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2007-08
Center presents
"Religion & Politics"
film series
16 films explore intersection
of faith,
politics and film
Sponsored
by the MU Center on Religion & the Professions.
All films are at 7 p.m.
in Fisher Auditorium (Gannett Hall, Room 87),
in the Missouri School of Journalism. Admission
is free.
Schedule:
About
the series
The "Religion &
Politics" film series offers an eclectic
selection of dramas, biographies and documentaries
that examine the interplay between religion
and politics - both defining forces throughout
history and in today's events. Several of
the films are independently produced or
distributed and not readily available to
the public.
The series is intended
to provoke thought and interest in learning
more about the times, places, issues and
people depicted. Some of the films are provocative
and controversial. These films are not being
shown to defame, exploit or contradict beliefs,
or to promote or attack particular religions
or political parties. They are intended
to touch on an array of opinions and encourage
examination and conversation.
The Center does not represent
or endorse the accuracy or reliability of
opinions or information portrayed in the
films. Opinions or statements in the films
are those of the filmmakers, not the Center
or the University of Missouri-Columbia.
For updates, check the
Center's Web site, call (573) 882-2770 or
e-mail whiteab@missouri.edu.
About
the films
Fall 2007
AUG. 29
"Malcolm
X"
Starring Denzel Washington and directed
by Spike Lee, the film tells the story of
famous African-American civil rights leader
Malcolm X. It traces his journey from criminal
and conversion to Islam in prison, from
black separatist leader in the Nation of
Islam to pilgrimage to Mecca, conversion
to orthodox Islam, and advocate for black
nationalism and racial reconciliation. Malcolm
X came to conclude that Islam could solve
racial problems. He was assassinated in
1965. Rated PG-13. (1992)
- With introduction by Nathan Stephens,
director of the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture
Center at MU
SEPT. 5
"A
Man for All Seasons"
When King Henry VIII broke
with Rome to divorce his wife and start
his own church, Catholic Lord Chancellor
Sir Thomas More followed his conscience
rather than the king. A man of deep religious
convictions, More was indicted for treason
and beheaded for his principles in 1535.
More was canonized as a saint by the Catholic
Church in 1935. The film version of this
true story won six Academy Awards. The film
explores the relationship between personal
conscience and public duties. (1966)
- With introduction by Dr. Jill
Raitt, professor emerita in the MU Department
of Religious Studies and expert in history
of the Protestant Reformation. A facilitated
discussion will follow the film.
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SEPT.
19
"Fire
Within"
The film documents the efforts of Jacobs
International Teen Leadership Institute
(JITLI) to foster cross-cultural and international
understanding. Ten Israeli Arabs, 10 Israeli
Jews and 10 American Jews travel together
through Israel and Spain, exploring their
differences and similarities. They confront
their prejudices and fears and discuss issues
such as religion, history, politics, the
military, civil rights, racial profiling,
governance and their own identities. Finding
they are more united as humans than they
are divided by differences, the Muslims,
Jews, Israelis, Arabs, Americans, boys and
girls form friendships, plans and hopes
for the future. (2003)
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OCT.
10
"Kundun"
Directed by Martin Scorsese, the film is
based on the life and writings of the 14th
Dalai Lama, the exiled political and spiritual
leader of Tibet. In 1937, in a remote area
of Tibet, a 2-year-old child is identified
as the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama,
referred to by Tibetans as "Kundun"
- "The Presence." At 4, the child
begins schooling as a Tibetan Buddhist monk
and as head of state. At 14, the Chinese
invade Tibet and the Dalai Lama is forced
into a rocky coalition government. He meets
with Chinese leader Mao Zedong but, ill
and persecuted, flees to India in 1959,
tormented by visions of Tibetans' slaughter
under Chinese rule. The Dalai Lama, known
internationally today for promoting compassion
and tolerance, continues to live in exile
in India. Rated PG-13. (1997)
- With introduction by Signe Cohen,
expert in Eastern religions and assistant
professor of Religious Studies at MU
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OCT.
17
"George
W. Bush: Faith in the White House"
Billed as the conservative alternative to
Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11,"
the documentary outlines the significant
role Christianity plays in the life and
presidency of George W. Bush. The film provides
an insider's view of how Bush's dedication
to faith, prayer and application of God's
word transformed his life and continues
to inform his decisions, worldview and leadership.
(2004)
NOV.
14
"Lake
of Fire"
Filmed over 15 years, Tony
Kaye's documentary sheds light on both sides
of the debate over abortion, an issue that
deeply divides Americans. Kaye interviews
a range of people - from fundamentalist
Christians to experts in bioethics, impassioned
pro-life believers and determined pro-choice
advocates.
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Kaye endeavors to show
abortion's physical and psychological reality
- the film includes graphic images of termination
procedures - and also devotes time to medical
practitioners killed or injured in attacks
on abortion providers. Shot in black-and-white
with commentary by Noam Chomsky, the film
explores the complex issue as one with both
extremes and shades of gray. (2006)
LOCATION: Fisher Auditorium, Gannett Hall-Room
87, University of Missouri-Columbia
TIME:
7 p.m.
COST:
Free.
- With facilitated discussion following
the film
(Note: This film was originally scheduled
to be shown at Ragtag Cinemacafe. Due to
a scheduling conflict, the location has
been changed. The new time and location
are reflected here.)
NOV.
28
"Seeing
Red: A Journey Through the Moral Divide"
After the 2004 presidential election and
amid media reports of America's moral division
between red and blue states - the faithful
and faithless - four friends set out to
explore the intersection of religion and
civic engagement in America. Two Jews, a
Hindu and a born-again Christian, they set
out to investigate the power of evangelical
Christianity in American political life.
The documentary takes them from Texas megachurches
to New Hampshire music festivals and MTV
protests in New York. They find the characterization
of evangelicals in mainstream media overlooks
a more textured and diverse story of religion
and politics.
DEC.
12
 "Waiting
For NESARA"
Shot on location in Utah between Sept. 11,
2001, and the start of Iraq war, the documentary
tells the true story of The Open Mind Forum,
a messianic group of former Mormons who
share belief in a utopian prophecy tied
to a political movement. The group awaits
implementation of NESARA, a secret law they
believe would abolish the IRS, remove George
W. Bush from office, expose him as a "reptilian
alien" and install an extraterrestrial
Jesus Christ as America's leader. The group
believes Bush ordered the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks to delay NESARA's implementation
and that the Iraq war will be his second
attempt. The film chronicles the group's
struggle to stay together and focused as
they pray for alien allies to intervene
in time to stop the war. (2005)
Spring 2008
 JAN.
23
"My
Mother India"
Beginning as a humorous
portrait of a Indian-Australian family living
in India, the documentary becomes a commentary
on the partition of India and Pakistan and
the socio-political events of the 1984 anti-Sikh
riots. Filmmaker Safina Uberoi tells the
story through biographical sketches of her
family, including her Australian mother,
who married a Sikh Indian professor in the
1960s and moved to New Delhi, where they
raised three children. The film shows both
the challenges of a multicultural family
and how historical and political events
such as riots and anti-Sikh sentiments influenced
family members' lives and decisions to stay
or leave their home. (2001)
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JAN.
30
"With
God On Our Side"
The documentary takes an in-depth look at
the connection between President George
W. Bush and evangelical Christianity. In
two parts, the first traces the history
of the conservative evangelical movement
in America. The second explores how Bush's
religious beliefs inform his presidency.
The film imparts the history in an even-handed
tone and includes rare archival footage
and interviews with leading evangelicals,
key Washington players and grassroots activists.
The portrait that emerges is of a president
whose life and leadership are symbolic of
the larger nexus of religion and politics
in America. (2004)
FEB.
13
"Amazing
Grace"
The film is based on the life of William
Wilberforce, a member of British Parliament
who pioneered the end of the 18th-century
British slave trade. Wilberforce, a rising
political star, is elected to the House
of Commons at 21. He rediscovered his Christian
faith as a young man but struggles over
whether to use his talents for political
or religious leadership. He decides he can
use his political popularity to draw attention
to the slaves' humanity and need to end
the slave trade - convictions fueled by
his faith. Over decades, Wilberforce challenges
the English establishment and convinces
leaders to end Great Britain's involvement
in the African slave trade. He is influenced
by friend John Newton, a former slave ship
captain who underwent a religious conversion
and penned the famous hymn, "Amazing
Grace." Wilberforce finds balance between
his religious convictions and his public
service, each informing the other. Rated
PG. (2006)
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FEB.
27
"No
More Tears Sister"
Violent ethnic conflict between mostly Hindu
Tamils and mostly Buddhist Sinhalese in
Sri Lanka is the background for the life
of human rights activist Dr. Rajani Thiranagama,
documented in the film. Sri Lanka gained
independence from the British in 1948. Though
its ethnic groups had fought together, independence
fractured them into increasingly violent
opposition among each other and with the
government. A Christian Tamil, Thiranagama
believed in equality for all Sri Lankans,
regardless of ethnicity. But amid suppression
of Tamils by the Sinhalese majority, she
was pulled toward Tamil nationalism. Even
so, she was married to a radical Sinhala
Buddhist student leader, documented atrocities
on all sides of the conflict, and worked
to promote social justice in Sri Lanka all
of her life. A doctor, anatomy professor,
mother, wife, political activist and internationally
respected human rights activist, Thiranagama
was assassinated in 1989 at age 35. (2004)
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FEB. 28-29, MARCH 1
“Shake the Devil Off”
Six months after Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans, St. Augustine church parishioners learn their church is about to be closed and its priest, Father Jerome LeDoux, sent away. Parishioners of this historic church – where slaves, free blacks and whites first worshipped together and where many say jazz was born – join forces with local musicians to resist. The film is a contemporary retelling of the Easter story, in a city where politics, culture and religion collide and where God’s plan remains impenetrable. This film is being shown in collaboration with the True/False Film Festival. Special times and locations:
Feb. 28 – 6 p.m.
Windsor Auditorium, Stephens College
Feb. 29 – 7:30 p.m.
Forrest Theater, Tiger Hotel
March 1 – 12:30 p.m.
Windsor Auditorium, Stephens College
(Free tickets to March 1 show available; call 882-2770)
 MARCH
5
"Earth"
Directed by Deepa Mehta, the film takes
place in 1947 at the time of the British
division of the Indian subcontinent into
Muslim-dominated Pakistan and Hindu-Sikh
dominated India. It is told through the
eyes of an 8-year-old girl, who watches
her household and city crumble as ethnic
and religious conflicts erupt. The film
depicts what happens to a group of friends
from Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Parsi backgrounds
in Lahore, in the region of Punjab, when
it is divided in two during the partition.
An estimated 11 million people caught on
the "wrong" side of the border
during the division are driven from their
homes. The girl watches as anarchy and chaos
also divide friends and family. (1998)
 MARCH
19
"Romero"
Raul Julia plays Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar
Romero in the film depicting the true story
of Romero's life. A Catholic priest, Romero
worked in El Salvador during the 1980s political
unrest. Initially viewed as conservative,
he later embraced nonviolent "liberation
theology." Romero spoke out against
social injustice, poverty and government
terror campaigns during the country's civil
war. His protests against government actions
were viewed by some as disloyal and the
government was implicated in destruction
of churches and murders of priests. Romero
was assassinated in 1980 as he celebrated
Mass. Rated PG-13. (1989)
 APRIL
16
"The
War Within"
Pakistani engineering student Hassan is
apprehended by Western intelligence services
in Paris for suspected terrorist activities.
Imprisoned and tortured, Hassan - formerly
only an intellectual supporter of "jihad"
- radicalizes and joins a terrorist cell
in New York City. On the day of a major
planned attack, most of the cell's members
are arrested and Hassan seeks refuge with
an unsuspecting childhood friend living
the "American dream" in New Jersey
with his family. As days pass, Hassan is
torn between his religious beliefs and political
imperative, and the generosity and hospitality
of his friend's family. The film observes
Hassan's crisis of conscience as he wrestles
with issues of identity, race and Islam
in deciding whether to carry out his deadly
mission. Rated R. (2005)
APRIL
30
"The
Great Warming"
 Narrated by Alanis Morissette and Keanu
Reeves, the film argues that humans are
changing the planet's climate, and only
humans can take action to stop or slow those
changes. It travels around the world to
show how climate change is affecting people's
lives and what people are doing to handle
climate change and plan for the future.
It also looks at the economic, social and
political impacts of climate change and
threats to the environment, health and quality
of life. The film shows responses from a
range of people urging action on climate
change, from scientists and architects to
automobile designers and evangelical Christian
leaders. The film's message is that people
have both an individual and collective moral
responsibility to reverse climate change.
(2006)
• See flier
Directions
to auditorium:
Fisher Auditorium (Room 87) is located on
the ground floor of Gannett Hall, in the
Missouri School of Journalism. The auditorium
has tiered seating; the building has soda
machines and restrooms near the auditorium.
The closest parking is the Hitt Street garage,
Lot WC-14, or street parking near 9th Street.
[map]
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