Tonight at SC Film Festival - SOMA, Refuseniks (5/9)

VENUE: THE ATTIC

5:00 pm

SOMA: ANARCHIST - THERAPY - 50:00 Nick Cooper, director (USA production, filmed in Brazil, USA), 1st film, 1st feature
Half blinded by the tortures of the Brazilian military dictatorship, 75 year-old Roberto Freire works in a collective of anarchist group therapists in Brazil fighting the psychological effects of authoritarianism. Nick Cooper travelled from the U.S. to Rio, Salvador, and São Paulo to capture the exercises, the voice, and the movement of somatherapy. Freire developed Soma (body) thirty years ago, incorporating Wilhelm Reich's teachings, capoeira angola and anarchism. Angola is the traditional African form of capoeira, the Brazilian martial art, which slaves disguised as a dance. Through capoeira, slaves struggled for freedom, practicing movements of evasion to help them escape. Capoeira angola uses many things which Soma therapists find lacking in traditional therapy -- group participation, music, spontaneity, collaboration, mischief, playfulness, and the occasional kick.

with

A SECRET WORLD - 15:00 Guilherme Shinohara, director 15:00 (Brazil)
Leo is surprised by a little girl running around his house. She seems to know him well and will make him get in touch with his true fears and desires. A journey in search of answers, when nothing seems to make sense.

6:30 pm

REFUSENIKS - 56:26 - Sonja de Vries, director (USA production, filmed in Israel)
Through the use of stunning archival footage, still photography, and interviews, Refuseniks documents the stories of Israeli men and women who refuse to serve in the military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Although differing in spiritual and political beliefs, these individuals all believe that taking a stand is crucial to their own humanity and to the future of their country. An important look at a facet of Israeli society rarely discussed in America.

with

PING PONG UNDERGROUND - 16:00 - Donald Harrison, director (USA)
Ping Pong Underground is a hypnotic, poetic, and righteous documentary that explores the political lives of two long-time activists as they compete over a game of ping pong. Shot with seven film and video cameras, this short film unfolds in one real-time game, creating a conversation of hard-hitting paddles and striking political experiences.

GENIE IN A BOTTLE: UNLEASHED Written, edited, and produced by thirteen year old Chicagoans Stephen Sotor and Trace Gaynor, (USA) Youth Works, Under 18
Genie in a Bottle: Unleashed examines the history and legacy of the development of the atomic bomb. Featuring interviews with Nobel Prize winning scientists, the creator of the "Doomsday Clock," and the mayor of Hiroshima, this film interrogates our nuclear reality with a poignancy and urgency not found in filmmakers three and four times their age. When screened at the United Nations, this film received a standing ovation. An amazing work.