Justice Not War Film Guide

The following film guide, compiled by Foreign Policy In Focus, covers various aspects of the current crisis around terrorism, the U.S. response, and the politics and history of Afghanistan, South Asia, and the Middle East. Many have been vetted by our staff, others have been recommended to us, and some sound very interesting but we have not had a chance to personally view them. This guide is designed for use by college and high school classes and organizations, as well as community groups.

We will continue to update and expand this guide. Please send us your comments on these videos as well as information about other relevant documentaries that you suggest we add to the list. Please contact: Julie Ajinkya at <julie@ips-dc.org>. (Subject: Justice Not War Film Guide)

Afghan Nomads (The Maldar) 1974/21 min./Norman Miller/National Science Foundation At dawn a nomad caravan descends on Aq Kupruk from the foothills of the Hindu Kush. In their camp, and in commerce with the townspeople, the Maldar reveal the mixture of faith and distrust that has kept nomads and sedentary people separate and interdependent over the centuries. The theme of the film focuses on political and religious beliefs. The film and accompanying instructor notes in this series embrace five different and complex units of analysis concerning how political change occurs: individual attitudes, ethnic identity, national loyalties, institutional affiliations, and ideological beliefs. <docued@der.org> or call (800) 569-6621
An Afghan Village 1974/44min./Norman Miller/National Science Foundation Set in the Balkh province and the town of Aq Kupruk, an area inhabited by Tajik and other Central Asian peoples 320 miles northwest of Kabul, the film focuses on rural society. A collage of daily life in Aq Kupruk builds from the single voice that calls the townspeople to prayer, the brisk exchange of the bazaar, communal labor in the fields, and the uninhibited sports and entertainment of rural Afghans. The film and accompanying instructor notes explore concepts of development, modernization, environmental equilibrium, and change, identifying change agents and analyzing barriers and stimulants to change. <docued@der.org> or call (800) 569-6621
Afghan Women 1974/17 min./Norman Miller/National Science Foundation Set in the Balkh province and the town of Aq Kupruk, an area inhabited by Tajik and other Central Asian peoples 320 miles northwest of Kabul, the film focuses on women. The words of the women and the rhythm of their lives in the seclusion of family compounds suggest both the satisfying and the limiting aspects of a woman's role in a rural Afghan community. The film and accompanying instructor notes examine the economic, political, religious, and educational status of women, their legal and customary rights, and the degree of change in their actual and perceived roles. <docued@der.org> or call (800) 569-6621
Arab-Israeli Struggle for Peace 1993/55 min./Chris Sheridan /Arab Film Distributions Through fast-paced editing and exceptional archival footage, Arab-Israeli Struggle for Peace traces the Middle Eastern conflict from the creation of Israel in 1948 to the signing of the peace treaty in September 1993. Rich with information about the military tactics and weapons used on both sides, this documentary covers the Six Day and Yom Kippur wars and looks at Beirut and the Golan Heights. http://www.arabfilm.com/item/14/
The Arabs: A Living History 1986/50 min./Narrated by Basim Musallam/Arab Film Distributions Comprising ten five-minute essays, each written and narrated by a prominent Arab intellectual, The Arabs: A Living History explores the many facets of Arab culture and history. The essayists/narrators depend on their personal experiences as well as interviews and historical footage to expose many of the pressing questions facing their world. A powerful and elegant introduction to the Arab world, these documentaries are a must for any film library. http://www.arabfilm.com/item/15/
Bashu, the Little Stranger 1985/20min./Bahram Beizai/Iran This stunning antiwar film was made in Iran during the Iran-Iraq war. Beizai's gentle narrative shows the ways that nationalism operates at both the national and local levels to instigate and justify violence and bigotry--and the painful cost that so many are forced to pay at such tragic times. Bashu, an Iranian boy of Arab ethnicity, flees the war-torn region of southern Iran and seeks refuge in a small village in northern Iran. Bashu is taken in by Nai, a woman who takes care of her small farm and two children while her husband is a soldier at the front. Bashu and Nai share the burdens of war as they come to forge a deeply human bond. Beizai's sensitive lens gives us a glance at the price of Middle East wars through the eyes of war's biggest victims: women and children. http://www.Iranianmovies.com/
*Bombies* 57 min./Jack Silberman/ITVS Northeastern Laos is a place that most people don't know exists. Between 1964 and 1973 the CIA conducted a secret air war, dropping over 2 million tons of bombs and making tiny Laos the most heavily bombed country in history. Millions of these cluster bombs did not explode when dropped, leaving the country massively contaminated with "bombies"--as dangerous now as when they fell a quarter century ago. Bombies examines the problem of unexploded cluster bombs through the personal experiences of a group of Laotians and foreigners. http://www.itvs.org/
Children of Shatila 1998/50 min./Mai Masri/Arab Film Distribution The 1982 Sabra-Shatila massacre of more than 500 refugees brought international attention to the Shatila refugee camp near Beirut. This camp is home to some 15,000 displaced Palestinians and Lebanese; its original occupants were Palestinians driven into exile when the Israeli state was founded in 1948. The video tells the story of how the children of Shatila attempt to come to terms with the realities of being refugees in a camp that has endured the horrors of massacre, starvation, and widespread poverty and unemployment. Against the backdrop of the camp's collective tragedies, filmmaker Mai Masri focuses on the personal stories of two Palestinian children, who articulate the aspirations of a younger generation. (Includes sections in Arabic with English subtitles.) http://www.arabfilm.com/films/lebanon/children_shatila/children_shatila.htm
Four Women of Egypt 1997/90 min./Tahani Rached/Canada/Egypt Amina Rachid was raised in a nonreligious, Westernized, aristocratic household before embracing socialism and fighting for social justice. Another deeply committed activist, Shahenda Maklad, a Muslim, was a student demonstrator in Egypt's national movement who lost her husband to a political assassination before pursuing political office herself. Her mentor, Wedad Mitry, a devout Christian, is a militant nationalist leader and author. Their friend, Safynaz Kazem, is a political journalist and strict Muslim. These four women are the subject of this compelling documentary exploration of opposing religious, social, and political views in modern-day Egypt. Through December 31, 2001, you can rent this film free of charge through Women Make Movies http://wmm.com/news/against hate.htm
Frontiers of Dreams and Fears 57 min./Mai Masri/ITVS Two young Palestinian girls growing up in Beirut's Shatila and Dheisheh refugee camps speak about the realities of their daily lives. Depicting Mona and Manar grappling with the violence, poverty, and sieges that assault their world, Frontiers of Dreams and Fears articulates the innermost feelings, hopes, and fears of a new generation of Palestinians living in exile. http://www.itvs.org/
FRONTLINE Series:
	Target America 2001/57 min./PBS-FRONTLINE and The New York Times Following the September 11 terrorist attack, the nation's top leaders gathered to decide the U.S. response. Some of the same individuals were in Washington, DC, 22 years before when the United States suffered its first humiliation at the hands of Islamic militants who took U.S. embassy employees hostage and held them captive before the world. Over the decades, incident followed incident--the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, the killing of American soldiers in a Berlin nightclub, the downing of Pan Am 103, and the first attack on the World Trade Center. In "Target America," FRONTLINE uncovers a longstanding division within the American security apparatus about how to deal with an enemy that has been targeting America and its citizens for decades. http://www.shop.pbs.org/, 1-800-752-9727
	Looking for Answers 2001/60 min./PBS-FRONTLINE and The New York Times The attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon was not only the most devastating terrorist attack in history, it was also the biggest failure of U.S. intelligence since Pearl Harbor. FRONTLINE correspondent Lowell Bergman and The New York Times investigate why the CIA and FBI failed to uncover the hijackers' dramatic plot to strike at the heart of the U.S. government and its economy. The film also examines the failure to fully understand the hatred of America among Muslim fundamentalists, and it traces the roots of this rage to Washington's support for Israel and for authoritarian regimes in the oil-rich Middle East. A FRONTLINE coproduction with The New York Times, this special episode is anchored by Bill Moyers. http://www.shop.pbs.org/, 1-800-752-9727
	Dangerous Straits 2001/57 min./PBS-FRONTLINE and The New York Times Since the terrible events of September 11, the United States has worked hard to put together a worldwide coalition against international terrorism. Where will China come down? FRONTLINE and The New York Times explore the tensions between the U.S. and China and the troubles that the relationship presented for President Bush, who visited China in October 2001. The dramatic U.S. spy plane incident off the coast of China in early 2001 reminds us of the dangerous suspicion that exists between the world's most powerful country and its most populous one. China has been supportive of some Islamic states that the U.S. considers enemies, and there is always the simmering question of Taiwan. Washington's support for Taipei means that if Taiwan declares independence, the U.S. could be drawn into an international dispute that might lead to war. The Straits of Taiwan have been described by one China expert as "one of the most dangerous places in the world." http://www.shop.pbs.org/, 1-800-752-9727
	Trail of the Terrorist 2001/57 min./PBS-FRONTLINE and The New York Times On December 14, 1999, Ahmed Ressam was detained at the U.S./Canadian border when an alert customs agent became suspicious of Ressam's hesitant answers to her questions. When the trunk of his car was opened, agents discovered a powerful bomb and a plot for a millennium attack on America. Ressam said nothing at his trial but, facing 130 years in prison, decided to testify against an accomplice. His chilling testimony reveals his motives, his methods, and his connection to an Algerian terrorist group that had already carried out bombings in Europe. Ressam described his training at the Osama bin Laden camps in Afghanistan, where he became skilled in urban warfare, sabotage, and covert operations. With access to Ressam's testimony, police files, and officials in the U.S., Canada, and France, correspondent Terence McKenna follows the trail of a terrorist. http://www.shop.pbs.org/, 1-800-752-9727
	Hunting bin Laden 2001/57 min./PBS-FRONTLINE and The New York Times On Friday, August 7, 1998, two car bombs exploded simultaneously at United States embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 268 people and injuring more than 5,000. In the days and weeks that followed, investigators from the CIA and the FBI rapidly closed in on a series of suspects. The accused mastermind of the bombings was named almost immediately--Osama bin Laden, an exiled Saudi millionaire. But was this the work of an individual terrorist or the symptom of more deeply rooted vendettas against the United States? FRONTLINE, in collaboration with The New York Times, investigates bin Laden, his followers, and the Africa bombings. http://www.shop.pbs.org/, 1-800-752-9727
	Islam: Empire of Faith (3 parts) 2001/147 min./PBS-FRONTLINE and The New York Times Between the fall of Rome and the European voyages of discovery, no event was more significant than the rise of Islam. This three-part series tells the spectacular story of the great sweep of Islamic power and faith during its first 1,000 years--from the birth of the prophet Muhammad to the peak of the Ottoman Empire under the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent. The Messenger: This episode introduces the dramatic story of the rise of Islam with the extraordinary life of the prophet Muhammad and his simple but revolutionary message. The episode covers the revelation and early writing of the Koran, the creation of the first mosque, the persecution suffered by the first Muslims, and the major battles fought by Muhammad and his followers to establish the new religion. The rapid religious, cultural, and political expansion of Islam overwhelmed the empires of Persia and Byzantium, creating a new empire larger than Rome. The Awakening: Episode two examines the flowering of Islam into one of the great civilizations in history. Culture and goods flowed freely throughout a large empire. Islamic principles and influence were spread further, affecting the intellectual development of the West. Arabic became the language of learning, and achievements in art, architecture, science, and medicine flourished. The episode also tells the story of the Crusades and describes the recapture of Jerusalem by Saladin the Great. The program ends with the devastating invasion of Islamic lands by the Mongols. The Ottomans: The final program reveals the dramatic transformation of Islam resulting from the Mongol invasion. Nomads enlisted by Muslims to fight the Mongols staked their own claims and became known as Ottomans. The Ottomans transformed the Islamic world, creating a new empire that expanded westward into Christian territories. Suleyman the Magnificent shaped the Ottomans into a military powerhouse and an empire of extreme wealth and sophistication, which threatened the great power centers of Europe and the empire of the Persian Safavids to the east before falling victim to enemies from within. http://www.shop.pbs.org/, 1-800-752-9727
Genocide by Sanctions: The Case of Iraq 1998/28 min./Gloria La Riva/International Action Center This powerful video is a result of Ramsey Clark's 1997 trip to Iraq to document the effects of the blockade on the people there, particularly the children. It contains an important historical perspective that explains why the United States is so determined to maintain the sanctions. This excellent video took second prize in the George Sidney Independent Film Competition. The third annual film competition is part of the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival. http://www.leftbooks.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.100.exe/ online-store/scstore/p-vi19981117.html?E+scstore
The Good War and Those Who Refused to Fight It 57 min./Rick Tejada-Flores, Judith Ehrlich/ITVS The Good War... is the story of the conscientious objectors (C.O.s) who refused to fight in World War II. As medical guinea pigs, fire jumpers, attendants in mental institutions, and participants in church-sponsored Civil Public Service Work Camps, 12,000 C.O.s performed alternative service during the war. Six thousand C.O.s spent the war years in prison and used hunger strikes to integrate the federal prison system. Their experiences prepared a generation of nonviolent activists to change American society in ways that we are only now beginning to appreciate. http://www.itvs.org/
Hidden Wars of Desert Storm 2000/64 min./Free-Will Productions In 1990, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, and the United States moved in. But was this attack a surprise? Did we use all methods of diplomacy before entering combat? In this video, you will find out a lot more about the Gulf War than you heard in the news a decade ago. Prominent personalities such as Desert Storm Commander General Norman Schwarzkopf, former Attorney General Ramsey Clark, and former UN Iraq Program Director Dennis Halliday all speak out about the hidden policies and politics behind the war as well as its bitter legacies, including sanctions and the "Gulf War Syndrome." Email: <freewillprod@prodigy.net>
The Human Cost of U.S. Arms Sales 1998/29 min./America's Defense Monitor Investigating the nefarious link between the overseas arms trade and human rights abuses, this video reveals how U.S. weapons have been used to commit atrocities in Turkey, East Timor, Colombia, Haiti, and Iraq. http://www.cdi.org/adm/1209/
Jung (War): In the Land of the Mujaheddin 2000/114 min./Fabrizio Lazzaretti and Alberto Vendemmiati/Afghanistan/Italy In this beautifully produced look at Afghanistan, a surgeon and a war correspondent decide to join forces and set up a hospital in a country that has had to cope with various wars for the past twenty years. Since the Russian invasion, the Taliban has taken society firmly into its grasp. Houses and schools are burned, sons are killed on the battlefield, and almost everybody is hungry, an Afghan woman explains. Meanwhile, tanks have conquered the mountains, soldiers are trigger-happy, and the rugged, stunning landscape is strewn with mines, which maim or kill countless innocent victims daily. The new hospital tries to help all of these war victims, but it is banging its head against a brick wall. The violent content of this film's depiction of the gruesome realities of war can be disturbing. The film won the 2001 Human Rights Watch International Film Festival Nestor Almendros Prize. email: <holleya@hrw.org>
Middle East, part 1 and 2 1991/60 min. each/Gilles Cayatte/Arab Film Distributions Relying solely on historical footage, Middle East 1 & 2 survey the turbulent history of the region from the year 1900 to the end of the Gulf War in 1991. The fall of the Ottoman Empire, the French and British colonization, the two World Wars, the creation of Israel, the Suez Crisis, and the American/Russian domination are only some of the events covered in this landmark document. Part 1: (1900-1956) From the End of the Ottoman Empire to the Suez Crisis Part 2: (1956-1991) From the Suez Crisis to the Gulf War http://www.arabfilm.com/item/98/
My Beard Forever 1999/17min./Afif Arabi/USA Racial profiling of Americans of Middle Eastern and Muslim heritage has a history that precedes the September 11 attacks. Immediately following the Oklahoma bombings, for example, the American news media focused on Arab-American males as the probable perpetrators of this crime. In this short film, Arabi explores media coverage as seen through the eyes of an Arab-American man. http://www.arabfilm.com/
Naim and Jabar 1974/50 min./Norman Miller/National Science Foundation The hopes, fears, and aspirations of adolescence are expressed in the close friendship of two Afghan boys. As the boys gradually accept the filmmakers and express their feelings more openly, the film grows rich in fact and themes of universal concern. Set in the Balkh province and the town of Aq Kupruk, an area inhabited by Tajik and other Central Asian peoples 320 miles northwest of Kabul, the film focuses on education and socialization. The film and accompanying instructor notes examine formal and informal learning systems and how they are changing. Particular attention is paid to the lives of two young people in the educational system, to their family and kinship structure, and more broadly to educational policies in the developing world. <docued@der.org> or call (800) 569-6621
On Boys, Girls, and the Veil 1995/72 min./Yousry Nasrallah/Egypt This highly effective film examines veiling within the larger context of Egyptian society, presenting it as a complex practice and not simply a religious phenomenon. Focusing on Bassem, who is both a teacher and an aspiring actor, and his family and friends, the film demonstrates the various factors that can determine a woman's choice to veil. At a time when the veiled woman has become the preeminent symbol of the local repression and global terrorism of Islamic fundamentalism, it is important to better understand the myriad dimensions of veiling as a lived experience. http://www.arabfilm.com/
Paying the Price: Killing the Children of Iraq 2000/75 min./John Pilger/Off The Telly (OTT) When the U.S. imposed sanctions against Saddam Hussein's regime in 1990, President George Bush told the American public, "Our quarrel is not with the people of Iraq." But a 1998 study by the United Nations found that the death rate of Iraqi children has doubled since the sanctions were imposed, while the wealthy and politically powerful continue to enjoy access to imported food and other supplies. With 4,000 children dying every month as a result of severe shortages of food and medicines, the political rhetoric and rationale used to justify sanctions have proven false. In this harrowing, hard-hitting documentary, award-winning British filmmaker John Pilger depicts the immorality of the UN sanctions maintained by the U.S. and Britain. Footage of children and adults dying in hospital rooms for lack of drugs--or even morphine to ease their pain--demonstrates the reality behind the sanctions, which allegedly deny Iraq access to "weapons of mass destruction." Confronted with the Machiavellian illogic of his position, the head of the UN sanctions committee, Peter van Walsum, almost breaks down under Pilger's questioning. http://web.ukonline.co.uk/ott/dyspayingtheprice.htm
Promises 87 min./Justine Shapiro, B.Z. Goldberg/ITVS Promises is a compelling and humorous look at the Middle East conflict through the eyes of seven children growing up in Jerusalem, living only 20 minutes apart but locked in separate worlds. Exploring the boundaries that separate Palestinian and Israeli children, Promises depicts a few brave souls who dare to cross the lines to meet their neighbors. http://www.itvs.org/
Rivers of Fire 1991/40 min./Paul Woolwich/Arab Film Distributions Control of water is the ultimate weapon in the Middle East, and it is an issue that will continue to threaten stability in the area well into the future. This British documentary, part of the Dispatches series, explores the effect that the Ataturk Dam in Turkey has on the water supply of the region. With the damming of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which provide water for nearly all of Iraq and much of Syria, Turkey now has the power to stop the flow of these vital resources. Water is being diverted to vast irrigation projects in Turkey, depriving, in the process, Iraq and Syria of their water supplies. If present trends continue, the region could face a human and environmental catastrophe in the future. http://www.arabfilm.com/item/120/
Shroud of Silence 13 min./Linda Burnstyn/Lorraine Sheinberg for the Feminist Majority Fund This powerful documentary, narrated by Marlo Thomas, chronicles the everyday struggle that is life for women under the Taliban regime's brutal system of gender apartheid. With actual footage of the current situation in Afghanistan, this video is a must-see for those interested in mobilizing support for ending gender apartheid in Afghanistan. http://www.feminist.org/store/ProductVideos.asp
Suspended Dreams: The Lasting Effects of the Civil War in Lebanon 1992/50 min./Mai Masri and Jean Camoun/MTC for BBC/TVE/One World Group of Broadcasters This courageous documentary from Lebanon recounts the effects of 16 years of civil war on what was once the intellectual, cultural, and commercial center of the Arab world. The film tells the story of four Beirut citizens from very different backgrounds as they struggle to reconstruct their homes and lives amid the chaos, the broken buildings, and the unexploded mines of their once-beautiful city. The film assesses the appalling impact of modern warfare on the environment, and it portends a new conflict in the making over the Middle East's most precious commodity--water. http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/sus.html
The Taliban: Prayer for Hate 13 min./Feminist Majority Foundation An educational 12 min. film chronicles the rise of the Taliban regime, and its role in exporting drugs and enforcing a brutal system of gender apartheid. http://www.feminist.org/store/ProductVideos.asp
The Traditional World of Islam Six parts, 25 min. each/Arab Film Distributions For 1,300 years Islam was the catalyst behind the most widespread and powerful civilization in the world, forming a bridge from classical antiquity to modern times. This six-part series reveals the universality of Islam, focusing on the classical Islamic empire and its lingering presence from Africa through the Arabian heartland to Indonesia. Set primarily in the Middle East, with an emphasis on Iran, The Traditional World of Islam offers the Westerner a magnificent background on the history and evolution of Islam and its contributions to world civilization. The film has four sections: (1) Unity, (2) Nomad and The City, (3) Man and Nature, (4) The Pattern of Beauty. http://www.arabfilm.com/
Wheat Cycle 1975/16 min./Norman Miller/National Science Foundation The people and their labor are bound to the land in the cycle of activities involved in the sowing and harvesting of wheat. Without narration or subtitles, this film conveys a sense of unity between the people and the land. Set in the Balkh province and the town of Aq Kupruk, an area inhabited by Tajik and other Central Asian peoples 320 miles northwest of Kabul, the film focuses on rural economics. The film and accompanying instructor notes focus on herding and fishing under diverse environmental conditions. Technological change, human adaptation, and governmental extension of market systems are parallel topics. <docued@der.org> or call (800) 569-6621
Without Rights: Palestinians Are Denied Human Rights 2000/24 min./Charles Stewart/Television Trust for the Environment Khaled is just one of 10,000 Palestinian refugees who live in Dieheshais, one of the cramped refugee camps in Bethlehem. "It's the holiest place in the world," he says, "but it's the worst now for human rights. I can't leave, I can't work, I can't talk, even, I can't do anything I want." Like Khaled, other refugees in Disheshais live lives of quiet desperation-wanting simply to return to their homes, to work, to have the chance to lead a full life. In 1948, during the war that accompanied the founding of the Israeli state, thousands of Palestinians fled to neighboring countries. Some twenty years later, in 1967, the Israelis fought what they regarded as a defensive war, occupying the West Bank of Jordan and the Gaza Strip. As a result there are now 1.3 million Palestinian refugees living under Israeli control and denied many human rights guaranteed to all people under international laws. http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/lswr.html

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