May 9. 7:00pm. Room 5414

The CUNY Graduate

Center 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY.

SUBWAY: trains B,D,F,M,N,Q or R to 34th Street – Herald Square

Light refreshements will be served.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aBb0D8UQ8DE/Rd7--v3fLFI/AAAAAAAAAIs/wsediX7pyKw/s320/ultima-piedra.jpg

Until the final stone

In the region of Uraba in Columbia, the national army, paramilitary groups and guerrillas of the organisation FARC have been fighting each other since the mid-nineties. As it is mainly the civilian population that suffers from the conflict, farmers joined forces to form a neutral peace community. The warring parties however didn’t tolerate this: families were forced to settle elsewhere, crops were set on fire and innocent citizens were murdered. The government’s only reaction was to dispatch 150 police officers, whose presence only increased the belligerence of the guerrillas. The peace community was no longer prepared to live under such conditions and decided to create a neutral zone with no access granted to anyone armed. In HASTA LA ULTIMA PIEDRA Juan José Lozano portrays the community just as a village on safe ground is being built. The director follows the amazingly harmless activities of the inhabitants and brings several protagonists of the peace movement in front of the camera. Often the camera rests on playing children or adults carrying heavy building materials. Work and pleasure are shared as much as grief through painting the children in particular learn to deal creatively with their horrifying impressions. In addition, they erected a coloured stone memorial in remembrance of the victims. This solidarity strengthens the community’s belief in a better, peaceful world.

Christine Bloch Visions du Réel Nyon 2006

http://www.artfilm.ch/hastalaultimapiedra.php?lang=en
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3768358797247703781#