In March this year we had mentioned a series of four films which were to be shown at the Cornell Cinema in conjunction with faculty in Cornell’s Department of City and Regional Planning and Ithaca College’s Department of Sociology. The series called Creative Resistance and Hopeful Alternatives held screenings of three films distributed by Under Construction and was curated by Andreas Hernandez, Adjunct Professor at the Department of Sociology,Ithaca College. Mr. Hernandez is also the director of Hope Will Win Over Fear, a film distributed by Under Construction. He recently informed us of the healthy response to the screenings.
According to Mr. Hernandez, the series was a success. About 60 people attended each screening, attracting very different publics for each film. The post-screening discussions were unusually vibrant. The most memorable discussion was around Bishar Blues directed by Amitabh Chakraborty. Sudeshna Mitra, a PhD candidate in City and Regional Planning at Cornell, provided an amazing contextual overview of the Fakirs of Bengal. She described the radical political, cultural and spiritual histories of Fakirs and Bauls, particularly in relation to the life and work of Lalon.
Dr. Abdulrazack Karriem of Cornell and Andreas Hernandez led a discussion following Rumble in Mumbai directed by Jawad Metni. At the end of June the second US Social Forum is to be held. The screening of this film became an opportunity to talk about the USSF in terms of the WSF, and the implications of a Social Forum for US politics and social movements.
For the Words on Water by Sanjay Kak screening, Dr. Gayatri Menon of Cornell, who has worked with several Narmada movements, was able to field questions and provide further context for the film. Lastly, Dr. Alicia Swords used ’4th World War’ as a medium to talk about organizing in terms of how movements learn from each other. She deftly had people break up into small groups for discussions.
The organisers were pleased that each showing was composed of a mix of the university community (students, researchers, professors) and the Ithaca Community – which is often difficult to achieve. Magic Lantern and Under Construction were included in the discussions at the showings… people found our work quite interesting!
Mr. Hernandez really believes that this short series made a positive imprint on the little town at a time when things are changing so quickly in the US. With the exception of 4th World War, this was the first time these films have been screened in the region!