To mark the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq by the United States, Vanderbilt University is offering a film series examining the war. The entire series is free and open to the public.
“The aim of this series is to bring home the reality and true cost of war by portrayals from many different angles – that of soldiers, their families, Iraqi citizens, the media, corporate profiteers and so on,” said David C. Wood, Centennial Professor of Philosophy and organizer of the film series with JoEl Logiudice, director of the Office of Arts and Creative Engagement.
The Iraq War: 5 Years and Counting series begins 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19, with a screening of The Ground Truth: After the Killing Ends, a documentary by Patricia Foulkrod that follows young Americans through recruitment, training, combat in Iraq and their return home.
Discussions and responses led by Vanderbilt faculty and graduate students will follow each of the films. The first response will be led by Monica Casper, associate professor of sociology and director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program. Casper will discuss The Ground Truth in terms of masculinity and disability issues. She will also situate it in the personal context of a recent loss of a family member in combat.
All the films except for Feb. 28 will be screened at Sarratt Cinema on the Vanderbilt campus. All begin at 7 p.m.
The rest of the schedule:
Saturday, Feb. 23, Turtles Can Fly by Bahman Ghobadi, set in a Kurdish refugee camp on the Iraqi-Turkish border on the eve of the invasion of Iraq by the United States.
Monday, Feb. 25, The War Tapes by Deborah Scranton, the first documentary war movie filmed by soldiers themselves.
Thursday, Feb. 28, in the multipurpose room of The Commons, The Road to Guantanamo by Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross, a first-hand account of three British citizens who were held for two years at Guantanamo Bay without being charged with a crime.
Monday, March 10, Control Room by Jehane Noujam, a documenatry about Al Jazeera, the Arab world’s most popular news outlet.
Tuesday, March 11, a lecture by Control Room star Josh Rushing on “Spin: The Art of Selling War.” Rushing is a former U.S. Marine captain who served as spokesperson at Central Command in Doha, Quatar, during Operation Iraqi Freedom and currently is a military and current affairs correspondent at Al Jazerra English.
Sunday, March 23, Iraq in Fragments by James Longley, a documentary of the war-torn country as seen through the eyes of Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.
Tuesday, March 25, Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers by Robert Greenwald, a documentary that takes the viewer inside the lives of soldiers, truck drivers, widows and children who have been changed forever as a result of profiteering in the reconstruction of Iraq.
Thursday, March 27, No End in Sight, a documentary that chronicles Iraq’s descent into guerilla war, warlord rule, criminality and anarchy.
Sunday, March 30, In the Valley of Elah, a fictional drama based on the story of Richard Davis, an Iraq War veteran murdered after returning home in 2003. The film stars Tommy Lee Jones, Susan Sarandan and Charlize Theron.
Faculty who will participate in or moderate panel discussions after the films include Frank Wcislo, dean of the Commons and associate professor of history; Michael Bess, Chancellor’s Professor of History; Bill Smith, professor of psychology; Bruce Barry, professor of management and sociology; Sara Figal, assistant professor of German; Bob Barsky, professor of French and comparative literature; Dean Masullo, lecturer in English and American studies; Helmut Smith, Martha Rivers Ingram Professor of History; Lisa Guenther, assistant professor of philosophy, Michael Kreyling, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English; and Cecilia Tichi, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of English.
For more information about The Iraq War: 5 Years and Counting series, go to www.vanderbilt.edu/iraqwarseries/.
Media contact: Jim Patterson, (615) 322-NEWS
Jim.patterson@vanderbilt.edu