World Community Film Festival - CoDevelopment Canada


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Festival Favourites to be screened Sunday Jan. 31 in Theatre 5 by popular request:

12:00pm - Smile Pinki
12:45pm - Little Mountain: A Fight for Social Housing
1:15pm - Sweet Crude Opening Night

Sweet Crude

93 min. (2009)
Director: Sandy Cioffi
NOTE : director in attendance for this screening!

Room A130 Langara College

In a small corner of the most populous country in Africa, billions of dollars of crude oil flow under the feet of a desperate people. Immense wealth and abject poverty stand in stark contrast. The environment is decimated. The issues are complex, the answers elusive, but in this moment there’s an opportunity to find solutions. What if the world paid attention before it was too late?
Sweet Crude is the highly acclaimed film about the human and environmental consequences of 50 years of oil extraction in the Niger Delta, the history of non-violent protest, and the members of a new insurgency, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) who are demanding an end to the environmental degradation (equivalent to 50 Exxon Valdez spills) and a share of the $700 billion oil profits. The Nigerian government policy of execution and intimidation extended even to Cioffi and her crew, who were arrested and detained, their film footage seized. This superbly crafted film confronts issues of human rights, resource control, environmental justice and mainstream media agendas. Awards include:
Special Jury Award - DMZ Docs Korean Documentary Film Festival
Best Documentary - Strasbourg International Film Festival

Film website
Trailer

Saturday night

Under Rich Earth

91 min. (2008)
Director: Malcolm Rogge

Room A130 Langara College 7:30pm

Under Rich Earth is a story about ordinary people with extraordinary courage. In a remote mountain valley in Ecuador, coffee and sugarcane farmers face the dismal prospect of being forced off their land to make way for a Canadian mining project. The issue creates division between those hoping the project will create jobs and those who feel it will destroy the land.
Unprotected by the police and ignored by their government, local activists prepare to face down the invaders on their own. Their resistance ultimately leads to a remarkable and dangerous stand off between farmers and a band of armed paramilitaries deep in the cloud forest. The role of the video camera cannot be underestimated in the outcome. Under Rich Earth offers a surprising and poignant tale of hope and determination.
Audience Choice - One of Top Ten Canadian Films at Vancouver International Film Festival

film website and trailer

Tapped

76 min. (2009)
Director: Stephanie Soechtig

Room A130 3 pm Sat Jan. 30

BC Premiere!

Is access to clean drinking water a basic human right, or a commodity to be bought and sold? Tapped is an unflinching examination of the big business of bottled water. This timely documentary is a behind-the-scenes look into the unregulated and unseen world of an industry that aims to privatize and sell our water back to us. This is a powerful and inspiring portrait of ordinary people who become activists in order to protect their rights to water.

Followed by a panel discussion of water issues in Canada.
Website: www.tappedthemovie.com
.

"They fear us because we are not afraid" - slogan of the Honduran resistance movement

Throughout the world, communities are being pushed. Climate change is forcing people to move and adapt; armed conflict is driving families off their land; transnationals are pushing citizens to give up their resources. Also throughout the world, communities are resisting. We at CoDevelopment Canada have seen this strength in human rights training in Colombia, workers education in Central America, and expressions of political freedom in Honduras. CoDev's partners actively defend their rights and communities.
This year's World Community Film Festival has stories of resistance from around the world, where communities are standing up for their rights. We hope their stories will inspire you to act in your community for what you believe in.

NEWS ITEMS...

Burma VJ has earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature!

Sweet Crude director Sandy Cioffi will introduce her film at festival opening! We are delighted to have Sandy with us to intrduce her film and hold a Q&A session afterward on Friday night.

Hear Sandy's interview on the Vancouver Coop Radio program Redeye here.

Don't miss the BC premiere of Tapped, a hard-hitting film about the politics of bottle water. Made by the folks who brought you Who Killed the Electric Car, the not-to-be-missed documentary will be followed by a discussion about water issues in Canada. Saturday, 3pm in Theatre 5.

Music fans must-see: Telling Strings. This beautiful film tells the story of one family of Palestinian musicians and is followed by a panel discussion. Sunday, 3pm in Theatre 3.

Her Sight Is Worth It winners announced. Seva Canada has announced the winners of its national online video contest, in which youth were challenged to create short videos of up to three minutes long to raise awareness of blindness among women and girls. Sunday, 12:15pm in Threatre 4.

Two Festival films make the Oscar shortlist!
Burma VJ and Garbage Dreams are both on the shortlist for the Academy Award in the Documentary Feature category. The 82nd Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, February 2 and we hope both of these fine films make the final five...

Check out our festival Facebook page! Find our page on Facebook here - spread the word and become a fan.

Buy your film fest tickets online!
Here's an easy way to take advantage of our advance ticket discount: click here to buy tickets online. They make an excellent holiday gift! Thanks go out to Cafe Etico for this handy service.

Langara Student Film Festival enters fourth year!
The World Community Film Festival is pleased to again host the Langara Student Film Festival. Check out this year's great lineup.

The best way to get to Langara is on the Canada Line and the Number 49 bus stops right in front of the college - check Translink's Trip Planner for details. There are also lots of bike racks! If you have to bring a car, there is free parking on Saturday and Sunday, but pay parking on Friday night.

Don't Miss CoDev's Annual Fundraiser! CoDev’s annual dinner - Saturday, June 12, 2010 at the Maritime Labour Centre - marks CoDev's 25th anniversary. This event regularly sells out and it's no wonder: a great meal and a chance to dance it off to fabulous live Latin music!

You can see more fine docs at the Whiterock Social Justice Film Festival which runs March 12 and 13, 2010. Check their website for more information.

Contact:

Erin Mullan
Coordinator

Heather Shields
Media/Outreach Coordinator

World Community Film Festival
CoDevelopment Canada
604-708-1495
Fax: 604-708-1497

filmfest@codev.org

Carol Wood
Program Officer
CoDevelopment Canada
604-708-1495 ext 113