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The End of America in NYCIn case you’re old-fashioned and like to see your movies on the big screen, not the computer screen…The End of America, a new documentary from Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg, based on the New York Times bestseller by Naomi Wolf about this country's descent into a surveillance society, opens tomorrow, December 3, at the IFC Center in NYC. 
If you can catch tomorrow's 6:30 p.m. showing, ACLU National Security Project Staff Attorney Ben Wizner will join Wolf, co-director Ricki Stern, and producer Avram Ludwig for a Q&A about the film. If you can't make that showing, here's a list of other notable guest speakers who will join Wolf and the filmmakers following the 6:30 p.m. show times on these dates: 12/4 - Kurt Opprechet, Ten Men; Vlad Teichberg, Glass Bead Collective; Eileen Clancy, iWitness Video More information on The End of America can be found at www.aclu.org/rca and on the film’s site www.endofamericamovie.com.
The End of America? Habeas Corpus for Men?
As you may recall, in February, the ACLU was there on the red carpet at the Academy Awards. This past weekend, there we were again in the Hamptons. Friday, October 17th, the ACLU, Rights / Camera / Action, and IndiePix co-hosted the premiere of "The End of America," a new documentary from award-winning filmmakers Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg at the Hamptons International Film Festival. "The End of America" follows Naomi Wolf, author of the bestselling book by the same title, as she discusses America's dangerous slide towards a society of fear and surveillance, and chronicles her work to raise awareness about the threats to democracy in the U.S. when the rule of law is not upheld. The film traces the ten steps that have historically led to the closing of open societies in other nations, including secret prisons where torture takes place, surveillance of ordinary citizens, and arbitrary detention and release of citizens. While it only took us about 2 ½ hours to drive out, the film got caught in some serious traffic on the LIE. To kill time while the audience of 300 waited patiently for the movie to arrive, we threw together an impromptu conversation on stage with Naomi, Alec Baldwin, and our very own Jameel Jaffer. While most of the talk was about what we can all do to restore our America and hold our government accountable, there were a few lighthearted moments as well.
You'll be grateful to know Alec's agent didn't call and, while there was no cologne in the gift bag, it's not a bad idea with the holidays coming up... We, along with new signatories to the I'm a Constitution Voter pledge including Alec Baldwin, Naomi Wolf, Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg, actress and comedienne Rachel Dratch, and filmmaker Doug Liman, continued to celebrate the film and the power each of us has – ACLU members and Hamptons film audiences alike - to remind our candidates, our elected officials, the media, and each other that the Constitution cannot be ignored, throughout the weekend. You can watch “The End of America” for free, in its entirety, with a special introduction by ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero, starting today 10/21 on SnagFilms. Rights / Camera / Action is thrilled to invite you to this online premiere (be sure to invite your friends) and will continue to host virtual screenings on Snag so you can catch all of the civil liberties documentaries not playing at a theater near you. SnagFilms.com is a website where you can watch full-length documentary films for free, “snag” them, and put them anywhere on the web. With a rapidly growing library, you'll find films that resonate with your and ACLU shared interests. “The End of America” player on Snag will also direct viewers to the ACLU's Constitution Voter pledge. You can find the link on the Snag site and, of course, directly at www.aclu.org/constitutionvoter. Check back for future RCA screenings on Snag at www.aclu.org/rca soon. Tags: rca
Battle in Seattle and the Right to Protest
Stuart Townsend's new film Battle in Seattle is the fictional story of the very real protests that rocked the world in November 1999 when thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Seattle in protest of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Ministerial Meeting. The film stars Martin Henderson, Michelle Rodriguez, Andre Benjamin, Woody Harrelson, Ray Liottaand Charlize Theron, each with unique story, some united in mission, but all affected by what's at stake when our fundamental right to protest is put to test.
The ACLU has always represented protestors who have been wrongfully arrested and groups that have been infiltrated and spied on. Our right to dissent is one our nation's founders recognized as one of the most necessary liberties for a democratic society.Codified by the First Amendment and upheld over time as one of our most fundamental freedoms as Americans, the right to assemble, protest, and petition still continue to come under fire today.
Most recently, the ACLU of Colorado and ACLU of Minnesota fought to secure the rights of protestors at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions through lawsuits and negotiations with city officials. And as we all now know, the processing and handling of protestors at the DNC, plus the pre-arrests and house raids at the RNC, shows that our First Amendment right to protest is still threatened.
With regard to the WTO protests, the ACLU of Washington filed suit in March 2000 on behalf of citizens whose rights to freedom of speech were violated by the city's actions. Plaintiffs were individuals who were either kept out or forced out of the No-Protest Zone solely because they had anti-WTO cartoons, buttons, stickers, or signs. Included was a person who was handing out copies of the First Amendment, but they were confiscated by police. Another plaintiff twice had signs taken away by Seattle police, including one that said, "I Have a Right to Non-Violent Protest."
In a conversation for the ACLU's Rights / Camera / Action program, director Stuart Townsend and star Martin Henderson talked about the making of the film and its contemporary relevance. Watch the video here:
Tags: Civil Liberties News, rca
The Little Film That Could Garners Top PrizeCongratulations to Tom McCarthy and the all the folks behind The Visitor, which yesterday took the top prize at the 34th Deauville Film Festival. I like to think of The Visitor as the little independent film that could: Aside from universal accolades from critics and audiences, it has brought humanity, as well as a new voice and heightened awareness to the “hot button” issue of U.S. immigration policy. Reuters/The Hollywood Reporter reports that in collecting his Grand Prix trophy, McCarthy underlined the political intent of the film, saying that he “believes in the power of art to effect change”. I couldn’t agree more. Tags: Civil Liberties News, rca
ACLU Attorney Helps Expose SecretsMany of you know about the documentary Secrecy from the ACLU Membership Conference in June, where we screened it and hosted a Q&A with filmmakers Robb Moss and Peter Galison afterwards. Co-director Robb Moss was also part of the Rights, Camera, Action panel discussion on Sunday, June 8, and his fellow co-director Peter Galison spoke on the panel, "The Battle Between Government Secrecy and the Public's Right to Know," on Monday, June 9. Galison said: In a single recent year the U.S. classified about five times the number of pages added to the Library of Congress. We live in a world where the production of secret knowledge dwarfs the production of open knowledge. Depending on whom you ask, government secrecy is either the key to victory in our struggle against terrorism, or our Achilles heel.What you might not know is that since the conference Robb and Peter have added footage to the film to include an interview with ACLU attorney Ben Wizner about our client Khaled El-Masri and state secrets. Ben will participate in some discussions across the country as the film opens in theaters today. More information on the film is available here on the film's official website, and more on the ACLU's work around these issues can be found here.
Holy Bill of Rights, Batman!On Friday, I thought nothing could make me feel sicker than the food poisoning I had been stricken with the day before. Then I read an op-ed by Andrew Klavan in the Wall Street Journal likening George W. Bush to Batman, and I realized I was wrong. In “What Bush and Batman Have in Common,” Klavan writes: There seems to me no question that the Batman film "The Dark Knight," currently breaking every box office record in history, is at some level a paean of praise to the fortitude and moral courage that has been shown by George W. Bush in this time of terror and war. Like W, Batman is vilified and despised for confronting terrorists in the only terms they understand. Like W, Batman sometimes has to push the boundaries of civil rights to deal with an emergency, certain that he will re-establish those boundaries when the emergency is past.While it thrills me to no end when any individual uses film or the arts to talk about civil liberties and important political and societal issues, (that’s what Rights / Camera / Action is all about) seriously, our President, a dark knight? One of the things that makes “Batman” such a great film is that it raises many timely and relevant questions about truth and justice, right and wrong. Bill Triplett from Variety said it well in his “Wilshire and Washington” post in response to this piece: Like Batman, W has had to do morally questionable things to defend our values, and, because of that, the country is angry at him, Klavan lectures and concludes. Presumably also like W, Batman took an unconscionable amount of time to respond to a natural disaster of immediately epic proportions, stood by as Gotham’s economy went down the toilet, disdained any attempt to question his judgment and kept telling the citizenry that his war was succeeding when it wasn’t.What makes the film even better is that it is fantasy — Batman is not bound by the rule of law. As Batman came to learn himself, Gotham didn’t need a caped superhero. They needed a leader with principle, one they could look up to, who respected and upheld the law. Likewise, caped vigilantism is not the answer to the so-called “war on terror” or a way to govern our great nation. How about regard for the limits of executive power, checks and balances, due process, habeas corpus? They call that superhero the Constitution! Tags: Civil Liberties News, rca
Emmy Nods to Trials of Darryl Hunt
Darryl and Mark participated in another powerful session at the Conference called Capital Punishment: Race, Faith, and the Courts. You can listen to their podcast from the conference. When the movie premiered on HBO in April of 2007, ACLU Racial Justice attorney Reggie Shuford spoke with Darryl and Mark about his case and the film. More information about the film and audio is available at www.aclu.org/racialjustice/gen/29464res20070423.html. The film can next be seen on HBO in August and September. Tags: Civil Liberties News, rca
"Something to Hide" in a Surveillance Society
Last Thursday, we teamed up with PEN American Center once again during its PEN World Voices Festival to host "Something to Hide: Writers and Artists Against the Surveillance State," a special evening designed to provoke reflection on controversial post-9/11 government surveillance programs in the U.S. The evening featured dramatic readings from writers GyOrgy Dragoman, Wally Shawn, Deborah Eisenberg, Ingo Schulze, PEter Esterhazy; poetry from Chenjerai Hove and Irakli Kakabadze; personal reflections from visual artists Jenny Marketou and Hasan Elahi; and opening remarks from PEN President Francine Prose and ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero.
While your gut might not be saying, 'Gee that sounds like fun,' important stories were told and a really good time was had and by all, both onstage and off. If you don't believe me, here's what literary, arts, and culture blog The Millions had this to say about Thursday evening: Both in its intelligent planning and in the sensitivity and humility of its participants, "Something to Hide" focused attention on victims of the surveillance state, rather than flattering the good conscience of the audience.In the next few weeks, we'll have video, audio and photos from the event. And if you missed the New York event, passes are still available for 'Something to Hide' during BookExpo America in L.A. on May 31. That event will feature readings by Judy Blume, Jim Crace, Andre Dubus III, Chris Lawford, Dennis Lehane, Azar Nafisi, Roxana Robinson, and others, followed by a PEN / ACLU reception. To learn more about the ACLU's work around unchecked government surveillance, visit www.aclu.org/spying. Recordings of past ACLU / PEN events, 'Dirty Wars' in 2007 and 'An Evening Without' in 2006, can be found on our podcast page. CORRECTION: In a previous version of this entry, the date of the PEN Event in L.A. was incorrect. The event is on May 31, not May 30. Tags: rca
Critics Applaud "The Visitor"
Apparently, I'm not the only one who would urge you to see The Visitor.
It's the Critic's Pick from The New York Times' A.O. Scott, who wrote: It is possible to imagine a version of this story - the tale of a square, middle-aged white man liberated from his uptightness by an infusion of Third World soulfulness, attached to an exposé of the cruelty of post-9/11 immigration policies - that would be obvious and sentimental, an exercise in cultural condescension and liberal masochism. Indeed, it's nearly impossible to imagine it any other way.Lou Lumenick from The New York Post liked it too: "BEST movie I've seen so far this year? Hands down, it's Tom McCarthy's superb The Visitor, which turns Richard Jenkins, one of the best character actors in the business, into a full-fledged star. As do a host of other journalists. Other folks at the ACLU do as well. As part of Participant's social action campaign for The Visitor, the ACLU has helped spark discussion about the issues this film addresses at screenings across the country - in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, L.A., Miami, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, and Seattle. Go see it, and let us know what you think too. Tags: rca
"The Visitor" Grapples with U.S. Immigration Policy
Many Americans have formed their opinions about U.S. immigration policies by watching a certain CNN anchor. But I would argue, we might learn better by watching The Visitor, a new film from Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent) that draws you into the issue through its characters and moving storyline. It opens in New York and Los Angeles today, and rolls out across the country in the coming weeks.
Starring Richard Jenkins (of Six Feet Under fame), the film follows his college professor character's odyssey into the lives of two immigrants as they attempt to navigate the post-9/11 United States, where human rights and due process are sacrificed in the name of national security. I love this movie immensely. I blogged about it when I first saw it at Sundance in January. I loved it so much I saw it again in March at the South by Southwest festival in Austin. At the Q&A after the film, someone in the audience asked Jenkins if he knew about the Hutto immigrant detention facility just outside of Austin; Hutto was also the subject of a recent article in The New Yorker. I urge everyone, especially anyone who's formed an opinion, on either side of the immigration debate, to go to the theatre, bring a friend and use this guide (PDF) put together as part of Participant Production's social action campaign for the film to spark a post-screening discussion. Let the heart of this story be part of bringing compassion and humanity to the national dialogue on immigration. More on the ACLU's work around immigrant detention can be found at www.aclu.org/immigrants. Tags: rca
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