Cinema Politica's Why Democracy? Night

When

07:30 PM March 23, 2009

Where

Room H-110, Concordia University, 1455 de Maisonneuve, Montréal, Quebec

Backstabbing, cheating, dishonesty, corruption, bribes, coups, apathy,electoral fraud. No, we're not talking about the upcoming Concordia Student Union election - we're talking about PLEASE VOTE FOR ME and DINNER WITH THE PRESIDENT. On Monday night, join us for two great docs on democracy, one featuring eight-year olds running for class monitorin China and the other former president of Pakistan in a dinner conversation about the politics of that country.

Film Descriptions

PLEASE VOTE FOR ME

Weijun Chen / China / 2007 / 52 min

Is democracy a universal value that suits human nature? Do elections
inevitably lead to manipulation? Please Vote for Me is a portrait of a
society and a town in through a school, its children and its families.
Wuhan is a city about the size of London located in central China. It
is here that director Weijun Chen has conducted an experiment in
democracy. A Grade 3 class at Evergreen Primary School has their first
encounter with democracy by holding an election to select a Class
Monitor. Eight-year-olds compete against each other for the coveted
position, abetted and egged on by teachers and doting parents.
Elections in China take place only within the Communist Party, but
recently millions of Chinese voted in their version of Pop Idol. The
purpose of Weijun Chen's experiment is to determine how democracy
would be received if it came to China.



DINNER WITH THE PRESIDENT

Sabiha Sumar & Sachithandam Sathananathan / Pakistan / 2007 / 52 min

What are the implications for democracy in Pakistan when secular
political parties have succumbed to the Islamic agenda? What does it
mean when the army appears to be the only force able to contain the
opponents of democracy, the armed Islamists? President Musharraf
agrees to explore this apparent contradiction over dinner at his
official residence, the Army House. As the discussion moves in and out
of the different worlds in Pakistan a complex tapestry emerges
revealing a society unique yet universal. The filmmaker talks to
diverse individuals, from labourers to intellectuals, from street
vendors to religious right wing political party members, and from
journalists to industrialists. What is their idea of democracy in
Pakistan? What is their idea of President Musharraf’s vision of a
modern Pakistan? Dinner With the President questions the role a
military leader can play in guiding a state towards modern democracy.

About Cinema Politica

Cinema Politica is a grassroots network that distributes and exhibits
political independent documentaries at campuses and communities across Canada and internationally. Screenings are by-donation. Our national partner is CitizenShift. The Cinema Politica Network is also supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Website

www.cinemapolitica.org/concordia

Price

By-donation at the door

Ages

Everyone

Organized By

Cinema Politica