9:30pm
Anthology Film Archives
32 Second Ave & 2nd Street
Manhattan
9:30pm
Anthology Film Archives
32 Second Ave & 2nd Street
Manhattan
New Filmmakers at Anthology Film Archives is presenting a sneak preview of Enemy Alien.
Preceding the feature presentation that day will be a shorts program curated by Third World Newsreel, including two Life or Liberty short documentaries:
6:30 p.m.
ENEMY ALIEN trailer (2 min)
LIFE OR LIBERTY by Konrad Aderer, 8 minutes
Shokriea Yaghi copes with the senseless incarceration of her husband in 9/11’s aftermath. A Japanese American woman who lived through the WWII camps shares her bitterness and her fears for the future, as immigration law expert Cyrus Mehta and former federal prosecutor Michael Wildes debate the larger context of anti-terror policies.
RISING UP: THE ALAMS by Konrad Aderer, 11 minutes
See how a Bangladeshi-American family targeted by Special Registration fights back. As part of the Homeland security measures, immigrant men from 25, mostly Muslim countries were required to enroll in a Special Registration program. The result: no evidence of terror, but some 13,000 people are now being deported mostly for expired visas. The Alams were among the many families who believed that voluntarily participating in the Special Registration would show their loyalty. Instead, they face the prospect of breaking up their family, despite a decade of hard work and the raising of two children. Working with DRUM (Desis Rising Up and Moving), the Queens South Asian activist group, the Alams have become activists, organizing to fight for their right to stay. Part of the Call for Change series.
TWO MONTHS TO HOME by Janice Ahn, 8 minutes
“Ahn brings a human side to post-September 11, 2001 detentions” — National Museum of Women in the Arts
Samira Rahman is an Afghan mother who narrowly escaped death at the hands of the Taliban just months before September 11, 2001. Upon arrival in the U.S., she is unduly held in a makeshift detention center for two months. Her husband and four children and are elated and relieved when she is finally released and allowed to remain in New York City. Samira learns a hard lesson about life in the U.S.; the price of immigration; the joy of motherhood; and the importance of finding strength in herself.
DASTAAR: DEFENDING SIKH IDENTITY by Kevin Lee, 12 min
A restaurant owner beaten. A policeman fired. A 20 year subway conductor born in the U.S., threatened with job loss: All for wearing the signature turbans of their religion, Sikhism. Since 9/11, hate crimes and job losses have plagued the Sikh-American community, whose religion originated in India, and is not even Islamic. In response, the NYC Sikh community has organized to confront the bias and attacks, through legal suits, pressure on city officials and proactive public education. An excellent introduction to an often misunderstood religion and the success of community activism.
DECEMBER 7/SEPTEMBER 11 BY Ann Brandman & Paul Nishijima, 15 minutes
A comparison of how the events and possible after effects of September 11th may mirror those of the attack on Pearl Harbor. A collection of interviews with Japanese-American veterans who witnessed the events of December 7 in Hawaii offer their insight into what has happened and what might be to come.
