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Political Climate Toys with Family of Woman Film Festival
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Sunday, February 18, 2018
 

BY KAREN BOSSICK

Peggy Goldwyn could hardly have been surprised after a Russian dance company had to cancel a performance in Twin Falls because 22 of its 44 dancers were denied visas to come to the United States.

She’s had to jump through a variety of hoops to schedule speakers for her Family of Woman Film Festival, which runs from Feb. 27 to March 4 this year, thanks to new Homeland Security measures.

An American filmmaker will not be allowed to leave Cuba to speak at the festival, and a filmmaker from the Democratic Republic of Congo will not be able to come, either.

Jennifer Redfearn had planned to fly from Havana to Sun Valley where she was to screen her film about three blind women in Cuba and be honored as the festival’s Retrospective Filmmaker for her Academy Award-nominated short documentary, “Sun Come Up,” which was shown at the Festival in 2009.

But her visa did not specifically allow a return to the states from Cuba where she is teaching filmmaking at the University Havana through a special New York University exchange program. With the Trump administration taking a hostile stance toward Cuba, NYU feared Redfearn would not be allowed to return to Cuba, putting the program in jeopardy.

So, in place of a person in the flesh, Redfearn will offer comments following the Filmmaker Retrospective at The Community Library on Feb. 28 via Skype. She will do the same following the screening of her film “Tocando La Luz” at 7 p.m. Friday, March 2, at the Sun Valley Opera House.

The problem, said Goldwyn, is that Redfearn will be talking to her Sun Valley audience when Cubans will be busy singing and dancing in the Internet café where she had hoped to make her connections

Redfearn believes she has found a hotel with a quiet space, however.

“I’ve been to Cuba three times, hopping in and hopping out,” said Goldwyn. “I’m afraid the current administration is going to end it. I hope this sends a message that people in America—certainly in Sun Valley—want to stay connected to Cuba. As for the film—it’s a beautiful film that shows how Cuba has a safety net for people with disabilities that we don’t have.”

It wasn’t always this way. When Goldwyn started the festival in 2008, she didn’t give a second thought to whether she’d be able to get a filmmaker into the country.

She brought in a doctor who works with Pakistani women, a doctor from Ethiopia and speakers from countless other Third World countries.

But the political landscape began changing last year. Kimberley Motley, the subject of “Motley’s Law,” missed her flight to Sun Valley last year because of a lengthy TSA interrogation, even though she was an American attorney who happened to practice in Afghanistan.

Yemurai Nyoni a speaker from Zimbabwe, had to secure letters last year from Women Deliver and the Family of Woman Film Festival in addition to copies of a round trip ticket, even though he had a valid visa.

This year, Goldwyn said, she didn’t even try to bring in a filmmaker from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“He’d only traveled on the African continent so I figured there was no way I could help him get a visa,” she said.

The current political climate in the United States is not just making it difficult to get proper paperwork but it’s making some of the presenters nervous about taking part in the film festival.

“They hear about survivalists in places like Montana and anti-Muslim incidences in this country, and it’s making them nervous. I told them Blaine County is a very welcoming area,” Goldwyn said.

This year’s festival will provide a behind-the-scenes look at news headlines with films like “In Syria” and “Girls War.”

“In Syria,” which won the Panorama Audience Award at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival, presents a portrait of the everyday fight for survival in war-torn Syria through the eyes of a family trapped inside their home as the city around them is reduced to rubble.

And filmmaker Mylene Sauloy embedded herself with an all-female unit that’s part of the Kurdish freedom fighters of Turkey to learn why Kurds are so effective in their fight against ISIS and why Kurdish women are particularly effective.

That particular film has presented a problem of a different sort for Goldwyn. Every time she tries to summarize the situation there, it changes. After the completion of the film, the Kurdish drove ISIS forces from Syria and Iraq. And when the Kurdish zone in Iraq voted for independence Iraq closed its international airport and borders in retaliation.

Just recently, Turkey has launched an attack on the Kurdish region in Syria.

“Mylene hasn’t been able to go back because of the borders being closed, but she stays in touch with the women she filmed,” Goldwyn said. “I think people will find the film fascinating. The women solders fight during the day, then go back to camp where men come to take lessons in equality.”

While it’s difficult for Goldwyn to pick out favorites, she does have a special place in her heart for this year’s film “Mama Colonel,” about a member of a special police force who turns decrepit unused police barracks into women displaced by her country’s war

“I like it because it’s so personal. She’s a rare person. If she’s got your back, you’re going to be fine,” said Goldwyn”

A LOOK AT WHAT’S AHEAD:

Tuesday, Feb. 27, 6:30 p.m.—THE BONNI CURRAN MEMORIAL LECTURE for the Health and Dignity of Women will feature Maria Cavalcanti, executive director of Pro Muher, at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Ketchum. Pro Mujer is a nonprofit development organization dedicated to help Latin American women break the cycle of poverty. FREE.

Wednesday, Feb. 28, 6 p.m.—“SUN COMES UP.” Free filmmaker retrospective featuring director Jennifer Redfearn through Skype at 6 p.m. at Ketchum’s Community Library. The film was shown at the Festival in 2011 when the festival theme was “Women and the Environment.” FREE.

Thursday, March 1, 8 a.m.—POINT OF VIEW BREAKFAST will feature Dr. Henia Dakkak, senior advisor for the Humanitarian and Fragile Contexts Branch of UNFPA the United Nations Agency for reproductive health and rights, at the Knob Hill Inn.

UNFPA Humanitarian Crisis programs supported 16 million people, most of them women and adolescent girls, in 2017 In 2018 UNFPA is targeting 30 million people with humanitarian assistance across 59 countries. Dakkak, originally from Jerusalem is a medical doctor public health specialist and past-Fulbright post-doctorate research scholar at Columbia University.

She has worked with relief and development programs throughout Africa, Central Asia, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. And she was the regional medical director in the Balkans for International Medical Corps during the Kosovo War.

The breakfast is for those who make a donation to the Family of Woman Film Festival at www.familyofwomanfilmfestival.org.

Thursday, March 1, 7:30 p.m.—“MAMA COLONEL.” This feature documentary tells the story of a woman who heads a special national police unit as she works to bring happiness back into the lives of women whose country has been devastated by a long civil war.

There will be a post-screening discussion with Dr. Henia Dakkak, senior advisor for the Humanitarian and Fragile Contexts Branch of UNFPA .

"I was shocked when someone said to me, 'Aren't these refugee camps breeding grounds for terrorists?' " said Goldwyn. "The people in the camps are fleeing from terror--they are mostly women, children and older people. Sadly, a lot of the able-bodied men have either been killed fighting terrorism or have left for other countries to try to find a safe haven for their families or are on the front lines in their homeland fighting terrorism. Hopefully our films give people the knowledge they need to have an accurate picture of the world and--today--of the plight of refugees."

 

Friday, March 2, 8 a.m.—Susan Sygall, a MacArthur Fellow and CEO and founder of Mobility International USA, will talk about her work to empower people with disabilities around the world in a POV BREAKFAST at Knob Hill Inn. The breakfast is for those who make a donation to the Family of Woman Film Festival at www.familyofwomanfilmfestival.org.

Friday, March 2, 7 p.m.—“TOCANDO LA LUZ,” or “Touch the Sky.” This feature documentary focuses on three blind women in Havana and their heartbreak and joy as they deal with their blindness, trying to get away from depending on others. Filmmaker Jennifer Redfearn will weigh in via Skype.

Saturday, March 3, 11 a.m.—“POETRY.”  South Korean actress Jeong-hie Yung came out of retirement to play an aging woman developing Alzheimer’s. She won numerous awards for her role as a woman dismissed by society who finds a powerful voice when she joins a poetry class to stimulate her mind.

The film will be shown FREE of charge.

Saturday, March 3, 3 p.m.—“SAMI BLOOD.” This drama from Sweden is based on the life of the grandmother of filmmaker Amanda Kernell. It follows a young Sami girl who is taken from her reindeer-herding family and put in a state school where she is told that the Sami are inferior to Swedes. She reacts by breaking all ties with her family and culture to try to pass as a Swede. A discussion with filmmaker Amanda Kernell will follow.

Saturday, March 3, 7 p.m.—“IN SYRIA.” This feature drama, which won the Audience Award at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival, was shot in Lebanon. It recreates the life of a family trapped in their apartment by the raging civil war in Damascus as the matriarch of the family tries to keep the chaos outside from intruding. A discussion with filmmaker Philippe Van Leeuw will follow.

Sunday, March 4, 3 p.m.—“GIRLS’ WAR,” a feature documentary from the Kurdish region of Iraq. Filmmaker Mylene Sauloy embedded herself with Kurdish female soldiers who have proven themselves in the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The film not only shows them winning victories but explores a society based on gender and equality and a culture that embraces a feminist religious viewpoint. A discussion with filmmaker Mylene Sauloy will follow.

TICKETS for the Family of Woman Film Festival are available at Chapter One Bookstore in Ketchum. They will also be available at the box office at the Sun Valley Opera House on screening days.

Tickets are $15 each or $60 for all films. Special packages, including advance tickets and special Festival events, can be purchased online at www.familyofwomanfilmfestival.org.

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