"Celebrating the extraordinary lives and contributions of women from all corners and walks of life."

Enemies of Happiness
(Denmark, 2006, 59 mins)

6:30 p.m. Reception
7:00 p.m. Film Screening

MCLE
10 Winter Place, Boston

In September 2005, Afghanistan held its first parliamentary elections in 35 years. Among the candidates for 249 assembly seats was Malalai Joya, a courageous, controversial 27-year-old woman who had ignited outrage among hard-liners when she spoke out against corrupt warlords at the Grand Council of tribal elders in 2003. ENEMIES OF HAPPINESS is a revelatory portrait of this extraordinary freedom fighter and the way she won the hearts of voters, as well as a snapshot of life and politics in war-torn Afghanistan. Enemies of Happiness has won numerous awards, including the Sundance World Cinema Prize for documentaries.

Film website: http://www.enemiesofhappiness.com/
For more info on the screening please visit http://www.unagb.org/signature_events/wf_2008_IWD.cfm

The Grace Lee Project
(USA, 2005, 68 mins)

When award-winning Korean American filmmaker Grace Lee was growing up in Missouri, she was the only Grace Lee she knew. Once she left the Midwest however, everyone she met seemed to know "another Grace Lee." But why did they assume that all Grace Lees were reserved, dutiful, piano-playing overachievers? The filmmaker plunges into a highly unscientific investigation into all those Grace Lees who break the mold -- from a fiery social activist to a rebel who tried to burn down her high school. With wit and charm, THE GRACE LEE PROJECT puts a hilarious spin on the eternal question, "What's in a name?"

Film website: http://gracelee.net/

Light refreshments will be served.

Shorts Program
(details below)

2:00 p.m.

Boston Public Library
700 Boylston Street
Copley Square, Boston

The Tribe
(USA, 2006, 20 mins)

What can the most successful doll on the planet show us about being Jewish today? Narrated by Peter Coyote, the film mixes old school narration with a new school visual style. The Tribe weaves together archival footage, graphics, animation, Barbie dioramas, and slam poetry to take audiences on an electric ride through the complex history of both the Barbie doll and the Jewish people- from Biblical times to present day. By tracing Barbie's history, the film sheds light on the questions: What does it mean to be an American Jew today? What does it mean to be a member of any tribe in the 21st Century?

Film website: http://www.tribethefilm.com

Binta and the great idea
(Binta y la gran idea)
(Spain/Senegal, 2004, 30 mins)

The Women's Kingdom
(China/USA, 2006, 22 mins)

Keepers of one of the last matriarchal societies in the world, Mosuo women in a remote area of southwest China live beyond the strictures of mainstream Chinese culture - enjoying great freedoms and carrying heavy responsibilities. Filmmaker Xiaoli Zhou takes a fascinating journey into the heart of The Women's Kingdom to discover a society of powerful women whose future is on the brink of change. This finely wrought documentary is a sensitive portrayal of extraordinary women struggling to hold on to their extraordinary society.

Film website: http://www.germancamera.com/kingdom.html

A story told through the eyes of Sokona Keita, who reveals harsh realities of life in a West African village, even as she expresses optimism for her future. Nana Kenieba has a school and a clean well, and that makes it better off than most villages in Mali. Sokona takes the viewer on an inside tour of the town and the lives of the women and children who struggle with daily survival.

Winner of the IWDFF Breakthrough Award for emerging filmaker.

Film website: http://www.thisafricanlife.info/

Post-film discussion will feature special guests with expertise in public health, West African development, and international relations.
Light refreshments will be served.

My Home —Your War
(Australia, 2006, 52 mins)

Film will be followed by a talk and short Q&A with Tahir Albakaa, former Minister of Higher Education-Iraq

Tickets available online here or call 617-718-7990 x17
RSVP required

MY HOME - YOUR WAR offers an exceptional look at the effect of the Iraq war through the eyes of an ordinary Iraqi woman. Shot in Baghdad over three years that span the time before, during and after the invasion of Iraq, this profoundly moving film brings a perspective that - until now - has rarely been available to U.S. audiences. This film combines insightful interviews with Layla Hassan and her family, vibrant scenes of Baghdad and intimate footage shot by Layla herself to paint a compelling picture of how the war has affected average Iraqis.

Film website: http://www.denouxfilms.net/flash_english/index.htm

Tahir Albakaa: Visiting Scholar at Suffolk University - Boston; Iraqi Historian and political science consultant; Former Minster of Higher Education - Iraq. For more information visit: http://www.albakaa.com