinians from all political factions (including Fatah and Hamas) and Israelis to save his village from destruction by Israel’s Separation Barrier. Victory seems improbable until his 15-year-old daughter, Iltezam, launches a women’s contingent that quickly moves to the front lines. Struggling side by side, father and daughter unleash an inspiring, yet little-known non-violent movement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories that is still gaining ground today. This action-filled documentary chronicles the movement from its infancy.
Saturday, 4:35 p.m.Desmond Oval (Coady International Institute, West Wing) Sponsored by: Antigonish NDP Association, Quaker Friends Worship Group and Tuesday Meditation Group
Call of Life 2010, 60 min. USA Directed by Monte Thompson
Species Alliance www.calloflife.org
Call of Life investigates the growing threat posed by the rapid and massive loss of biodiversity on the planet. Featuring leading social and environmental scientists, the film explores the scope, the causes and the predicted global impact of a mass extinction occurring on a scale not seen since the disappearance of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. If current trends continue, scientists warn that half or more of all plant and animal species on Earth will become extinct within the next few decades. Call of Life examines the choices we have before us, and how the decisions we make in the next decade will affect the future habitability of Earth.
Saturday, 4:20 p.m.Dennis Hall (Coady International Institute, West Wing) Sponsored by: Sisters of St. Martha and Antigonish Development & Peace
Chemerical 2009, 75 min. Canada Directed by Andrew Nisker
Chemical Nation Productions www.chemicalnation.com
Chemerical explores the life cycle of everyday household cleaners and hygiene products to prove that, thanks to our clean obsession, we are drowning in a sea of toxicity. The film is at once humorous, as we watch the Goode family try to turn over a new leaf by creating a toxic-free home, as well as informative, as director Nisker works with many experts to give audiences the tools and inspiration to eliminate toxins from their lives. Chemerical tackles the “toxic debate” in a truly informative and entertaining way, not only by raising awareness, but most importantly, by providing simple solutions.
Saturday, 11:00 a.m. The People’s Place Sponsored by: Aquaterra Natural Health Clinic, The Fresh Air
Society and Nova Scotia Community College, Strait Area
Campus
Dirt! The Movie 2009, 40 min. USA Directed by Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow
Common Ground Media www.dirtthemovie.org
DIRT! the Movie--narrated by Jamie Lee Curtis--brings to life the environmental, economic, social and political impact that the soil has on our lives. It tells the story of Earth's most valuable and underappreciated source of fertility--from its miraculous beginning to its crippling degradation. Made from the same elements as the stars, plants and animals, and us, "dirt is very much alive." The movie teaches us: "When humans arrived 2 million years ago, everything changed for dirt. And from that moment on, the fate of dirt and humans has been intimately linked." But more than the film and the lessons that it teaches, DIRT the Movie is a call to action.
Saturday, 6:10 p.m.Desmond Oval (Coady International Institute, West Wing) Sponsored by: Pleasant Valley Nurseries, Just Us! Coffee
Roasters and Antigonish Regional Development Associa
tion
Dirty Business 2009, 89 min USA Directed by Peter Bull
Center for Investigative Reporting www.dirtybusinessthefilm.com
This documentary reveals the true social and environmental costs of coal power and tells the stories of innovators who are pointing the way to an alternative green energy future. Half the electricity in the US still comes from coal, and guided by Rolling Stone reporter Jeff Goodell, the film examines what it means to be so dependent upon a nineteenth century technology that is the largest single source of greenhouse gases. Can coal really be made ‘clean’? Can renewable resources and efficiency replace coal? Goodell seeks answers in a series of stories shot in China, Canada and the USA.
Saturday, 9:00 a.m.Dennis Hall (Coady International Institute, West Wing) Sponsored by: Campbell’s Brewing Centre
Familiar Stranger 2009, 5 min. Canada Directed by Cara Jones www.youtube.com
Familiar Stranger is the story of Ottilia Chareka’s dream of achieving higher education and influencing a new generation of African women. Friday, 7:00 p.m. Room 351, Nicholson Hall, StFX
Fresh 2009, 70 min. USA Directed by Ana Sofia Joanes
A Ripple Effect Inc. www.freshthemovie.com
Fresh is a new look at the problems and consequences of our current industrialized food system; something that affects us all. But more than just a critique of the ills that accompany mass production on the farm and mass marketing in the food chain, Fresh focuses on the farmers, thinkers and business people who are re-inventing food production. It illustrates how farmers are eschewing artificial inputs like chemical fertilizers, antibiotics and pesticides to grow better produce and healthier livestock for consumers, and, at the same time, creating a better way of life for everyone.
Saturday, 5:30 p.m.Dennis Hall (Coady International Institute, West Wing) Sponsored by: Gabrieau’s Bistro, Antigonish Braemore Co-op, Antigonish Farmer’s Market and Voices Antigonish
Girl Inside 2007, 70 min. Canada Directed by Maya Gallus
Red Queen Productions www.wmm.com
Following 26-year-old Madison during a crucial three years of her transition from male to female, Girl Inside is a beautiful film that tracks her emotional, intellectual and spiritual journey of self-discovery that is just as important as the physical journey of hormones and surgery. Sharing the spotlight is Vivien, Madison’s glamorous 80-year-old grandmother, who has taken on the job of advising her on all things feminine. While Vivien's attempts to school Madison in old-fashioned codes of dress and behavior are often hilarious, the juxtaposition of two vastly different experiences of womanhood, raises profound issues about the nature of gender, femininity and sexuality.
Saturday, 11:00 a.m. Desmond Oval (Coady International Institute, West Wing) Sponsored by: StFX Department of Women’s & Gender Studies and X Pride
Heart of the Sea 2002, 54 min. USA Directed by Lisa Denker and Charlotte Lagarde www.pbs.org
Heart of the Sea is a documentary about Hawaiian legend Rell “Kapolioka'ehukai” Sunn who died in January 1998 of breast cancer at the age of 47. Known worldwide as a pioneer of women’s professional surfing in the Islands, Rell Sunn achieved the stature of an icon, not only for her physical power, grace and luminous beauty, but for her leadership in a community that loved her as much as she loved it. Named one of Hawaii’s most influential women of the 20th century, Sunn was eulogized in the New York Times for having “captured the heart of Hawaii during a 14-year battle with cancer.”
The Horse Boy chronicles the journey of Rowan, an autistic boy, with his parents, Rupert and Kristen, across the vast, wild landscape of Mongolia. More than this, the film delves into the strange world of autism itself by consulting various experts in the field on the nature of healing and the differences between cultures. Above all, The Horse Boy tells the story of how Rupert and Kristen search out a way to help their son connect with the world at large.
Saturday, 12:45 p.m. The People’s Place Sponsored by: Bergengren Credit Union, Luke Batdorf, Eckova Productions and Word by Word Bookstore
The Meaning of Life 2008, 82 min Canada Directed by Hugh Brody
Correctional Service of Canada / Chehalis Nation of British Columbia www.facetofacemedia.ca
The Meaning of Life looks at a very unusual prison and its fascinating model for rehabilitating prisoners. The film was directed by Hugh Brody as a collaboration between the Chehalis Nation of British Columbia and Correctional Service of Canada and filmed over the course of two years at Kwìkwèxwelhp (formerly known as the Elbow Lake Correctional Facility). The film examines a different way of looking at the concepts underlying punishment and rehabilitation in prisons with the idea that the current system can be significantly improved by including community in the process.
Saturday, 12:45 p.m. Desmond Oval (Coady International Institute, West Wing) Sponsored by: Peak Experiences and Antigonish Correctional Facility
Men’s Health Clinic 2010, 22 min. Canada Directed by Peter Murphy
SeaBright Productions www.seabrightproductions.ca
This film by Peter Murphy takes an intimate look at the variety of men in Antigonish drawn to this pioneering healthcare project, men who tend to fall between the cracks of the traditional healthcare system.
Saturday, 2:40 p.m.Desmond Oval (Coady International Institute, West Wing) Sponsored by: Town of Antigonish
Music by Prudence 2010, 33 min. USA/ Zimbabwe Directed by Roger Ross Williams
iThemba Productions, Inc www.musicbyprudence.com
Prudence Mabhena lives in Zimbabwe, and for a long time almost no one knew about her hauntingly beautiful voice. They could not see beyond her physical condition which was debilitated by arthrogryposis. Music by Prudence traces the path of a little girl, and her remarkable transcendence from a world of hatred and superstition into one of music, love and possibility.
Friday, 7:00 p.m. Room 351, Nicholson Hall, StFX Sponsored by: BMO Nesbitt Burns, Sisters of St. Martha, Antigonish 5¢ to $1.00 Store, Highland Hearing Clinic and L’Arche Antigonish
Oil in Eden: The Battle to Protect Canada's Pacific Coast 2010, 17 min. Canada Directed by Damien Gillis
Pacific Wild www.vimeo.com/15295815
The Great Bear Rainforest on BC’s north and central Pacific coast is one of the last bastions of Canadian wilderness. Home to bountiful marine mammals, fish and wildlife, this spectacular place is now threatened by a proposal to bring an oil pipeline and supertankers to this fragile and rugged coast. The risks are enormous. Now First Nations, conservation groups and concerned citizens are banding together to oppose the Enbridge project, in what is shaping up to be the defining Canadian environmental battle of our time.
Saturday, 11:00 a.m. Dennis Hall (Coady International Institute, West Wing) Sponsored by: Easting Bread & Honey, MacLean Brothers
Woodworking and Antigonish Harbour Watershed
Association
Reel Injun is an entertaining and insightful look at the portrayal of North American Natives through a century of Hollywood cinema. Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond looks at how the myth of “the Injun” has influenced the world’s understanding, and misunderstanding, of Natives. With clips from hundreds of classic and recent films, and candid interviews with celebrated Native and non-Native directors, writers, actors and activists, Reel Injun traces the evolution of cinema’s depiction of Native People from the silent film era to present day.
Saturday, 9:00 a.m. The People’s Place Sponsored by: Lyghtesome Gallery, Friends of the Antigonish
Library, Central Building Supplies and StFX University Office
of Human Rights and Equity
This documentary focuses on the Yukon River Quest, the world's longest annual canoe and kayak race. Athletes come from around the world to test their endurance, racing day and night along 740 km of rugged river shoreline. The film chronicles the experiences of the all-female 2006 Paddlers Abreast team. By following them from the moment they climb into their boat in Whitehorse to the cheers that greet them in Dawson City, the film tells an exhilarating story of a group of women who have faced death and understand how precious life is.
Saturday, 3:40 p.m. The People’s Place Sponsored by: StFX School of Nursing
Schooling the World : The White Man’s Last Burden 2010, 65 min. USA Directed by Carol Black www.schoolingtheworld.org
Schooling the World takes a challenging look at the role played by modern education in the destruction of the world’s last intact indigenous cultures. Beautifully shot on location in Ladakh in the northern Indian Himalayas, the film weaves the voices of Ladakhi people through a conversation between four original thinkers. The film questions our definitions of wealth and poverty, of knowledge and ignorance, as it uncovers the role of schools in the destruction of traditional sustainable agricultural and ecological knowledge, in the breakup of extended families and communities, and in the devaluation of ancient spiritual traditions.
Saturday, 5:30 p.m. The People’s Place Sponsored by: Coady International Institute, Luke Batdorf, Peak Experiences, ACALA and StFX Faculty of Education
Serendipi Daughter 2008, 7 min. Canada Directed by Cara Jones
A touching adoption story that highlights the impact of love and sacrifice through the eyes of the child and the four parents who loved and let go.
Soundtrack for a Revolution tells the story of the American civil rights movement through its powerful music, the freedom songs protesters sang on picket lines, in mass meetings, in paddy wagons and in jail cells as they fought for justice and equality. The film features new performances of the freedom songs by top artists, including John Legend, Joss Stone, Wyclef Jean and The Roots; riveting archival footage; and interviews with civil rights foot soldiers and leaders, including Congressman John Lewis, Harry Belafonte, Julian Bond and Ambassador Andrew Young.
Friday, 7:00 p.m. Room 351, Nicholson Hall, StFX Sponsored by: Bergengren Credit Union, Lyghtesome Gallery and StFX AUT
A Thousand Suns 2009, 27 min. USA Directed by Stephen Marshall
Global Oneness Project www.globalonenessproject.org
A Thousand Suns tells the story of the Gamo Highlands of the African Rift Valley. This isolated area has remained remarkably intact both biologically and culturally. It is one of the most densely populated rural regions of Africa yet its people have been farming sustainably for 10,000 years. Shot in Ethiopia, New York and Kenya, the film explores the modern world’s untenable sense of separation from and superiority over nature and how the interconnected worldview of the Gamo people is fundamental in achieving long-term sustain-ability, both in the region and beyond.
Saturday, 4:45 p.m. The People’s Place Sponsored by: Coady International Institute, Aquaterra
Natural Health Clinic, Gabrieau’s Bistro, Bennett’s Market,
StFX Department of Anthropology and Antigonish Breaking
the Silence
The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls 2009, 84 min. New Zealand Directed by Leanne Pooley
Diva Productions www.topptwins.com
New Zealand’s favourite singing, dancing and yodeling lesbian twin sisters reveal all in this rollicking film. From their “coming out” to Jools Topp’s recent brush with breast cancer, Leanne Pooley’s Untouchable Girls is bursting with music, hilarious archival footage and home movies, as well as interviews with the Topps’ infamous comedy alter-egos, including Ken and Ken, and the bowling ladies. A colleague puts it more simply, “They’re two very, very naughty girls.” The sisters’ boundless energy, musical and political savvy, courage in the face of discrimination and infectious zest for life is like a blast of pure unadulterated joy.
Saturday, 9:00 a.m.Desmond Oval (Coady International Institute, West Wing) Sponsored by: Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre, Rainbow Warriors and Antigonish Culture Alive
Total Denial: Doe vs. Unocal 2006, 92 min. Bulgaria / Italy Directed by Milena Kaneva
MK Production www.totaldenialfilm.com
This is the story of the construction of the Unocal/Total oil pipeline in Burma and of two western corporations making business deals with a junta infamous for human rights abuses. It is also the story of one man, Ka Hsaw Wa, wanted by the law both in Burma and in Thailand. The film shines a light on the common practice of slave labour in Burma, a country controlled by a military dictatorship. An unprecedented legal battle unfolds in a US courtroom, shocking the world with its revelations. The outcome of this struggle will profoundly affect the actions of corporations worldwide.
Saturday, 12:45 p.m. Dennis Hall (Coady International Institute, West Wing) Sponsored by: Canadian Auto Workers Local 2107, StFX
AUT, StFX Department of Business Administration and
StFX Department of Political Science
Vanishing of the Bees 2009, 86 min. USA Directed by George Langworthy & Maryam Henein
Hipfuel / Hive Mentality Films www.vanishingbees.com
Vanishing of the Bees follows commercial beekeepers as they strive to keep their bees healthy and fulfill pollination contracts across the U.S. This documentary examines the alarming disappearance of honeybees and the greater meaning it holds about the relationship between humankind and Mother Earth. As scientists puzzle over the cause, organic beekeepers discuss possible alternative reasons for this tragic loss. Conflicting opinions abound and after years of research, a definitive answer has not been found to this mystery. The bees have a message . . . but are we listening?
Saturday, 2:40 p.m.Dennis Hall (Coady International Institute, West Wing) Sponsored by: Easting Bread & Honey, Cornect Family Farm, Town of Antigonish and Sunflower Natural Health
War in the Mind 2011, 64 min. Canada Directed by Judy Jackson Face to Face Media www.facetofacemedia.ca
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is the unending echo of battle etched in the brain that affects up to 15% of soldiers by some estimates. It can destroy families, and can leave its sufferers unable to work, addiction addled and changed. Senator and Lieut. General (Retired) Roméo Dallaire plays a major role in this film, having for many years spoken out in public about his experience with PTSD. This film also discovers that with effective treatment, suicide can be prevented. Interventions such as the UBC/Canadian Legion program help soldiers undo the wiring that military training has implanted in their brains, confront their pain, and learn to live again.
Saturday, 3:15 p.m.Desmond Oval (Coady International Institute, West Wing) Sponsored by: Coady International Institute, Central Building
discharging millions of gallons of crude oil. The incident became the biggest environmental catastrophe in North American history. Over the next twenty years, Riki Ott and the fishers of the little town of Cordova, Alaska waged a legal battle against the world’s most powerful oil company, ExxonMobil. In this film they tell us all about the environmental, social and economic consequences of the oil spill that changed their lives forever. With the prospects of pipelines and greatly increased tanker traffic in our waters, this legacy of the Exxon Valdez should be a wake-up call for everyone. 
Ayed Morrar, an unlikely community organizer, brings together Palestinians from all political factions (including Fatah and Hamas) and Israelis to save his village from destruction by Israel’s Separation Barrier. Victory seems improbable until his 15-year-old daughter, Iltezam, launches a women’s contingent that quickly moves to the front lines. Struggling side by side, father and daughter unleash an inspiring, yet little-known non-violent movement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories that is still gaining ground today. This action-filled documentary chronicles the movement from its infancy. 
Call of Life investigates the growing threat posed by the rapid and massive loss of biodiversity on the planet. Featuring leading social and environmental scientists, the film explores the scope, the causes and the predicted global impact of a mass extinction occurring on a scale not seen since the disappearance of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. If current trends continue, scientists warn that half or more of all plant and animal species on Earth will become extinct within the next few decades. Call of Life examines the choices we have before us, and how the decisions we make in the next decade will affect the future habitability of Earth.
Chemerical explores the life cycle of everyday household cleaners and hygiene products to prove that, thanks to our clean obsession, we are drowning in a sea of toxicity. The film is at once humorous, as we watch the Goode family try to turn over a new leaf by creating a toxic-free home, as well as informative, as director Nisker works with many experts to give audiences the tools and inspiration to eliminate toxins from their lives. Chemerical tackles the “toxic debate” in a truly informative and entertaining way, not only by raising awareness, but most importantly, by providing simple solutions. 
DIRT! the Movie--narrated by Jamie Lee Curtis--brings to life the environmental, economic, social and political impact that the soil has on our lives. It tells the story of Earth's most valuable and underappreciated source of fertility--from its miraculous beginning to its crippling degradation. Made from the same elements as the stars, plants and animals, and us, "dirt is very much alive." The movie teaches us: "When humans arrived 2 million years ago, everything changed for dirt. And from that moment on, the fate of dirt and humans has been intimately linked." But more than the film and the lessons that it teaches, DIRT the Movie is a call to action. 
This documentary reveals the true social and environmental costs of coal power and tells the stories of innovators who are pointing the way to an alternative green energy future. Half the electricity in the US still comes from coal, and guided by Rolling Stone reporter Jeff Goodell, the film examines what it means to be so dependent upon a nineteenth century technology that is the largest single source of greenhouse gases. Can coal really be made ‘clean’? Can renewable resources and efficiency replace coal? Goodell seeks answers in a series of stories shot in China, Canada and the USA. 
Familiar Stranger is the story of Ottilia Chareka’s dream of achieving higher education and influencing a new generation of African women. 
Fresh is a new look at the problems and consequences of our current industrialized food system; something that affects us all. But more than just a critique of the ills that accompany mass production on the farm and mass marketing in the food chain, Fresh focuses on the farmers, thinkers and business people who are re-inventing food production. It illustrates how farmers are eschewing artificial inputs like chemical fertilizers, antibiotics and pesticides to grow better produce and healthier livestock for consumers, and, at the same time, creating a better way of life for everyone. 
Following 26-year-old Madison during a crucial three years of her transition from male to female, Girl Inside is a beautiful film that tracks her emotional, intellectual and spiritual journey of self-discovery that is just as important as the physical journey of hormones and surgery. Sharing the spotlight is Vivien, Madison’s glamorous 80-year-old grandmother, who has taken on the job of advising her on all things feminine. While Vivien's attempts to school Madison in old-fashioned codes of dress and behavior are often hilarious, the juxtaposition of two vastly different experiences of womanhood, raises profound issues about the nature of gender, femininity and sexuality. 
Heart of the Sea is a documentary about Hawaiian legend Rell “Kapolioka'ehukai” Sunn who died in January 1998 of breast cancer at the age of 47. Known worldwide as a pioneer of women’s professional surfing in the Islands, Rell Sunn achieved the stature of an icon, not only for her physical power, grace and luminous beauty, but for her leadership in a community that loved her as much as she loved it. Named one of Hawaii’s most influential women of the 20th century, Sunn was eulogized in the New York Times for having “captured the heart of Hawaii during a 14-year battle with cancer.” 
The Horse Boy chronicles the journey of Rowan, an autistic boy, with his parents, Rupert and Kristen, across the vast, wild landscape of Mongolia. More than this, the film delves into the strange world of autism itself by consulting various experts in the field on the nature of healing and the differences between cultures. Above all, The Horse Boy tells the story of how Rupert and Kristen search out a way to help their son connect with the world at large. 
The Meaning of Life looks at a very unusual prison and its fascinating model for rehabilitating prisoners. The film was directed by Hugh Brody as a collaboration between the Chehalis Nation of British Columbia and Correctional Service of Canada and filmed over the course of two years at Kwìkwèxwelhp (formerly known as the Elbow Lake Correctional Facility). The film examines a different way of looking at the concepts underlying punishment and rehabilitation in prisons with the idea that the current system can be significantly improved by including community in the process. 
This film by Peter Murphy takes an intimate look at the variety of men in Antigonish drawn to this pioneering healthcare project, men who tend to fall between the cracks of the traditional healthcare system. 
Prudence Mabhena lives in Zimbabwe, and for a long time almost no one knew about her hauntingly beautiful voice. They could not see beyond her physical condition which was debilitated by arthrogryposis. Music by Prudence traces the path of a little girl, and her remarkable transcendence from a world of hatred and superstition into one of music, love and possibility. 
The Great Bear Rainforest on BC’s north and central Pacific coast is one of the last bastions of Canadian wilderness. Home to bountiful marine mammals, fish and wildlife, this spectacular place is now threatened by a proposal to bring an oil pipeline and supertankers to this fragile and rugged coast. The risks are enormous. Now First Nations, conservation groups and concerned citizens are banding together to oppose the Enbridge project, in what is shaping up to be the defining Canadian environmental battle of our time. 
Reel Injun is an entertaining and insightful look at the portrayal of North American Natives through a century of Hollywood cinema. Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond looks at how the myth of “the Injun” has influenced the world’s understanding, and misunderstanding, of Natives. With clips from hundreds of classic and recent films, and candid interviews with celebrated Native and non-Native directors, writers, actors and activists, Reel Injun traces the evolution of cinema’s depiction of Native People from the silent film era to present day. 
This documentary focuses on the Yukon River Quest, the world's longest annual canoe and kayak race. Athletes come from around the world to test their endurance, racing day and night along 740 km of rugged river shoreline. The film chronicles the experiences of the all-female 2006 Paddlers Abreast team. By following them from the moment they climb into their boat in Whitehorse to the cheers that greet them in Dawson City, the film tells an exhilarating story of a group of women who have faced death and understand how precious life is. 
Schooling the World takes a challenging look at the role played by modern education in the destruction of the world’s last intact indigenous cultures. Beautifully shot on location in Ladakh in the northern Indian Himalayas, the film weaves the voices of Ladakhi people through a conversation between four original thinkers. The film questions our definitions of wealth and poverty, of knowledge and ignorance, as it uncovers the role of schools in the destruction of traditional sustainable agricultural and ecological knowledge, in the breakup of extended families and communities, and in the devaluation of ancient spiritual traditions. 
A touching adoption story that highlights the impact of love and sacrifice through the eyes of the child and the four parents who loved and let go. 
Soundtrack for a Revolution tells the story of the American civil rights movement through its powerful music, the freedom songs protesters sang on picket lines, in mass meetings, in paddy wagons and in jail cells as they fought for justice and equality. The film features new performances of the freedom songs by top artists, including John Legend, Joss Stone, Wyclef Jean and The Roots; riveting archival footage; and interviews with civil rights foot soldiers and leaders, including Congressman John Lewis, Harry Belafonte, Julian Bond and Ambassador Andrew Young. 
A Thousand Suns tells the story of the Gamo Highlands of the African Rift Valley. This isolated area has remained remarkably intact both biologically and culturally. It is one of the most densely populated rural regions of Africa yet its people have been farming sustainably for 10,000 years. Shot in Ethiopia, New York and Kenya, the film explores the modern world’s untenable sense of separation from and superiority over nature and how the interconnected worldview of the Gamo people is fundamental in achieving long-term sustain-ability, both in the region and beyond. 
New Zealand’s favourite singing, dancing and yodeling lesbian twin sisters reveal all in this rollicking film. From their “coming out” to Jools Topp’s recent brush with breast cancer, Leanne Pooley’s Untouchable Girls is bursting with music, hilarious archival footage and home movies, as well as interviews with the Topps’ infamous comedy alter-egos, including Ken and Ken, and the bowling ladies. A colleague puts it more simply, “They’re two very, very naughty girls.” The sisters’ boundless energy, musical and political savvy, courage in the face of discrimination and infectious zest for life is like a blast of pure unadulterated joy. 
This is the story of the construction of the Unocal/Total oil pipeline in Burma and of two western corporations making business deals with a junta infamous for human rights abuses. It is also the story of one man, Ka Hsaw Wa, wanted by the law both in Burma and in Thailand. The film shines a light on the common practice of slave labour in Burma, a country controlled by a military dictatorship. An unprecedented legal battle unfolds in a US courtroom, shocking the world with its revelations. The outcome of this struggle will profoundly affect the actions of corporations worldwide. 
Vanishing of the Bees follows commercial beekeepers as they strive to keep their bees healthy and fulfill pollination contracts across the U.S. This documentary examines the alarming disappearance of honeybees and the greater meaning it holds about the relationship between humankind and Mother Earth. As scientists puzzle over the cause, organic beekeepers discuss possible alternative reasons for this tragic loss. Conflicting opinions abound and after years of research, a definitive answer has not been found to this mystery. The bees have a message . . . but are we listening? 
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is the unending echo of battle etched in the brain that affects up to 15% of soldiers by some estimates. It can destroy families, and can leave its sufferers unable to work, addiction addled and changed. Senator and Lieut. General (Retired) Roméo Dallaire plays a major role in this film, having for many years spoken out in public about his experience with PTSD. This film also discovers that with effective treatment, suicide can be prevented. Interventions such as the UBC/Canadian Legion program help soldiers undo the wiring that military training has implanted in their brains, confront their pain, and learn to live again. 