Mass privatization and deregulation have bred armies of locked-out people, whose services are no longer needed, whose lifestyles are written off as “backward,” whose basic needs go unmet. These fences of social exclusion can discard an entire industry, and they can also write off an entire country, as has happened to Argentina. In the case of Africa, essentially an entire continent can find itself exiled to the global shadow world, off the map and off the news, appearing only during wartime when its citizens are looked on with suspicion as potential militia members, would-be terrorists or anti-American fanatics.

In fact, remarkably few of globalization’s fenced-out people turn to violence. Most simply move: from countryside to city, from country to country. And that’s when they come face to face with distinctly unvirtual fences, the ones made of chain link and razor wire, reinforced with concrete and guarded with machine guns. Whenever I hear the phrase “free trade,” I can’t help picturing the caged factories I visited in the Philippines and Indonesia that are all surrounded by gates, watchtowers and soldiers—to keep the highly subsidized products from leaking out and the union organizers from getting in. I think, too, about a recent trip to the South Australian desert where I visited the infamous Woomera detention centre. Located five hundred kilometres from the nearest city, Woomera is a former military base that has been converted into a privatized refugee holding pen, owned by a subsidiary of the U.S. security firm Wackenhut. At Woomera, hundreds of Afghan and Iraqi refugees, fleeing oppression and dictatorship in their own countries, are so desperate for the world to see what is going on behind the fence that they stage hunger strikes, jump off the roofs of their barracks, drink shampoo and sew their mouths shut.

These days, newspapers are filled with gruesome accounts of asylum seekers attempting to make it across national borders by hiding themselves among the products that enjoy so much more mobility than they do. In December 2001, the  bodies of eight Romanian refugees, including two children, were discovered in a cargo container filled with office furniture; they had asphyxiated during the long journey at sea. The same year, the dead bodies of two more refugees were discovered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, in a shipment of bathroom fixtures. The year before, fifty-four Chinese refugees from Fujian province suffocated in the
back of a delivery truck in Dover, England. nk

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14th 2003
“Independent perspectives on grassroots struggles”
NO BORDERS! Film Fest
All Day South Florida Celebration of Radical Media
Wallflower Gallery, Downtown Miami
NOON to MIDNIGHT

- A large selection of books and literature from Downward Mobility Distribution

- Vegetarian lunch provided by Miami Food Not Bombs

- Performances by spoken word artists and musicians

- Meetings and discussions on Miami’s plans to host the Free Trade Area of the Americas Ministerial November 17-21st

Location: Wallflower Gallery, 10 N.E. 3rd Street,
three blocks west from Biscayne Blvd
305.579.0069

FOR MORE INFO DOWNWARD MOBILITY PRODUCTIONS: (561) 547-6686

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PROGRAM SCEHDULE

Main Screen:

12:15pm-12:45pm
Uprooted: Refugees of the Global Economy (28 min.)
A compelling tale of how the global economy has forced people to leave their home countries, all across the world.  This video
highlights the stories of immigrants from the Philippines, Bolivia, and Haiti.  Produced by the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, 2001

12:50pm-2:05pm
View From the Summit (75 min.)
In-depth coverage of the Summit of the Americas, Quebec City April 2001.  Conveying the issues and the organizing, including internal obstacles, around the FTAA protests that reinvigorated the anti-corporate globalization movement in
North America.  Directed by Magnus Isacsson and Paul Lapointe, produced by the Canadian National Film Board, 2002

2:05pm-3:05pm
Lunch…
Open informational meeting on the current state of the FTAA Ministerial & Protests this autumn.  Your chance to catch up on what’s been happening and figure out how you can get involved.

3:10pm-3:25pm
Hunger Days (15 min.)
A film documenting the historic 10-day hunger strike in front of Taco Bell Corporate Headquarters in L.A., launched by Coalition of Immokalee Workers in February, 2003, furthering the pressure on Taco Bell to take responsibility for their role in farm worker exploitation.  Produced by C.I.W., 2003.

3:40pm-4:08pm
New World Borders (28 min.)
Documents the rise in human rights abuses along the U.S./Mexican border, using an analysis of ‘free trade’ to understand immigration issues. Includes interviews with organizers, testimony from immigrants, and insight on the current efforts to build a vibrant movement for immigrants rights.  Produced by Peek Media, 2001.  www.peekmedia.org

4:20pm-5:30pm
H-2 Worker (70 min.)
The first feature length documentery by the director of Life and Debt.  This time, telling the story of Caribbean immigrants who come to south FL to work the sugar cane fields. By Stephanie Black, 1990.

5:40pm-7:30pm
Bread & Roses (110 min.)
Director Ken Loach tells tale of love, illegal immigrants and union politics at the ‘invisible’ end of the service industry in L.A… The risk for the workers’ is high, but with the encouragement of a young, naïve labor organizer, the ‘justice for janitors’ campaign prepares for a fight.  2001

7:35pm-8:30pm
Zapatista (54 min.)
A definitive look at the Mayan peasant uprising in 1994 that transformed the Mexican, and international, political culture forever.  Includes interviews with Subcomadante Marcos, Noam Chomsky, Medea Benjamin (and more.)  Narration by Mumia Abu-Jamal, Geronimo Pratt, Daryl Hannah and Edward Olmos and music by Rage Against the Machine, Neil Young, Ozomatli, & Silvio Roriguez.  A Big Noise film, co-produced by Media Boutique, 1998.   www.bignoisefilms.com

Music 9:00pm-12:00
Lars Din - Folk music from Gainesville, FL
Under No Order - Political Hip-Hop from Jenson Beach, FL
JeFree Frank - acoustic rhythmlessness, originally from South Florida
Malik *the Prophet* - Miami spoken word artists kickin’ street linguistics
 

Side Screen:

12:00pm-12:30pm
Deadly Embrace (30 min.)
This video traces the history of U.S. involvement in Nicaragua, focusing on the current economic attack of the IMF, World Bank and U.S. agencies.  By Elizabeth Canner and Ashley Earnes, 1996.

12:30pm-1:30pm
Guerilla Video Primer (60 min.)
“Learn how to tape, edit, and distribute videos for radical social change,” plus witness some great footage in between.  This is interesting even for those without camera skills or equipment.  By the Cascadia Media Collective, 2002.

1:31pm-1:48pm
Song of the Earth: Traditional Music from the Highlands of Chiapas (17min.)
Tzotzil elders explain the significance of traditional music and the role of musicians in their communities. Various celebrations, songs and dances are presented.  Elders talk about the influence of western music and dress on youth.  Song of the Earth demonstrates the strength of communities in resistance as they struggle to preserve their cultural heritage amidst the low intensity war and the allure of pop culture.  Produced by the Chiapas Media Project, 2002  (Tzotzil with English subtitles)

1:50pm-2:20pm
Direct Action (30 min.)
Documentary from news coverage on the Canadian underground eco-feminist group known ‘Direct Action’ who successfully targeted hydro-electric power stations, defense contractors, and porn stores throughout the 1980’s. Includes interview with
member, Ann Hansen.

2:21pm-3:32pm
Storm From the Mountain (72 min.)
A beautiful & empowering video documenting the historic 3 weeks in Mexico, Feb. 24th- March 11th  2001, when the Zapatistas and their supporters marched en masse out of the mountains and into the capital.  A collaborative film effort of Big Noise, Chiapas Media Project, Paper Tiger and Free Speech TV.

3:33pm-4:13pm
Crowd Bites Wolf (40 min.)
Footage from the World Bank meeting in Prague, Sept. 26th 2000.  An inspiring, intense documentary with a personal, goofy twist.  Produced by Guerillavision, 2000.

4:15pm-4:43pm
Return of the Scorcher (28 min.) “A celebration of bike culture around the world.”  In the midst of social and environmental devastation, simple alternatives are often overlooked.  Return of the Scorcher questions our obsessions with ‘progress’ and ‘status’ and presents diverse perspectives from cycling visionaries who see the bicycle as a life-affirming vehicle for change- touching on a variety of subjects including feminism, rebellion, romance and sustainability.  Directed by Ted White, 1992

4:45pm-6:00pm
Breaking the Spell: Anarchists, Eugene, and the WTO (75 min.)
The story of Seattle ’99: this time told with extra irreverence, excessive riot porn, media mockery and a pretty good soundtrack to boot.  Some of the infamous, dreaded anarchists from Eugene, Oregon decide to present their own stories.  Includes footage that aired nationally on 60 minutes and CBS Sunday Morning News.  PickAxe Productions, 2000.

6:03pm-6:26pm
USA INCarcerated (23 min.)
Produced by Sasha Magee, Carla Leshne and the Critical Resistance Collective.  This video outlines the growth of the Prison Industrial Complex and how it is linked to the global economy, 1999.

6:30pm-7:20pm
Surplus (50 min.)
An artistic critique of consumerism, technology and the overall direction of our global society.  Surplus has been compared stylistically to the film ‘Requiem For a Dream’, but with very ‘Adbusters’ influenced content.  Includes footage from the G8
protest in Genoa and interview with often-controversial author John Zerzan.  Produced by Swedish-Italian filmmaker Erik Gandini, 2003.

7:30pm-8:25pm
Paint it Black (56 min.)
“Anarchism, urban uprising, and the mainstream news media.” This video is a response to the corporate media’s portrayal of anarchists since the anti-corporate globalization protests in Seattle ’99.  By Jessica Lawless, 2001

8:30pm-9:22pm
De Toda La Vida: All Our Lives (52 min.)
This documentary chronicles the Mujeres Libres (Free Women) organization during the Spanish Revolution (1936-39.)  Including interviews with former members where they discuss women in the civil war, their relationship to other anarchists at the time, and their lives since.  By Lisa Berger and Carol Mazer, 1987.

9:25pm-10:20pm
Los Trabajadores/The Workers  (55min.)
It's 1999, and the booming city of Austin, Texas keeps on growing - thanks largely to men like Ramón and Juan, who work some of the hardest jobs in an America that doesn't want them. Through the lives of these two men and a battle over Austin's controversial day labor program, Los Trabajadores brings to life the vivid contradictions that haunt America's dependence on and discrimination against immigrant labor.  An Independent Lens documentary, by Heather Courtney, 2003

10:25pm-11:05pm
The Pies the Limit!: A Documentary On The Global Pastry Uprising (40 min.)
A video celebrating the Biotic Baking Brigade, a group of pie-throwing anarchists who have targeted CEOs, politicians, economists, and anyone else who thinks they can hide from the real world behind wealth and power.  There is also in depth explanations for each target, including interviews with arrested pie-throwers.  Produced by the Whispered Media Collective, 2000.

11:10pm-11:40pm
The Internationale (30 min.)
A PBS documentary on the history of this world-wide protest song.  Featuring interviews with folk singers, Pete Seeger and Billy Bragg. 1993

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for more info:
www.indymedia.org  -  up to date global justice news www.infoshop.org  -  anarchist perspectives on social issues

www.ftaaresistance.org  -  autonomous organizing against FTAA

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