Movies on War Festival
I have copy-pasted from Modern Times Review this intro to a festival in my neighboring country Norway – a festival that starts today and lasts until November 17 with an impressive collection of films (alas!) that deals with conflicts and wars in the world we live in:
“Movies on War is a film festival devoted to films about war and conflict, peace and reconciliation. The films we screen in our programs cover the full range of armed conflicts, regardless of geography, and provide insights into social movements, cultural events, popular uprisings, and political change, both in the past and in the present. Since the very beginning, filmmakers have used the language of the cinema for reflection on world wars and conflicts. They have worked for a better understanding of the human, political, military and social driving forces behind these conflicts, and through this contributed to the work for peace.”
The intro praises the filmmakers as you can read, and I have no reservations, when I see that films like “Hollywoodgate” by Ibrahim Nash’at is there (theme: Afghanistan) as well as the film that is all over and is a candidate to win the EFA award (theme: Israel/Palestina) “No Other land” and my favourite as film of the year Olha Zhurba’s “Songs of Slow Burning Earth” (theme: Ukraine) and Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat by Johan Grimonprez (Congo/Patrice Lumumba) – are in the program. Not to forget the film by Askold Kurov & Anonymous 1 “Of Caravan and Dogs” that I saw in Budapest at the Verzio Festival, a strong documentation of the implementation of the “foreign agent” law in Russia that led to the closure of important opposition media in the country, having the chief editor Muratov of Novaya Gazeta leave the country among many others.
The festival takes place in Elverum 1,5 hour by car North of Oslo.