FRIDAY, MARCH 21

8 PM (DOORS OPEN AT 7:30)

BUDDY. 1542 N Milwaukee Ave., 2nd Floor

Beverages, grub and excellent free stuff while supplies last.

$10 suggested donation (hey, it’s a benefit)

Why Iraq -- and why now? Join Chicago Indymedia for a benefit screening of two powerful documentaries -- In Shifting Sands and Hidden Wars of Desert Storm -- that illuminate the real motivations behind current U.S. machinations in Iraq . . . plus more than an hour of video shorts by independent filmmakers from Chicago and beyond.

Open Call for Movement Video! Video Resistance will also include two segments of video shorts by independent filmmakers. Tapes should be 5-10 minutes long (or shorter), edited (no raw footage, please), and in VHS or DVD format. Got great tape from an antiwar protest or community action that the world just has to see? Created a compelling satirical piece that puts the lie to U.S. foreign policy? Contact us, or just bring the tape and pray we can squeeze it in… For more info, email hammerhard (at) aol.com or call 312-733-2181.

SCREENING SCHEDULE: (shows may run slightly late...)

8PM: Video Resistance Part 1

A collection of video shorts by independent filmmakers from Chicago and beyond.

8:30 PM: In Shifting Sands: The Truth About UNSCOM and the Disarming of Iraq

Directed by Scott Ritter, former United Nations Chief Inspector in Iraq, this forceful and illuminating documentary exposes how players that included the United States undermined and betrayed inspection efforts during the 1990’s -- including U.S. political pressure that precluded UNSCOM from forwarding their conclusion that Iraq had, in fact, destroyed its weapons of mass destruction. December 2002, 92 minutes.

“An interesting cross between a Frontline exposé and "World's Scariest Weapons Inspections Videos." Ward Harkavy, Village Voice

10PM: Video Resistance Part 2

A collection of video shorts by independent filmmakers from Chicago and beyond.

10:30PM: Hidden Wars of Desert Storm -- A Documentary on Gulf War

An ambitious look at America's secret geopolitical ambitions in helping to start the first Gulf War -- and the dangers caused by the war itself, from Gulf War syndrome and depleted uranium to ongoing sanctions and allied bombing raids. ‘Hidden Wars’ draws on previously unreleased documents, sharp investigative reporting and interviews with both prominent players and ordinary soldiers and civilians to tease out the truth behind the first Gulf War, its human costs -- and its implications for current U.S. objectives in the region. Grand-Prize winner, 2000 Cine Eco International Film Festival; ten best documentaries, 2000 Vancouver International Film Festival. 79 minutes.

“An uncommonly sober, well-researched film.” Dave Kerr, New York Times.

COMING SOON: CHICAGO INDYMEDIA'S BANNED VIDEO SHOWCASE

Scheduled for LATE APRIL at BUDDY, 1542 N Milwaukee Ave., 2nd Floor. . . Watch our site for more info!

Graphic based on a design by the Toronto Activist Video Collective. Many thanks.