Wednesday, April 6, 7pm – Film & Discussion
The Day Diplomacy Died, A Documentary by Bernie Dwyer & Roberto Ruiz Rebo (DVD, subtitles, Spanish & English, $15)

In Spring of 2003 the U.S. media made hay over the jailing of 75 so-called independent journalists in Cuba. Here is the real story behind the headlines. The Day Diplomacy Died tells the story of four ex-Cuban state agents who sacrificed years of their lives working undercover to expose the real truth. Here they speak out for the first time on film about why the Cuban government locked up these 75 “independent” journalists, trade unionists and librarians. They tell of the inner workings of the dissident groups they had infiltrated and of the various, and often frightening, plans hatched to destabilize Cuba. The mainstream pressnever fully investigated the role played by the U.S. and their diplomats in Havana, although Cuba produced abundant evidence demonstrating that the imprisoned 75 were actually on the payroll of the U.S. tax payer for the purpose of disrupting Cuban society. The Day Diplomacy Died features interviews with two former Heads of the U.S. Diplomatic Staff in Havana, and Ricardo Alarcon, president of the Cuban Parliament (and former Ambassador to the United Nations), who briefly outlines the history of failed diplomacy between the U.S. and Cuba. We also hear from Washington-based human rights lawyer, Jose Pertierra, who explains how Cuba, under international and Cuban law, has the right to protect its country’s sovereignty from interference by its biggest and most powerful enemy. Ms. Dwyer will be present and answer questions, not only about the film, but also on the present developments in Cuba. Bernie Dwyer is an Irish woman who lives and works in Havana as a journalist with Radio Havana. She has worked there for the past 10 years. Dwyer was previously a lecturer in Women’s Studies at University Colege in Dublin. She is a membe of the International Committee for the Freedom of the Cuban Five.

Sunday, February 13, 12 noon – Discussion & Film

Celebrating the 100^th Anniversary of the Mexican Revolution With

Viva Zapata (113 minutes) directed by Elia Kazan screening at 12 noon

James D. Cockcroft, author of Mexico’s Revolution Then & Now discussion at 2pm

Leticia Roa Nixon, Carlos Pascual Sánchez and Laura Deutch, directors of El Sole Sale Para Todos, (52 minutes) discussion & screening at 3pm

Viva Zapata! is a 1952 fictional-biographical film directed by Elia Kazan. The screenplay was written by John Steinbeck, using as a guide Edgcomb Pinchon’s book, ‘Zapata the Unconquerable’, a fact that is not credited in the titles of the film. It is a fictionalized account of the life of Mexican Revolutionary Emiliano Zapata from his peasant upbringing, through his rise to power in the early 1900s, to his death. To give the film as authentic a feel as possible, Kazan and producer Darryl F. Zanuck studied the numerous photographs that were taken during the revolutionary years, the period between 1909 and 1919 when Zapata led the fight to restore land taken from the people during the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz. Kazan was especially impressed with the Agustin Casasola collection of photographs and he attempted to duplicate their visual style in the film. Kazan also acknowledged the influence of Roberto Rosselini‘s Paisan.^[1]

James D. Cockcroft author of Mexico’s Revolution Then and Now ($14.95, Monthly Review Press)

“This timely book that marks the bicentennial of Mexico’s independence from Spain as well as the centennial of the Mexican Revolution provides a context for understanding the anti-imperialist resistance of the Mexican people and the current capitalist crisis that is creating economic refugees of hundreds of thousands of Mexicans. A passionate, beautifully written work that clarifies, informs, and calls for action.” —Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, author of Roots of Resistance: A History of Land Tenure in New Mexico

“Historian and political activist Jim Cockcroft, inspired by the Mexican revolutionary tradition from Magón to the contemporary Zapatistas, describes Mexico’s trajectory from the Revolution of 1910 to the upheavals of today. Bringing to bear both his scholarship and his own involvement in Mexican and immigrant issues, Cockcroft describes the peasant revolution and labor radicalism, women’s and indigenous movements, as well as the migrants’ struggles and international alliances which constitute the main currents of Mexican history and represent the wellsprings of the Mexican future. It is a radical scholar’s guide to radical Mexico and well worth the read.” —Dan La Bot, Editor, Mexican Labor News and Analysis

“This book is very important for its explanation of the influence of the ideas behind Mexico’s revolution yesterday and today. It is a work that professors and students interested in the Mexican Revolution must consult.” —Dr. Enrique Florescano, National Coordinator of Historical Projects for the National Council for Culture and the Arts, Mexico

“This new work by one of the leading Mexicanist scholars of our time will fuel the continuing debate of progressive forces about the meaning of the great rebellion. There are chapters on the current situation in Mexico, the war against the drug lords, the influence of the conservative Catholic hierarchy, and the reactionary National Action Party in power and its infiltration by disguised fascists. Cockcroft describes the fight back of women, labor, students, peasants, intellectuals, the original peoples who speak ancient languages, and Mexican immigrants in the USA. This book is a landmark in the centennial celebration of the Mexican Revolution—a great, lively read and a must for all libraries plus college courses on Latin America, Mexico, and U.S. foreign policy.” —Ross Gandy, Professor of Historical Sociology
National Autonomous University of Mexico author of Marx and History

“An intellectual, cultural and socio-economic history, enriched by biographical entries, Dr. Cockcroft’s book constitutes an unrivalled classic on the socio-political and ideological roots of what is happening today, the Centenary of the revolution in Mexico. Moreover, it’s a literary piece most satisfying to read.” —Dr. Jacinto Barrea Bassols, Director of Historical Studies
National Institute of Anthropology and History, Mexico

El Sole Sale Para Todos, Directed by Leticia Roa Nixon, Carlos Pascual Sánchez and Laura Deutch (US, 2011, 52 min, Spanish with English subtitles)

El Sol Sale Para Todos chronicles the rapid growth of the Mexican community in the historically immigrant neighborhood of South Philadelphia. Told through the first hand experiences of the main subjects who have been a formative part of this development over the last 20 years, a collective story of the community unfolds. However with growth and assimilation, come problems, resistance and efforts to organize. El Sole Sale Para Todos presents stories and fragments from the subjects’ memories, reflections and perspectives about the complexity of searching for a better life in a country that is not one’s own. The video is a companion to a book of oral histories, titled Aquí Estamos, documenting 20 diverse voices from the Mexican community. Copies of the DVD will be available for purchase for $10. For more information: http://juntosinmigracion.blogspot.com/

An exhibit of 20 prints by Leopoldo Mendez (1902 – 1969) who was one of the most distinguished printmakers of the twentieth century and one of Mexico’s most accomplished artists. A politically motivated artist who strongly opposed injustice, fascism, and war, Mendez helped form and actively participated in significant political and artistic groups, including the Estridentistas in the 1920s and the Liga de Escritores y Artistas Revolucionarios (LEAR) and the Taller de Grafica Popular (TGP) in the 1930s. To champion Mexican art and artists, Mendez also founded and directed the Fondo Editorial de la Plastica Mexicana, a highly respected art book publishing company. Mendez and his fellow artists in LEAR and TGP played a key role in the development of a Mexican political art movement and a modern Mexican cultural identity and created a body of powerful anti-Fascist images before and during World War II and subsequently collaborated with artists from Mexico and around the world on political printmaking. We thank Robert Brand for the loan of these prints.

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Wednesday August 18, 7pm – Film & Discussion
Soul Masters: Dr. Guo & Dr. Sha

In China, it is said that Dr. Guo can cure the incurable. When his representative in the West, Dr. Sha, healed filmmaker Sandy Zieg’s ailing father, she followed Sha on his return to China to visit his mentor, Dr. Guo. At Dr. Guo’s clinic, she captured first-ever footage of Guo & Sha’s breakthrough medical practices involving herbal medicine, fire massage and self-healing techniques. Dr. Sha returned to the States and his teachings spread across North America and Europe. Expanding on Dr. Guo’s work, he teaches people the revolutionary discovery that binds these two Soul Masters: everything has a soul, and the soul can heal. The event will be followed by a Q & A and a free healing session by certified teachers and healers.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 6pm – FILM SCREENING AND DISCUSSION
AMERICAN FAUST
is a hard-hitting documentary about Condoleezza Rice, an extraordinary but little-understood woman who rose out of segregated Alabama to become the most powerful woman in the world. Incisive and shocking, this is the first retrospective film on the Bush Administration. It overturns the popular misconception of Rice as a yes-woman to President Bush to reveal her as his most enduring confidante – and thus responsible for much of the Bush Crimes legacy. For more on the film check out American Faust, and for a review: Huffington Post
Sponsored by Philadelphia World Can’t Wait