(2009/US; 93 mins., language/violent matter)
Shot by First Lieutenant Mike Scotti and told through his own journal entries, Kristian Fraga’s film is more than a documentary. It is a first person account of the Marines who were on the front lines of Operation Iraqi Freedom: This is what they saw. The story begins with Scotti on a 40-day voyage across the Arabian Sea, aboard the USS Boxer, where his days are filled with physical training, tactical study, and mental preparation.  

When President Bush addresses the nation and orders the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Marines push on from Afghanistan to Baghdad, and their patriotism and youthful enthusiasm gradually give way to the real, brutal horrors of war. As the resistance to their presence escalates, Scotti and his fellow soldiers are forced to come to grips with the magnitude of the situation in which they find themselves. This is a film that truly captures the chaos and complexity of war.

(2009/96 mins.; US, not rated)
Students of American history are well acquainted with President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal and in this documentary, filmmaker Andrea Kalin offers a detailed look at perhaps lesser-known components of the Works Progress Administration. The Federal Writer's Project was an arts program founded under the WPA with the goal of producing informative content for state travel guides.

The project turned controversial, however, when authors hired to detail America's strengths put equal effort into detailing the devastation that had washed across the land. Interviews with such participants as Studs Terkel and Stetson Kennedy, as well as an impressive collection of poets, historians, and writers including David Bradley and Douglas Brinkley, offer an unflinching portrait of an important chapter in American history. Photo above: WPA authors John Cheever and Zora Neale Hurston

(2010/85 mins.; US, not rated)
When Hilde Back sponsored a young, rural Kenyan student, she thought nothing of it. She certainly never expected to hear from him, but years later she does. Now a Harvard graduate and a Human Rights Lawyer for the United Nations, Chris Mburu decides to find the stranger that changed his life. Inspired by her generosity, he starts a scholarship program of his own and names it for his former benefactor.

The top students in Mukubu primary school are in the exact same situation as Chris once was. They are bright, but can’t afford to pay school fees. With the creation of Chris’ fund, these students have new hope. But the program is small; how many will qualify for a scholarship?

Using a strong narrative, the film interweaves seemingly separate lives into a cohesive whole. With clarity and grace, A Small Act, bears witness to the ripple effect a single action can create. Photo above: Chris Mbura as a young student.

RIDGEWOOD CARES: A Festival of Opportunities
Speakers ~ Nonprofit Organizations Fair ~ Documentaries ~ Fair Trade Handcrafts Sale ~ Dance ~ Photo Exhibit ~ Hands-on Activities for Teens & Kids
Discover ways to make a positive impact and address social injustices, locally and worldwide.
Saturday, Nov. 13: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Ridgewood United Methodist Church
100 Dayton Street, Ridgewood, NJ
For information, please download flyer by clicking logo at left or check out "Ridgewood Cares" on Facebook

(2008/84 mins.; Denmark, not rated)
Armed with pocket-sized video cameras, a tenacious band of Burmese reporters face down death to expose the repressive regime controlling their country. In 2007, after decades of self-imposed silence, Burma became headline news across the globe when peaceful Buddhist monks led a massive rebellion. More than 100,000 people took to the streets protesting a cruel dictatorship that has held the country hostage for more than 40 years.

Filmmaker Anders Ostergaard offers a look at how new technology is pressed into the service of a people's revolution in this film which tells the story of the Democratic Voice of Burma and their role in the battle for a free and democratic Burma.

For more information, please contact:

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

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

(Left: Jack White from It Might Get Loud, screening Oct. 13)