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DEC 15
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Kira Koshelanyk, MAWO Executive Member opens the first day of MAWO's 5th Annual Anti-war Festival


Guest speaker and film maker Fernando Suarez of the Guillero Azteca Peace Project speaks about his son, Jesus, who died in Iraq in March 2003.


Film Festival participants take a break to enjoy some delicious lunch and browse the festival information tables.


Aaron Mercredi of the Indigenous Rights and Actions Project introduces the film "The Canary Effect".


Indigenous Activist and Coast Salish Elder Kelly White introduces the powerful film "Not so Gentle Neighbor".


U.S. War Resister and anti-war organizer Brad McCall introduces the film "Why is Canada in Afghanistan? What Afghans Think".


Capilano Student Sarah Alwell introduces the film "The Wind that Shakes the Barley".


Lindsay Clarke, Co-MC of this year's Film Festival, introduces the next speaker.


Talking to festival participants about our work and upcoming events against war and occupation.


MAWO organizer, film maker and author Mike Chimenti introduces the film "Hearts and Minds in the Holy War" about Somalia.


Festival goers browsing the information tables


Mario Lee, independent filmmaker from South Korea, introduces his new film, "Anti-war and Social Justice Activists Under Attack: The Case of Alison Bodine."


Signing the petition to lift the 2-year ban on anti-war activist Alison Bodine!


Festival goers browsing the information tables and Art Exhibits!

VANCOUVER'S 5th ANNUAL ANTIWAR FILM FESTIVAL...



A GREAT SUCCESS!


On December 15th and 16th 2007 more than 400 people from in and around Vancouver came together at the Britannia Community Centre to take part in Vancouver’s 5th annual anti-war film festival organized by Mobilization Against War and Occupation (MAWO).


“The Battle of Ideas” was the overarching theme for the 2007 event, contrasting the destruction of the new era of war and occupation with the example of a better world being fought for with the example of revolutionary Cuba. The first day of the festival, December 15th was themed “The New Era of War + Occupation” showing films about war and resistance movements from Afghanistan, Somalia, Ireland, and Indigenous nations in Canada .

A moving presentation was given on Saturday afternoon by Fernando Suarez, the father of a Mexican-American US soldier killed in the first week of the Iraq war in 2003. Fernando greeted the crowd and introduced his feature film on his son’s life “Jesus, A Soldier Without a Country”. As the film ended Fernando was given a standing ovation as people reached out to shake his hand.


The first day’s intensity continued into the evening as Mario Lee, an award winning member of the Korean Independent Film and Video Association as well as the Seoul Visual Collective for Documentary Film Making, introduced his latest film: “Antiwar & Social Justice Activists Under Attack: The Case of Alison Bodine”. (for more on this case visit http://alisonbodine.blogspot.com)


Through both days of the festival the hallways outside the auditorium were lined with two powerful art displays. One was the “4 years of art + politics: MAWO poster campaign in motion + action.”, showing hundreds of anti-war posters of MAWO rallies, forums, pickets, and other anti-war activities over the past 4 years.


The second art display was a very unique and special contribution capturing the attention of participants of this year’s film festival. The display consisted of dozens of Cuban solidarity posters reflecting struggles of oppressed people around the world from OSPAAAL (Cuba’s Organization of Solidarity with the Peoples of Asia, Africa, and Latin America).

* * * * *

Day two opened with a transition to the theme “A New World is Possible: Films from Cuba and Latin America”. The first film of the day, “Panama Deception” showed the US’s brutal invasion of Panama in 1989.

As the day went on film fest participants watched a film on Venezuela and then onto films from Revolutionary Cuba showing that a world striving for humanity and equality is possible.


Randy Caravaggio of the Victoria Goods for Cuba campaign opened the amazing and heart wrenching film “Salud”, a film showing Cuba’s amazing work in the field of health care in Cuba and throughout the world.


The crowd was later introduced to the coordinator of the US National Committee to Free the Five, Gloria La Riva. Gloria detailed the terrorist networks based in Miami who have for decades attacked the sovereignty of Cuba and how the government of the US arrested five Cubans who went to Miami to document these terrorist networks. Gloria then introduced the new film “The Trial” which outlines this attack on the Cuban Five.

Hundreds of people took part in the anti-war festivities this past weekend to come together united in this struggle for a better world. People saw that there are many others with the same goal of combating this new era of war and occupation, and the films from Cuba showed everyone that change is possible, and that the fight for a better world is possible!






DEC 16
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Shannon Bundock, founding member of MAWO, opens the second day of the Film Festival.


Gloria La Riva, Coordinator of the National Committee to Free the Cuban 5 in the U.S., introduces the widely acclaimed new film on the case of the 5, "The Trial".


Festival participants fill the lobby during a brief intermission


Jose Angel, of the Solidarity Coalition for a United Latin America (SCULA), introduces the Sunday's first film, "The Panama Deception."


Venezuelan international student Jesus Moreno introduces, "Venezuela Rising", an inspiring account of social struggle within the new Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela.


Brazil Pevjack, an SFU student and organizer with the Iranian Committee Against War, introduces the Iranian-made film, "Goodbye Che".


Festival Co-MC Andrew Barry introduces the next film.


April Desilets of Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba (VCSC) opens the films "Por la Primera Vez" and "Dollyback".


Festival goers browsing the information tables


Festival Co-MC and MAWO executive member Janine Solanki encourages festival-goers to get involved in building the anti-war movement.


Randy Caravaggio, coordinator of Goods for Cuba-Victoria and longtime social justice activist, introduces the film "Salud!"


Thomas Davies of Mobilization Against War and Occupation, introduces the new film, "My Sisters' and Brothers' Keeper" by Isaac Saney.


Shakeel Lochan, an organizer with MAWO, introduces the new film "Inventos", documenting the rise in Cuban hip-hop.