MargaretMeadFilm&VideoFestivalis the longest-running showcase for internationaldocumentaries in the U.S.

MargaretMeadFilm&VideoFestivalAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryCentral Park Westat79th StreetNew York,NY 10024

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Margaret Mead Film & Video FestivalCelebrating 31 Years

November 9– 11, 2007

Closing NightNömadak Tx (With McLaren’s Negatives )Sunday, November 11, 7:30 pm, Program F19 Raul de la Fuente. 2006. 92 min. (Spain) NY PremiereNömadak Tx is a world showcase of nomadic peoples, boundby the journey of two Basque musicians, Harkaitz Mtnez.de San Vicente and Igor Otxoa, who play a tandem percussiveinstrument, the txalaparta. The instrument serves as ameeting point not only between the two musicians, butalso between cultures, and so they travel to remote placeslooking for sounds and voices. They live among the Adivasipeople, outcasts in India; with the Sami in Laponia; withpeople of the Mongolian steppe; and with Saharan peoplein Morocco. In some cases, they emphasize the importanceof communality and the mutual dependency of all peopleby creating their txalaparta out of indigenous materials, aswell as incorporating local performers and musical stylesin a final concert with and for each community.Co-presenter: World Music Institute

Opening NightSleepwalking Through the Mekong Friday, November 9, 7:00 pm, Program F1John Pirozzi. 2007. 70 min. (U.S./Cambodia) NY PremiereThis engaging rock ’n’ roll documentary spotlightsCalifornia combo Dengue Fever as they tour Cambodiawith a repertoire of 1960s and 70s Khmer pop classics.Underlying the film’s musical journey is the historicalreality of the fate of artists under the Khmer Rouge regime.Fronted by the dynamic Cambodian-born singer ChhomNimol, the group is an instant hit on their arrival in PhnomPenh, where they set up shows whenever a stage andspeakers can be found. There are inspiring exchangesbetween the band and Khmer master musicians andschool children, all of whom join in at the open-air grand finale. The music melds dance jams, traditionalmusic, and Cambodian licks into a totally unique hybridpop sound.Co-presenter: Joe’s Pub

Water Worlds In conjunction with AMNH’s exhibition, Water: H20 = Life, onview through May 2008, the festival highlights cultural cinema related to the element water. These programs explorethe most pressing water-related issues from national andinternational environmental and social justice platforms.

Program 1 (F3) features international water-related issues.Village of Dust, City of Water is a lyrical and chilling ciné-poemabout water equity throughout much of India. In Thirst,filmmakers Deborah Kaufman and Alan Snitow present apenetrating look at the global issues of privatization andthe role of corporations, governments, and citizens. A post-screening discussion with the filmmakers and others opensthe discussion to the impact of this film on raising awareness.

Water Worlds Program 2 (F12) examines water use as both a luxury and a necessity. El Agua en Tiempos Extras (Water in Extra Times)is an animated short from Mexico exploring the impactof global warming on this finite resource; Gimme Greenoffers a wry, super-realist look at the U.S. phenomenon – the suburban lawn – with its watering and maintenance andthe daunting implications for all of us managing to keep upwith the Joneses. The Water Front focuses on a largely AfricanAmerican working class community outside of Detroit,Michigan where water wars are unleashed when localcommunity activists battle the public works department inan effort to keep water affordable and available. Discussionswith filmmakers follow the screenings.

Global Music Evocative and soulful, music embodies culture and imbues its performers with a transcendental means ofexpressing themselves through lyrics, ambience, beats, andmelodies. This year’s festival highlights music’s ability tocreate emotive bonds across cultures and time. In additionto the opening and closing night films – John Pirozzi’sSleepwalking Through the Mekong and Raul de la Fuente’sNömadak Tx – the festival further celebrates music with The Old, Weird America: Harry Smith’s Anthology of AmericanFolk Music (Program F5), by Rani Singh. Harry Smith was akey figure of undergroundculture through the latter halfof the 20th century, and anamateur musicologist whopicked up rare recordings ofblues and country classics fromthe years between 1927 and1934. The film showcasesSmith’s collection of this obscurefolk music, and its cultural and aesthetic place in theAmerican music canon. The filmis a blend of archival footage,interviews, and recent liveperformances by some of modern rock’s preeminent artists,including Sonic Youth, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Lou Reed,and Beck.

“The Machine Is Us/ing Us”

User-generated content (UGC), one of the most importanttrends in online media, reflects the expansion of mediaproduction through new technologies that are accessible toand affordable for the general public, including digital video,blogging, podcasting, mobile phone photography, and more.This new form of communication has created globalmovements that connect people. How does this all impactthe world of independent, alternative media-making, andparticularly documentary and nonfiction media? TheMachine Is Us/ing Us: User-Generated Content will take a lookat content on YouTube, WITNESS’ The Hub, and KarmaTubeand will be moderated by Michael Wesch, assistant professorof cultural anthropology at Kansas State University. Otherpresenters include Sara Pollack, YouTube’s film manager;Michael Smolens, founder and CEO of dotSUB; SameerPadania, manager of The Hub; Jenny Douglas, co-creator andcoordinator of KarmaTube.org; and filmmaker Silas Hagerty.(Program F13)

Festival Highlights Celebrating 31 Years

Water: H2O = Liƒe is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (www.amnh.org), and Science Museum of Minnesota (www.smm.org)in collaboration with Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland; The Field Museum, Chicago; Instituto Sangari, São Paulo, Brazil; National Museum of Australia,Canberra; Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada; San Diego Natural History Museum; and Singapore Science Centre with PUB Singapore.The American Museum of Natural History gratefully acknowledges the Tamarind Foundation for its leadership support of Water: H2O = Liƒe, and theJohns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future for its assistance.Exclusive corporate sponsorship for Water: H2O = Liƒe is provided by JPMorgan.Water: H2O = Liƒe is supported by a generous grant from the National Science Foundation.The Museum extends its gratitude to the Panta Rhea Foundation, Park Foundation, and Wege Foundation for their support of the exhibition’s educationalprogramming and materials.

Linder Theater 1:15 pm Program F6Losers and Winners 96 min.

3:45 pm Program F7Stranger Comes toTown 28 min.Grito de Piedra (Scream ofthe Stone) 59 min.

6:15 pm Program F8Scaredycat 15 min.Promised Paradise 52 min.

8:30 pm Program F9The Beloved Ones 6 min.The Thread of Karma 52 min.

1:00 pm Program F14Super Amigos 82 min.

3:15 pm Program F15Our Brilliant Second Life6 min.The Birthday 63 min.

5:15 pm Program F16Praying with Lior 87 min.

LeFrak Theater 7:00 pm Program F1Sleepwalking Through theMekong 70 min.Opening Night

Kaufmann Theater 1:00 pm Program F2Salim Baba 14 min.Ghanaian Video Tales 60 min.

3:15 pm Program F3Village of Dust, City ofWater 28 min.Thirst 62 min.

5:45 pm Program F4Autism: The Musical 93 min.

8:15 pm Program F5Mirror Animations 4 min.The Old, Weird America:Harry Smith’s Anthology ofAmerican Folk Music 90 min.

1:15 pm Program F12El Agua en Tiempos Extras(Water in Extra Times) 5 min.Gimme Green 27 min.The Water Front 50 min.

4:30 pm Program F13The Machine Is Us/ing Us120 min.

7:30 pm Program F19McLaren’s Negatives 10 min.Nömadak Tx 92 min.Closing Night

Peoples Center 4:00 pm Program F10SchoolScapes 77 min.

6:00 pm Program F11Yeai Hem Reau- A CambodianMedium 50 min.

2:00 pm Program F17The Art of Regret 59 min.

4:00 pm Program F18Keep the Dance Alive 75 min.

Schedule Friday Nov. 9 Saturday Nov. 10 Sunday Nov. 11

Margaret Mead Film & Video FestivalTicket Information

Entrance for screenings is on 77th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue.

Please note:Tickets are not refundable.Programs are subject to change.Please check our website for the most current schedule and updated information.

Ticket PricesGeneral Public $ 10Members/Students/Seniors $ 9Opening Night reception with $ 45filmmakers (includes film admission)(F20) limited to 50

Friend of the Festival $ 75 (a $105 Value!)(F21) The Friend of the Festival package includes:•Ticket to the Opening Night film •and reception for one•6 additional tickets – your choice •of programs

To OrderBy Phone Call 212 . 769.5200 Monday – Friday, 9 am – 5 pm;Saturday, 9 am – 4pm. Have your credit card,membership category, and program codes ready whenyou call. American Express, Visa, MasterCard, andDiscover are accepted. A service charge applies.Online Visit www.amnh.org/mead to purchase ticketsonline. A service charge applies.On-site PurchaseMid-October – November 11Tickets may be purchased during Museum hours at the Advance Group Sales desk in the TheodoreRoosevelt Rotunda (Central Park West at 79th Street entrance), and at the Rose Center for Earth and Space (81st Street entrance).No service charge.November 9 – 11During the festival, tickets may be purchased atthe 77th Street entrance, between Central Park Westand Columbus Avenue, one hour prior to show.No service charge.

All screenings are held at the American Museum of Natural History.Films are shown in a number of different program formats, ranging from a single full-length movie to multiple short films. Ticket prices are per program. Tickets may be purchased in advance for any program on the Festival schedule. Please refer to the program code when ordering tickets.

The Artof RegretJudith MacDougall. 2007.59 min. (China/Australia) U.S. Premiere

Sunday, November 112:00 pm, Program F17

Judith MacDougall has made a number of now-classicdocumentaries that served toestablish “observationalcinema” as a major ethno-graphic film genre. This newwork examines the digital

revolution in China, wherephotography is called the “artof regret.” Old photographsare cherished as importantrelics, while at the same timenew technology allows forthe easy manipulation of

images, raising questionsabout photography’s role as amedium of truth … or fantasy.

Co-presenter: The Center forMedia, Culture and History atNew York University

Autism:The MusicalTricia Regan. 2006.93 min. (U.S.)

Saturday, November 105:45 pm, Program F4Discussion with director

This joyous, unsentimentalportrait of Elaine Hall andthe children of the MiracleProject provides a glimpseinto the lives of five familiesas they struggle with the ups and downs of raising achild with autism. The filmfollows the children over the course of one year andfeatures a dedicated womanwho believes that through a musical, these children will discover the worldoutside themselves.

Co-presenter: Autism Speaksand Tribeca Film Festival

The BirthdayNegin Kianfar and Daisy Mohr.2006. 63 min.(Iran/The Netherlands)

Sunday, November 113:15 pm, Program F15Discussion with Shiva Balaghi,associate director, KevorkianCenter for Near Eastern Studies,NYU and Karim Tartoussieh,American University, ParisWith Our Brilliant Second Life

Issues of sexuality remainbound to tradition in modernIran, and yet within this rigid structure, transsexualsfind a government supportiveof their desire to be rebornthrough surgery. This sensitiveportrait offers a window intothe complex issue of sexualityin an Islamic society.

Co-presenter: Arte East andKevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies atNew York University

GhanaianVideo TalesTobias Wendl. 2006.60 min. (Ghana/Germany) NY Premiere

Saturday, November 101:00 pm, Program F2Discussion with directorWith Salim Baba

Ghanaian Video Talesintroduces the genre of Africanhorror movies and thefilmmakers behind it. Sincethe early 1990s, videotechnology has drasticallychanged the African media

world, enabling filmmakers to tell their own stories forlocal audiences. FeaturingGhanaian filmmakers, actors,and producers with on-setobservations and clips fromsome of their most celebrated

films, Ghanaian Video Talesfollows the creation of the films themselves, fromproduction to projection.

Co-presenter: African Film Festival

The BelovedOnesSamantha Moore. 2007.6 min. (Uganda/U.K.) U.S. Premiere

Saturday, November 108:30 pm, Program F9With The Thread of Karma

This animated documentarytells the story of an Africanfamily affected by HIV/AIDS.

Alphabetical ListingEl Agua enTiempos Extras(Water in Extra Times)Dominique Jonard. 2006.5 min. (Mexico) U.S. Premiere

Sunday, November 111:15 pm, Program F12With Gimme Green andThe Water Front

This experimental animationconsiders global warmingand its impact on water –from floods to droughts – andsome of the solutions to helppreserve this finite resource.

Co-presenter: Mailman School of Public Health,Columbia University

Gimme GreenIsaac Brown and Eric Flagg. 2006.27 min. (U.S.)

Sunday, November 111:15 pm, Program F12Discussion with director Isaac BrownWith El Agua en Tiempos Extrasand The Water Front

Gimme Green is a super-reallook at the American obsessionwith lawns, and their impacton our environment, ourwallets, and our outlook onlife. From subdivisions inFlorida to sod farms in thearid Southwest, Gimme Greenpeers behind the curtain ofthe $40-billion industry thatfuels our nation’s mostirrigated crop – the lawn.

Co-presenter: Mailman School of Public Health,Columbia University

Grito de Piedra (Scream of the Stone)Ton van Zantvoort. 2006.59 min. (Bolivia/The Netherlands)U.S. Premiere

Saturday, November 103:45 pm, Program F7Discussion with Pegi Vail, curator,anthropologist, filmmakerWith Stranger Comes to Town

Once the source of legendarywealth in colonial days, Potosí’snow economically destitutesilver mines have been openedas a tourist destination forvisitors to Bolivia. Grito dePiedra portrays a Potosí miner,Gavino, and his son, Pedro, atour guide to the mines.Depicting their lives in the

mines and as participants ina burgeoning cultural tourismindustry, this film reveals theenduring power of colonialenterprise to shape life inSouth America.

Co-presenter: Cinema Tropical

The Machine Is Us/ing UsUser-GeneratedContentContent from YouTube,WITNESS’ The Hub, andKarmaTube

Sunday, November 114:30 pm, Program F13

This program, moderated byMichael Wesch, assistantprofessor of culturalanthropology at Kansas StateUniversity, takes a look at user-created content on YouTube,The Hub, and KarmaTube.Earlier this year, Wesch createda short video, Web 2.0 … The Machine Is Us/ing Us, thatquickly became the mostpopular video in the blogo-sphere. Other presentersinclude Sara Pollack, YouTube’s

film manager; Sameer Padania,manager of The Hub, a new,participatory website thatsupports the strategic use ofvideo to address human rightsabuses online and offline;Michael Smolens, founder andCEO of dotSUB, a site thathas developed unique browser-based applications to facilitatewiki-style volunteer orprofessional captioning andsubtitling of video into anylanguage; Jenny Douglas, co-

creator and coordinator ofKarmaTube, an online collectionof“short,‘do something’videos,coupled with simple actionsthat every viewer can take;”and Silas Hagerty, director ofLusaka Sunrise, a documentaryshort that focuses on howsoccer is being used as acatalyst to spread awareness ofHIV/AIDS to youth in Zambia.

Co-presenter: WITNESS

McLaren’sNegativesMarie-Josée Saint-Pierre.2006. 10 min. (Canada) NY Premiere

Sunday, November 117:30 pm, Program F19With Nömadak Tx

A visual journey into theprocess of cinematographiccreation, this animated essay reveals the filmmakingvisions of legendary Canadiananimator Norman McLaren.

MirrorAnimationsHarry Smith. 1957.4 min. (U.S.)

Saturday, November 108:15 pm, Program F5With The Old, Weird America:Harry Smith’s Anthology ofAmerican Folk Music

Harry Smith’s prodigiousknowledge of mythology andthe mystic arts, and thevoraciousness of his imagegathering, allowed him topopulate the screen with a

dazzling array of unexpectedfigures. These animations “mirror” the intricate subtle-ties of Thelonious Monk’sclassic jazz piece, Misterioso.

Co-presenter: Anthology Film Archives

Keep theDance AliveRina Sherman. 2007. 75 min.(Namibia/Angola/France) U.S. Premiere

Sunday, November 114:00 pm, Program F18Discussion with director

As part of an ethnographicstudy, filmmaker Rina Sherman,a protégé of Jean Rouch, livedwith the Ovahimba people of northwest Namibia forseven years, documenting the

flow of ordinary life. This film shows how music, dance,and spirit possession areintegrated into their everydaylife, from birth to death.

Co-presenter: The Center forMedia, Culture and History atNew York University

Losers andWinners Ulrike Franke and MichaelLoeken. 2006. 96 min.(China/Germany) NY Premiere

Saturday, November 101:15 pm, Program F6Discussion with Patrick Hazard,director,The London InternationalDocumentary Festival

Cultures collide in thisaward-winning verité film, inwhich 400 Chinese laborersarrive to dismantle a huge,state-of-the-art coke-processing plant in the Ruhrregion of Germany. It will be

rebuilt in China. As the fewremaining German engineersface the facility’s demise andtry to enforce strict safetyprocedures, the Chinese crewstruggles with homesickness,60-hour shifts, and having

their pay docked if the workfalls behind schedule.

Co-presenter: LondonInternational DocumentaryFestival and Goethe-Institut

Nömadak TxRaul de la Fuente. 2006.92 min. (India/Morocco/Mongolia/Laponia/Spain) NY Premiere

Sunday, November 117:30 pm, Program F19Discussion with director, followedby performance by Oreka TxWith McLaren’s Negatives

World music takes on a wholenew meaning in Nömadak Tx,a world showcase of nomadicpeoples bound by the journeyof two Basque musicians,Harkaitz Mtnez. de SanVicente and Igor Otxoa, who

play a tandem percussiveinstrument, the txalaparta.This unusual instrumentserves as a meeting point notonly between the twomusicians but also betweencultures. The musicians travel

to remote places, livingamong the Adivasi people,outcasts in India; the Sami inLaponia; Mongolian peopleon the steppes; and Saharanpeople in Morocco.

Co-presenter: World Music Institute

The Old,Weird America:Harry Smith’sAnthology of AmericanFolk Music Rani Singh. 2006.90 min. (U.S.)

Saturday, November 108:15 pm, Program F5Discussion with Jonas Mekas,filmmaker and artistic director,Anthology Film ArchivesWith Mirror Animations

Every fan of Americanmusic owes a debt to HarrySmith. Driven by his uniquesensibility and passion forauthentic offbeat music, heamassed an unparalleledcollection of recordings andbrought attention tonumerous unrecognizedartists. His musical legacy iscelebrated here througharchival footage, interviews,and filmed stageperformances by a diverse

group of artists, including Nick Cave, Percy Heath,Philip Glass, Kate and AnnaMcGarrigle, and Elvis Costello.

Co-presenter: Anthology Film Archives

PromisedParadiseLeonard Retel Helmrich. 2006.52 min. (Indonesia/The Netherlands)U.S. Premiere

Saturday, November 106:15 pm, Program F8Discussion with director andSally Berger, assistant curator,Department of Film, TheMuseum of Modern Art/Documentary Fortnight FestivalWith Scaredycat

Jakarta-based puppeteer AgusNur Amal travels to Bali to callto account the individualsresponsible for the terroristbombing of a Balinese night-club in October 2002. As inhis theatrical performances,Agus uses humor to find

some meaning in these acts of hate. The results are bothrevealing and sobering.

Co-presenter: Department ofFilm,The Museum of Modern Art

Salim BabaTim Sternberg. 2006,14 min. (India/U.S.)

Saturday, November 101:00 pm, Program F2Discussion with directorWith Ghanaian Video Tales

Since the age of 10, SalimMuhammad, now 55, has ekedout a living screeningdiscarded film scraps for thechildren in his neighborhoodusing a hand-cranked

projector he inherited from his father. A pragmaticbusinessman as well as a cinéphile, Salim hopes his sons will carry on his legacy.

Co-presenter: Indo-AmericanArts Council

ScaredycatAndy Blubaugh. 2006.15 min. (U.S.)

Saturday, November 106:15 pm, Program F8Discussion with directorWith Promised Paradise

Through re-enactment,live action, and animation,the director, a victim of a random act of violence,explores the complexities of fear and anxiety.

Our BrilliantSecond LifeShelley Matulick. 2007.6 min. (Australia) NY Premiere

Sunday, November 113:15 pm, Program F15With The Birthday

A video short about anAustralian couple who spendmore of their waking hoursas “avatars” in the virtualworld than they do in thereal world.

Praying with Lior Ilana Trachtman. 2007.87 min. (U.S.) NY Premiere

Sunday, November 115:15 pm, Program F16Discussion with director

This film introduces LiorLiebling, also called the “littlerebbe.” Lior has Downsyndrome and has spent hisentire life praying with utterabandon. Is he a “spiritualgenius,” as many around him

say, or simply the vessel thatcontains everyone’s unfulfilledwishes and expectations? AsLior approaches his bar mitzvah,different characters provide a window into life spent“praying with Lior.” The film

challenges the way people withdisabilities are perceived andreceived by faith communities.

Co-presenter: The Center for Religion and Media atNew York University

Closing Night

SleepwalkingThrough the Mekong John Pirozzi. 2007.70 min. (U.S./Cambodia) NY Premiere

Friday, November 97:00 pm, Program F1Discussion with director

This engaging film spotlightsCalifornia’s indie comboDengue Fever as they tourCambodia with a repertoireof 1960s and 70s Khmer popclassics. Underlying the film’smusical journey is thehistorical reality of the fateof artists under the KhmerRouge regime. Fronted by thedynamic Cambodian-bornsinger Chhom Nimol, thegroup is an instant hit on theirarrival in Phnom Penh, where

they set up shows wherever a stage and speakers can befound. There are inspiringexchanges between the bandand Khmer master musiciansand school children, all ofwhom join in at the open-airgrand finale. The music meldsdance jams, traditionalmusic, and Cambodian licksinto a totally unique hybridpop sound.

Co-presenter: Joe’s Pub

SchoolScapesDavid MacDougall. 2007.77 min. (India/Australia) U.S. Premiere

Saturday, November 104:00 pm, Program F10

David MacDougall follows up the “Doon School Quintet,”his series of films about atraditional school in NorthIndia, with this film made at theRishi Valley School, a famousprogressive co-educational

school in Andhra Pradesh,South India. SchoolScapesattempts to recapture the freshness of observing the world and is dedicatedto the simple act of looking.

Co-presenter: The Center forMedia, Culture and History atNew York University

Stranger Comesto TownJacqueline Goss. 2007.28 min. (U.S.) NY Premiere

Saturday, November 103:45 pm, Program F7Discussion with directorWith Grito de Piedra

This video re-purposesanimations from theDepartment of HomelandSecurity, combining themwith stories from the border,images from the online game World of Warcraft, andjourneys via Google Earth,to tell a tale of bodies movingthrough lands familiar and

strange. The director focuses on the questions and examinations used to establish identity at theborder, and how theseprocesses in turn affect one’sown sense of self and view of the world.

Co-presenter: Eyebeam

ThirstDeborah Kaufman and Alan Snitow. 2004.62 min. (U.S./Bolivia/India)NY Premiere of Directors’ Cut

Saturday, November 103:15 pm, Program F3Discussion with directors With Village of Dust, City of Water

Is water part of a shared “commons,” a human right forall people? Or is it a commodityto be bought, sold, and traded in a global marketplace? Thirsttells the stories of communitiesin Bolivia, India, and the UnitedStates that are asking thesefundamental questions as waterbecomes the most valuableglobal resource of the 21stcentury. A character-drivendocumentary with no narration,the film reveals how the debate

over water rights betweencommunities and corporationscan serve as a catalyst for anexplosive and steadfastresistance to globalization.A piercing examination of theglobal corporate drive to controland profit from our water –from tap to bottle.

Co-presenter: Mailman School of Public Health,Columbia University

The Thread of Karma Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam. 2007.52 min. (India) World Premiere

Saturday, November 108:30 pm, Program F9Discussion with director Ritu Sarin With The Beloved Ones

In 1991, filmmakers Ritu Sarinand Tenzing Sonam madeThe Reincarnation of KhensurRinpoche (Mead Festival 1992),which followed the searchand discovery of a 4-year-oldreincarnated lama, PharaKhenchen Rinpoche. Sixteenyears later, the directorsrevisit the reincarnation atDrepung Monastery in SouthIndia. The film offers an

intimate look at the life of a young lama as he aspiresto live up to the reputationof his former incarnation.It also explores his movingrelationship with the twopeople closest to him, hisattendant and his spiritualmaster, both of whom wereconnected to him in hisprevious life. By focusing onthese ties that cut across

lifetimes, the film paints atouching portrait of theRinpoche even as it demystifiesthe Tibetan Buddhisttradition of reincarnation.

Co-presenter:Rubin Museum of Art

Super AmigosArturo Perez Torres. 2007.82 min. (Mexico/Canada)

Sunday, November 111:00 pm, Program F14Discussion with director

Outfitted in the regalia of theLuche Libre, five former wrestlersin Mexico City don the personasof superheroes to fight injusticeand inspire others within theirlocal communities. With acombination of live action and

comic book-style animation, wefollow the caped crusaders –Super Barrio, Super Animal,Super Ecologista, Super Gay, andFray Tormenta – on their missionto protect the underdog.

Co-presenter: Cinema Tropical

Opening Night

Honorary ChairMary Catherine Bateson

Festival Co-DirectorsElaine CharnovKathy Brew

Festival CoordinatorsNatalie TschechaniukShawn Tymon

Traveling Festival ManagerKathy Brew

Volunteer CoordinatorTori Wunsch

Festival InternsJudith BarnesClaire BaumanCara BramsonAllison FisherKaite FujiiZack HoopesYuha JungWonho LeeRosanna MontillaEileen Tait

Graphic DesignOlga ZhivovHarriet Spear

Web DesignMichael HoffmanJeremy Hinsdale

Program Notes Ellen Silbermann

Advisory CommitteeMichael AptedPatsy AschThomas D. BlakelyEmilie de BrigardRobert CarneiroCynthia CloseLoni DingFrançoise FoucaultFaye GinsburgRhoda GrauerBob HawkLaurel KendallDavid MacDougallJudith MacDougallAntonio MarazziSevanne MartinLouis MassiahPatricia Monte-MorBill MoyersLourdes PortilloSomi RoyJay RubyEnid SchildkroutAndré SingerFlorence StoneElizabeth WeatherfordLaila WilliamsonFrederick Wiseman

Pre-Screening CommitteeBarbara AbrashLili ChenMaria FaheyFaye GinsburgMiles GrothStella HardeeSevanne MartinValeria Mogilevich

ThanksGulnara Abikeyeva Barbara AbrashLivia AlexanderDonna ApisaShiva BalaghiRobbie BarnettSally BergerJohn BiaggiMahen BonettiRoberto BorreroBruni BurresMaria CaboJorge ChicaAndrea CsandiGisela FosadoFaye GinsburgTamar GoelmanRoberto GuerraCarlos GutiérrezPatrick HazardJudith Helfand Sarah JanssenMelanie KentMary KerrKatalin KonczJosh KouryLinda LilienfeldBarbara MatheShannon MatlovskyAnn MichelDavid NugentRick OrtizThom PowersMorris RossabiRasha SaltiAroon ShivdasaniBruce StutzAba Taylor

Julia WanckelElizabeth WeatherfordPhil Wilde Teddy Yoshikami Debbie Zimmerman

Thanks also to the followingMuseum DepartmentsAudio-VisualCentral ReservationsCommunications/MarketingDevelopmentEducationGeneral AccountingGraphicsResearch LibraryVisitor Services

Our CollaboratorsAfrican Film Festivalwww.africanfilmny.orgAnthology Film Archiveswww.anthologyfilmarchives.orgArteEastwww.arteeast.orgAutism Speakswww.autismspeaks.org The Center for Media, Culture andHistory at New York Universitywww.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/media/ The Center for Religion andMedia at New York Universitywww.nyu.edu/fas/center/religionandmedia Cinema Tropicalwww.cinematropical.org

Eyebeamwww.eyebeam.orgGoethe-Institutwww.goethe.de/ins/us/ney/enindex.htmIndo-American Arts Councilwww.iaac.usJoe’s Pubwww.joespub.comKevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies atNew York Universitywww.nyu.edu/gsas/program/neareast/London InternationalDocumentary Festivalwww.pocketvisions.co.uk/lidfMailman School of Public Health,Columbia Universitywww.mailman.hs.columbia.eduMuseum of Modern Art,Department of Filmhttp://moma.org/collection/depts./film/index.htmlRubin Museum of Artwww.rmanyc.orgTribeca Film Festivalwww.tribecafilmfestival.orgWITNESSwww.witness.orgWorld Music Institutewww.worldmusicinstitute.org

Staff, Friends, Support

Bring the Margaret MeadTraveling Film & VideoFestival to your community!Visit our Website at:www.amnh.org/mead

Village of Dust,City of WaterSanjay Barnela. 2006.28 min. (India) U.S. Premiere

Saturday, November 103:15 pm, Program F3With Thirst

A lyrical and chilling ciné poemabout social exploitation overaccess to water in India, whererural water supplies areredistributed to serve boomingcities, and other communitiesare displaced to create dams.

Co-presenter: Indo-AmericanArts Council and MailmanSchool of Public Health,Columbia University

Yeai Hem Reau –A CambodianMedium Yasuko Ichioka. 2007. 50 min.

(Cambodia/Japan) U.S. Premiere

Saturday, November 106:00 pm, Program F11Discussion with director

After a 13-year absence, thepioneering ethnographicfilmmaker returns to a villagein Cambodia to re-encounterthe medium Hem Reau, whowas first possessed by avillage spirit during the Pol

Pot dictatorship. Hem Reaureflects about her life andwork, and how she survivedthe Pol Pot regime, whichbanned all religious expression.

Co-presenter: The Center forMedia, Culture and History atNew York University

The Water FrontElizabeth Miller. 2007.50 min. (U.S.) NY Premiere

Sunday, November 111:15 pm, Program F12Discussion with directorWith El Agua en Tiempos Extrasand Gimme Green

This film provides a criticallook at the battle over waterin Highland Park, Michigan,a working-class, largelyAfrican-American communitystruggling to keep theirwater from being privatized.Local activists dealing witheconomic justice and welfarerights engage in a battle that seems like a gripping,dramatic play as the citizensstruggle with the question

of how a valuable and essentialpublic resource should bemanaged in the midst of aneconomic crisis that silencesclaims to human rights.

Co-presenter: Mailman School of Public Health,Columbia University

Support

This Festival is made possible withpublic funds from the New YorkState Council on the Arts, a stateagency; the Experimental TelevisionCenter’s Presentation FundsProgram, which is supported bythe New York State Council on theArts; the Goethe-Institut, New York;the Netherlands Consulate-General, New York; Arts andCulture Network Program, OpenSociety Institute, Budapest; theTamarind Foundation; the NationalScience Foundation; JPMorgan; andPocketVisions/London InternationalDocumentary Festival.