Documentary Film & Discussion Series: "The Big Sellout" and "No Logo"
The Big Sellout and No Logo, May 8 and 27
Don’t miss this month’s Documentary Film & Discussion Series as it explores privatization and globalization and how they impact our lives. The films will be shown at 7:00 pm in the Library’s Community Room, and are free and open to the public. Viewers are invited to stay for discussion or to just listen.
Thursday, May 8 –The Big Sellout (95 min) offers an empathetic and sobering study of the human impact of global economics. Has the practice of privatization become similar to warfare, dehumanizing us and reducing us to mere statistics? Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize-winning economist and former chief economist at the World Bank, thinks so, as does Simon, a train driver who has worn the uniform of countless firms since his beloved British Rail was privatized, recounts the steady decline in service and maintenance and the sharp increase in accidents that have followed. Winner of the 2007 Chicago International Documentary Film Festival.
Tuesday, May 27 –No Logo (42 min), based on the best-selling book by Canadian journalist and activist Naomi Klein, reveals the reasons behind the backlash against the increasing economic and cultural reach of multinational companies. Analyzing how brands like Nike, The Gap, and Tommy Hilfiger became revered symbols worldwide, Klein argues that globalization is a process whereby corporations discovered that profits lay not in making products (outsourced to low-wage workers in developing countries), but in creating branded identities people adopt in their lifestyles.
The Documentary Film & Discussion Series meets every 2nd Thursday and 4th Tuesday of the month for an in-depth look at important topics of our day and, their impact on our lives. Discussions are often lively and thought-provoking. For more information, go to http://friendsoftheapl.com
