The film also focuses on the story of Carlos De Luna, a convict Pickett counseled and whose execution troubled Pickett more than any other. He firmly believed De Luna was innocent, and the film tracks the investigative efforts of a team of Chicago Tribune reporters who have turned up evidence that strongly suggests he was.

From award-winning directors Steve James ("Hoop Dreams") and Peter Gilbert ("Vietnam: Long Time Coming").

>>>Watch the Trailer | At the Death House Door on IFC | At the Death Houste Door on Kartemquin Films

In February 2003, university professor and pro-Palestinian civil rights activist Sami Al-Arian was arrested in Tampa, Florida, charged with providing material support to a terror organization. For two-and-a-half years he was held in solitary confinement, denied basic privileges and given limited access to his attorneys. While the Bush administration considered this a landmark case in its campaign against international terrorism, Sami Al-Arian claims he was targeted in an attempt to silence his political views.

The film follows Sami Al-Arian’s wife Nahla and their five children throughout his 6 month-long trial. It is an intimate family portrait that documents the strain brought on by the trial, a battle waged both in court and in the media. In the film a tight-knit family unravels before our very eyes as trial preparations, strategy and spin consume their lives. This is a nightmare come to life, as a man is prosecuted for his beliefs rather than his actions. [full film description]

When Mexican paramilitary forces shot Brad Will in the chest, killing him, his camera fell from his hands. But it didn't stop recording. It continued moving from hand to hand telling Brad's story, as well as the story of the movement of movements that he was part of. From the squats of New York to the forests of Oregon, from the anti-globalization protests in Seattle, Prague, Quebec to the popular uprising in Oaxaca, Brad's camera paints us a picture of what his life was about, and what so many of his friends continue to struggle for.

Download and distribute a flyer for the event

We will be asking for a 5-10$ donation. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. This event is co-sponsored by Friends of Brad Will

Driven by anti-materialism and a belief that the impending apocalypse will render cars useless and leave bicycles in power, Black Label Bike Club (BLBC) battles mainstream consumer culture and rival gangs for its vision of a better tomorrow.

Pulling threads from Critical Mass and the wider bike counterculture, B.I.K.E. explores such themes as radical politics, personal artistic vision, global responsibility, relationships, group formation, and perhaps most prominently, pain and love.

Co-directors Jacob Septimus and Anthony Howard followed the Brooklyn chapter of BLBC for over two years to meetings, parties, jousts, gatherings of the tribes in Amsterdam and Minneapolis, and the protests of the 2004 Republican National Convention to create their masterpiece.

This fascinating and gorgeously gritty film provides insight into a passionate subculture, and exposes the darker aspects of living on the wild side. Edited from over 385 hours of footage spanning two years, Fountainhead Films presents B.I.K.E.: a riveting look into the ways in which identity is important for a collective of fiercely independent people.

View Trailer | Listen to PSA | www.bike-films.com

Stay tuned to Houston IMC for details on a bike ride than will take place before the screening.

Presented in Collaboration with Artist Rescue Mission, Rice for Peace and Justice, and Houston Palestine Film Festival

MEETING RESISTANCE raises the veil of anonymity surrounding the Iraqi insurgency by meeting face to face with individuals who are passionately engaged in the struggle, and documenting for the very first time, the sentiments experienced and actions taken by a nation's citizens when their homeland is occupied. Voices that have previously not been heard, male and female, speak candidly about their motivations, hopes and goals, revealing a kaleidoscope of human perspectives.

Featuring reflective, yet fervent conversations with active insurgents, MEETING RESISTANCE is the missing puzzle piece in understanding the Iraq war. Directed by Steve Connors and Molly Bingham, this daring, eye-opening film provides unique insight into the personal narratives of people involved in the resistance exploding myth after myth about the war in Iraq and the Iraqis who participate.

Through its unprecedented access to these clandestine groups, MEETING RESISTANCE focuses the spotlight on the “other side”, clarifying why the violence in Iraq continues to this day and providing a deeper understanding of both the toll of occupation and the human condition of resistance.

View Trailer | Listen to PSA | www.meetingresistance.com

Directors by Steve Connors and Molly Bingham will be in attendance for the screening and Q & A afterwards.

This program is composed of the following films: Loz Invenzivlez/Our Invincible Youth, Hutto: Americas Family Prison, The Wall and the River and short video from the No Border Camp and Houston Sin Fronteras. [See flyer, read film descriptions].

Filmmaker Matt Gossage will be in attendance. Listen up to Houston Indymedia Radio this Friday at 7:30pm for interviews with 3 of the featured filmmakers. We will also be presenting this program as part of the National Conference for Immigrant & Refugee Rights on Friday the 18th
Rice Cinema is located on Rice University Campus at Entrance #8, University and Stockton Ave [see map]

Co-sponsored by Objectif Magazine we will present "Tats Cru: The Mural Kings" as part of the BBoy Hodown hip-hop festival. This film screening will be followed by a panel discussion: Mural or Menace? featuring Houston City Councilors, Artists from Fine Art and Graffiti backgrounds, and some folks who don't like graffiti.

"TATS CRU: THE MURAL KINGS", is a feature length documentary, that details the story of the world famous TATS CRU; a group of Bronx-based professional muralists whose work in aerosol has changed the perception of Graffiti as art.

The film follows the world famous TATS CRU as they produce their mural for The Graffiti Hall of Fame in Harlem and prepare to uphold their title of “The Mural Kings.” Inter-cut with exclusive interviews detailing the journey that started twenty-five years ago, as three Bronx teenagers began their artistic careers by creating subway graffiti.

The Mural Kings Film | Trailer | BBoy Hodown

In the summer of 2006, a broad-based, non-violent, popular uprising exploded in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. Some compared it to the Paris Commune, while others called it the first Latin American revolution of the 21st century.

But it was the people’s use of the media that truly made history in Oaxaca. A 90-minute documentary, A Little Bit of So Much Truth captures the unprecedented media phenomenon that emerged when tens of thousands of school teachers, housewives, indigenous communities, health workers, farmers, and students took 14 radio stations and one TV station into their own hands, using them to organize, mobilize, and ultimately defend their grassroots struggle for social, cultural, and economic justice. [more info and flyer]

Standing with the Students(check out the trailer) | Radio Announcement | Background on Ambazonia Student Movement | Flyers for the Screening

On August 17th, 2007 @ Rice Cinema (Rice University University at Stockton Ave), Houston Indymedia and BBoy Hodown are proud to present BBoy Hodown Annual Festival 2006; a video wrapping up al the components of the event including BBoy Battles, Graffiti Battle, Political Panel Discussions, Performances, and Much Much More! Doors open @ 7 PM and Screening starts @ 8 PM
View a trailer and more information look here

This is event is co-sponsored by Houston Indymedia and Jovenes Imigrantes por un Futuro Mejor (Young Immigrants for a Better Future)

The Giant Awakens: In 2006, a historic mobilization for immigrant rights swept the USA as millions took the streets. Mainstream news media predictably covered the marches with a mix of surprise, ignorance, and racism, yet grassroots media activists were there to document the voices and the stories behind this mass movement.

¡Gigante: Despierta! is a DVD compilation of compelling short films from all around the country, due to hit the streets in the weeks before Mayday 2007. Shot, edited, and brought together by a network of independent video activists, graphic designers, community organizers, musicians, and immigrant rights activists, it is a collective memory and a tool to inspire action this MayDay 2007, when the Giant will raise its voice again to say: we are one people, without borders. We are here, and we are here to stay!

The story of the Panther 8 is complex. Eight former Black Panthers were arrested January 23rd 2007 in California, New York and Florida on charges related to the 1971 killing of a San Francisco police officer. Similar charges were leveled agains these activists in 1973. But a judge tossed out the charges, finding that the panthers made statements after police in New Orleans tortured them for several days employing electric shock, cattle prods, beatings, sensory deprivation, plastic bags and hot, wet blankets for asphyxiation. Such "evidence" is neither credible nor legal. Legacy of Torture tells this story

Part of what makes this movie so damn scary is how it forces us to see how police presecute people over the course of decades. But the flip side is also true; we too can defend ourselves, our friends, and our movement over the long haul.

In addition to Legacy of Torture we will be screening Voice of Liberation. Jalil Abdul Muntaqim (formerly Anthony Bottom) was 19 years old when he was arrested. He is a former member of the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army, founder of the Jericho Movement and is one of the longest held political prisoners in the world. This documentary is a unique opportunity to visit and hear Jalil's story.

Granito de Arena is the story of that resistance –the story of hundreds of thousands of public schoolteachers whose grassroots, non-violent movement took Mexico by surprise, and who have endured brutal repression in their 25-year struggle for social and economic justice in Mexico's public schools. A sixty-minute documentary, Granito de Arena places the Mexican teachers’ struggle in a global context, clearly spelling out the relationship between economic globalization and the worldwide public education crisis.

View Trailer

Rebellious Israeli youth take up the arms of punk rock, loud guitars, and mohawks in the most politically charged area of the world. Looking at the present situation in Israel through the eyes of punk rockers is an uncommon vantage point, but the voices of these diverse young people illuminate the thoughts of a generation of disillusioned Israelis who yearn for an end to the bleak politics of war, so that they might live out their dreams.

House Bill 1403 is a law that allows certain students to pay in-state tuition at colleges and universities in the State in Texas. It also allows students to qualify for state financial aid. HB1403 was passed in the summer of 2001 after being proposed by Representative Rick Noriega. Rick Noriega will be present after the film for a panel discussion.

This Houston Produced documentary has a trailer you can view on its very own myspace profile.

The evening will include video from marches and actions taken by the SEIU in Houston, provided by local video activist Jessee Salmeron, as well as films from Justice for Janitor Campaigns in other cities.

We will also be screening Together We Win: The Fight to Organize Starbucks about the effort of Starbucks Workers in New York City to organize a union with the Industrial Workers of the World.

There will be a panel disscussion afterwords with janitors and participant in the Justice for Janitors Campaign.

Electric Purgatory is a documentary that examines the struggles of black rock musicians and the industry's ambivalence towards them. Director Raymond Gayle spent the better part of a year traveling around the United States interviewing many of Black Rock's elite including Fishbone, Vernon Reid, Adam Falcon, Jimi Hazel and Cody Chesnutt. Distinguished journalists such as Flip Barnes, Darrell McNeil, Charlie Braxton, and Greg Tate, share their opinions and insight on the dilemma facing these artists. The film will explore the origins of the Black Rock Coalition and its relevance in the music industry. The project will also take a look at the stigma Black Rock musicians face in the Black community and more importantly how to bring the Black audiences back into the fold.

...“During the height of the movement—activity wise—I may have filmed a rally in the morning, attended a coalition meeting in the afternoon and conducted an interview or two afterwards. I’d get home late at night and log the tapes to my computer then I’d try to sleep for three or four hours before starting over again. I’d never been so exhausted in my life,” says Jesse Salmeron, “but I’d never felt more content with my life and career, knowing I was not only doing exactly what I wanted to do in life, but I was doing something for my community.”
Watch a trailer online

This movie happens the same weekend as the Labor day march in defense of immigrant rights

Directors John Sullivan and Bryan Parras traveled up and down Lafourche, Terrebonne, Jefferson & St. Bernard parishes; interviewing citizens and environmental organisations on what they think would be the best ways to respond to the environmental health crises posed by Katrina and to prepare for future storms in an area with so many petrochemical point sources of pollution.

"...after the wind, child, after the water's gone..." is an overview of the environmental problem but it touches on many other areas of social justice & gathers a wide spectrum of opinion from that more obscure end of the state. Interview subjects include the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, Brenda and Michael Dardar as well as Curtis Hendon of the United Houma Nation, and others from around Dos Gris, Dulac, Cocodrie, Isle de Jean Charles, Larose, New Iberia and Chalmette. [read more about this film]

watch the preview

Blinded by torture and with great difficulty walking, 75 year-old Roberto Freire continues his work in a small collective of anarchist group therapists in Brazil, fighting the psychological effects of authoritarianism.

Nick Cooper travelled from the United States to Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Bahia, and São Paulo to capture the exercises, the voice, and the movement of Soma Therapy. He spent many long sessions with Roberto Freire, who having survived the Brazilian military dictatorship, developed Soma (body) thirty years ago, incorporating Wilhelm Reich's teachings, a martial art / dance form called capoeira angola, and the political ideas of anarchism.

Angola is the traditional African form of capoeira, a Brazilian martial art, which slaves disguised as a dance. Through capoeira, slaves struggled for freedom, practicing movements of evasion to help them escape. Capoeira angola uses many things which Soma therapists find lacking in traditional therapy -- group participation, music, spontaneity, collaboration, mischief, playfulness, and the occasional kick.

Wilhelm Reich was a 'banished' psychoanalyst and former disciple of Freud. Reich believed that people learn neuroses through authoritarian models in the family, school, and at work. Reich sought to remove the authoritarianism from analysis.

Some Brazilian anarchists find Soma's focus on the internal effects of authority to be distracting and indicative of privilege. They expect anarchists to spend more time in the street, initiating action against authority. But, although many Soma participants are activists, they are equally interested in exploring of the psychology of action.

Featuring special presentations each night before the film:
Thursday May 11th: José presents "educación que camina" physical exercise of liberation
Friday May 12th: Capoeira Angola performance by Grupo de N'golo
Saturday May 13th: performance by Free Radicals
Sunday May 14th: Maureen talks about anarchism in organizing
Slingshot Article about Soma ! Soma Brancaleone English site ! Soma Iê site in Portuguese ! downlad a PDF of a Soma book in English

3 Black Panthers and the L. S. P. tells the gripping story of three men, former members of the Black Panther Party, known collectively as the Angola 3. We explore their extraordinary struggles for dignity, justice, and human rights while incarcerated in Angola Prison in Louisiana, one of the "most brutal and racist prisons in the United States".

The Angola 3 were “politicized” through contact with members of the Black Panther Party while inside prison, and in 1971 formed one of the only recognized prison Panther chapters. Under conditions of segregation, racism, and repression, they organized other prisoners to build a movementfor their rights; an astonishing feat given Angola Prison’s history of repression. The focus of 3 Black Panthers and the L. S. P. is on the hidden facts and cover-ups that have surrounded and clouded their cases since the 1970s. In addition, the movie explores the political climate of the 1960s and 70s that produced “political” prisoners in America, situating the Angola 3 within the political unrest of the Civil Rights and ‘Black Power’ movements that emerged within prison walls in America.

Arna's Children

ARNA'S CHILDREN tells the story of a theatre group that was established by Arna Mer Khamis. Arna comes from a Zionist family and in the 1950s married a Palestinian Arab, Saliba Khamis. On the West Bank, she opened an alternative education system for children whose regular life was disrupted by the Israeli occupation. The theatre group that she started engaged children from Jenin, helping them to express their everyday frustrations, anger, bitterness and fear.

Arna's son Juliano, director of this film, was also one of the directors of Jenin's theatre. With his camera, he filmed the children during rehearsal periods from 1989 to 1996. Now, he goes back to see what happened to them. Yussef committed a suicide attack in Hadera in 2001, Ashraf was killed in the battle of Jenin, Alla leads a resistance group. Juliano, who today is one of the leading actors in the region, looks back in time in Jenin, trying to understand the choices made by the children he loved and worked with. Eight years ago, the theatre was closed and life became static and paralysed. Shifting back and forth in time, the film reveals the tragedy and horror of lives trapped by the circumstances of the Israeli occupation.

Democracy isn't built on demonstrators' bodies

On December 26, 2003, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) deliberately shot at Gil Namati, a 21 year old Israeli protestor that demonstrated against the separation fence/wall. Gil was shot in both legs by two live bullets. The incident created a media storm and raised many question. What would have happened if the IDF didn’t lie about the shooting of Gil Namati. Would it have justified the actions taken by the security forces? Is there a difference between shooting a Jew and a non-Jew? This film is divided into three parts, the first part presents the investigation which was shown at the press conference and proved the IDF was lying about the reasons for the shooting, the second part criticizes the investigation itself and how the media reacted and portrayed the incident and the separation barrier, and the third part is a propaganda piece about the “danger” the anarchists poses in Israel.

By the Israeli anarchist collective It's All Lies

Rice Cinema is located on the Rice University Campus at Entrance 8, University and Stockton [Directions]

From Iraq With Love - Award-winning investigative journalist Howie Severino travels to Baghdad shortly before the bombing begins to witness for himself what daily life is like in Iraq prior to its impending destruction. There, he discovers a happy people with hopes, fears and values not uncommon to the rest of the world. Houston premiere. Directed by Howie Severino. 21 min 5 sec. Tagalog with English subtitles. Previously screened on the program i-Witness on the national network GMA-7 in the Philippines.

Inang's Home Cooking - Former Filipino police officer Danny Cruz reflects upon his happiness in his new career as a restaurant owner in Daly City, California. Inang's underlying theme is the alienated and floating nature of the lives of not only Filipino immigrants but all immigrants who are affected by a colonial mentality. Directed by Oliver Eclarinal. 12 min. Tagalog with English voiceover. Previous screenings: Cinema Paradise film festival in Honolulu, Hawaii; PinoyVisions in San Pedro California; lakbay ng pagkaalam 2 in Berkeley, California.