Now that Barack Obama has become President Elect, what can we hope for? The Bush/Cheney administration set into motion a process of closing down our society that will be difficult for our new president to reverse. Yet, the success of this brave new administration will be determined by the actions of each of us. Please join Poetry Science Talks - East NEXT SATURDAY, November 15th, 7PM, for a national "horror story" - unfortunately non-fiction - in a documentary based on The New York Times best seller, The End of America: A Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot by Naomi Wolf. (This special PST-E will be comprised of a documentary DVD screening followed by our usual open discussion - none of the authors or producers will be presenting or attending.)
In The End of America, best-selling author Naomi Wolf (The Beauty Myth) offers a stunning indictment of the sweeping policy changes enacted during the Bush/Cheney regime, making a chilling case that American democracy is under grave threat. Wolf uncovers ten dangerous and deeply unsettling parallels between our current situation and the rise of dictators and fascism in other once-free societies (most-notably pointing to Germany - NOT during World War II, but in 1932, when the Nazis came to power legally and then proceeded to systematically shut down their society). According to Wolf, all closing societies...
1) Invoke an external and internal threat
2) Establish secret prisons
3) Develop a paramilitary force
4) Surveil ordinary citizens
5) Infiltrate citizens' groups
6) Arbitrarily detain and release citizens
7) Target key individuals
8) Restrict the press
9) Cast criticism as espionage and dissent as treason
10) Subvert the rule of law
Closing with galvanizing call to arms, Wolf urges regular citizens to take back our legacy of freedom and justice. This may turn out to have been our most important challenge as citizens in the Obama era.
End of America official trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrhFc2kIsP4
AUTHOR: Naomi Wolf
Naomi Wolf is the author of eight books, including the New York Times' bestselling The End of America. She is the cofounder and president of the Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership and cofounder of the American Freedom Campaign, an American movement for democracy and the rule of law.
http://naomiwolf.org/
THE FILM TEAM:
Annie Sundberg, Co-Director
Annie Sundberg is a director, producer, and writer of film and television. She recently co-directed and co-produced The Devil Came on Horseback with partner Ricki Stern, a production of Break Thru Films (Sundance 2007, Gotham Award nominee), theatrically released by International Film Circuit and airing on National Geographic (February 2008). The film has won seven festival awards and counting, including Best International Film at Brit Docs. Annie and Ricki Stern have been recognized with the Best Female Filmmakers Award at the San Diego Film Festival, the Adrienne Shelly Excellence in Filmmaking Award at the Nantucket Film Festival, and the Lena Sharpe/Women in Cinema Persistence of Vision Award at the Seattle International Film Festival.
Ricki Stern, Co-Director
Ricki Stern is a director, producer, and writer whose films have shown on HBO and PBS. She is the co-director with Annie Sundberg and a producer of The Devil Came on Horseback, a production of Break Thru Films (Sundance 2007, Gotham Award nominee), theatrically released by International Film Circuit and airing on National Geographic (February 2008). The film has won seven festival awards and counting, including Best International Film at Brit Docs. Ricki and Annie have been recognized with the Best Female Filmmakers Award at the San Diego Film Festival, the Adrienne Shelly Excellence in Filmmaking Award at the Nantucket Film Festival, and the Lena Sharpe/Women in Cinema Persistence of Vision Award at the Seattle International Film Festival.
PRODUCERS
Avram Ludwig
Michelle Ngo
Laura Dawn
Michael Mailer
John Buffalo Mailer
INDIEPIX FILMS, DISTRIBUTORS
www.indiepixfilms.com