Friday, October 30, 2009

From Tribe of Heart:



PK at Orlando Film Fest
News from Tribe of Heart , Producers of PEACEABLE KINGDOM: THE JOURNEY HOME and THE WITNESS
Join us for a FREE screening of the award-winning documentary
Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home
at the Orlando Film Festival
followed by Q&A with director Jenny Stein and producer James LaVeck
Thursday, November 5 at 4:30 PM
Plaza Cinema Cafe, 155 S. Orange Ave., Orlando, FL Directions

Please help us publicize this event! Share this evite with people you know in the Orlando area.
About the film...
PK poster

Director: Jenny Stein
Producer: James LaVeck
Associate Producers: Eric Huang, Kevin Smith

Featuring: Harold Brown, Howard Lyman,
Willow Jeane Lyman, Cayce Mell, Jason Tracy,
Cheri Ezell-Vandersluis and Jim Vandersluis

Musical score: Kevin Bartlett, Joy Askew
Watch video highlights from the world premiere screening.

Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home is a new documentary by the award-winning filmmakers of The Witness. A story of transformation and healing, this groundbreaking new film explores the awakening conscience of several people who grew up in traditional farming culture and who have now come to question the basic premises of their inherited way of life.
Presented through a tapestry of memories, music, and riveting accounts of life-altering moments, the film provides insight into the farmers' sometimes amazing connections with the animals under their care, while also making clear the complex web of social, psychological and economic forces that have led them to their dilemma.
Interwoven with the farmers' stories is the dramatic animal rescue work of a newly-trained humane police officer whose sense of justice puts her at odds with the law she is charged to uphold.
With strikingly honest interviews and rare footage demonstrating the emotional lives and intense family bonds of animals most often viewed as living commodities, Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home shatters stereotypical notions of farmers, farm life, and perhaps most surprisingly, farm animals themselves.
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You can help!
Please help us publicize this and other upcoming screenings of Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home by adding a widget like the one pictured above to your web site or social networking page(s). Choose from widget options here. All widgets will automatically update with the latest news and events. It's never been easier to help us get the word out!

Also, please share this evite with your friends in the Orlando area! (you can use the handy send-to-a-friend button below, or the share button at the top of this evite).


Viewer comments...
"Phenomenal film. Life-changing."
"I felt 'whole' after watching the film. It makes connections that I don't encounter in everyday life. It made me feel larger than myself, like I am a part of something bigger."
"Moving and honest."
"Beautiful. Courageous. It has raised my awareness to a whole new level."
"Incredible, amazing, and touching beyond belief."
"This is by far the best film on our modern agricultrual system, and an alternative view, that I have ever seen."
"It opened my eyes and made me think.
"We are truly all connected, and this documentary shows this better than anything else out there."
"Very clarifying, morally and ethically."
"Our world needs this message -- it was heartfelt, tragic, hopeful and inspiring. I'm overwhelmed and grateful."
"I wish everyone could see this film."
"This film reminds me to live with heartfelt connections to animals, people and the earth."
PK web site
Visit the film's official web site
Watch the online trailer

About the festival...

Created as an alternative to commercial cinema, the Orlando Film Festival is known for promoting film as an art form and is "one of the most active film organizations in the country championing artists' rights of expression and free speech."

Plaza TheaterNow in its fourth year, the festival has a new home at the $8 million, 12-screen Plaza Cinema Cafe in downtown Orlando. The festival will be held November 4 through 8 and will showcase more than 100 independent feature films, documentaries and shorts.

For instant news updates and breaking information about Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home, follow Tribe of Heart on Facebook and Twitter:
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Tribe of Heart logo Tribe of Heart is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that produces award-winning, life-changing films about the journey of awakening conscience and the ethics of the human-animal relationship. As a small organization with a big vision, we depend on the power of our community to make our programs come to life. Thank you for the many ways you help Tribe of Heart encourage positive, peaceful transformation.
DonateDonations can be made online or mailed to
Tribe of Heart, PO Box 149, Ithaca, NY 14851

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Jon Stewart Takes on Both the Media and Lieberman

Last night, Jon Stewart took on both the media and Joseph Lieberman asking, "You know what's worse than being sick and not having health insurance? Having to sit through the Lieberman filibuster that kept it from you."
The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Public Option Limited
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show
Full Episodes
Political HumorHealth Care Crisis


Nikki Yanofsky at Montreal International Jazz Festival 2009




Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Reconciliation
by Dee Newman

Perhaps, the time has come to, at least, threaten reconciliation – the legislative process that allows a contentious budget bill in the Senate to be considered without being subject to a filibuster, needing only a simple majority to pass legislation.

Senate Democrats need to tell Joseph Lieberman and any conservative blue-dog Democrat who wishes to follow his lead what they can do with their imaginary power to direct, shape or otherwise influence anything.

Lieberman has no power or authority other than what Democrats allow him to enjoy and exercise.

As I have said before – there is much on the line. Both the Democrats and the Republicans know it.

If a health care reform bill is passed that forces all Americans to buy health insurance and it does not include a "public option," the outrage and repercussions could be devastating for Democrats.

However, if Democrats are successful in passing legislation that provides an affordable public option that will reduce health care costs, the Republican party may never recover from the defeat.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Lieberman is a Liar



Lieberman told reporters today that if a public health insurance option was in the final health care bill, he would join a Republican filibuster to prevent it from getting an up or down vote.

Lieberman claims the public option will be costly to taxpayers, drive up premiums, force cost-shifting to private plans, create another entitlement program, and increase the national debt.

His assertions are completely bogus. The public option would in fact save money for the government. According to the Congressional Budget Office, it will reduce costs to the tune of $100 billion dollars over 10 years. Furthermore, a public option would also cost taxpayer nothing, since it would be financed by individual premiums. In short Joseph Lieberman is a liar.

But why? Why is he lying?

Two reason: First,  he has been bought by the health insurance industry – accepting over $1 million from them. Second, relevancy – power. He wants to be able to significantly influence the debate and reduce the legislative impact on the health insurance industry.

Recent polls in Connecticut show that nearly 70% of voters there want a government run health insurance option.

Exactly who does Joseph Leiberman represent – the people of Connecticut or the health insurance industry?

Monday, October 26, 2009

From Robert Reich:

I received the following from Robert Reich:
We're closer than ever to winning a historic victory on health care.

I should know: I served as Secretary of Labor under President Clinton during the last health care fight. And I'm sure that this time around we're within reach of passing a real health care reform bill—one that includes a public health insurance option.

Unfortunately, some conservatives in the Senate are still pushing a "trigger" plan that would kill the public option through indefinite delay. And they may even be finding support within the White House.

So now's the time to redouble our efforts. I've recorded a new video explaining why I think this is an absolutely pivotal moment, and what we all can do to win.

Click here to watch.



Once you've finished watching, be sure to call Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker—and tell them you won't settle for anything less than a strong public health insurance option. No delays, and no excuses.

Here's where to call:

Senator Lamar Alexander
Phone: 202-224-4944

Senator Bob Corker
Phone: 202-224-3344

Thank you,

Robert Reich

If you are from another state contact your Senators today!

Health Care Reform

by Dee Newman

As I have said before – I believe that health care is a human right and that the same level of care, regardless of ones ability to pay for treatment, should be available to everyone.

I believe the only true solution to the health care crisis is a single-payer health insurance system. Representative Anthony Weiner’s bill (HR 676) stands alone in its ethical simplicity: It will cover 100 percent of the American people. It is the only way to truly reduce costs.

Short of a single-payer system, I continue to call on Congress to pass a bill with a "robust public option." If reforms are passed by congress without a public option the insurance industry will merely pass reform costs on to the American people in the form of higher premiums and co-pays. Only competition from a strong public option will control skyrocketing health costs.

To date Congress has centered the health reform debate on the question of whether a bill will add to the national debt, rather than whether it will provide affordable and high-quality health care to everyone.

It is time to recognize that health care is a right of all people and not a means to make money off the wellbeing of others.

From MSNBC

Reid Says Health Reform Bill Will Included Public Option

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced that the Senate health reform bill will include a public option that will allowed states to opt out from it, if they choose. The Bill will be sent today to the Congressional Budget Office to determine its costs.



From Truthout:

People Power Matters: The Public Option Lives!


by: Dean Baker, t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed


Public Option in Capital hands.
Threats of a filibuster on the public option raise questions among grassroots activists. (Photo: Ionia K. / Truthout Adapted: keithius / flickr)

    In spite of the best efforts of the insurance industry and their followers in Congress and the media, it is still very possible that the health reform bill passed by Congress will include a robust public plan. This is a case where the simple facts and persistent grassroots pressure may overcome the political power of a major industry.
    If the bill passes with a serious public plan, it could make an enormous difference for the future of health care in the United States. However, the fact that the public option is even on the table at this point, after all the political experts had counted it out, shows the enormous potential for popular pressure to influence policy debates in this country.
    The basic story is that President Obama and the Democratic leadership in Congress had always been lukewarm in their support of a public plan. President Obama had included it in his original proposal, but has made it clear on numerous occasions that he did not view it as an essential part of his health care plan.
    Of course, that is not the way that presidents get measures passed that they really want. President Clinton never said that he didn't view NAFTA as being a big part of his trade policy. President Bush didn't say that Congressional authorization of the Iraq war was a relatively small matter in his larger foreign policy agenda. President Obama's statements, that a public option was not essential, were an invitation to Congress to give him a bill that did not include a public plan.
    This could have been the end of the story for a public plan, except for the determined efforts of progressive activists to insist that Congress include a public plan. While the plan's opponents argued that the leadership did not have the 60 votes needed in the Senate to end a filibuster, public plan supporters pointed out that public plan opponents did not have the 218 votes needed in the House to get a health care plan approved without a public option. The logic was simple, if progressive members in the House refused to back a health care bill without a public plan, then any health care bill that passes Congress would have to include a public option. A large coalition of progressive groups kept up the pressure, insisting that Democrats in the House insist that any bill include a public option. They bombarded members with phone calls, faxes, emails and staged protests and organized petitions. This coalition was helped by polls that consistently show a large majority of the public support giving people the option to join a Medicare-type public plan. In fact, a recent New York Times poll showed people supporting a public option by a margin of 65 to 26 percent. The same poll showed that overall health care reform package losing by a small margin.
    Supporters of a public plan have also been helped by the facts. The Congressional Budget Office's analysis shows that a robust public plan, with rates tied to Medicare rates, can save $100 billion over the next decade. This is a substantial portion of the money needed to cover the cost of the health care bill. Given the popular support for a public plan and the evidence that it could save substantial amounts of money, it is clear that opponents of a public option are not responding to constituents or concerns over costs.
    The sustained pressure from progressives seems to have firmed support for a public plan in the House, but there is still the issue of getting 60 votes in the Senate. Here, it is important to make a distinction that the media and political pundits have tried to hide. It is not necessary to get 60 senators who will support a public plan. It is necessary to get 60 senators who will allow the Senate to vote on a public plan. This is very different.
    Until recently, filibusters were unusual. It was standard practice for a senator to support cloture - allowing a piece of legislation to come up for a vote - but then to vote against the bill itself. Filibusters were reserved for extraordinary issues that members of the Senate felt were especially important.
    Currently, Democrats have 60 seats in the Senate. This means that the party just needs its members to allow the central piece of its president's legislative agenda to come to a vote. That should not require too much party discipline; after all, the senators could still vote against the bill itself.
    It's too early to know if this "no filibuster" path will succeed, but the fact that a public plan is still in the mix is a testament to the ability of grassroots activists to move the national political agenda. The political insiders will do their best to deny it, but political pressure from the masses can and does make a difference. It has made a difference in the debate over health care and it can make a difference in other areas. Let's see what a little grassroots activism can do for the Wall Street banks.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Anne Frank: The Only Existing Flim Image


July 22 1941. The girl next door is getting married. Anne Frank is leaning out of the window of her house in Amsterdam to get a good look at the bride and groom. It is the only time Anne Frank has ever been captured on film. At the time of her wedding, the bride lived on the second floor at Merwedeplein 39. The Frank family lived at number 37, also on the second floor. The Anne Frank House can offer you this film footage thanks to the cooperation of the couple.


Thursday, October 22, 2009

Keith Olbermann: Medicare for Everyone

From Frontine: The Warning


Ckick here to watch the entire show.

From http://www.republicansforrape.org/legislators/


Below is the list of thirty legislators who were brave enough to stand up in defense of rape and vote against Senator Al Franken's anti-rape amendment to the 2009 Defense Appropriations bill.  We applaud these courageous men!  Roll over the portraits with your mouse to see the Senator's phone number, or click on a portrait to visit the Senator's contact page.   We encourage you to send your kind words to these gentlemen!

Senators from states in which both senators voted nay get a pink background!

New!  A fan-created rape support map has been added to the bottom of this page!


Jeff Sessions (R-AL)

Richard Shelby (R-AL)

Jon Kyl (R-AZ)

John McCain (R-AZ)

Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)

Johnny Isakson (R-GA)

Mike Crapo (R-ID)

James Risch (R-ID)

Sam Brownback (R-KS)

Pat Roberts (R-KS)

Jim Bunning (R-KY)

Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

David Vitter (R-LA)

Thad Cochran (R-MS)

Roger Wicker (R-MS)

Kit Bond (R-MO)

Mike Johanns (R-NE)

John Ensign (R-NV)

Judd Gregg (R-NH)

Richard Burr (R-NC)

Tom Coburn (R-OK)

Jim Inhofe (R-OK)

Jim DeMint (R-SC)

Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

John Thune (R-SD)

Lamar Alexander (R-TN)

Bob Corker (R-TN)

John Cornyn (R-TX)

John Barrasso (R-WY)

Mike Enzi (R-WY)

Rachel Maddow: Senator Franken's Anti-Rape Amendment

Both Senator Alexander and Corker voted against the anti-rape amendment.





Jon Stewart

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Rape-Nuts
www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
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Political Humor
Health Care Crisis

From the Jewish Journal:

We Are All Baha’is

October 20, 2009
By Rabbi Mark S. Diamond

Are we our brother’s and sister’s keepers? Last week I joined a group of distinguished community leaders in a resounding affirmative response to this timeless question. We gathered together at the University of Southern California in “Belief Behind Bars: A Call for Human Rights and Religious Freedom in Iran,” co-sponsored by the USC Office of Religious Life, the Levan Institute for Humanities and Ethics, and the Los Angeles Baha’i Center. We were a large assemblage of faith leaders and celebrities, musicians and dancers, human rights activists and university officials, faculty and students.

Our honored guests in absentia were seven Baha’i leaders currently being held in a prison in Tehran, Iran. They are awaiting trial on trumped-up charges of “insulting religious sanctities,” “propaganda against the Islamic Republic,” “espionage for Israel” and “spreading corruption on earth.” In Iran, the last two charges are punishable by death.

The false imprisonment of these seven men and women is the latest and most egregious step in Iran’s sordid history of persecuting members of the Baha’i faith and seeking to destroy the Baha’i community. In the early years of the Islamic Revolution, some 200 Baha’is were murdered and more than 1,000 were thrown into prison because of their religious beliefs. It is ironic that Iran does not recognize the Baha’i faith as a minority religion, since Persia is the birthplace of this noble faith tradition. It is tragic that the 300,000 Iranian Baha’is suffer state-sanctioned discrimination and persecution. It is ominous that human rights observers have documented a dramatic increase in acts of persecution and hatred directed at Iran’s Baha’i community in recent years.

The program at USC featured an array of speeches, musical performances and video presentations highlighting the plight of the Baha’i community in Iran. Actor Rainn Wilson hosted the event and quickly moved beyond humor to set a serious tone for the evening. The cast of performers and presenters included jazz musicians Alfredo Rodriguez and Tierney Sutton, noted composers JB Eckl and K.C. Porter, “American Idol” star Kai Kalama and a video appearance by Oscar-nominee and Emmy-winning actress Shohreh Aghdashloo.

There were few dry eyes in Bovard Auditorium when seven talented young children dramatized the stories of the seven men and women in Tehran’s Evin prison. The prisoners include Jamaloddin Khanjani, 76, a factory owner who lost his business because of his religious beliefs; Behrouz Tavakkoli, 58, a psychologist and social worker who was jailed for four months without charge due to his faith; and Fariba Kamalabadi, 47, a developmental psychologist who has been arrested three times because of her volunteer work in the Baha’i community. They languish in jail cells in Tehran along with Afif Naemi, 48; Vahid Tizfahm, 36; Mahvash Sabet, 56; and Saeid Rezaie, 52. They are two women and five men — hard-working, highly educated Iranian citizens, loving husbands and wives, parents and grandparents, children and siblings — whose only “crime” is their steadfast devotion to the teachings and practices of the Baha’i faith.

Anyone who has studied the Baha’i religion understands its core teachings of world peace and perfect unity. Anyone who has met Baha’i followers appreciates their gentle demeanor and heartfelt commitment to harmony and reconciliation between individuals and nations. The Baha’i leaders I work with share my passion for interfaith discourse between people of diverse faiths and backgrounds. In a profound sense, we are all Baha’is.

When I took my turn at the podium, I expressed the Jewish community’s solidarity and support of the imprisoned Baha’i leaders. While we are here in Southern California, our hearts are 7,500 miles to the east in Tehran. Our words and actions strengthen and sustain these seven brave individuals during their lonely days and nights in prison.

As Jews, we bear witness to the tragic horrors of the Shoah and the vile anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial of Iran’s president. We of all peoples understand the grim implications of the Iranian government’s secret 1991 memorandum regarding “The Baha’i Question.” We recognize that an assault upon the Baha’i community is an assault upon all of us.

We are indeed our brother’s and sister’s keepers. When we light Shabbat and holiday candles, let’s remember the seven Baha’i leaders in our prayers. Let’s work together to bring these courageous freedom fighters from darkness to light.

Rabbi Mark S. Diamond is the executive vice president of The Board of Rabbis of Southern California.

For more information on the persecution of the Baha’i community in Iran, visit http://iran.bahai.us or www.iranpresswatch.org.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

From MoveOn.Org: The Public Option

Heather Graham stars as the Public Option in this funny ad, showing how she'll force the lazy, bloated private insurance companies to get back in the game and compete. After all, competition is as American as apple pie. Featuring actor Peter Coyote as the narrator--

Pass it on to your friends!

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Jon Stewart: You've Got Fail

The RNC's new website features an American flag with hydraulics and Michael Steele's blog, "What Up."

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
You've Got Fail
www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor
Ron Paul Interview

Thursday, October 15, 2009

I'm The Decider

by Jack Reeves

Marvin died within seconds after the injection. Our veterinarian softly uttered, “There’s no charge.” My wife, Nancy, cradled our cat as I drove home. He was old, had a terminal illness, and suffered. Once a humane society kitten, we buried him with tears and honor. A stone and daffodils mark his grave.

Nancy died of stage-four cancer on November 27, 2005. She was 66. Amid bodily anguish and horrid consciousness she pleaded twice: “I wish someone would give me a shot and I could go to sleep.”

The hospice nurse came two days before. During her initial visit, she discussed with Nancy her living will, in which Nancy directed that “the application of life-sustaining procedures to [her] body, including nourishment and hydration, be withheld or withdrawn and that [she] be permitted to die.”

For Nancy, there was no “shot” — only liquid morphine sulfate. Day and night I put measured doses under her tongue. Twice, though, she suddenly arose in bed, eyes wide staring at me, and screamed.

I’m haunted: What horror slouched through her soul?

She went through the stages of death for three days. Her temperature elevated, then she became colder as blood was being preserved by her failing organs. There is a death rattle: a gurgling sound produced by air passing through mucus in the lungs and air passages. Her breathing became difficult as her courageous heartbeat accelerated.

Some 48 hours after the hospice nurse was satisfied that all was in legal order, my beloved Nancy succumbed.

This event, one year ago, forced me to face what I believe about my death. My belief is only five words. By comparison, the Apostles’ Creed is 117. My believe relates to my will when facing end-of-life. For indulgence, I cite a recent, admired affirmation: “I’m the decider.”

I, too, am a decider. Especially when it comes to my death, I determine when I die — even with home care and state-of-medical-arts pain palliation. This I believe.

No religious principle or secular authority gives life.

By I not being due to deity or birthed by a sovereign unit, my existence belongs to me. Consequently, I decide at the end-of-life to either prolong being, or not to be. Hamlet understood.

One’s life is the only reality not requiring the seal of religious or secular authority for veracity. Because I think thus, I believe in the ownership of my life — especially when I’m on the verge of death.

After all, it is my life’s death!

“I am,” I cried. “I am,” said I. And I am prepared to die — now.

Dying is hard horror. Fear and dread best describe mortality. It does not take Dylan Thomas to remind me to “rage against the dying of the light.”

But when death and annihilation are obvious and imminent, and I’ve said good-bye, maybe, I do not want my final assertion of my being barred. Specifically: denied by religion or state or combination.

And it won’t. I hope.

This I believe.

Joan Baez: How Sweet The Sound

Joan Baez: How Sweet The Sound premiered last night (Wednesday, October 14th) nationally on PBS American Masters. The DVD/CD became available on October 13th. The documentary features rare performance footage, home videos and candid interviews with artists such as David Crosby, Bob Dylan, David Harris, Steve Earle, Reverend Jesse Jackson and Roger McGuinn. You can order the DVD, CD (soundtrack), or the DVD/CD deluxe combo online now from Amazon.

If you missed the premiere last night on your local PBS station check with them for additional airings and time.

Joan Baez performs "Barbara Allen."

Click here to go to her website.


David Letterman – Tina Fey: 24-Year Old Virgin – "I Couldn't Give It Away"

Keith Olbermann: Grayson Rallies Support for Public Option

Olbermann Fact Checks Limbaugh's Today Show Interview


Wednesday, October 14, 2009

"LIFE LINES"

By Jack Reeves

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." – Martin Luther King Jr.

We know what religious faith is: belief and trust in and loyalty to God. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" is the way the Apostle Paul eloquently said it.

Dr. King probably had religious faith in mind, but his statement could have a secular interpretation.

Whether we're religious – a believer in God – or not, faith is always apart of life. The agnostic, the atheist live by faith. Surprisingly, much like Paul put it. Neither would likely get out of bed without belief that what happens is much up to the attitude/faith of the individual.

Though faith can imply certitude, it's much like Dr. King’s analogy: daring to take the first step even though you don't know whether the next is an abyss or not.

Faith is related to intuition. And based on this intuition, we act to realize our lives. But it requires more than getting dressed and wandering through the day. Passion – emotion compelling action – is required.

Faith is part and parcel of everyone's life.

"Faith is passionate intuition." – William Wordsworth

From Tribe of Heart:

Two Screenings of Peaceable Kingdom at Hot Springs Documentary Film Fest


PK at Hot Springs Film Fest
News from Tribe of Heart , Producers of PEACEABLE KINGDOM: THE JOURNEY HOME and THE WITNESS
Join us for two screenings of
Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home

at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
plus an environmental panel featuring producer James LaVeck
Hot Springs, Arkansas - Oct. 23-25
Please help us publicize this event by forwarding this evite to as many people as you can!

Peaceable Kingdom
Film Screenings
Friday, Oct. 23 at 3:25 PM
Sunday, Oct. 25 at 10:05 AM

Tickets are $5 and can be purchased online starting Oct. 15
filmmakers Jenny and James
Both screenings will be followed
by Q&A with filmmakers
Jenny Stein and James LaVeck
Malco Theatre
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival At the historic Malco Theatre
819 Central Ave., Hot Springs, AR 71901
Directions

Environmental Panel
Saturday, Oct. 24 at 10:30 AM
FREE and open to the public
Spencer's Corner
801 Central Ave., Suite 33, Hot Springs
James LaVeck

featuring James LaVeck, producer of Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home

In an age of mass consumption, environmental issues are becoming a hot and heated topic. What risks are involved for filmmakers that challenge large corporations and industries, and what possible benefit do these films serve for our culture at large?
This panel will also feature Robert Kenner of Food, Inc., and other filmmakers at the festival .
Widget
You can help!
Please help us publicize this premiere and other upcoming screenings of Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home by adding a widget like the one pictured on the right to your web site or social networking page(s). Choose from widget options here. All widgets will automatically update with the latest news and events. It's never been easier to help us get the word out!

Also, please share this evite with your friends!

For instant news updates and breaking information about Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home, follow Tribe of Heart on Facebook and Twitter:
facebook Twitter

About the film...

Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home
Director: Jenny Stein
Producer: James LaVeck
Associate Producers: Eric Huang, Kevin Smith

Featuring: Harold Brown, Howard Lyman,
Willow Jeane Lyman, Cayce Mell, Jason Tracy,
Cheri Ezell-Vandersluis and Jim Vandersluis

Musical score: Kevin Bartlett, Joy Askew

Watch video highlights from the world premiere screening.
Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home is a new documentary by the award-winning filmmakers of The Witness. A story of transformation and healing, this groundbreaking new film explores the awakening conscience of several people who grew up in traditional farming culture and who have now come to question the basic premises of their inherited way of life.
Presented through a tapestry of memories, music, and riveting accounts of life-altering moments, the film provides insight into the farmers' sometimes amazing connections with the animals under their care, while also making clear the complex web of social, psychological and economic forces that have led them to their dilemma.
Interwoven with the farmers' stories is the dramatic animal rescue work of a newly-trained humane police officer whose sense of justice puts her at odds with the law she is charged to uphold.
With strikingly honest interviews and rare footage demonstrating the emotional lives and intense family bonds of animals most often viewed as living commodities, Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home shatters stereotypical notions of farmers, farm life, and perhaps most surprisingly, farm animals themselves.
"Phenomenal film.
Life-changing."
Viewer Comment
PK web site
Visit the film's official web site
Watch the online trailer

"I felt 'whole' after watching the film. It makes connections that I don't encounter in everyday life. It made me feel larger than myself, like I am a part of something bigger."
Viewer Comment

About the festival...
Hot Springs FF poster The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival is one of the first and the oldest documentary film festivals in the world (second only to Amsterdam). It is recognized by the International Documentary Association (IDA) and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as one of only seven national Academy Award qualifying venues. The festival's screening committeeviews nearly 1,000 films submitted from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, and selects 100 to be viewed each year.
The festival is presented by the Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute, which is the only film institute in the United States dedicated solely to the documentary film genre. Each year with the help of over 600 dedicated volunteers, board, and staff members, the festival attracts tens of thousands of visitors for this multicultural and intergenerational event.
Emphasis is on documentary film as an art form as well as a means to promote critical thinking on real life issues. Through symposia, forums, discussion groups, and teaching, HSDFI brings cultural and social knowledge to all ages from the gifted work of film professionals.
Past HSDFF guests include Ken Burns, Geraldine Chaplin, Tippi Hedren, Arthur Hiller, James Earl Jones, Albert Maysles, Brenda Vaccaro, Jack Valenti, and many others.

Tribe of Heart logo Tribe of Heart is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that produces award-winning, life-changing films about the journey of awakening conscience and the ethics of the human-animal relationship. As a small organization with a big vision, we depend on the power of our community to make our programs come to life. Thank you for the many ways you help Tribe of Heart encourage positive, peaceful transformation.
DonateDonations can be made online or mailed to
Tribe of Heart, PO Box 149, Ithaca, NY 14851