Peace Film Festival

THE VOW FROM HIROSHIMA is an intimate portrait of Setsuko Thurlow, a passionate, 85-year-old survivor of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, who has been tirelessly working to actualize the world free from nuclear weapons. (82 mins) Trailer

URANIUM DERBY A filmmaker discovers that her hometown of Ames, IA, was secretly involved in the Manhattan Project. (83 mins) Trailer

THE COMING WAR ON CHINA John Pilger reveals that the United States and China, both nuclear-armed, may well be on the road to war. The film is both a warning and an inspiring story of resistance. (112 mins) Trailer

THE VOW FROM HIROSHIMA is an intimate portrait of Setsuko Thurlow, a passionate, 85-year-old survivor of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, who has been tirelessly working to actualize the world free from nuclear weapons. (82 mins) Trailer

Blowback – The 9/11 Wars in Global Film: Using films about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as examples, BLOWBACK explores how movies shape our understanding of the wars that are fought in our name. (30 mins) Trailer

A FORCE MORE POWERFUL A documentary series on one of the 20th century’s most important and least-known stories: how nonviolent power overcame oppression and authoritarian rule in India, in the US, and South Africa. (77 mins) Trailer

Bombies – Cluster Bombs in Laos – examines the problem of unexploded cluster bombs through the personal experiences of a group of Laotians and foreigners and argues for their elimination as a weapon of war. Unfortunately they are still a standard part of the US arsenal and were dropped in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and now Ukraine. (57 mins) Trailer

THE WAR YOU DON’T SEE A powerful new film by John Pilger, is a timely investigation into the media’s role in war. The film traces the history of “embedded” and independent reporting — from the carnage of World War I to the destruction of Hiroshima, and from the invasion of Vietnam to the current war in Afghanistan. The very nature of war has developed into an “electronic battlefield”, as weapons and propaganda are ever more sophisticated. But, who is the real enemy today? (96 mins) Trailer

BLIND TRUST: LEADERS & FOLLOWERS IN TIMES OF CRISIS This film celebrates the life and work of Nobel Peace Prize nominee Vamik Volkan, a psychiatrist who brings enemy groups together for dialogue in traumatized areas of the globe. A five-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee who has spent over four decades bringing enemy groups together in areas of conflict all over the world. This look into his pioneering fieldwork and peace-building missions in Europe, the Middle East, and the US sheds light on how large-group identity and shared trauma can both unite us and divide us for generations. (58 mins) Trailer

DISTURBING THE PEACE A story of the human potential unleashed when we stop participating in a story that no longer serves us and, with the power of our convictions, take action to create new possibilities. This film follows former enemy combatants — Israeli soldiers from elite units and Palestinian fighters, many of whom served years in prison — who have joined together to challenge the status quo and say “enough.” The film reveals their transformational journeys from soldiers committed to armed battle to nonviolent peace activists, leading to the creation of Combatants for Peace. (86 mins) Trailer

WHAT OUR FATHERS DID: A NAZI LEGACY A bracingly rigorous examination of inherited guilt and pain, WHAT OUR FATHERS DID explores the relationship between two men, each of whom are the children of very high-ranking Nazi officials but possess starkly contrasting attitudes toward their fathers. (92 mins) Trailer

A BOLD PEACE In his famous “Cross of Iron” speech in 1953, 70 years ago Costa Rica abolished its army and committed itself to fostering a peaceful society. It has been reaping the benefits ever since. (89 mins) Trailer

DAY ONE Follows a group of teenage refugees from war-torn countries who are enrolled at a unique public school for refugees and immigrants-only in St. Louis, MO, where they are guided through an inspirational program of education, healing and trauma intervention by devoted educators, some of whom have chosen to relocate to the inner city to support their students. (82 mins) Trailer

THE VOW FROM HIROSHIMA An intimate portrait of Setsuko Thurlow, a passionate, 85-year-old survivor of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. Her moving story is told through the lens of her growing friendship with a second generation survivor, Mitchie Takeuchi. (82 mins) Trailer