Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. The weather is pretty mild here in Sackville so I'm enjoying the nice weather. The water is flowing and as Maryn mentioned to me yesterday, you can actually hear the snow melting. Spring is on its way. Sayonara Jack Frost.
Yesterday I was able to go see the National Film Board movie, Discordia. It follows the events that came during and after the "Concordia Riots" from the point of view of Samer Elatrash, a charismatic and confrontational spokesperson for Palestinian rights; Aaron Mate, the controversial former vice-president of the CSU; and Noah Sarna, who assumed a leadership role with Hillel Concordia. It was a really eye opening film and it gave me a better idea of what happened on September 9, 2002 when former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to deliver a speech at the University. I was in New Brunswick at the time and I didn't get as much information about it as I would have liked. I felt the filmmakers were able to take the parties involved and show them as three dimensional people rather than as one dimensional paper cut outs regardless of whether you agreed with their politics or not.
The two filmmakers were on hand to answer questions after the screening and I thought it was an evening well spent. They're doing a tour of the film and showing it to many Universities across Canada. If it's in your city, I recommend you go see it.
Here's the synopsis of the film from its website:
It's September 9, 2002, and a scheduled appearance by Benjamin Netanyahu has sparked heated debate at Montreal's Concordia University. By the end of the day, the "Concordia riot" has made international news, from CNN to Al-Jazeera.
Discordia documents the fallout from that eventful day, following three young campus activists as they negotiate the most formative year of their lives. Filmmakers Ben Addelman and Samir Mallal jump into the fray with street-smart bravado and a handheld camera. Buoyed along by hip-hop artist Buck 65, they offer a tonic reflection on the current state of Canadian student activism, and the enduring value of a tolerant and open mind.
No comments:
Post a Comment