FILM OF THE MONTH: BEASTS OF NO NATION

BEASTS OF NO NATION

This Netflix original film tells the story of Agu, a young boy from West Africa who is forced to survive after civil war ravages his country. Agu is then indoctrinated into a rebel military faction and becomes a child solider. While Agu fears his commander and many of the men around him, his fledgling childhood has been brutally shattered by the war raging through his country. Based on the 2005 book by Uzodinma Iweala.

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Decolonizing Culture

THE DECOLONIZER
January 2016

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FILM OF THE MONTH: THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION

(via Roxie.com)

The first feature length documentary to explore the Black Panther Party, The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, highlights the Party's significance to the broader American culture, its cultural and political awakening for black people, and the painful lessons wrought when a movement derails. Master documentarian Stanley Nelson goes straight to the source, weaving a treasure trove of rare archival footage with the voices of the people who were there: police, FBI informants, journalists, white supporters and detractors, and Black Panthers who remained loyal to the party and those who left it.

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Decolonizing Culture

THE DECOLONIZER
December 2015

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FILM OF THE MONTH: THE BLACK POWER MIXTAPE

via IMDB

A treasure trove of footage that spans the length of the Black Power movement including film interviews with Angela Davis, Stokely Carmichael, and other leaders is found in the basement of a Swedish television company. Director Göran Olsson and co-producer Danny Glover bring this footage to life, bridging the voices of struggle from the 60s and 70s with contemporary artists and activists. The Black Power Mixtape takes a crucial look at the development of the Black Power Movement.

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Decolonizing Culture

THE DECOLONIZER
November 2015

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FILM OF THE MONTH: A PLACE CALLED CHIAPAS

This 1998 Canadian documentary is a first hand account of the Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional, or the Zapatista Army of National liberation (Zapatistas). The 1993 signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement by the Mexican government allowed for the unrestrained exploitation of the Mexican economy by United States business interests and dollarization. To the benefit of the Mexican elite, the agreement had many disastrous implications for the impoverished indigenous communities of the Chiapas.

In response, the Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional staged an armed insurrection on January 1st, 1994. Zapatistas marched overtaking five towns and 500 ranches.

A Place Called Chiapas takes an in-depth look at life in the rebel territories after the 1994 insurrection. The fight for indigenous survival continues today in the Chiapas.

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Decolonizing Culture

THE DECOLONIZER
October 2015

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FILM OF THE MONTH: CONCERNING VIOLENCE

Concerning Violence

This 2014 documentary written and directed by Göran Olsson is based on Franz Fanon's famous 1961 essay "Concerning Violence." The film explores through archival footage the mechanisms for understanding Third-World decolonial struggles in Africa. Narrated by Ms Lauryn Hill, the film relies almost exclusively on excerpts taken from Fanon's landmark essay.

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Decolonizing Culture

THE DECOLONIZER
September 2015

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