Howard Zinn's "Marx In Soho" (10/08/05 and 10/09/05)
2005-10-08 20:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
Jerry Levy presents Howard Zinn’s one man play, Marx in Soho, which portrays the return of Marx. Embedded in some secular afterlife where intellectuals, artists, and radicals are sent, Marx is given permission by the administrative committee to return to Soho London to have his say. But through a bureaucratic mix–up, he winds up in SOHO in New York. From there the audience is given a rare glimpse of a Marx seldom talked about; Marx the man. The play offers an entertaining and thorough introduction to a person who knows little about Marx’s life, while also offering valuable insight to students of his ideas. Author of A People’s History of the United States, Howard Zinn humanizes the man behind the ideas in Marx In Soho; casting a divergent light from the totalitarian movements his theories have often been associated with.

Responding to the fall of the Soviet Union and the conventional perception that Marx’s ideas are dead, Zinn resurrects this controversial historical figure, embraces democracy and passionately rejects the ideological rigidity of many of his followers with the phrase “I am not a Marxist.” Instead we come to know Marx as a complex character struggling to survive with his family as an impoverished immigrant in London. Marx returns to clear his name and tell us about his life with his wife, daughters, friends and enemies. In a poignant, funny, and intimate narrative, Zinn convinces us not only that Marx is not dead but rather his critique of capitalism is more than relevant today. Howard Zinn’s Marx alone occupies the stage. “Marx has different voices. The actor has to show Marx’s outrage at social injustice, express the pedantic Marx, the vindictive Marx, Marx the loving family man, Marx as a humorist, and a Marx that can laugh at his enemies.” A benefit for the Hudson Mohawk Independent Media Center & Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace. The play will be staged on October 8th and 9th, 2005.

"The Abortion Diaries" with Filmmaker Penny Lane
2005-10-20 20:00 - 22:00
A free screening of The Abortion Diaries (2005), a new documentary by Sanctuary co-founder, Penny Lane. Introducing you to 12 women who want to share their abortion stories with you. They think you should hear them.

"Still We Ride" with Filmmakers Andrew Lynn and Elizabeth Press
2005-10-27 19:00 - 21:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
Fresh from their European tour, filmmakers Andrew Lynn (creator of Troy Bike Rescue) and Elizabeth Press (aka EP, producer at Democracy Now!) present Still We Ride, a documentary film that takes an up-close look at New York City’s ongoing attempts to squash the monthly free-forming Critical Mass bike ride. The screening is a fundraiser for Hudson Mohawk Independent Media Center.

On the last Friday of each month, cyclists around the country come together to participate in a monthly community bike ride called Critical Mass. The ride, which originated in San Francisco in 1992, has since spread throughout the world and has existed for more than 6 years in New York City. A new documentary called Still We Ride, produced by In Tandem productions, takes an up-close and personal look at the city¹s ongoing attempts to squash the free-forming event.

The story begins on Friday August 27, 2004 in New York City, just days before the start of the Republican National Convention, when 264 people were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and parading without a permit during the monthly bicycle celebration. But unlike the majority of the RNC-related arrests, which have been dismissed, bicycle-related arrests and bike seizures at monthly Critical Mass rides have persisted. In March of 2005, there were 37 arrests and an even greater number of bike seizures. The monthly pattern of confrontation has forced the bike community into a legal battle with the city and has politicized the once celebratory ritual. The city believes that the event, which has no leadership organization or planned route, must apply for a permit in order for cyclists to assemble andride through the streets. “You¹re blocking traffic,” says the assistant chief Smolka, in one scene. A cyclist replies, “I am traffic! What do you mean?”

Lawyers on the cyclists’ side recognize that selective enforcement of such laws represent not only a threat to cyclists¹ rights to the road as legitimate vehicles, but to peoples’ First Amendment right to assemble freely in parks and other public spaces. In the words of an interviewee who was arrested on the night of August 27, “I saw my experience not so much as something that happened to me, but as a window of opportunity for greater suppression of rights in this country.”

For five months, a small team of producers has been gathering hours of footage from independent videographers who have been documenting the ongoing harassment of Critical Mass. The resulting video is a collage of sound and imagery that is often raw and gritty and sometimes absolutely beautiful. It illustrates the most striking stories from the ongoing saga and condenses them into a continuous narrative. Still We Ride is directed by former Troy residents Andrew Lynn (Troy Bike Rescue, Whirl Mart) and Elizabeth Press (aka EP, Democracy Now!), both of whom have played key roles with the Hudson Mohawk Independent Media Center.

An Evening with Citizen Reno
2005-11-04 19:00 - 23:00
Stream of consciousness political comedy from the creator of Rebel Without a Pause, Reno In Rage and Rehab, The god Show, and other stage and screen classics. Reno is a solo comedic performer whose evening-length shows have had several runs Off-Broadway, both commercially and at non-profit venues and tour regularly to the leading regional theaters, museums and performance spaces. She adapted her show Reno In Rage and Rehab into an ACE Award nominated (Best Writing for an Entertainment Special”) HBO comedy hour. Her show, Reno Once Removed was commissioned by Lincoln Center for their Serious Fun Festival and sold out with rave reviews. She has made other short-form tragi-comic “essays” for various outlets such as PBS, VH-1, Comedy Central and National Public Radio. Reno will perform two sets, at 7:00 and 9:30 PM.

Cardboard Chaos Presents: "When the Levee Breaks"
2005-11-09 19:00 - 21:00
Once again Cardboard Chaos hits the road in its annual tour to help shut down the U.S. Army School ofthe Americas. The show features Uncle Sam’s Little Global Circus and their provocative mix of circus, puppetry, political satire and original music. When the Levee Brakes looks at the catastrophic effects of Hurricane Katrina in the context of race, class, the war in Iraq and the lies of the Bush administration. Performers in the troupe are puppeteers, stilt walkers, jugglers, political clowns and musicians, who since November of 2000 have been producing the colorful mass pageants and giant puppets at the SOA Watch demonstrations.

Sponsored by Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace, Veterans for Peace, and the Sanctuary for Independent Media. The event is preceded by a potluck.

Presenting Diane Wilson
2005-11-14 19:00 - 21:00
Calling All Unreasonable Women (and the men who support them)! The author of An Unreasonable Woman tells the true story of one woman’s fight to save her town and her way of life from deadly industrial chemicals.

Tom Lopez of ZBS Media
2005-11-21 19:00 - 21:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
As heard on National Public Radio, Tom Lopez will be exploring 35 years of creative independent audio production ranging from comic-cosmic adventures, science fiction and mystical mysteries- some with spiritual wisdoms woven within. Tom will be sharing secrets of his award-winning radio productions and playing some of “the greatest hits” of ZBS Media’s history. A benefit for WRPI 91.5 FM, Troy, New York.

Gringo-thon: The Films of Greg Berger
2005-12-01 19:00 - 21:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
Greg Berger’s award-winning films and lectures address critical social and political issues concerning grassroots movements in Mexico, as well as relations between the United States and Mexico. His films include serious, raw documentaries from the front lines of Mexico’s radical progressive movements as well as humorous fiction satirizing transnational political issues characterized by “Gringotón,” Berger’s absurd “revolutionary tourist” alter-ego (Gringo-thon). A benefit the Hudson Mohawk Independent Media Center.

"Operation: Dreamland" with Filmmaker Garrett Scott
2005-12-08 19:00 - 21:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
Occupation: Dreamland is an unflinchingly candid portrait of a squad of American soldiers deployed in the doomed Iraq city of Fallujah during the winter of 2004. A collective study of the soldiers unfolds as they patrol an environment of low-intensity conflict creeping steadily towards catastrophe. Filmmakers Garrett Scott and Ian Olds were given access to all operations of the Army’s 82nd Air- borne. They lived with the unit 24/7, giving voice to soldiers held under a strict code of authority as they cope with an ambiguous, often lethal environment. The result is a revealing, sometimes surprising look at Army life, operations and the complexity of American war in the 21st century.

"Aftershock: American Voices," Presented with Members of SUNY Albany’s Campus Greens and Campus Action
2006-01-19 19:00 - 21:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
Shot in Washington DC on January 20, 2005, Aftershock: American Voices (Bob Grey, Anne Derwent) chronicles counter inaugural events. It is an inspirational piece featuring such anti-war notables as Celeste Zappala, of the Gold Star Families For Peace and independent journalist Amy Goodman. The film also features performance pieces by Billionaires For Bush and the Raging Grannies and music by Sweet Honey In The Rock and Addek, with all artists lending their unique social perspectives. These segments are interwoven with quotes from founding fathers and prominent US citizens. While much has transpired since the inauguration, not much has changed.

Journalist Dahr Jamail of Iraq Dispatches
2006-01-23 19:00 - 21:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
In late 2003, weary of the overall failure of the US media to accurately report on the realities of the war in Iraq for the Iraqi people, Dahr Jamail went to the Middle East to report on the war himself, where he has spent more than one year in Iraq as one of only a few independent US journalists in the country. Dahr has also reported from Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan. He has also reported extensively on veterans’ resistance against US foreign policy, and is now focussing on anthropogenic climate disruption and the environment. Dahr’s stories have been published with Truthout, Inter Press Service, Tom Dispatch, The Sunday Herald in Scotland, The Guardian, Foreign Policy in Focus, Le Monde, Le Monde Diplomatique, The Huffington Post, The Nation, The Independent, Al Jazeera, and The New York Times, among others. Dahr’s stories have been published with Truthout, Inter Press Service, Tom Dispatch, The Sunday Herald in Scotland, The Guardian, Foreign Policy in Focus, Le Monde, Le Monde Diplomatique, The Huffington Post, The Nation, The Independent, Al Jazeera, and The New York Times, among others.

Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival: "Al Otro Lado"
2006-01-25 19:00 - 21:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
Thousands of people try to cross the Mexico/U.S. border every year. Al Otro Lado (To the Other Side) directed by Natalia Almada, tells the human story behind illegal immigration and drug trafficking between the U.S. and Mexico through the eyes of Magdiel, a 23-year-old fisherman and aspiring composer who dreams of a better life. For people south of the border, the “other side” is the dream of an impossibly rich United States, where even menial jobs can support families and whole communities that have been left behind. For people north of the border, Al Otro Lado sheds light on harsh choices that their neighbors to the south often face because of economic crisis. As movingly chronicled in Al Otro Lado, Natalia Almada’s debut feature, the border is a place where one people’s dreams collide with another people’s politics, and the 200-year-old tradition of corrido music vibrantly chronicles it all. In fact, if you really want to understand what is happening on the U.S./Mexico border, listen to the corridos, troubadour-like ballads that have become the voice of people whose views are rarely heard in mainstream media.

Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival: "Awake Zion"
2006-01-26 19:00 - 21:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
Awake Zion (Monica Haim) is a documentary that explores the unsuspecting connections between Rasta, Reggae, and Judaism, through one woman’s beat-laden adventure into the meaning of identity. All the way back to the alleged sultry affair between the Jewish King Solomon and the African Queen of Sheba, Jewish influence is evident in the spiritual history of Ethiopia – turning up subtly in Rastafarian lifestyle and then, inevitably, in reggae. Consider that one of the first reggae songs ever broadcast on radio was called “Israelites” – or that Rastas and Orthodox Jews take cues from identical passages of the bible on matters of faith, prayer, and dietary and sexual ethics. Most notable, however, is the ever-present theme of “Zion” that runs deeply in both cultures – the notion of a common longing for repatriation – be it to a spiritual, or physical, homeland. Unravelling the story of this unlikely kinship, Awake Zion unites Jewish and Jamaican musicians, scholars, and historians in a celebration roots and culture – traveling from Crown Heights, Brooklyn, where Caribbean and Jewish cultures share a history of adversity – to Jamaica, the birthplace of reggae – and ultimately to Israel, where a sizzling reggae scene thrives today. Awake Zion examines the preconceptions of what it means to be Jewish, what it means to be Rasta, what it means to be white or black – and, most importantly, the universal search for what it means to be “home”.

Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival's Kathy Brew Presents: "Ryan," "Nalini by Day, Nancy by Night," "Phantom Limb"
2006-02-01 19:00 - 21:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival co-director Kathy Brew visits The Sanctuary For Independent Media to present a selection of shorts.

Ryan is a 2004 Oscar®-winning animated short by Chris Landreth, produced by the National Film Board of Canada. It is a biography of Ryan Larkin, former animator for the NFB. Larkin was in his heyday one of the many genius animators who worked for the NFB; his 1968 animated short Walking was nominated for an Oscar, losing to Disney cartoon It’s Tough to Be a Bird. However, addictions to alcohol and cocaine cost him his job with the NFB and eventually left him homeless, begging for spare change on the streets of Montreal. The short consists of Landreth interviewing Larkin at a Montreal homeless shelter. The short is notable for its deeply odd style of 3-D animation. The people appearing in the short, namely Larkin, Landreth, and some of Larkin’s old acquaintances, are represented by highly stylized, mangled versions of themselves, with pieces missing from each of them as means of representing emotional and artistic trauma.

Nalini by Day, Nancy by Night (2005) is an insightful documentary by filmmaker Sonali Gulati which explores complex issues of globalization, capitalism and identity through a witty and personal account of her journey into India’s call centers. Gulati, herself an Indian immigrant living in the US, explores the fascinating ramifications of outsourcing telephone service jobs to India—including how native telemarketers take on Western names and accents to take calls from the US, UK and Australia. A fresh juxtaposition of animation, archival footage, live action shots and narrative work highlight the filmmaker’s presence and reveal the performative aspects of her subjects. With fascinating observations on how call centers affect the Indian culture and economy, Nalini by Day, Nancy by Night raises important questions about the complicated consequences of globalization.

Phantom Limb (2005) director Jay Rosenblatt states: “The death of my seven-year-old brother when I was nine remains a painful and haunting memory. My parents did not know how to cope with the loss of their child and the entire family experienced indescribable pain. Phantom Limb uses this personal story as a point of departure. Whether it is a loss through death or divorce, the stages of grieving are the same. Individuals often go through denial, anger, bargaining, depression and, ultimately, some kind of acceptance, in order to heal. The film is loosely structured according to these stages. Interspersed throughout this poetic documentary are interviews with a cemetery owner, a phantom limb patient and an author of a book about evidence for life after death. Phantom Limb reminds viewers that while grief is painful and isolating, it is a reminder to each of us that life is impermanent.”

Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival: "Bride Kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan," "Children of the Decree"
2006-02-08 19:00 - 21:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
Bride Kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan (Petr Lom, 2005) is the first film to document the custom of bride kidnapping, an ancient marriage tradition in Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet Republic in Central Asia. When a Kyrgyz man decides to marry, he often abducts the woman he has chosen. Typically, he and several friends hire a car, stake out his bride-to-be’s movements, snatch her off the street, and take her to the groom’s family home. A delegation is then sent to her family. The abducted woman is held until someone from her family arrives to determine whether they will accept the “proposal” and she will agree to marry her kidnapper. Bride Kidnapping documents in harrowing detail four such abductions, from the violent seizures on city streets and the tearful protests of the women, who are physically restrained and persuaded to accept their fate by the women of the groom’s family, to the often tense negotiations between the respective families, and either the eventual acquiescence or continued refusal of the young women.

Children of the Decree (Florin Iepan, 2004): “Procreation is the social duty of all fertile women,” was the political thinking during the 1960s and 1970s in Romania. In 1966, Ceaucescu issued Decree 770, in which he forbade abortion for all women unless they were over forty or were already taking care of four children. All forms of contraception were totally banned. The New Romanian Man was born. By 1969, the country had a million babies more than the previous average. Thousands of kindergartens were built overnight. Romanian society was rapidly changing. By using archival footage and excerpts from old fiction films as well as by interviewing famous persons from that time, the Iepan revives the period of tremendous oppression. Many deaths were caused by the mere fact that women, including wives of secret Romanian agents, famous TV presenters and actresses, had to undergo illegal abortions. Many women were jailed for having abortions done to them. Some died by using awkward abortion methods, like injecting mustard or lemon juice into the uterus. Sex life was no fun anymore. Nevertheless, Romania had a demographic boom and hosted a world conference on population in 1974.

Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival: "Home," with Filmmakers Jeffrey Togman and Pierre Defendini
2006-02-08 19:00 - 21:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
Home (2005) will be presented by director Jeffrey Togman and cinematographer Pierre Defendini. On a gang-controlled, dead end street, Sheree Farmer is raising her six children alone. With the help of Mary Abernathy, a former fashion industry executive turned community activist, Sheree struggles to buy her first home and escape her violent and drug-infested Newark neighborhood. Home follows these two exceptional women in an intimate story that speaks to the future of America’s cities. The film had its world premiere at the SilverDocs AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival (now AFI Docs), where it won a Special Jury Recognition Award. The documentary was an official selection of the Margaret Mead Film Festival. The New York Times called Home a “marvelously revealing documentary about the psychology of poverty.” Jeffrey M. Togman is an American filmmaker and political scientist and a long-time member of the faculty at Seton Hall University, where he is associate professor of political science and film. Home was co-produced and filmed by Pierre Defendini.

Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival: "Land Mines: A Love Story"
2006-02-09 19:00 - 21:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
Dennis O’Rourke’s latest documentary Land Mines: A Love Story (2004) is part observational and part essay – driven by a polemic that is both angry and subtle, and a damning portrayal of the human costs of war. Land Mines is a compelling anti-war film set in Afghanistan, a country that has become synonymous with conflict. It is also a story of romance and a celebration of life, hope and love. The film tells the story of Habiba and Shah. Shah, a former Mujaheddin soldier and land mine victim, works as a cobbler on the pavements of the ruined city of Kabul. One day, he noticed a pretty Tajik girl who had only one leg, and he began to court her. Amidst the chaos and violence, and despite all the obstacles of tradition and religion, Shah and Habiba were able to marry. O’Rourke has received numerous awards for his filmmaking including the Director’s Prize for Extraordinary Achievement at the Sundance Film Festival. His films include the award-winning Cunnamulla and The Good Woman of Bangkok.

Steve Kurtz of the Critical Arts Ensemble Speaking on “Art and Discipline”
2006-02-13 19:00 - 21:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
This lecture was built upon the following premises: first, any action within the cultural landscape performed from a minoritarian position will be perceived by authority as contestational act; and second, once challenged any or all of a variety of disciplinary agents will be sent to restabilize the discourses of the status quo through the managing or silencing of resistant cultural production. Steve Kurtz is a founding member of Critical Art Ensemble (CAE). CAE is a collective of tactical media practitioners of various specializations, including computer graphics and web design, wetware, film/video, photography, text art, book art, and performance. Formed in 1987, CAE’s focus has been on the exploration of the intersections between art, critical theory, technology, and political activism. The collective has performed and produced a wide variety of projects for an international audience at diverse venues ranging from the street, to the museum, to the Internet. Critical Art Ensemble has also written five books, and has just released its sixth work Marching Plague: Germ Warfare and Global Public Health. Kurtz is an Associate Professor of Art at SUNY, Buffalo.

Prison Activist Robina Courtin and "Chasing Buddha"
2006-02-20 19:00 - 21:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
Chasing Buddha (2000) is a documentary by acclaimed Austrian filmmaker Amiel Courtin-Wilson about Robina Courtin, an Australian ex-Catholic, ex-political activist and feminist who has been a Buddhist nun since 1978. Teaching Buddhism around the world, she shatters the stereotype of a Buddhist nun, her intense and direct style leaving an indelible impression on everyone she meets. In the heart of America’s bible belt, Robina visits Kentucky State Penitentiary, guiding death row inmates and others on the path to enlightenment. Determined to harness their minds and deal with their violent crimes, they inspire Robina to work even harder at her own rigorous spiritual practice. Courtin-Wilson’s uncompromising films have screened at festivals including Sundance (Chasing Buddha), Cannes (Cicada, 2009) and the Venice Film Festival (Hail, 2011).

"Tying the Knot" with Filmmaker Jim de Séve
2006-03-02 19:00 - 21:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
Jim de Séve’s 2004 documentary Tying the Knot digs deeply into the meaning of marriage today. From an historical trip to the Middle Ages, to gay hippies storming the Manhattan marriage bureau in 1971, this eye-opening exploration of the embattled institution looks at rights, privilege and love as gay activists and right-wing politicos lock horns in the fight for marriage.
