Sundays, 2 PM, Kerr McGee Auditorium in the Meinders School of Business
NW 27th Street and McKinley Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73106
A discussion session follows each film for those who wish to stay
Free Admission, Donations Appreciated
April 1, 2012, Kerr McGee Auditorium, 2 PM
Helen Whitney’s Forgiveness: A Time to Love and a Time to Hate, USA (2011), 84 min
This layered film by acclaimed filmmaker Whitney addresses the act of forgiveness, a theological principle central to all major religions, and yet one more and more frequently leaving the church, synagogue and mosque and hitting the fractious streets. Inevitably, its new role in the world raises serious and complex questions: why is forgiveness in the air today; what is its power, and what are its limitations and in some instances, its dangers; has it been cheapened or deepened or both? Forgiveness: A Time to Love and a Time to Hate seeks to shed insight into the light and darkness—the presence and absence—of forgiveness. The film covers a wide range of stories: the spontaneous demonstration of forgiveness following the 2006 shooting of Amish children in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania; a savage and senseless attack on two young female campers; the struggle of a '60s radical to cope with the consequences of a violent act of protest that turned deadly.
April 15, 2012, Kerr McGee Auditorium, 2 PM
Bryan Shingle’s Children of War, USA (2009), 74 min
Filmed in northern Uganda over a period of three years, Children of War is a unique and incandescent documentary which follows a group of former child soldiers as they undergo a process of trauma therapy and emotional healing while in a rehabilitation center. Having been abducted from their homes and schools and forced to become fighters by the Lord’s Resistance Army—a quasi-religious militia led by self-proclaimed prophet and war criminal Joseph Kony—the children, with the help of a team of trauma counselors, struggle to confront and break through years of captivity, extreme religious indoctrination, and participation in war crimes. As these fearless allies guide the children forward into new lives, Children of War illuminates a powerful and cathartic story of forgiveness and hope in the aftermath of war. Since its release, Children of War has captivated audiences worldwide and garnered international acclaim as a powerful communication tool on the subjects of human rights, post-war rehabilitation, peace-building, and international criminal law.
April 22, 2012, Kerr McGee Auditorium, 2 PM
Sara Terry’s Fambul Tok, USA & Sierra Leone (2011), 82 min
Filled with lessons for the West, Fambul Tok explores a culture that believes true justice lies in redemption and healing for individuals—and that forgiveness is the surest path to restoring dignity and building strong communities. Victims and perpetrators of Sierra Leone’s brutal civil war come together for the first time in tradition-based truth-telling and forgiveness ceremonies. By reviving their ancient practice of fambul tok (family talk), Sierra Leoneans are building sustainable peace at the grass-roots level. We are present in the most intimate of moments—at the bonfire where a rape victim pulls her perpetrator out of the crowd to hear his confession and apology; at the dramatic meeting between two previous best friends, the first time they have spoken in 17 years; when a haunted man admits to killing his friend’s father. Winner of awards nationally and internationally. Introduction within the film by Ishmael Beah, author of the powerful memoir, A Long Way Gone, and recent speaker in the ³ûÖÊÓƵ Distinguished Speaker Series.
Admission to the film series is free, but donations help sustain the Institute's mission. Donations can be made at each film or mailed to the ³ûÖÊÓƵ Film Institute Endowment at ³ûÖÊÓƵ or the ³ûÖÊÓƵ Film Institute’s Designated Endowment in the Community Foundation of the Kirkpatrick Family Fund. ³ûÖÊÓƵ and the Thatcher Hoffman Smith Endowment Fund for the university’s Center for Interpersonal Studies through Film and Literature also support the Institute.
