CIJ Film Week (London)

All tickets will be sold on the door, cash only. In order to reserve places, just fill in this online booking form. Weekly passes are also available.

The Programme

Wednesday 25 January at 6.30pm – Presumed Guilty (Presunto Culpable)
Antonio Zuniga’s abduction by police off the streets of Mexico City is a familiar occurrence to Mexicans. Under intense pressure to solve rising crime, especially by drug gangs, police are known for grabbing and charging the first hapless person they come upon, often a poor person without resources for a defense. Once someone is arrested, everyone in the system, from police to prosecutor to judge to even the court-provided defense attorney, has every motivation to keep the defendant in jail. After the screening, co-director and double Emmy winner Geoffrey Smith will answer questions about how he made the film and the issues it raises about the Mexican justice system.

Thursday 26 January at 6.30pm – Gasland
A recently drilled nearby Pennsylvania town reports that residents are able to light their drinking water on fire. This is just one of the many absurd and astonishing revelations as filmmaker Josh Fox embarks on a cross-country odyssey uncovering a trail of secrets, lies and contamination. Gasland has been nominated for a 2011 Academy Award in the documentary category and won an Emmy for best non-fiction directing. After the screening there will be a panel discussion on our own fracking projects in the UK with Jenny Banks the Energy and Climate Policy Officer at the WWF, Rob Basto from Frack Off UK, Dr Tony Grayling from the Environment Agency, Fiona Harvey, Environment Correspondent at the Guardian, and Nick Perry an energy consultant,.

Friday 27 January at 6.30pm – Blood in the Mobile
We all love our mobile phones, but their production has a dark and bloody side. The main minerals used to produce mobile phones are coming from the mines in the Eastern DR Congo. Director Frank Poulsen travels to DR Congo to see the illegal mine industry with his own eyes. He gets access to DR Congo’s largest tin-mine, which is being controlled by different armed groups, and where children work for days in narrow mine tunnels to dig out the minerals that end up in our phones. After the screening Ole Tornbjerg the film’s Producer, and Annie Dunnebacke, Senior Campaigner, Conflict Resources at Global Witness will take questions about the issues raised in the film.

Saturday 28 January at 2pm – Panorama: Undercover Care – The Abuse Exposed
On the top floor of a special hospital, locked away from their families and friends, a group of men and women are subjected to a regime of physical assaults, systematic brutality and torture by the very people supposed to be caring for them. One experienced nurse tried to report abuse at the hospital but nothing was done. It was at that point he came to Panorama. Followed by Q&A with Terry Bryan, the Winterbourne View whistleblower and Joe Plomin who worked on the BBC Panorama programme, and Eileen Chubb who was a member of the ‘Bupa 7′ group of whistleblowers, who spoke out against the abuse they had witnessed in Bupa care homes. Teas and coffees will be served during a short break before the next film.

Saturday 28 January at 4pm – The Whistleblower
Based on a true story and featuring Academy Award-winner Rachel Weisz, the film follows one woman’s fight for justice as she uncovers years of unquestioned involvement of UN workers and international police in a sex trafficking scandal in post-war Bosnia. Followed by Q&A with Kathryn Bolkovac (played by Rachel Weisz) on whose experiences as a peacekeeper in Bosnia the film is based. The drinks reception will be held after this screening, so do stay on for more networking opportunites.

Sunday 29 January at 4pm – You’ve Been Trumped
In this David and Goliath story for the 21st century, a group of proud Scottish homeowners take on a celebrity tycoon. It captures the cultural chasm between the jet-setting, media savvy Donald Trump and a deeply rooted Scottish community who don’t want their land destroyed. Followed by Q&A with Anthony Baxter, the film’s director about how he went about taking on the billionaire Donald Trump, and David Milne, a local resident who will share the current day situation.

For more details on the films please visit the Film Week 2012 website.