Join World BEYOND War for our 3rd annual virtual film festival!
This year’s “Celebrating Stories of Nonviolence” virtual film festival from March 11-25, 2023 explores the power of nonviolent action. A unique mix of films explores this theme, from Gandhi’s Salt March, to ending war in Liberia, to civil discourse and healing in Montana. Each week, we’ll host a live Zoom discussion with key representatives from the films and special guests to answer your questions and explore the topics addressed in the films.
For more information and to purchase tickets!
Day 1: Discussion of “A Force More Powerful” on Saturday, March 11 at 3:00pm-4:30pm Eastern Standard Time (GMT-5)
A Force More Powerful is a documentary series on one of the 20th century’s most important and least-known stories: how nonviolent power overcame oppression and authoritarian rule. It includes case studies of movements, and each case is approximately 30 minutes long. We’ll watch Episode 1, which contains 3 case studies:
In India in the 1930s, after Gandhi had returned from South Africa, he and his followers adopted a strategy of refusing to cooperate with British rule. Through civil disobedience and boycotts, they successfully loosened their oppressors’ grip on power and set India on the path to freedom.
In the 1960s, Gandhi’s nonviolent weapons were taken up by black college students in Nashville, Tennessee. Disciplined and strictly nonviolent, they successfully desegregated Nashville’s downtown lunch counters in five months, becoming a model for the entire civil rights movement.
In 1985, a young South African named Mkhuseli Jack led a movement against the legalized discrimination known as apartheid. Their campaign of nonviolent mass action, and a powerful consumer boycott in the Eastern Cape province, awakened whites to black grievances and fatally weakened business support for apartheid.
Day 2: Discussion of “Pray the Devil Back to Hell” on Saturday, March 18 at 3:00pm-4:30pm Eastern Daylight Time (GMT-4)
Pray the Devil Back to Hell chronicles the remarkable story of the Liberian women who came together to end a bloody civil war and bring peace to their shattered country. Armed only with white T-shirts and the courage of their convictions, they demanded a resolution to the country’s civil war.
A story of sacrifice, unity and transcendence, Pray the Devil Back to Hell honors the strength and perseverance of the women of Liberia. Inspiring, uplifting, and most of all motivating, it is a compelling testimony of how grassroots activism can alter the history of nations.
Day 3: Discussion of “Beyond the Divide” on Saturday, March 25 at 3:00pm-4:30pm Eastern Daylight Time (GMT-4)
In Beyond the Divide, audiences discover how a small-town art crime sparks furious passion and reignites animosity left unresolved since the Vietnam War.
In Missoula, Montana, a group of people from the “wrong side of the tracks” decided to commit an act of civil disobedience by painting a peace symbol on the face of an enormous communications panel that sat atop a hillside overlooking the town. The reaction essentially divided the community between anti-war and military-establishment supporters.
Beyond the Divide traces the aftermath of this act and follows the story of how two individuals, a former Vietnam explosives engineer and a fervent peace advocate, come to a deeper understanding of each other’s differences through conversation and collaboration.
Beyond the Divide speaks to the historical divide between veterans and peace advocates, yet the wisdom and leadership modeled by the two primary characters is especially timely in today’s politically divisive world. Beyond the Divide is a starting point for powerful conversations about civil discourse and healing.
Thank you to Pace e Bene/Campaign Nonviolence for endorsing the 2023 virtual film festival.
