In 1991 Haiti’s citizens elected a former Roman Catholic priest and exponent of liberation theology, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, as president. Popular among Haiti’s poor and disenfranchised, Aristide become a target of Haiti’s business interests (and the political parties that served those interests) because of his daring policies which tried to raise the standard of living for the huge majority of Haitians.

During his second term in office, his government came under increasing pressure from many sides and by 2004 political violence had escalated sharply. On February 29, 2004, Aristide and his family left Haiti on a US-dispatched airplane — according to Aristide, against his will; the US claims with his full cooperation.

Aristide and the Endless Revolution offers a moving testimony to the Haitian peoples’ struggle against oppression and exposes the tangled web of hope, deceit, and political violence that brought the world’s first black republic to its knees.

Film starts at 7.45 and will be followed by discussion and drinks.
£3 entry to film / £2 students / unwaged
Running time: 84 mins

Resurrection Man (1998) explores the deeds of the Loyalist Shankhill Butchers in 1970s Belfast, who killed upwards of 30 people, mainly Catholics but also a significant number of Protestants, in sectarian attacks, paramilitary feuds, personal grudges and bombing raids.

Their story is told as a retrospective by Victor Kelly, a criminal and ruthless murderer who is the leader of a gang of men known as ‘Resurrection Men’. Victor’s cruelty makes him a local legend, both feared and venerated. On his trail is Ryan, a journalist, driven by his own personal demons and by an obsessive need to discover the truth. Loosely based on real events, this is a disturbing, chilling look at one of the more gruesome episodes of Northern Irish history.

Discussants for the film are Jim McAuley, Professor of Irish Studies at the University of Huddersfield, and Jon Tonge, Professor of Politics at the University of Liverpool.

Film starts at 7.45 and will be followed by discussion and drinks, food and general frivolities.
£3 entry to film / £2 students / unwaged