War, Genocide and Intervention Film
Series underway
A series of American and foreign films on the themes of war, genocide and intervention is being shown at the LBJ School this fall. Presented under the direction of Professor Alan Kuperman, the series is designed to explore how and why atrocities are committed during civil war, and the potential for international military intervention to stop such crimes. Kuperman, who is teaching a policy seminar this fall titled “Ethnic Conflict and Humanitarian Intervention”, will introduce each film and lead a discussion afterwards.
Free and open to UT Austin community, the screenings will take place at 7 p.m. in Bass Lecture Hall, located on the lower level of the LBJ School of Public Affairs, 2315 Red River Street.
Fall 2005 War, Genocide and Intervention Film Series
Schedule
The summaries below are provided by Prof. Alan Kuperman.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Vukovar (1994)
Director: Boro Draskovic
Running time: 1 hr, 36 mins.
Winner, Best First Feature Award, St. Louis International Film Festival 1995. One of the earliest films on the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s, it remains the most insightful.
Thursday, October 6, 2005
Battle of Algiers (1966)
Running time: 2 hrs, 5 mins.
A remarkable dramatized documentary of the French attempt to suppress a violent liberation movement in Algeria. It was the first feature film produced in Algeria, and some of the actors are actual veterans of the liberation movement. It is especially timely now, as the U.S. attempts to conduct a counter-insurgency in Iraq. Indeed, the Pentagon has shown the film to its employees to provide insight into the challenges facing U.S. forces in Iraq.
Tuesday, November 1, 2005
Cry Freetown (1999)
Director: Sorious Samura
Running time: 28 mins.
WARNING: The film portrays explicit violence, which some viewers may find disturbing. If you do not want to view such images, please do not attend.
The film is a short documentary about the civil war in Sierra Leone. It is by a brave local journalist, Sorious Samura, who risked his life by clandestinely filming atrocities and crimes as they were committed during one phase of Sierra Leone's protracted civil war. For most of us who have never witnessed such conflict with our own eyes, the film offers keen insight into the brutal violence associated with civil war, as well as the challenges and trade-offs involved in foreign military intervention to restore peace.
Because the film does not provide a great deal of historical context, those planning to attend should first read the following website (it also has links for more detailed history): http://www.cryfreetown.org/history.html. In addition, there is a more updated and detailed article on reserve in the Wasserman Public Affairs Library: William Reno, “The Failure of Peacekeeping in Sierra Leone,” Current History, May 2001, pp. 219-25.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Breaker Morant (1979)
Running time: 1 hr, 47 mins.
A classic that explores the meaning of war crimes and military justice in the context of irregular warfare, set during the Boer War in southern Africa. For anyone under the misconception that it is easy to identify war crimes and who should be held accountable, this film is a must.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Black Hawk Down (2001)
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore
Running time: 2 hrs, 24 mins.
The film explores the last time, before the current deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, that the U.S. army found itself under heavy fire during a nation-building occupation -- in Somalia in 1993. Based on a prize-winning book, the film depicts the most infamous engagement of the Somalia occupation, which is reminiscent of some of the current fighting in Iraq: a well-prepared ambush against U.S. forces, the fog of urban warfare, heroism under fire, and retaliation that inflicts collateral damage against local civilians.
The film gives a sense of what the occupation forces in Iraq are facing today. It also brings together the two threads of this film series: strategic studies and conflict management. Can military intervention be used to manage civil conflicts? Come see for yourself.
Tuesday, December 6, 2005
Quadrophenia (1979)
Running time: 1 hour, 55 minutes
This film version of the Who's second rock opera explores, among other themes, the pointlessness and tragedy of inter-group violence and the tendency of disaffected youth, even in mono-ethnic communities, to divide themselves along "group" lines and engage in violence. It is set to the music of one of the greatest rock albums of all time.
Related Links:
2005-06 International Security Speakers Series presents bold lineup
Professor Alan Kuperman influences Senate vote to protect uranium export restrictions (July 6, 2005)
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29 September 2005
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