From July 24–August 28, the Walker Art Center presents
Cinema of Urgency
, which focuses a documentary lens on some of the world’s most pressing concerns, showing the need for a global perspective on issues that affect us all, such as civil liberties, drinking water, government secrecy, and how the world sees us as Americans.
Series screenings feature Elizabeth Farnsworth and Patricio Lanfranco Leverton’s The Judge and the General (July 24, 7:30 pm), which documents Chilean judge Juan Guzmán’s criminal case against dictator General Augusto Pinochet, followed by a Q&A with the director and editor; Irene Salina’s Flow: For Love of Water (August 1, 7:30 pm), exploring the planet’s coming shortage of drinking water and corporate plans to privatize the delivery of clean water; Peter Galison and Robb Moss’ Secrecy (August 15, 7:30 pm), which examines the invisible world of government secrecy and its tug-of-war with civil liberties, followed by a Q&A with the director; and The Listening Project, introduced by directors Dominic Howes and Joel Weber (August 28, 7:30 pm), a cinematic journey in search of an answer to the question “What does the world think of America?” A Q&A with the directors and “listeners” featured in the film follows.
Unless otherwise noted, films are screened in the Cinema and are $8 ($6 Walker mem¬bers). Tickets to free films are available at the Bazinet Garden Lobby desk from 6:30 pm.
CINEMA OF URGENCY
JULY 24–AUGUST 28
Thursday, July 24
The Judge and the General, 7:30 pm, Free
Directed by Elizabeth Farnsworth and Patricio Lanfranco
On September 11, 1973, a coup d’etat against democratically elected socialist president Salvador Allende placed the government of Chile in the hands of General Augusto Pinochet. During his brutal 17-year dictatorship, thousands of Chileans were killed, tortured, and went “missing.” Years after the coup, criminal complaints filed by the families of victims landed on the desk of former Pinochet supporter Judge Juan Guzmán, whose investigations, he says, “opened the eyes of my soul.” The filmmakers followed Guzmán for three years in order to make this cautionary tale about the violation of human rights. 2008, video, 87 minutes. A Q&A with director/producer Farnsworth and editor Blair Gershkow follows.
Friday, August 1
Flow: For Love of Water, 7:30 pm
Directed by Irena Salina
Politics, pollution, and human rights wash into this provocative wake-up call exploring the planet’s coming shortage of drinking water and corporate plans to privatize the delivery of clean water. Inspiring heroes emerge—from African plumbers reconnecting a shantytown’s pipes in the dark of night to a California scientist who exposes dangerous toxin levels 2007, video, 83 minutes.
Repeat screenings Saturday, August 2, 4 and 7:30 pm; Sunday, August 3, 2 pm
Friday, August 15
Secrecy, 7:30 pm
Directed by Peter Galison and Robb Moss
A compelling documentary peering into the invisible world of government secrecy and its tug-of-war with civil liberties, Secrecy delves into the 1940s origins of the national security policy and its unexpected consequences for contemporary democracy. Filmmakers Peter Galison and Robb Moss (The Same River Twice) utilize animation, installations, a mesmerizing score, and riveting interviews. 2008, video, 85 minutes. A Q&A with director Peter Galison follows.
Repeat screenings Saturday, August 16, 2 and 7:30 pm; Sunday, August 17, 2 pm
Thursday, August 28
The Listening Project, 7:30 pm, Free
Introduced by directors Dominic Howes and Joel Weber
The Listening Project is a cinematic journey in search of an answer to the question “What does the world think of America?” Surprisingly nuanced—even contradictory—responses are unearthed from the far reaches of the globe as we see how Americans are citizens of the world, not just their own country. 2007, video, 76 minutes. A Q&A with the directors and “listeners” featured in the film follows.
