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March 2015, Week 1

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Sun, 1 Mar 2015 13:52:50 -0500
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POLITICAL  FILM REVIEW
NEWSLETTER #472  OF THE POLITICAL FILM SOCIETY
P.O.  Box 461267 Hollywood, CA 90046
_www.polfilms.com_ (http://www.polfilms.com/)  
March 1, 2015 


 
 
POLITICAL FILM SOCIETY AWARDS ANNOUNCED 
Members of the Political Film  Society chose the following films as the 
best in each of four  categories: 
DEMOCRACY           Kill the Messenger (directed by Michael  Cuesta) 
EXPOSÉ                      Difret (directed by Zeresenay Mehari) 
HUMAN RIGHTS     César Chavez (directed by Diego Luna) 
PEACE                        Diplomacy (directed by Volker Schlöndorff) 
TIMBUKTU  DEMONSTRATES WHY JIHAD MASKS FOR COLONIZATION 
Directed by Abderrahmane  Sissako, but filmed in nearby Oualata, also 
dating back to the 12th century, Timbuktu begins by showing the  peaceful lives 
of citizens of rural Mali—cattle farming, fishing, and an open  market amid 
sand dunes and ruins of ancient structures. Arabic-speakers with  weapons 
have arrived in the area. Their megaphones declare new rules based on  sharia 
law: No music, no smoking, no soccer, women must wear gloves while  selling 
food, veils to cover their heads, women and men must sleep apart, brides  can 
be forcibly removed from their families, as portrayed in the film Difret. 
After a courtlike  proceeding, the penalty is 40 lashes for minor crimes, 
death for serious crimes  inflicted by gunshot or stoning, and material 
compensation for a family that  suffers a human loss. Accidental death is not an 
acceptable defense for murder.  The reaction of the Muslim leader of the local 
temple is to argue that such  practices are contrary to the peaceful 
Islamic faith. Thus, rather than bringing  order to the peaceful citizens, the 
outsiders (including the leader who smokes,  violating his own edict) act as a 
colonial power, seizing territory and making  citizens into subjects without 
rights. Citizens who do not flee choose defiance  but suffer martyrdom. 
Based on an actual event, the film is perhaps the most  eloquent critique of 
the hypocrisy of contemporary jihadism. Yet the film  presents the paradigm of 
colonization—occupying and seizing power over new  territory on a 
self-righteous pretext. Similar developments occurred when  America’s native 
populations were subject to new rules backed by firearms, and  they continue in 
other guises whenever those in authority abuse their power. The  Political Film 
Society has nominated Timbuktu as best film of 2015 on the  need to 
safeguard democracy, human rights, and a peaceful world.  MH 
OUTCAST  HAS BEEN CAST OUT BY THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT 
Directed by Nick Powell, the  film Outcast has a lot of combat,  beginning 
with the Crusades, when Gallain (played by Nicholas Cage) is  disappointed 
that his military student Jacob (Hayden Christiansen) has  apparently killed 
women and children (though Jacob did not do so). Both leave  separately, 
headed on different paths for China, where Shing (Andy On) has just  led a 
victorious army and returns to claim the throne from his ailing father  (Shi 
Liang). But the king has designated Shing’s younger brother Zhao (Bill Su  
Jiahang) as the heir to the throne and has assigned his sister Lian (Crystal Liu 
 Yifei) to make sure that the future king’s life will be safe as they flee 
for  their lives. Jacob, whose path crosses the prince and the princess, 
then  protects them until they reach a mountain top fortress, where Gallain and 
his  Chinese bride are holding out with family defenders. The king is 
assassinated by  Shing, claims that Zhao has done so, and demands that the army 
bring Zhao to  justice, which of course means another battle is inevitable. 
Although the film  was partly financed by a Chinese company with government 
approval, the film was  not allowed to be exhibited on what was to be the 
opening day last September.  The reason is unclear but underscores the 
difficulty of working with the  government to cash in on such a large film market. 
Among possible explanations  are that there is a quota of foreign films 
allowed in the country at any one  time; there might be scenes that need to be 
removed; or that the story involves  Caucasians fighting better than Chinese 
at kung fu in the twelfth century, not  an acceptable plot just before the 
national holiday during the first ten days of  October.  MH

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