WHAT WE WANT IS PEACE!
Presented by Albert Maysles

All Quiet on the Western Front
Dir. Lewis Milestone, 1930, 133 min.
Based on the novel by German author Erich Maria Remarque, the film follows a group of German schoolboys, talked into enlisting at the beginning of World War 1 by their jingoistic teacher. The story is told entirely through the experiences of the young German recruits and highlights the tragedy of war through the eyes of individuals. As the boys witness death and mutilation all around them, any preconceptions about "the enemy" and the "rights and wrongs" of the conflict disappear, leaving them angry and bewildered. This is highlighted in the scene where Paul mortally wounds a French soldier and then weeps bitterly as he fights to save his life while trapped in a shell crater with the body. The film is not about heroism but about drudgery and futility and the gulf between the concept of war and the actuality.

The Fight For Peace
Dir. Hendrik Willem Van Loon, 1938, 70min.
This film presents a simple historical account of the First World War and introduces the major players in the Second. The dramatic voiceover and "storybook" format make this seem a little ridiculous for modern viewers. However, it is valuable because it demonstrates the sort of bias that is present during the 1930s due to the fear of Stalinist communism. This documentary does not provide any new information for anyone who has studied the two wars, but what it does give is a sense of what was considered a documentary during this time of fear.

WHAT WE WANT IS PEACE!
Presented by Albert Maysles

The Last Atomic Bomb
Dir. Robert Richter, 2006, 92 min.
Nagasaki survivor Sakue Shimohira has dedicated her life to making sure the truth about the last atomic bomb deliberately used on human beings will never be forgotten. She engages young students around nuclear disarmament activism.

Gods of Metal
Dir. Robert Richter, 1982, 19 min.
An Oscar nominee for best documentary short, focused on a range of actions by ordinary Americans concerned over the Cold War threat of a nuclear war. If you care about nuclear proliferation this documentary is a text book of what you can do about it.

Q&A with director Robert Richter and producer and nuclear disarmament expert Kathleen Sullivan to follow screening!

WHAT WE WANT IS PEACE!
Presented by Albert Maysles

The World Is Watching
Dir. Jim Munro and Peter Raymont, 1987, 59 min
Who decides what's news? And how do they decide? Are foreign correspondents allowed to tell all that they see? This production focuses on several journalists working in Nicaragua during the negotiations surrounding the Arias Peace Plan in November 1987. It examines how the news business works, revealing the inevitable distortions that become part of the process. ABC TV's Peter Jennings and John Quinones;Newsweek, photographer Bill Gentile; The Boston Globe's Randolph Ryan; Edith Coron; reporter for the Paris newspaper, Libération; and John Snow, correspondent for Britain's ITN TV News.

WHAT WE WANT IS PEACE!
Presented by Albert Maysles

The Day After Peace
Dir. Jeremy Gilley, 2008, 82 min.
Can one person make the world stop all war for one day? Jeremy Gilley, a British former child actor thinks to himself, what if the world stopped fighting for just one day? A day of peace! Then he starts to make a film about himself and his mission - global ceasefire. The result is an international action/adventure documentary (for peace) made with a budget like Indiana Jones (non-profit money and product placement is big business). His movie is his life as it unfolds for 10 years. Takes his idea all the way to the UN and gets every country to agree that September 21st will be a day without war. September 11th, 2001, Kofi Annan is getting ready to ring the bell of peace at the UN building . . . This movie is wild. Angelina Jolie is in it, the real Angelina Jolie. This movie is like Peace itself - you're skeptical but you know you want to see it.

Discussion led by Albert and Philip Maysles

WHAT WE WANT IS PEACE!
Presented by Albert Maysles

Origins of Aggression: The Other Story
Dir. Jean-Pierre Maher, 2005, 50min.
Is human aggression a result of nature or nurture? Interviews with researchers from various fields--including a Nobel prize winner--shed light on the question. Startling footage of children acting out their aggressive impulses adds to this compelling documentary that examines the complex factors that affect the socialization of aggressive behaviour among humans. Biological, environmental and psychological components are addressed, and guidelines for the prevention of human violence are also provided.

In Our Hands
Dir. Robert Richter and Stanley Warnow, 1984, 90min.
A chronicle focusing in on the largest peace demonstration in the history of the world, which took place on June 12, 1982. One million people were in New York on what's been described as a magical day, speaking in one voice to "stop the nuclear arms race." There were forty-three volunteer camera teams to shoot the large-scale event; even the cops were on the side of the demonstrators. (and 5 days to change the world).

Followed by Q&A with Director Robert Richter, producer & nuclear disarmament expert Kathleen Sullivan, and Albert Maysles.

Pray the Devil Back to Hell
Dir. Abigal E. Disney and Gini Reticker, 2008, 72 min.
A gripping account of a group of brave and visionary women who demanded peace for Liberia, a nation torn to shreds by a decades old civil war. Combining contemporary interviews, archival images, and scenes of present-day Liberia the film recounts the experiences and memories of the women who stood up to their country's tyrannical leader and brutal warlords, in order to bring peace to their tormented country.