OPENING NIGHT
Friday, Nov. 11, 2011
6:30 PM
Bronson Centre, 211 Bronson

History Wars 

Co-sponsored by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute 
A debate between Jack Granatstein and Michael Byers

Moderated by Michael Bliss.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit Wounded Warriors.




Canadians historically have been great supporters of peacekeeping, and after heavy casualties in the long Afghan war, many believe the Canadian forces should do only UN peacekeeping, not war fighting. But is this possible or wise? Has peacekeeping turned into peace enforcement? If so, is this different from war? What should Canada do?

J.L. Granatstein writes on Canadian national history, and he has published extensively on politics, defence, foreign policy and military history.

He taught Canadian history at York University for thirty years. After taking early retirement in 1995, he is now Distinguished Research Professor of History Emeritus.

His best-known work is Who Killed Canadian History?, but he is the author of over sixty other books, including Yankee Go Home? and Victory 1945.

Granatstein was Director and CEO of the Canadian War Museum from 1998 to 2000, is a Trustee of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation, was chair of the Council for Canadian Security in the 21st Century and is Chair of the Advisory Council of the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and has six honorary degrees.

Dr. Michael Byers holds the Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law at the University of British Columbia.

Prior to 2005, he was Professor of Law and Director of Canadian Studies at Duke University; from 1996-1999 he was a Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford University.

Michael is a regular contributor to the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and Ottawa Citizen, and a frequent guest on the CBC, CTV and Global.

His most recent book is "Who Owns the Arctic?", described by Thomas Berger as "A much-needed road map for policy-makers and an unusually readable guide for every concerned citizen who wants to understand Canada's choices in the Arctic."

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Saturday, November 12, 2011
Room 156, Library & Archives
12:00 PM

Guilty Until Proven Innocent 
Watch the Trailer
52 minutes, 2010 United States
iYAGO Entertainment Group

For decades, sociologists, psychologists and academics have examined the plethora of social ills children of divorce encounter over their lifetimes. For the first time, the fathers of divorce are given a platform and a voice to share their most intimate feelings around the challenges of not having full and complete access to their children. We have all heard the stories of biases family courts, bitter spousal retributions, exorbitant alimony, child-support and lawyer fees, but have we ever stopped to wonder what goes on in the heart of a father, when his is alone, with no knowledge of where his children are?
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Saturday, November 12, 2011
Room A, Library & Archives
12:15 PM

Milk War 
Watch the Trailer
47 minutes, 2011 Canada
Stornoway Communications
2011 James Beard Award Winner
Best Documentary

Milk War is the story of organic dairy farmer Michael Schmidt’s battle to legalize the sale of unpasteurized milk in Canada. In defiance of federal law, Schmidt has supplied his friends and neighbours with raw milk for over 20 years. On November 21st, 2006 Schmidt’s dairy farm was raided by 20 armed officers, his equipment was seized, all dairy products were destroyed and farmer Schmidt was charged with 20 criminal offences for distributing unpasteurized milk. A David and Goliath story; when asked if he was willing to go jail Michael said: “Whatever it takes to give people the freedom to choose healthy nutritious food.”

Speaker: Karen Selick of the Canadian Constitution Foundation
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Saturday, November 12, 2011
Main Auditorium, Library & Archives
12:30 PM

Oscar’s Cuba 
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58 minutes, 2010 United States
In Altum Productions

Shot undercover inside Cuba, Oscar’s Cuba tells the story of Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience who has just been released from a 25-year prison sentence for the crime of “disrespecting the revolution” through his promotion of human rights, democracy and respect for human life in Cuba. Oscar’s Cuba reveals the truth about the Cuban government’s unjust detention of Dr. Biscet and thousands of other human rights supporters who have risked and sacrificed everything for the betterment of their nation.

"I am convinced of my ethical principles, the suffering of another human being is also mine, I cannot accept evil, because if I did my bones will erode and my soul will never be at peace."
-- Dr. Oscar Biscet, clandestine letter from prison (date unknown)
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Saturday, November 12, 2011
Room 156, Library & Archives
1:15 PM

Freedom of What?cott 
Watch the Trailer
67 minutes, 2011 Canada

This documentary walks the fine line between comedy and controversy, between tolerance and hate, capturing one man’s unforgettable journey to the Supreme Court of Canada. Bill Whatcott is a Canadian social conservative who actively campaigns against homosexuality and abortion. On February 25, 2010 the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal overturned a Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal ruling against him alleging discrimination against 4 gay people and fining him $17,500. The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission has appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada, where we are awaiting a ruling. This documentary looks at both sides of this issue.

Speaker: Karen Selick of the Canadian Constitution Foundation

"New Canadian movie about a hard-to-love free speech hero looks surprisingly good... I don’t know who 'the Moon Brothers' are, (and I hope they didn’t use taxpayer money to make this movie) but really: Isn’t this one of the most intriguing trailers you’ve seen in a while? A bit Errol Morris?"
-- Kathy Shaidle, blogger

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Saturday, November 12, 2011
Room A
1:30 PM
Double Feature

Free or Equal 
Watch the Trailer
57 minutes, 2011 United States
Free to Choose Network

Overdose – The Next Financial Crisis 
Watch the Trailer
46 minutes, 2010 Sweden

Free or Equal: In 1980 economist and Nobel Laureate Milton Friedman inspired market reform in the West and revolutions in the East with his celebrated television series “Free to Choose.” Thirty years later, the young Swedish writer, analyst and Cato Foundation Fellow Johan Norberg travels in Friedman’s footsteps to see what has actually happened in the places Friedman’s ideas helped transform. In location after location, Norberg examines the contemporary relevance or Friedman’s ideas in the 2011 world of globalization and financial crisis. Central to his examination are the perennial questions concerning power and prosperity, and the trade-offs between individual liberty and income equality.

Overdose: When the world’s financial bubble blew, the solutions was to lower interest rates and pump trillions of dollars into the sick banking system. The solution is the problem, that’s why we had a problem in the first place. For Economics Nobel laureate Vernon Smith, the Catch 22 is self-evident. But interest rates have been at rock bottom for years, and governments are running out of fuel to feed the economy. The governments can save the banks, but who can save the governments? Forecasts predict all countries’ debt will reach 100% of GDP by next year. Greece and Iceland have already crumbled, who will be next? Have you taken out a mortgage, invested capital or bought shares? If you have, likelihood is you lost out in the latest bust. Governments promised decisive action, the biggest financial stimulus packages in history, gargantuan bailouts: but what crazed logic is this, propping up debt with…more debt? This documentary brings an entirely fresh voice to the hottest topic of today.

Speaker: Matt Bufton of the Institute for Liberal Studies
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Saturday, November 12, 2011
Main Auditorium, Library & Archives
2:00 PM

Angryphone: The Struggle for Canada in Quebec 
Watch the Trailer
75 minutes, 2008 Canada
Jimmy K.

Out of the ashes of two Quebec referendums on independence and 30 years of restrictive language laws, emerged a Canadian counter revolution in the province of Quebec in the 1990s. The Angryphone movement. Filmmaker Jimmy K sits down and speaks with the prominent players of this Angryphone movement and others. Topics of discussion: the Quebec language laws and language police; the mass Quebec exodus; the two Quebec referendums; the lead up to the Clarity Act and various Canadian civil and language rights events, boycotts and protests.

Panel Discussion to follow the film.
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Saturday, November 12, 2011
Room 156, Library & Archives
2:45 PM

The Power of the Powerless 
Watch the Trailer
78 minutes, 2009 United States
Agora Productions

Narrated by Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons, "The Power of the Powerless" explores Czechoslovakia's legacy of communist rule and the struggle against it: From the iron-fisted Stalinist government of the 1950s; through the vibrant and politically active Prague Spring of the 1960s; the hard-line backlash of the 1970s; and finally the bloodless revolution of 1989. At the heart of the film is the story of blacklisted playwright Václav Havel and his fellow dissidents who, for two decades, spoke out against totalitarianism. The film culminates with the student-led movement in Prague, which sparked 1989’s Velvet Revolution and drew a half-million people into the streets, catapulting Václav Havel into the presidency. The documentary features rare and never-before-seen interviews with key figures of the Velvet Revolution including Václav Havel. "The Power of the Powerless" is currently being used by human rights organizations to encourage dissidents struggling in non-democratic countries including Burma.

Winner Documentary Feature Audience Award Sacramento Music & Film Festival, USA
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Saturday, November 12, 2011
Room A, Library & Archives
4:00 PM

An Inconvenient Tax  
Watch the Trailer

Sponsored by the Canadian Taxpayer’s Federation
80 minutes, 2011 United States
Observer Productions

An American look at the history of income tax and brings to light the causes of its many complexities. The film follows the tax through wars, economic booms, and the most significant presidencies in U.S. history. This whirlwind tour includes everything from early IRS propaganda films to the tax reform campaigns of Ronald Reagan, whom historian Steven Weisman describes as “the poet laureate of capitalism.” The film uncovers redefinitions of income, the creation of corporate loopholes, and even a brief moment in 1986 when Congress actually tried to simplify everything.

Speaker: Derek Fildebrandt of the Canadian Taxpayer’s Federation

“The Hardest Thing In The World To Understand Is The Income Tax”
-- Albert Einstein
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Saturday, November 12, 2011
Room 156, Library & Archives
4:30 PM

The 10 Conditions of Love 
Watch the Trailer
54 minutes, 2009 Australia
Jeff Daniels

The 10 Conditions of Love is the story of a woman, a family, a people and a homeland. It is the story of Rebiya Kadeer, the exiled leader of the Uyghur people and her campaign for her people’s human rights. It is also the story of the ‘other Tibet’, the country its Muslim people call East Turkestan, but which the Chinese call Xinjiang Province. It is the story of the ruthless oppression of 20 million people and the obliteration of 1,500 years of Uyghur culture.

Screened for the EU Parliament, the Australian Parliament and the US Congress.
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Sunday, November 13, 2011
Room 156, Library & Archives
12:00 PM

The Last Jews of Libya 
Watch the Trailer
50 minutes, 2007 United States
LionTree Productions

The Last Jews of Libya documents the final decades of a centuries-old Sephardic Jewish community through the lives of the remarkable Roumani family. Thirty-six thousand Jews lived in Libya at the end of World War II, but not a single one remains today. A tale of war, cultural dislocation, and one family's ultimate perseverance, this fifty-minute film traces the story of the Roumanis of Benghazi, Libya from Turkish Ottoman rule through the age of Mussolini and Hitler to the final destruction and dispersal of Libya's Jews in the face of Arab nationalism. The Last Jews of Libya is the story of an ancient community transformed by modern European culture, buffeted by Fascism and Arab nationalism, and ultimately saved through the strength of its Jewish tradition and faith.
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Sunday, November 13, 2011
Main Auditorium, Library & Archives
12:15 PM

Cool It 
Watch the Trailer
88 minutes, 2010 United States
Lionsgate

Are the staggeringly expensive actions now being considered really helping to save the world – or are we just burning money? In this eye-opening documentary, author Bjorn Lomborg (The Skeptical Environmentalist) asks us to question the facts and the solutions. Why in the world are we spending so much money on ‘green’ initiatives....for such little gain? Are there better ways to solve the problems? How else could that money be spent? No matter what our opinions are on the environmental movement, Cool It is an “engrossing film” (New York Times) that asks us to rethink our polarized views.

“Far more convincing that An Inconvenient Truth”
-- Peter Foster, Financial Post

"Enlightening, eye-opening, brain-nourishing stuff!"
-- Steven Zeitchik, Los Angeles Times

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Sunday, November 13, 2011
Room A, Library & Archives
12:30 PM

The Making of a Martyr 
Watch the Trailer
58 minutes, 2005 United States
A2B Film Productions

On March 24th 2004, a fifteen year old Palestinian boy named Hussam Abdu was apprehended at an Israeli border checkpoint with live explosives strapped around his waist. Instead of detonating the bomb, Hussam voluntarily gave himself up to the Israeli army and is now serving time in the HaSharon prison for attempted murder. In the weeks that followed Hussam's arrest, news media from around the globe received conflicting reports. The Palestinian Authority claimed that Hussam had been set up by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), while the IDF maintained that Hussam was the latest example of children recruited for suicide missions by terrorist organizations. The Making of a Martyr documents the ongoing education and recruitment of innocent Palestinian children to become human bombs. The film is composed of first-hand interviews with families of suicide bombers, leaders of terrorist organizations, children imprisoned for participating in violent activities and others.

Speaker: Producer Brooke Goldstein.
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Sunday, November 13, 2011
Room 156, Library & Archives
1:15 PM

1915 The Armenian Genocide 
Watch the Trailer
60 minutes, 2010 United States
Medusa Films

Based on the eyewitness accounts of four survivors, this film takes a journey through their ancestral lands in the final hours of the Armenian Civilization. Their compelling story of survival and death is the window from where the world can observe the anatomy of the first genocide.
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November 13, 2011
Main Auditorium, Library & Archives
2:00 PM

The Biases of the CBC 
Watch the Trailer
40 minutes
2010 James Cohen & Fred Litwin

Please join us for our first self-produced documentary which examines whether the CBC is biased against Israel and biased against conservatives. After the film, we will have a panel discussion with Mike Fegelman of HonestReporting Canada, Stephen Taylor of the NCC, Brian Lilley of Sun News, and David Krayden from the Canadian Centre for Policy Studies.

This event is co-sponsored by Le Réseau Liberté-Québec.
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November 13, 2011
Room A, Library & Archives
2:15 PM

Ahead of Time: The Ruth Gruber Story 
Watch the Trailer
73 minutes, 2009 United States
Reel Inheritance Films

Born in Brooklyn in 1911, Ruth Gruber became the youngest PhD in the world before going on to become an international foreign correspondent and photojournalist at age 24. She emerged as the eyes and conscience of the world. With her love of adventure, fearlessness and powerful intellect, Ruth defied tradition in an extraordinary career that has spanned more than seven decades. The first journalist to enter the Soviet Arctic in 1935, Ruth also traveled to Alaska as a member of the Roosevelt administration in 1942, escorted Holocaust refugees to America in 1944, covered the Nuremberg trials in 1946 and documented the Haganah ship Exodus in 1947. Her relationships with world leaders including Eleanor Roosevelt, President Harry Truman, and David Ben Gurion gave her unique access and insight into the modern history of the Jewish people. Ruth is an inspiration not only for her ground-breaking career, but for her vitality and humour at 98 years old.

Best documentary, Miami Jewish Film Festival 2011-08-29
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Sunday, November 13, 2011
Room 156, Library & Archives
2:30 PM

3 Billion and Counting 
Watch the Trailer
108 minutes, 2010 United States
Frogbite Productions

Dr. Rutledge and his team take an in depth look into a disease that has killed more people than any disease ever known -- Malaria. They interview African, Indian, and US Governments, charitable organizations, scientists, politicians, doctors, clinics, victims, and survivors. They explore and expose the politics of domestic and international policies and find the evidence that the public never truly understood. What they find is astonishing. The greatest ecological genocide in the known history of man is laid bare -- the 1972 ban of an extraordinary life-protecting chemical DDT. This is politics -- the cold brutal crookedness that kills with a stroke of a pen. Short-sightedness of governmental and environmental policies is causing the deaths of millions and the suffering of billions. When the EPA, Greenpeace, World Wildlife Fund, and Sierra refused interviews, Dr. Rutledge knew he had touched a nerve.

“In his dissection of the rise of the environmental movement and the fall of science, Dr. Taylor not only educates us, but he also sparks outrage about the unforeseen consequences of a scientifically ignorant chemical witchhunt, one that has caused untold human suffering and billions of deaths, primarily among children.”
-- Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, National Review, Sept. 2010
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Sunday, November 13, 2011
Room A, Library & Archives
4:00 PM

Freedom Fighter 
Watch the Trailer
81 minutes, 2011 Canada
One World International

Rev. Majed El Shafie was arrested, tortured and sentenced to die in Egypt because of his faith. Escaping to Israel, he was imprisoned until his eventual release a year and a half later. Today Rev. Majed lives in Canada and fights for those persecuted around the world. Pressuring governments, and challenging both world and spiritual leaders, Majed has not been afraid to put everything on the line to help those in need, including his life. Freedom Fighter is an attempt to show the world what is happening to the Christians and other minorities in places where extremism, hate and fear seem to have all the power, with no one to challenge them. This documentary follows the efforts of Rev. Majed and his organization One Free World International over a four year period, as he travels to Pakistan and Afghanistan to investigate claims of abuse, persecution and slavery. You will also witness the horrific story of what happened to a little girl and her family in Pakistan and Rev. Majed's fight to save their lives.

Speaker: Rev. Majed El Shafie
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Sunday, November 13, 2011
Room 156, Library & Archives
4:45 PM

In the Name of the Family 
Watch the Trailer
88 minutes, 2010 Canada, Bishari Productions

On December 10, 2007, a 16-year-old Toronto schoolgirl, Aqsa, was strangled to death; her father and brother are charged with murder. Three weeks later, teenage sisters were shot to death in Dallas; their father is wanted for murder. Six months later, a 19-year-old college student was stabbed by her brother; he was convicted and is now in jail in New York. Friends and family of the murdered girls paint a chilling portrait of the forces that led to their deaths, and Toronto schoolgirls talk about their lives of constant fear. While Muslim women organize to help girls at risk and the imam at a Toronto mosque teaches that violence has no basis in Islam, some men continue to justify these crimes through patriarchal beliefs about family honour. Award-winning director Shelley Saywell brings her consummate documentary skills and passion for human rights to challenge the traditions that lie behind the heartbreaking tragedies committed against young girls caught between two cultures in North America.
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