(2011/US; 125 mins., not rated)
The Interrupters tells the moving and surprising stories of three Violence Interrupters who try to protect their Chicago communities from the violence they once employed. From acclaimed director Steve James and bestselling author Alex Kotlowitz, this film is an unusually intimate journey into the stubborn persistence of violence in our cities. Shot over the course of a year, The Interrupters captures a period in Chicago when the city was besieged by high-profile incidents, most notably the brutal beating of Derrion Albert, a Chicago High School student, whose death was caught on videotape.

*Robin Holmes is also Director of S.N.U.G., a community empowerment initiative to prevent youth gang and gun violence. Members of S.N.U.G. will also be in attendance.

(2011/US; 83 mins., not rated)
Love Hate Love is the story of three families who have taken their experiences with terrorism and found a way to not only move forward, but to make the world a better place. After Liz and Steve Alderman lost their 25-year-old son Peter in the World Trade Center, they took the money they were awarded as compensation and started a series of mental health clinics in Uganda, for those who have been victims of war crimes, child soldier enlistment, and more. After Esther Hyman lost her sister Miriam in the mass transit attacks in London on 7/7/05, she founded an eye care clinic in Indian in her sister's name. And Australian Ben Tullipan lost his legs and suffered from massive burns in a bombing in Bali in 2002, after which he made a remarkable recovery. Now Ben works with others who have lost limbs, helping them to realize that they can do more than survive—they can live their lives in much the same way as before.

(2010/US; 88 mins., not rated)
“Your horse is a mirror to your soul, and sometimes you may not like what you see. Sometimes, you will.” So says Buck Brannaman, a true American cowboy and sage on horseback who travels the country for nine grueling months a year helping horses with people problems. Buck, a richly textured and visually stunning film, follows Brannaman from his abusive childhood to his phenomenally successful approach to horses. Inspiration for The Horse Whisperer, he eschews the violence of his upbringing and teaches people to communicate with their horses through leadership and sensitivity, not punishment.

Buck possesses near magical abilities as he dramatically transforms horses -- and people -- with his understanding, compassion and respect. In this film, the animal-human relationship becomes a metaphor for facing the daily challenges of life. A truly American story about an unsung hero, Buck is about an ordinary man who has made an extraordinary life despite tremendous odds.

(2010/US; 56 mins.; not rated--some disturbing images)
Bradley Cox's unsettling documentary follows the investigation of the murder of Chea Vichea, leader of a Cambodian worker's rights union. A champion of justice and the humane treatment of laborers in Cambodia's extensive production industry, Chea Vichea was shot and killed on the Chinese New Year in 2004 in front of a newsstand on the street. Amid demands for justice from Vichea's many supporters, Cambodian police arrested two men alleged to be the culprits despite considerable evidence to the contrary. The political nature of the arrests raise disquieting suspicions about the Cambodian government, giving followers of Vichea little hope of justice or reconciliation in the future. Meanwhile, two men serve a 20-year prison sentence for a murder they likely did not commit while Vichea's family mourns the unresolved murder of a beloved brother, husband, and father.

Featuring interviews with Vichea's family and supporters as well as family and friends of the men convicted for his murder, Who Killed Chea Vichea? weaves a disturbing tale of corruption, injustice, and unanswered questions. Through investigative-reporting style filmmaking, Bradley Cox unveils a nation in sociopolitical turmoil despite reassuring claims to the contrary made by numerous international ambassadors. Under threat of death or incarceration by the government, many Cambodian citizens fear to speak out against this and other injustices occurring in their country.

For more information, please contact:

Roberta Panjwani
Reel Voices Film Festival Coordinator
rpanjwani@ridgewoodlibrary.org
(201) 670-5600, ext. 114

Ridgewood Public Library
125 N. Maple Avenue
Ridgewood, NJ 07450

(Left: Scene from Love Hate Love, screening Oct. 21)