Ararat – Sept. 28
Turkey, 1915 and present day
This little known film made in 2002 was said to be one of the year’s 10 best movies by both the New York Times and the LA Times. Featuring an all-star cast, Ararat recounts fragments of the 1915 Armenian genocide in Turkey through the lives of present-day survivors. How do they move forward in a world where the Armenian genocide is still openly and officially denied by the perpetrators?

The Killing Fields – Oct. 5
Cambodia, 1970s
This film recounts the experiences of Cambodian journalist Dith Pran, who survived the reeducation camps of the Khmer Rouge regime, while his western compatriots tried to find and save him. Precipitated by the Vietnam War and the Cold War, Pol Pot and his rogue followers, the
Khmer Rouge, took control of Cambodia in the 1970s. This film recreates the Khmer Rouge genocide of millions of Cambodians and the courage of one man to escape their grasp.

No Man’s Land – Oct. 26
Bosnia and Serbia early 1990s
This black comedy shows the complexities of today’s new peacekeeping tasks as a Bosnian and a Serbian soldier are forced to share a wary trust while stuck in a trench in “no man’s land” waiting for aid from U.N. peacekeeping forces. Through a series of absurd but plausible events, these two soldiers end up deadlocked and equally armed. As the event gains momentum so to does the confusion and the bureaucratic tangle, weaving for us the complex tapestry that was repeated in Rwanda—even as reporters stand by to film.

Sometimes in April – Nov. 2
Rwanda, 1994 and present day
This powerful film directed by Haitian Raoul Peck and released shortly after Hotel Rwanda provides a broader picture of the events that occurred Rwanda during the 1994 genocide than its predecessor. Using the relationship of two Rwandan brothers as its underpinnings—one an army captain innocent in the genocide and the other a radio broadcaster that spurred on the killings with propaganda – the film draws the viewer into multiple stories of Hutus and Tutsis trying to save to kill one another.

Missing – Nov. 9
Chile, 1973
Based on the real-life experiences of Ed Horman, this is the story of an American father of conservative background who comes to a South American country to search for his missing son, a journalist. Ed joins with his daughter-in-law Beth, who like her husband is politically polarized from the father, in prying through the bureaucracy and dangerous political intrigue in search of their son and husband. Little by little, the father comes to realize that his own beloved government is not telling him the truth.

Everything Is Illuminated – Nov. 23
Ukraine 1942 and present day
Starring Elijah Wood as Jonathan, a young Jewish American, this film is a hilarious, bittersweet story about prejudice, loss and our need to retain even the smallest fragment of our heritage Jonathan flies to Ukraine in search of his grandfather’s past with only one photograph and the name of a village. To start his search he hires the Odessa Heritage Tours, made up of a gruff old man and his English-speaking grandson. The three, plus grandfather’s deranged dog, travel from Odessa into Ukraine’s heart revealing much about all of their pasts and the roles people were forced to take on when the Nazis took over the area. The past illuminates everything.

The series is sponsored by the ASU Center for Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies, the College of Arts& Sciences and the Joseph & Frieda Ross Foundation. For more information, visit www.holocaust.appstate.edu.