Note:  For the most part the descriptions of the films came from the conference program.  Where I could find information on buying or downloading the film I have added this. If watching the film really moved me I will explain why I liked it.  This list is not in any particular order.

Also, several video recordings were made at the VFP Convention in Portland.  To view them go to: http://www.veteransforpeace.org/news_detail.php?idx=101 .

1. The Subconscious War - Media, reality and a culture of violence. 30 minutes long. Very interesting. Includes clips of WikiLeaks’ Collateral Murder video. Also contrasts the book 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World .
   
   You can watch this entire film on u-tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pAeOUDsDO8
   
   
2. Peaceful Warrior: On the Road with Veterans for Peace. This film chronicles the annual bus ride to the School of the Americas Watch vigil held each November at the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia. The half-hour documentary highlights the three-day event and in particular the involvement of VFP in that event. The film was directed by Deacon Warner, and instructor with Independent Film Producers in St. Paul, Minnesota. Also available as a DVD $13 from Universal Store or other sources. 2006. Rated PG-13. 2 hours long.
   
   
3. Poster Girl. Apple pie cheerleader turned tough-as-nails machine gunner in the Iraq War, Sgt. Robynn Murray comes home to face a new kind of battle she never anticipated. This short documentary (2010) was nominated for an Oscar. [38 mins.].
   
   Look for Poster Girl the movie – there may be a movie trailer.. Don’t think it’s available on DVD yet.
   
   
4. The Welcome (2011) offers a fiercely intimate view of life after war: the fear, anger and isolation of post-traumatic stress that affects vets and family members alike. As we join them in a small room for an unusual five-day healing retreat, we witness how the ruins of war can be transformed into the beauty of poetry. Here our perceptions are changed, our psyches strained, and our hearts broken. And at the end, when the poetry is shared with a large civilian audience, we begin to understand that all of us are a vital piece of The Welcome as Veterans try to find the way back home. Their examples of unflinching honesty, courage and love lift us up, inspiring all of us once again to feel our common humanity, so often the first casualty of war. [90 mins] This may be available in DVD format in late 2011. Google to find the film’s website and trailer.
   
   
5. Euphemistic Language. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNk_kzQCclo&feature=related George Carlin. [8 mins.] This was not shown at the VFP conference but was mentioned by reference. This is an audio only presentation. "Euphemistic Language" (starting with PTSD).
   
   
6. Abe Osheroff: One Foot in the Grave, the Other Still Dancing. Most people knew Abe Osheroff as an activist. For most of his 92 years – from the frontlines of the Spanish Civil War to the picket lines of the US labor movement, from the struggles for civil rights in Mississippi to his work for human rights in Nicaragua – Osheroff threw himself into the fray with rare energy and enthusiasm. In the riveting and inspiring new film, Osheroff reflects on the meaning of his activism exploring the ideas that animated his action and sharing wisdom built up over a lifetime of commitment to the "radical humanism" that defined his politics and philosophy. 46 minutes. Produced by Robert Jensen along with Nadeem Uddin. Release in 2008. Available from Amazon as a rental or download.
   
   
7. The Land Speaks Arabic. In this 2008 documentary the late 19^th century birth of Zionism – and its repercussions for Palestinians – is detailed with original source documents, Zionist leaders’ quotations, rare archival footage, testimonies of witnesses and interviews with historians. All help to illustrate that the expulsion of the indigenous Arab population from Palestine was far from an accidental result of the 1948 war. This award-winning film shines a spotlight on the e3thnic cleansing of Palestine by the Zionist movement. [English, Arabic and French with English subtitles; 60 minutes.] to order the DVD go to: http://www.palestineonlinestore.com/films/thelandspeaksarabic.html . Also, Google the title as it may be available on YouTube.
   
   
8. Make a Movie Like Spike. Armed with dreams that extend beyond their block, Luis and Ronald, two best friends from Los Angeles, videotape their last 36 hours before shipping off to Afghanistan. One hundred days before Obama’s Obama’s inauguration, these young men have joined the Marines together to face the obstacles and circumstances that seem to overwhelm their passage into manhood. Luis wants to be a film-maker and Ronald wants to travel the world and raise a family. Through the lens of Luis’ video camera, they capture their friends, family members and the places they call home in order to remember who they are and where they come from. In their darkest hour, they turn on the video camera for the last time and document the final moments of their journey home. They soon realize that their dreams and promises of a new life mean nothing in a place called War. [2011; 80 minutes.] Google the title but may not be released yet.
   
   
9. In the Year of the Pig. Produced at the height of the Viet Nam War, Emile de Antonio’s Oscar-nominated 1968 documentary chronicles the war’s historical roots. With Palpable outrage, De Antonio assembles period interviews with journalists, politicians, and key military personnel along with international newsreel and archival footage to create a scathing chronicle of America’s escalating involvement in the divisive conflict. The parallels to today’s wars are obvious and disturbing. [101 mins.] 1969. Available in DVD from Amazon.com .
   
   Advisory: This film contains potentially disturbing images of war and equally disturbing sound clips of politicians who insist on making war. This film deals specifically with the Viet Nam war; any resemblance to other wars, past of present, is purely coincidental.
   
   
10. The Forgotten Bomb: The Truth about Nuclear Weapons. When the Cold War ended, worry about nuclear weapons also receded. But has the nuclear threat really receded as well? If the US and Russia are no longer in an arms race, why are there nuclear weapons in both couontires that are still on high alert? Filmmaker Bud Ryan sets out to discover what possible explanations there could be as to why theh posture of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) still exists, and how the nuclear powers might free the world from this threat once and for all. The Forgotten Bomb (2009) examines the political and legal implications of nuclear weapons, but also digs deeper, into the cultural and psychological reasons behind the arsenal’s existence. [95 mins.] DVD available from www.forgottenbomb.com .
    
    
11. The Silent Truth (2011) recounts the story of 19-year-old LaVena Lynn Johnson, who was found dead on an Iraq military base in July of 2005. The cause of death as determined by the US Army, was suicide by a self-inflicted M-16 bullet wound. After reviewing the evidence, Dr. and Mrs. Johnson, LaVena’s parents, disputed the army’s findings. "The Silent Truth" explores and exposes this tragic mystery. [60 mins.]
    
    The director, Joan Brooker, was unable to attend but a special consultant for the investigation,
    Col. Ann Wright (ret) (and VFP member) presented the film and answered questions after the showing. HBO produced this film and is planning on showing it (on HBO) on Nov 11, 2011 – Veterans Day.
    
    
12. Reel Bad Arabs. This groundbreaking documentary dissects a slanderous aspect of cinematic history that has run virtually unchallenged from the earliest days of silent films to today’s biggest Hollywood blockbusters. Featuring acclaimed author R. Jack Shaheen, the film explores a long line of degrading images of Arabs – from Bedouin bandits and submissive maidens to sinister sheikhs and gun-wielding "terrorists" – along the way offering devastating insights into the origin of these stereotypic images, their development at key points in US history, and why they matter so much today. [60 mins.] [Arabic/English Subtitles] DVD available from Amazon.com . Paperback also available from Amazon.com .
    
    
13. Enforcing the Silence. Lam Duong founded the Vietnamese Youth Development Center in San Francisco and published a liberal newspaper that reprinted stories from communist Viet Nam following the Viet Nam War. On July 21, 1981, the 27-year-old was shot dead outside his apartment in broad daylight. Nobody was ever convicted for the killing, but within days of Lam’s murder, news spread that a shadowy, anti-communist group had claimed responsibility, sending a chilling message to Vietnamese refugees everywhere: stay in line with your political views or risk death. Between 1982 and 1990, five more Vietnamese Americans- four of them journalists-were violently killed, it is believed for political reasons, but police and federal officials have yet to solve any of the cases, including Lam’s Enforcing the Silence 92011) unlocks the mystery of Lam Duong’s life and death, and uncovers truths that Vietnamese Americans have never publicly explored. [60 mins] 2011. Not yet available but check the website: http://enforcingthesilence.com/see-the-film .
    
    
14. Living Along the Fenceline (2011), a groundbreaking documentary by award-winning filmmaker Lina Hoshino, tells the stories of seven women whose lives have been affected by the US military presence in their backyards. The film connects stories of women from Texas, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Guam, the Philippines, Korea, and Okinawa (Japan) and their efforts to create genuine security in their home communities. Their individual journeys of strength and courage represent the unheard stories of myriad communities across the globe that live alongside US bases and bear tragic hidden costs to their land, culture, and spirit. Through the power of personal story this film also tells a wider story of the negative impacts of US bases on host communities. It shows the strength and creativity of women’s activist in challenging prevailing assumptions about military security. Living Along the Fenceline offers provocative insights and information for audiences to think about these contentious issues in new ways. It lifts up alternative ideas of peace and security, embedded in the work of grassroots women leaders who are acting on their visions an beliefs. For more information visit www.alongthefenceline.com .
    

Jim Woods
August 2011

Miscellaneous notes and information gathered at the conference.