Review of Vijay Anand film ‘Guide’ by film critic Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI) dated 30/10/2023

Vijay Anand's film ‘‘Guide’’ (1965) remains one of the most admirable classics of Hindi cinema that promoted secular values, emancipation of women and a philosophical approach to songs.  

 

Hindi film ‘‘Guide’’ (1965) can be hailed as the first major, effective collaboration between an Indian writer writing in English and Hindi film industry. It is based on the novel by RK Narayan that won the prestigious Sahitya Academy Award in 1961 and achieved tremendous popularity. In many ways, it can be said that it is with the success of the film ‘‘Guide’’ that Hindi cinema saw a substantial increase in adaptations of books for the big screen. For example: Basu Bhattacharya film ‘Teesri Kasam’ (1966) was written by famous Hindi writer Phanishwar Nath Renu. 

 

 

‘‘Guide’’ turned out to be an instant success as it has all the successful ingredients of a hit film such as melodrama, beautiful locales, catchy philosophical songs and charming actors. In this film, lead  actors Dev Anand and Wahida Rehman are ably supported by character artists such as Kishore Sahu, Leela Chitnis and Gajanan Jagirdar. Guide’s relevance as a serious film can be understood purely in the context of it being one of Hindi cinema’s supreme example of a poignant film that showed secularism in full force with a Hindu tourist guide Raju, two Christians; a dancer Rosie and an archaeologist Marco and a Muslim taxi driver Gafoor. This is the true essence of India that was popular even at time of this film of this film’s release in 1965 and continues to uphold secular values even in 2023; both on the screen as well as in the real lives of the people. 

 

As ‘‘Guide’’ turned out to be a popular, bestselling novel, two different films were shot based on it. Its English language version didn’t succeed in getting viewers’ attention in India even after having names of Nobel laureate Pearl S Buck and director Ted Danielewski tied to the project. Guide’s Hindi version directed by Vijay Anand was an instant success. 

 

In many ways, ‘‘Guide’’ emerged as a modern film that was absolutely ahead of the times in which it was set. Nobody in 1965 could have imagined to see a Hindi film with usual songs and dance that would manage to talk about serious topics such as the love life of a courtesan’s daughter and adultery. This film shows how a strong willed woman like Rosie is determined to bring about necessary changes in her mundane existence. The portrayal of adultery remains one of the most challenging themes of cinema. It is nice to note that it has been handled in a very poised, subtle manner by the writer RK Narayan and director Vijay Anand. In modern times, live-in relationship in India is accepted without any fuss by society. However, when RK Narayan was writing his book 70 years ago, it was absolutely hard to imagine that an ordinary couple like Raju and Rosie could manage to live in a house without having tied the knot.   

 

  

Religion is considered to be one the major elements of spiritual solace in India. There are plenty of sequences in ‘‘Guide’’ that highlight how religion plays a major role in the lives of ordinary people with different connotations in rural areas and urban milieu. In one of the funny scenes of the film, one can see how by dint of his fluent English Raju as a holy man defeats two Sanskrit speaking Hindu priests in a verbal duel. There is another lugubrious scene that shows how Raju’s fasting for the rain is transformed into a spectacle by people from cities. It shows two foreign journalists asking Raju about the fasting and how will it help in getting the rains? To conclude, Vijay Anand’s film ‘Guide’ depicts the strength of Hindu religion as it enables even an ordinary man to become a saint in order to work for the well-being and prosperity of commonplace villagers. It is an assault on greedy godmen who exploit ordinary people for their selfish gains and self-promotion.

    

© Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI)

 

from Filmfestivals.com - Hollywood, Independent, Shorts, Videos, Documentary https://ift.tt/PDfxoEO
via gqrds

12th Fail, Review: Want to bet on it? The chances are 30 out of 2,00,000

12th Fail, Review: Want to bet on it? The chances are 30 out of 2,00,000

Hara Vahi Jo Lada Nahi (only he who did not fight loses) is the tagline on the book, 12^th Fail, written in Hindi by Anurag Pathak and translated into English by Gautam Choubey and Lalit Kumar. For the film version, the writing credits go to Vidhu Vinod Chopra (who has directed the movie), Jaskunwar Kohli (co-writer), Anurag Pathak (associate writer) and Aayush Saxena. A village student, Manoj Kumar Sharma, who failed his 12th exams, who does not know where his next meal is going to come from, goes on to clear the Indian Police Service (IPS) exam. If that is not inspiring, what is?

Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who has directed nine films in 42 years (1942: A Love Story, is one of them), has been more prolific as a writer and producer. For this film, he picks an idealist, fiercely honest, never-say-die man, to do a biopic on. It has some outstanding performances but many predictable situations. Yet, it is a great relief from weapons of mass destruction that pass off as movies these days.

The true story begins in the ravines of Chambal, a most-dreaded dacoit area, where the protagonist lives and studies. His father, Ramveer, has just been sacked from his job by unscrupulous and corrupt men, who work for the local legislator. Ramveer refuses to sign doctored documents, involving a major fraud, and pays the price. This politician pretty much owns all the businesses in the village. To give his under-privileged family a hand, Manoj, along with his best friend, decides to operate an auto-rickshaw, in which several persons can ride. This affects the business of the legislator, who operates a bus service, and Manoj has to give-up the trade.

At high school, Manoj and his friends are given an open hand to copy the answers from little chits that they have brought. Better still, the teacher writes all the answers on the blackboard, to ensure that de not make any mistakes while copying. An upright police officer visits the school and sees what is happening. The teacher tries to bribe him, but he is unrelenting, and stops the activity. The teacher warns him that the school is run by the legislator, and he was letting them copy because, otherwise, they would all fail, and bring a bad name to the school and the village. Mesmerised by the police officer’s action, Manoj decides to give the exam for becoming an Indian Police Service officer. His pursuit takes him to Delhi, which is the main centre for the exam. On the way, while travelling in a bus, a woman decamps with his bag, which had all his belongings, including his grandmother’s savings, given to him to meet his expenses. Several fellow students come to his rescue, and he takes-up odd-jobs as well. There, he meets a girl who takes to him instantly, on account of his principled stance. But she comes from a rich family, and lives in Mussoorie.

A tale about overcoming all odds, and a true story at that, 12th Fail sticks to the basics. However, some scenes tend to go overboard. The grandmother’s character, which will win many hearts, is one such instance. Also, the scene in the coaching class, where Manoj goes to enroll himself, provides humour, but is just that bit overboard. Does the legislator take any action against the police officer or not…we are in the dark. A fellow passenger decamping with someone’s luggage is a familiar ploy from many a film, as familiar as a stranger in town having his pocket-picked (this not from the film). Another example of humour occurs when Manoj reveals that there was a question on Tourism, and he had answered it perfectly. Just then, a fellow candidate enlightens him that there was no question on Tourism, but one on Terrorism. That being the case, how did such a student prepare for the exam? Most books, if not all, would be in English. 12^th Fail is not the ideal title for the film, for the term refers to a very brief episode in Manoj’s life. Highlighting the plight of vernacular-speaking hopefuls, who want to pass the IPS or Indian Foreign Service (IFS) exam, the film also reminds us that we live in an age where there is abject poverty, contrasted with filthy richness. Each character is painted in a different hue. It appears deliberate that the female lead gives Manoj her address, in Mussoorie, with directions, long before they come very close. Her part is short, as it should be, to keep Manoj focused on his exams.

Good casting is half the battle won, and Vidhu Vinod Chopra has a fine cast, though none of them are stars. That is a risk he has taken, and it has paid off to a large extent. He follows the now common style of cutting on a question and an actors close-up, and then providing the answer in the next shot. 12^th Fail follows in the trend of several films with which Vidhu Vinod Chopra was associated, as producer or writer or both: Munna Bhai MBBS, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, 3 Idiots and PK. 3 Idiots was a satire on the professional education system, while the two Munnabhai films had as their central character, a well-meaning ruffian, who highlights loopholes in the medical education system. In all these films, the hero was an underdog. In 12^th Fail, is able to capture the life of students from all over India, who want to clear their IPS/IFS, at all cost, sometimes appearing 4-6 times for the exams. Most of them have very little money to stay on in Delhi, yet they pool in resources to support each other. One must appreciate the fluidity with which he has filmed the scene of cheating in the school and the arrival of the police officer.

After Chhapaak, Vikrant Massey adds an even bigger feather to his cap. As Manoj, his innocent, vulnerable face hides a steely interior. His is a winning performance. Massey gives an all new dimension to the word ‘loser’. Playing his love interest is Medha Shankr (she spells it this way), who was first seen in the BBC series Beecham House, directed by Gurinder Chadha and then in Shaadisthan. She has to thank Facebook, for that is where she was discovered. Medha plays a strong character, without being pushy or overtly arrogant, and does it quite well. Harish Khanna, as Ramveer, puts in a completely natural performance. As the police officer, Priyanshu Chatterjee has both, a steely exterior and steely interior. Vikas Divyakirti appears as himself, a Coach, and oozes calm confidence. At 82, Sarita Joshi, a legend in the theatre world, is in fiery form, as Manoj’s grandmother. This main cast is supported by Sanjay Bishnoi, Vijay Kumar Dogra, Anshuman Pushkar, Joshi Anantvijay, Sam Mohan, Sukumar Tudu, Salim Siddiqui, Dilip Tomar, Suraj Naagar, Fasi Khan, Triaksh Chhabra and Abhishek Sengupta. Many real-life students play themselves.

A major chunk of 12^th Fail was shot in the two education hubs for government job aspirants, Rajendra Nagar and Mukherjee Nagar, in Delhi. Shantanu Moitra composes some very good music. Cinematography by Rangarajan Ramabadran is passable. Editing by Jaskunwar Kohli and Vidhu Vinod Chopra goes slow, but, time and again, there are sudden unexplained flashes. 146 minutes a bit too long.

Only 30 out of 1,99,970 Hindi medium educated candidates clear their IPS/IFS exams. Wonder how this film will affect their fate, if at all. Many appear 4-6 times, each attempt being dubbed ‘restart’ by the characters in the film. Manoj’s journey is a mix of good fate and hard work. As I have always maintained, only hard work can never get you through. But only luck, without hard work, can. 12^th Fail is a feel-good film that tugs at your heart. It suggests that if you push yourself to the extreme and remain honest and upright, success will follow. Sadly, that is not the truth in real life. Of course there are exceptions, like Manoj, but exceptions only prove the rule. Quoting the film’s own statistics, the chances are 30/200,000.

A clean film, with no masala, with plenty of sentimental stuff, about a family’s struggle to uphold the principles of honesty and truth, against all odds, based on a true story, as real as it gets, an expected end…that just about sums it up.

Rating: ** ½

Trailer: https://youtu.be/KjbtuqENvVE

from Filmfestivals.com - Hollywood, Independent, Shorts, Videos, Documentary https://ift.tt/Fiq5QkW
via gqrds

'Tibetan Hearts' Wins Award at La Femme International Film Festival

On Saturday, October 21st, La Femme International Film Festival screened ‘Tibetan Hearts’, a true story of star-crossed lovers in the Tibetan Plateau. The romantic leads fall in love despite the rivalry between their sheep-herding families. 

LAFIFF took place at the Regal Cinemas in LA Live, located in downtown Los Angeles. Now in its 19th year, it is a festival with a special focus on promoting and supporting films directed, produced, and written by female filmmakers.  

‘Tibetan Hearts’ producers Lynn Tang and Libo Li were in attendance, as well as Colleen Russel Criste, development officer at MOCA, and Tibetan documentary director Pema Dhondup. The film was very positively received by the audience. Director Brian Connors called it “a tender, touching film with sensational scenery”.

At the closing Award Ceremony, producer Lynn Tang was honored with the award for Best Foreign Producer. This was the culmination of so much hard work. When Lynn was approached to produce this film, she knew it would be incredibly challenging. Due to the tense political situation in Tibet, film permits are unattainable for most foreign filmmakers.  There were also the physical challenges of making a film during a pandemic and shooting on location at an extreme elevation. 

As a result of these challenges, Lynn produced the film remotely. While the cast and crew (comprised of locals) filmed on location in Tibet, she remained in Los Angeles.  

Lynn Tang would like to thank La Femme International Film Festival for granting her this award, along with the many people who have supported ‘Tibetan Hearts.’ 

 

 

from Filmfestivals.com - Hollywood, Independent, Shorts, Videos, Documentary https://ift.tt/e8q2M6Q
via gqrds

IPTA’s Inter Collegiate Drama Competition scores 50, marches on

IPTA’s Inter Collegiate Drama Competition scores 50, marches on

Was it the first or was it the second? Was it 1972 or 1973? My introduction to the annual competition is nevertheless at least 49 years old. I had just finished college, and could not participate. How I wished I could! But I could watch the event, and, soon afterwards, write about it, extensively, in several publications, as a theatre critic. If memory serves me right, back then, it was called IPTA’s Inter Collegiate Hindustani Short Play Competition. Quite a mouthful, that. Nowadays, the acronym is ICDC, Inter Collegiate Drama Competition. And for those unfamiliar with the theatre institution that has created and nurtured giants, IPTA stands for Indian Peoples’ Theatre Association. On 16 October 2023, the ICDC, held at P.L. Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Academy, Prabhadevi, Mumbai, was special.

Subhash B. Dangayach and Ramesh Talwar

ICDC has completed 50 years, allowing for the one year when it could not be held. IPTA decided to do its 50th in style. A long list of those who had won prizes and served as judges in previous years was prepared, and each one of them was called on stage and given a trophy. Also present were the who’s who of the theatre world. Where would you find the following in the same hall? Ashutosh Gowarikar, Makarand Deshpande, Arundhati Rao, Padmavati Rao, Latesh Shah, Sujata Mehta, Imtiaz Hussain, Manoj Joshi, Dolly Thakore, Vipul Mehta, Feroz Abbas Khan, Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi, Preeta Mathur Thakur, Om Katare, Ila Arun, Rohini Hattangadi, Kunal Kapoor, not to mention the luminaries that are part of IPTA.

A moment from Gehna, one of the finalist plays

Conceived as a tribute to Prithviraj Kapoor, by poet Kaifi Azmi, who headed IPTA for some time, the ICDC was designed by Ramesh Talwar, a former chief assistant to Yash Chopra and a film director in his own right. 51 years later, Ramesh is the Convenor of the ICDC, jointly, with Subhash B. Dangayach. Subhash participated in the Competition in its earliest years, won prizes, and joined IPTA. Ramesh is identified with ICDC, in spite of advancing years. For many years, the announcements used to be made by Farooque Shaikh. This year, a much younger man was assigned the task. The memento/trophies giving ceremony was conducted by Subhash, in three stages, between plays.

The drama of Baram

Usually, six plays are selected after an elimination round. That lasts several days. Judging so many entries is an onerous task for the Judges of the Elimination Round. These six are then performed in front of the Finals Jury, and the awards distributed to the best of the best. It was at ICDC here that I first met most of the personalities listed above. The Competition has moved to several places, though, for the first few years, Tejpal Hall, at Gowalia Tank, was its base. Each finalist play is given 45 minutes to one hour to finish its performance. A real marathon, ICDC begins at 2 pm and ends any time between 11 pm and 12. Obviously, students/supporters of particular colleges come in numbers and cheer their college-mates. On a couple of occasions, many moons ago, the students of two colleges became unruly, and IPTA had to take drastic steps. But for the rest of the five decades, it has been smooth sailing.

The Who's Who at ICDC 50

That IPTA has unearthed scores of talent in theatre, both on stage and behind it. A golden jubilee it might be, but it is no time for IPTA to rest on its laurels. I cannot imagine ICDC without Ramesh Talwar, and at its 75^th anniversary, he is going to be missed the most, along with Subhash B. Dangayach. In the meanwhile, till health permits, I can see Ramesh Talwar marshalling his troops, and marching on.

I have a lot more to say, but let these pictures do the talking.

 

                                                    

from Filmfestivals.com - Hollywood, Independent, Shorts, Videos, Documentary https://ift.tt/Fm2TyOz
via gqrds

32nd Heartland International Film Festival Announces Winners & Presents $60,000 in Cash Prizes

 

Simón" and "We Dare To Dream" win $20,000 Grand Prizes. Matthew Modine honored with Pioneering Spirit Award. Audience Choice Awards include "Brave the Dark," "Rustin," "The Lionheart" and more.

INDIANAPOLIS - The 32nd Heartland International Film Festival (HIFF) announced the 2023 award winners and presented more than $60,000 in cash prizes to recipients at the Awards Presentation at The Jazz Kitchen on Saturday, October 14. The 11-day festival concluded on Sunday, October 15, with a sold-out screening of "The Holdovers" from Focus Features directed by Alexander Payne and starring Paul Giamatti.  

In 2023, the Heartland International Film Festival was named one of the Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World by MovieMaker Magazine. Living up to this recognition, the 2023 Heartland International Film Festival's theme promised attendees "You can't look away" from the 120 independent films including 19 World/U.S. Premieres, 22 Special Presentations from major distributors and 7 Indiana Spotlight films. More than 160 filmmakers were in town for Q&As following their screenings. The 32nd edition of the festival hosted 238 in-person screenings/events, 6,500+ virtual streams and field trips for 1,620 Indiana students, ages from kindergarten through college.

At the Awards Ceremony on Saturday evening, major cash prizes were awarded to “Simón” from Director Diego Vicentini ($20,000 Narrative Feature Grand Prize), “We Dare to Dream” from Waad al-Kateab ($20,000 Documentary Feature Grand Prize), and “Hard Miles” from Director RJ Daniel Hanna ($5,000 Jimmy Stewart Legacy Award). In partnership with the Stewart Family, HIFF is the only festival in the world to have an award in honor of beloved actor Jimmy Stewart with a cash prize underwritten by the Stewart Family. The Jimmy Stewart Legacy Award and $5,000 cash prize is awarded to one film in the HIFF lineup that best demonstrates the triumph of the human spirit through determination and the defiance of odds, humble vulnerability, and courage in the face of adversity.

Matthew Modine attended the Awards Celebration to accept the Pioneering Spirit Award. He has two films at the Heartland International Film Festival. He is the Executive Producer of the documentary "Downwind" and he stars in "Hard Miles."

"Congratulations to all of the 2023 Heartland International Film Festival award-winning filmmakers," said Artistic Director Greg Sorvig. "Your films have captured the attention and admiration of our jury, and it has been an honor to showcase your work."

Audience Choice Award Winners were announced on Monday, October 16. The Overall Audience Choice Award went to "Brave the Dark." "Rustin" from Netflix took home the Narrative Special Presentation Audience Choice Award, and "The Lionheart" from HBO and TIME Studios received the Documentary Special Presentation Audience Choice Award. The Narrative Feature Grand Prize-winning film, “Simón,” received the Narrative Audience Choice Award. The Heartland International Film Festival attendees also voted on winners in the categories of Documentary, Horror and Indiana Spotlight. 

There was a tie for the Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) Best Special Presentation Award. "All of Us Strangers" from Searchlight Pictures and "The Holdovers" from Focus Features share this honor. 

Heartland Film is a nonprofit arts organization that runs the 11-day Heartland International Film Festival in October, the Academy Award®-Qualifying Indy Shorts International Film Festival in July and other year-round programs.

from Filmfestivals.com - Hollywood, Independent, Shorts, Videos, Documentary https://ift.tt/lwZALk7
via gqrds

DCIFF 2024 Submissions Open for features, documentary, short animation and web series to December 25th

DCIFF is the oldest independent film festival in Washington DC and acts as a forum for discussion around selected films. We combine a traditional competitive festival format with in-depth conversation around the films we screen - giving filmmakers a chance to connect, learn about the impact of their films and move their work forward. We have a wide range of relevant and up-to-date workshops, socuial events and lots of fun. Every year we welocme 60 or more filmmakers to join us.

All submissions at Filmfreeway here: https://filmfreeway.com/DCIndependentFilmFestival

Questions? Reach us at dciffsubmissions@gmail.com

Our submission fees are low and entirly used to bring selected filmmkaers to attend the festival.

from Filmfestivals.com - Hollywood, Independent, Shorts, Videos, Documentary https://ift.tt/rNWmcTH
via gqrds

Seventeen titles selected to the Opus Bonum International Competition at the 27th Ji.hlava IDFF

 

Seventeen titles will premiere at the Opus Bonum International Competition at the 27th Ji.hlava IDFF : six films will be screened in their world premiere, eight in international premiere and three will have their European premiere at Ji.hlava.

The competition features a great diversity of outstanding films produced by filmmakers from Argentina, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Slovakia, South Korea, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, and United States.

We are honored to introduce also the Opus Bonum international jury composed of French editor Dominique Auvray, American writer and scholar Michael Renov, Czech director Adéla Komrzý, British curator and filmmaker Christopher Small, and director Una Gunjak from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Opus Bonum Awards are accompanied with cash prizes 10,000 USD for the best world documentary, 5,000 USD for the best Central and Eastern European film (in cooperation with Current Time TV), 5,000 EUR for the best film from V4 countries (in cooperation with the International Visegrad Fund), and 3,000 EUR for the best debut (in cooperation with ARRI). The Opus Bonum jury will also hand out awards for the best cinematography, editing, and sound design. At the same time, outstanding formats, such as the best film essay, will be highlighted. 

 

You can now browse the films below or visit Opus Bonum section on our website for more details. 

 

 

 

 

OPUS BONUM COMPETITION

 

 

A Cautionary Tale Ilinca Călugăreanu / UK, Romania, 2023 European Premiere A Vague Dread Seems to Silence the Tongue Edward Kihn / United States, 2023 International Premiere

 

 

Across Irene Dorigotti / Switzerland, Italy, 2023 International Premiere   Distances Matej Bobrik / Poland, 2023 World Premiere

 

 

Dusty Snare and Islands Chae Yu / South Korea, Thailand, 2023 International Premiere   East Wind Maia Gattás Vargas / Argentina, 2023 International Premiere

 

 

King Coal Elaine Sheldon / United States, 2023 European Premiere   La Reine Nikola Klinger / Czech Republic, 2023 World Premiere

 

 

Nomad Solitude Sebastien Wielemans / Belgium, France, 2023 International Premiere   Normal Love Yannick Mosimann / Switzerland, 2023 International Premiere

 

 

Places of the Soul Hamida Issa / Qatar, 2023 World Premiere   Rehab (from rehab) Louise Lemoine, Ila Bêka / France, 2023 European Premiere

 

 

Rosinha and Other Wild Animals Marta Pessoa / Portugal, 2023 International Premiere   Ship Elvis Lenić / Croatia, 2023 International Premiere

 

 

Summer and Winter Robert Manson / Ireland, Germany, 2023 World Premiere   The Third End of the Stick Jaro Vojtek / Slovakia, 2023 World Premiere

 

 

You Will Never See It All Štěpán Pech / Czech Republic, Slovakia, 2023 World Premiere

 

 

We look forward to seeing you at the 27th Ji.hlava IDFF on October 24–29!

 

 

 

 

This e-mail communication contains information about the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival. You have received the message because you have visited the festival in the past or you have submitted your film to the festival programme, or you have otherwise communicated with the festival. If you no longer wish to receive invitations and information related to the Ji.hlava IDFF, Ji.hlava Industry or other festival activities, please unsubscribe HERE. Protection and confidentiality of your personal data is one of our priorities. Your data is processed and used in compliance with the applicable legislation (for our Principles for the Processing of Personal Information click here). If you wish to edit your data, please log in into your Visitor Page account where you can edit the information as required. If you do not have an account on our Visitor Page, please contact us at info@ji-hlava.cz.

 

from Filmfestivals.com - Hollywood, Independent, Shorts, Videos, Documentary https://ift.tt/FJmULrO
via gqrds

Garden City, Kansas

Garden City, Kansas.
Posted By Robin Menken

Bob Hurst’s Garden City, Kansas Is a crime documentary about a foiled terrorist attack and a warning against the violence of Trumpist America.

We meet Angie Haflich, the content editor of High Plains Public Radio which broadcasts to Kansas and four other states.

Interviews with Haflich and other local citizens portray a conservative Middle American small town (mostly Republican) which, because of it reliance on farming and meat packing, developed an unusually practical progressive approach to Immigration.

Once a real life Mayberry, as can be glimpsed in archival footage from a 1950s booster film “This is Our Town Garden City, Kansas USA”, Garden City specialized in farming, wheat milling and grain storage.  

Like all of Kansas they raised sunflowers, corn, sorghum soybeans, hogs, cattle and bison. (Seen happily grazing in the film). Its well-painted homes and perfectly manicured lawns look a little different now, as the hard-working immigrants don’t have time or resources to perfectly maintain their ‘castles’.  
 
Animated sequences portray the court testimony of Dan Day, a self proclaimed Patriot and member of the KSF (Kansa Security Force) Militia, who eventually reported the planned attack to the FBI.

Recruited in 2015 at a cookout by Patrick Stein, Dan was indoctrinated in the KSF’s belief structure. “We got a Muslim In the White House. Sharia Law is coming. Hilary will get elected. They will arrest patriots and put them in Walmarts (converted to concentration camps). The UN were coming for us.”

Patrick asked him to join a special unit: Gavin “Sparky” Wright, Curtis “CO” Allen, and Patrick Stein, nicknamed “Orkin Man” because he was sworn to kill “cockroaches.” They needed to “rise up against cockroaches infesting our country. They to be eradicated.”

They began running recon missions following the immigrants from home to school to work.

Dan Day was dubbed “Dangerous Dan”, “D-Day” and “Minute Man”. Later Dan met someone from the FBI who asked him to attend meetings and report on the Militia.

We meet Muslim community activists and community leaders, part of the earlier waves of African immigrants. Amy Longa community activist, came from Uganda with a law degree. Abdulkadir Mohamed, a community leader in the Somalian community, came to Garden City because of threats on his life . Originally from Kenya, he got a job at the UN and worked in Kuwait, Somalia and Ruanda before receiving death threats.

The large Somalian and Burmese immigrant community in Garden City followed the 1980s’ wave of Vietnamese Laotians, Mexican and Central American. They work in the meat processing plant Tyson Foods (formerly IBP) reputedly one the largest plants in the world, slaughtering 6,000 head of cattle daily.

They also work for local farmers raising their crops. Almost all businesses in the region are agricultural or cattle related.

Farmer Chris Heiman (farmer) points out one of his valued workers for fifteen years, a Mexican-German Mennonite. “He’s a good worker, he does 80-85 hours a week in busy months, You can’t find people who can do this work unless they are immigrants who grew up on a farm. Americans can’t or won’t do this work. I welcome them. Labor needs the competition. We need immigrants.”

When the IBP came to Garden City in the 70’s to offer to put up a plant, city officials reasoned, if we want to continue to grow, unlike other small towns who lost 40 % of their population, we should take this offer, but is it a blessing or a curse? They determined to work with the immigrants. To offer Civics classes, preparing them for their road to citizenship (taught by  former  Municipal Judge Peter Ramirez.

The local police learned about their new residents and developed a protective attitude. Sgt. Lana Urteaga came from a small town in Nebraska. It was shock when she arrived but soon she welcomed the Immigrants as good family people.

“When you come here you get. a sense of the world…you adapt and you learn and you grow and you learn to love it, to be apart of their lives. You need to understand their way of life to effectively serve that section of the population.”  She mentions Burmese,  Vietnamese Haitians. Somalian, Mexican. There are 30 languages spoken in the schools.

Sister Janice Thome of Ministry of Presence, a daughter of dairy farmers, explains. “There are immigrants from 25 different countries in this area: People from Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea- which I didn’t even know was a country.”

Health care workers Jerome and Kristi Greene moved from Great Bend.  Kristy explained “When I moved here I was afraid of the culture, the diversity. I had pre- conceived ideas.” She was won over, she grew to love the community.

Jerome Greene, was brought up thinking, “If you want to live in America speak English”. His new elderly patients couldn’t speak English, their children translated for them. Their children learned the language. It changed his consciousness.

Former mayor Molly Harness remembers. “When the Muslims wanted a separate cemetery, to be able to follow their burial customs, she got warning letters. “Don’t over- accommodate them, they’ll take over.”  

Things changed when Trump made it OK to be outwardly racist.
Harness opines, ”We’ve given a whole segment of the population permission to say whatever. It’s a sin the way we’re treating people. We let them do our hard work, mock them, chase them, imprison them, take their kids away.”

Hector Martinez lll explains, “I have Mexican friends wearing shirt “Lets Make America Great Again” because its a trend. They don’t understand the impact.” They don’t follow politics.

Citizenship is a lengthy and expensive process, even with help from Civics classes and Immigration lawyers.  It could take a working family twelve years to raise enough money and evidence to complete citizenship. Hector Martinez worked cleaning jobs at night. Seeking to complete his eduction he volunteered at Garden City College. He studied and filed a H-1B visa because he couldn’t afford an attorney CHECK

Most of the community talking heads wished for streamlined access to citizenship.  “Lets get them documented.” Then long came Trump and his reworking of Immigration. The process swiftly became harsh, punitive and almost impossible.

For years Immigration lawyer Mike Feltman was successful filing cases for people seeking asylum from Domestic and Gang Violence Victim. Not since Trump.

In 2016, Dan recounts, The unit began surveillance. In the Dollar General, Patrick exclaimed, “there’s a couple of those cockroach bitches, I’ll knock ‘em off kill ‘em” and pointed a gun at them. Dan made him put it away before someone called the police, but not before he saw the fear in their eyes.

While observing the Mary Street Complex, a largely Somali residential area with a small mosque, they saw a Somali mother and baby girl.  Remembering how his  grown daughter played dress-up when she was the toddler’s age, Dan thought. “how cute -dressed like mom.”

Patrick fumed , “Look at the baby cockroach mother-fucker, we should take her out too.” Dan realized his life was in danger and began praying about it.

Patrick threatened to shoot Dan if word got out.

In June Patrick came up with targets in three towns: Dodge, Liberal and Garden City, including “railroad heaven” (where Patrick believed the UN would incarcerate Patriots.) He talked about killing the maximum number of Muslims as well as landlords and their families and pastors who helped them, raping their children. “ If they were helping Muslims they needed to die.”  He hoped to publish a manifesto, force Media to publish it and launch the Crusades 2.0.
 
They discussed an “old-fashioned” drive-by shooting of a schoolbus: a 1000 pounder bomb, multiple car bombs. They learned to make bombs and detonator online and tested the detonator. They decided to bomb the Mary Street Complex when the muslims were in prayer. The plan was for the day after election when “HiIlary would be in power and UN would begin moving on us.”

Dan finally realized, “ These guys are serious.. a target. a date. This is real. That’s what I told the FBI. It came to a stop.  Allen was arrested for battery of his girlfriend and told Police about the plans, triggering the FBI involvement arrests and warrants. On Oct 12, 2016 the shocking story hit the papers.

The story hit on Angie Haflich’s last day at work at High Plains Public Radio. She made her most significant local story on her last day at work. Law enforcement showed Angie the potential damage to the whole area. She was  horrified. No one believed that locals with racist beliefs would turn violent. “It was scary for them and scary for us, it heightened our awareness.”

The New York Times interviewed Sister Janice Thome. A state representative described the arrest on television, “8 months of FBU investigation revealed a hidden culture of hatred and Violence many Kansas find it as scary as I have”.

Good news: The next morning local politicians stood outside the Mary Street Complex with signs “We love our muslims”  showing their solidarity with the Somalis. The police met with the community, monitoring threats to show solidarity and willingness to protect them. Garden city stood up to say “THIS is not us”.

The perpetrators received lengthy jail terms, reassuring the immigrants, putting people’s minds at rest. Convicted of a conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, they were sentenced: Curtis Allen (25 years), Patrick Stein (30 years), Gavin Wright (26 years).
Christian Dan Daly believes “God helped me bring it down.”

from Filmfestivals.com - Hollywood, Independent, Shorts, Videos, Documentary https://ift.tt/YeBkyw8
via gqrds

International Short Film Festival on Cultural Tourism

from Filmfestivals.com - Hollywood, Independent, Shorts, Videos, Documentary https://ift.tt/Z2OnlGT
via gqrds