On February 6-8 the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center at the University of Notre Dame will hold the annual ScreenPeace Film Festival, which will present 5 critically acclaimed films that highlight a range of compelling issues related to peace and justice. Tickets, which are free, will be available in mid-January.
The Trials of Muhammad Ali 7 p.m.
This film covers the explosive crossroads of Ali’s life. When Cassius Clay becomes Muhammad Ali, his conversion to Islam and refusal to serve in the Vietnam War leave him banned from boxing and facing a five-year prison sentence. From Kartemquin Films and Academy Award-nominated director Bill Siegel, “The Trials of Muhammad Ali” examines how one of the most celebrated sports champions of the 20th century risked his fame and fortune to follow his faith and conscience. Watch Trailer.
Wadjda
Wadjda, a 10-year-old girl in Saudi Arabia, is fun-loving and always pushing the boundaries. After a fight with her friend Abdullah, Wadjda sees a beautiful green bicycle for sale. She wants the bicycle desperately so she can beat Abdullah in a race. But her mother won’t allow it, fearing repercussions from a society that sees bicycles as dangerous to a girl’s virtue. Wadjda decides to raise the money herself by entering a competition for memorizing and reciting Koranic verses. It won’t be easy, especially for a troublemaker like Wadjda, but she is determined to fight for her dreams. Watch Trailer.
NO
In 1988, Chilean military dictator Augusto Pinochet, due to international pressure, is forced to call a plebiscite on his presidency. The country will vote YES or NO to Pinochet extending his rule for another eight years. Opposition leaders for the NO persuade a brash young advertising executive, Rene Saavedra (Gael Garcia Bernal), to spearhead their campaign. Against all odds, with scant resources and under scrutiny by the despot‘s minions, Saavedra and his team devise an audacious plan to win the election and set Chile free. Watch Trailer.
The Square
The Egyptian Revolution has been an ongoing rollercoaster over the past two and a half years. Through the news, we only get a glimpse of the bloodiest battle, an election, or a million man march. At the beginning of July 2013, we witnessed the second president deposed within the space of three years. “The Square” is an immersive experience, transporting the viewer deeply into the intense emotional drama and personal stories behind the news. It is the inspirational story of young people claiming their rights, struggling through multiple forces, in the fight to create a society of conscience. Watch Trailer.
The Act of Killing
Anwar Congo and his friends dance their way through musical numbers, twist arms in film gangster scenes, and gallop across prairies as cowboys. Their foray into filmmaking is celebrated in the media, even though Anwar Congo and his friends are mass murderers. When the government of Indonesia was overthrown in 1965, Anwar and his friends helped the army kill more than a million alleged communists, ethnic Chinese, and intellectuals in less than a year. Anwar and his friends have written their own triumphant history, becoming role models for millions of young paramilitaries. Watch Trailer.
The ScreenPeace Film Festival is presented in partnership with the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, University of Notre Dame.