Vancouver International Film Festival
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September 28, 11 am
Granville 7 Cinema 5
$7

Ford Transit 

Nonfiction Features of 2003
 
Netherlands, Palestine, 2002, 81 min,
In Arabic with English subtitles
 
DIR: Hany Abu-Assad
PROD: Bero Beyer
SCR: Hany Abu-Assad, Bero Beyer
CAM: Menno Westendorp
ED: Patrick Minks

Winner, Fipresci Prize, 2003 Thessaloniki International Film Festival

Ennio Morricone's theme from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly provides an ironic introduction to Rajai Khatabi, the Occupied Territories version of a rebel cowboy, and indicates the wit and humour that enliven this fascinating documentary. The astonishingly resourceful Khatabi drives one of the many battered white Ford mini-vans that transport Palestinians between Israeli military checkpoints. These vehicles, supplied by the US, were used by the Israeli police, but fell into Palestinian hands when the original owners felt they were no longer reliable. Khatabi takes pride in his ability to negotiate and outsmart the system. We see him avoiding new roadblocks, finessing long lines, trading traffic reports with other drivers, and dodging real bullets. He can maneuver his van to perform like an all-terrain vehicle or speedily back it the wrong way down a one-way street. "Palestinians are like ants," he proclaims. "They find a way around any roadblock." Rajai embodies the spirit it takes to survive the kind of everyday frustration that many see as motivating acts of terrorism. We witness the sort of daily interactions between Israelis and Palestinians that keep the tension at boiling point and hear passengers discuss George Bush ("An American president with a low IQ is more dangerous than terrorists"), Yasser Arafat, and suicide bombers. Director Hany Abu-Assad solicits the opinion of regular passengers about the intifada, and invites Palestinian intellectuals and politicians, including human rights activist Hanan Ashrawi, into the car to sound off. President Bush and every member of "the coalition of the willing" should heed the dire warnings they offer about the consequences of occupying another's land. 
Join us to say:

End the Occupations of Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan

Sunday, September 28

StopWar.ca, Vancouver's anti-war coalition, joins the call issued by the Arab progressive movement, the European Peace movement, the ANSWER coalition in the Unites States and others who are holding anti-war demonstrations between September 25th and 28th.
 
The war in Iraq is not over. The pretexts for the war, the "Weapons of Mass Destruction", are nowhere to be found. The Iraqi people are making very clear that occupation is not liberation, and it is important that we in Canada and around the world take to the streets again to show our opposition to the ongoing wars of aggression in the Middle East.
 
In Vancouver, September 28th will see a March and Rally in the streets of downtown, beginning at the Vancouver Art Gallery at 1 pm. The message of the rally is End the Occupations of Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan.
 
Schedule of Events:

1:00 pm   Gather at Vancouver Art Gallery
(Georgia & Howe)

Get involved!

StopWar.ca General Meetings are open to all. Upcoming meetings are Wednesdays September 3 and September 17 at 5:30 pm at the Maritime Labour Centre (Victoria Dr. at Triumph St.). You can also get involved in one of StopWar.ca's committees, which include: Outreach and Education, Media, Labour, and Boycott Campaigns. For more information e-mail contact@stopwar.ca
 
Starting August 21, StopWar.ca will be holding information tables and leafleting at the corner of Broadway and Commercial Drive every Thursday from 4:00 to 6:00 pm and every Saturday from noon till 3:00 pm. Please join us in getting the word out about our ongoing action and education for peace  and justice.
  
Finally, StopWar.ca has also endorsed the international call for action on October 25th, so mark your calendars for that important anti-war date as well.