Previous Sessions

This section contains a brief description of the topics we have addressed during previous semesters. If you are interested on some specific information or if you want to get any movie or documentary we have shown, do not hesitate to contact us through this blog, via e-mail (cinema.committee@googlemail.com) or directly to any of the committee’s members.

Season 1

(Summer Term 2006)

1.1. Pilot: Darwin’s Nightmare (Austria 2004) – 09 May 2006

1.2. Lord of War (US 2005) – 23 May 2006

Season 2: Social Frictions

(Winter Term 2006/07)

Conflicts that emerge from social frictions in societies and the role of the state in these conflicts. The frictions we focused on were either economical, “cultural” or a mixture of both.

The chosen topic gave the possibility to discuss not only individual cases, but also, or even primarily, to compare them and to develop and exchange general ideas concerning e.g. societies, reasons for the cohesion or disintegration of a society and the relationship of society and state.

2.1. News from a Personal War (Brasil 1999)

7 November 2006. This documentary, shot between 1997 and 1998 in a favela (slum) in Rio de Janeiro, reflects the social disparities in Brazil. It shows the mechanism of the drug traffic and its combat, from different perspectives: the police, the drug dealers and the dwellers, people who live in the slums. It is an overview of the violence problem and how the society deals (or tries to deal) with it.

It first circulated outside Brazil as an extra from the movie City of God, which is a fiction based on true facts that happened in another slum. Although the movie is newer, the documentary can be seen as a complement to it, presenting a deeper investigation of the problem of violence caused by drug dealing in Rio de Janeiro.

Some of the problems exposed in the documentary are not limited to Brazil and one can easily identify them happening in different parts of the world. The documentary brings some light to this huge social problem existing in Brazil, which unfortunately, seems to be far from being solved.

2.2. If … Drugs Were Legal (UK 2004-2005)

11 December 2006. It is 2015 and all the drugs, expect cocaine and heroin, are legal. Production, trade, possession and use have been legalised in the UK, as well as in other countries, such as Canada, Australia and the US. In London, two girls died after collapsing in a night club, which is licensed to sell drugs. This story tells the investigation of their deaths.The movie is a drama-documentary, having between some scenes some interviews with experts on the topic. It is tried to have a panel from experts on both sides of the argument, showing the potential political, social and economic consequences of this trend i.e. the drugs legalization in UK.

It is part of a project of BBC Two, which broadcasted several films alike between 2004 and 2005. The movie gives continuity to the discussion started in the previous session, on the social problems related to drugs. The country is different, UK, which corroborates the idea that some problems are global ones, and not exlusive for one country or another.

2.3. Recolonize Cologne (Germany 2006)
Philharmonie Köln – 40 Jahre Einwanderung (Germany 2001)

29 January 2007. This time, the focus was on our “beloved” home and host country Germany and its national identity. We showed two little documentary films about German identity and its relation to foreigners and immigrants. One of the films deals with the
German colonial past, the other with prejudice against Turkish immigrants. They were both made by Kanak Attack, a community of different people from diverse backgrounds who share a commitment to eradicate racism from German society.

Season 3:

Migration – Work – Globalization

(Summer Term 2007)
3.1. Labour Discrimination
08 May 2007. The session included 3 short documentaries.

Documentary 1: Sold out. Von der Straße ins Stadion (Germany 2005)
Young African soccer players who are brought to Europe with a promise to play in a professional league and to become rich and famous players. However this is not true for most of them. Leaving these soccer players in a helpless situation in a foreign country.

Documentary 2: Balljungs. Woher kommen unsere Fussbälle? (Germany 1999)
This documentary is in German but easily understandable. It is focused on the labor conditions of people who make soccer balls in Pakistan (most of them children). This film shows how big companies take advantage of the poverty of the people in order to reduce labor costs to stay in competition.

Documentary 3: The Ball (Mozambique/South Africa 2001)
3.2. Sax Slavery and Forces Prostitution

30 May 2007. Two documentaries were shown. Both are shocking and rise many questions regarding the role of the authorities of the countries involved, governments, laws and regulations among other concerns.

Documentary 1: Sex Slaves (US 2006)
The big problem of trafficking of women from eastern European countries who are mainly brought to Europe and are forced to work as prostitutes. This documentary shows one of the ways these women are trafficked from Moldova and Ukraine to Turkey.

Documentary 2: Forced Prostitution (Cambodia)
How children in Cambodia are forced toprostitute themselves.

3.3. Migration Issues at the Mexican-US Border
27 June 2007. In this session, the focus was on migration issues arising at the Mexican-US border. One of the problems presented is the abuse of authority by the US- border patrol against the migrants. Another shown aspect is the establishment of more and more US-citizen groups against migrants (The shameful Minuteman Project).
There were shown 3 small documentaries in order to introduce to this growing problem that does not only happen at the Mexican-US border, but also at the European borders.

Movie 1: Border Crossings/ Cruzando Fronteras (US 2001)
Border Crossings/Cruzando Fronteras touches on crucial issues that surround the increased militarization of the Mexico/US border. The United States Border Patrol, now part of the new formed Department of Homeland Security, has a history of abusing its power. Examples of this abuse range from sexual assault to unnecessary use of deadly force. It is also a widely ignored fact that the U.S./Mexico Border
divides many indigenous nations such as the Tohono O’odham, Yaqui, and Navajo. This prevents many people from performing and attending traditional ceremonies and activities. Border Crossings exposes the U.S./Mexico border as the true alienator, dividing two nations that have thousands of years of migration history.

Movie 2: Rights on the Line: Vigilantes at the Border (Trailer, US 2007)
It exposes the ugly anti-immigrant politics that lurk behind the Minuteman Project – and shows the continuum between official border militarization and vigilante action. This video was shot by human rights activists and residents of border communities. It tells the story of border tensions from the point of view of those affected and reveals the underlying motivations of the vigilantes through interviews and disturbing footage of their night time patrols.

Movie 3: The Line in the Sand (Trailer, US 2005)
The United States government has refused to effectively protect the southern border with Mexico for 40 years. Average American citizens are now banding together to stand up against a government they feel no longer represents their interests, forming one of the largest ongoing civil protests in recent American history: The Minuteman Project.

Season 4: Human Rights and Resources

Winter Term 2007/2008

4.1. 07 November 2007 ( 7:45 p.m.)
Ase tena pa – The struggle for livelihood in mining communities (2006)
Sebastian Böhm, Vivian Schüler, D/Gh 2006, Doku

The film shows the life of municipalities in Ghana, which live traditionally on the agriculture and after gold-mining activities the base of their life was completely affected. The documentary help us to see the two sides of the coin when we listen to the people who have been affected and the position of the company, which claims the so called, corporate social responsibility. A multilevel picture of the interest positions and responsibilities is developed in this film.

4.2. 05 December 2007 (7:45 p.m.)
Our Oil and Other Stories (2005). Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela declared it to be part of his revolutionary strategy that the resources of the country should “benefit its own people”.

The documentary takes a look at the management and exploitation of resources under the rule of Mr. Chavez and focuses on existing problems in the oil and coal production of Venezuela.

The issues raised are not limited to Venezuela and should provide a basis for a more general discussion on the pros and cons of different political models of dealing with natural resources.

4.3. 16 January 2008 (7:45 p.m.)
“Resistir para Existir” (Resist for Existing). This documentary is accompanied with two videos showing the path and development created along the Colorado River in the U.S.A.

This documentary tells the story the Cucapá, an Indigenous people of Mexicali, who have been denied fishing permits, even though they all have been fishing in their valley for over 9,000 years; indeed, even before this area was considered Mexico. They also face the problem that the valley and river (Colorado river) has no longer water at this point. Fishing is part of their ancestral traditions and is their only form of support. On the other hand, commercial fisherman have no problems obtaining fishing permits.

Other Events

Special Discussion Lecture and Discussion on Racism in Germany
17 October 2007, Gellert-Bau at 8:00 p.m. Oliver Deckert will present the main issues involved in racism behaviors in Germany.

Season 5: Urban Developments

5.1. La Raison du plus Fort
April 23, 2008 ( 7:45 p.m.)

This session we showed the documentary called “Might is right”, telling the story about the Social Exclusion – The Banlieues in France and Belgium. Europe, its rich areas and its poor suburbs  where “zero tolerance” is becoming widespread. Where a factory is closed, a prison is built.

The poor in general and young immigrants in particular are the subjects of all fears. The film breaks the Cliches and features them in their humaneness, in a cell in jail, in the dock or down in the basement of a settlement, with their emotions, desires, fears and despair.

Far away from a concept of European democracy where everyone would have their chance, the film-calling Belgium and France to witness-critically and emotionally depicts our society that is often sordid and violent.

“Strange days… what the hell are we doing? Have we gone out of our minds”

5.2. Forced Resettlement in Instanbul
May 21, 2008 ( 7:45 p.m.)

Continuing our main topic is Urban Development, on this session we showed a documentary that tooked place in Istanbul, in the Sulukule neighborhood, and tells the story about the problems that face the people who live in this area when their homes are demolished in order to develop urban housing projects.

5.3. Shrinking Cities in East Germany and East Europe
June 18, 2008 ( 7:45 p.m.)

Season 6: Open Topics

6.1. Religion – The Root of All Evil
November 05, 2008 ( 7:45 p.m.)

In this documentary, Professor Richard Dawkins challenges what he describes as ‘a process of non-thinking called faith’. Dawkins is well known for bringing to a wide audience the complex scientific concepts that underpin evolution. His first book, The Selfish Gene was an international bestseller.  He describes his astonishment that, at the start of the 21st century, religious faith is gaining ground in the face of rational, scientific truth.

6.2. Super Rich – The Greed Game
January 21, 2009 ( 7:45 p.m.)

In the economical crisis time, this BBC documentary by the reporter Robert Peston reveals how the super-rich have made their fortunes, and the rest of us are picking up the bill.