The University of Notre Dame’s annual ScreenPeace Film Festival, which takes place Feb. 5-7 (Thursday-Saturday), includes films about a Syrian football player-turned-insurgent, a young Nigerian woman seeking to transform the status of women, and a man who prevented a nuclear attack on the United States at the height of the Cold War.
Five films addressing global issues from the Middle East to Africa to Southeast Asia will be co-presented by the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. Each film will include an introduction and post-film discussion led by Notre Dame faculty members or film producers.
Films in the series include:
- “The Missing Picture,” 7 p.m. Feb. 5 (Thursday). Filmmaker Rithy Panh’s Academy Award-nominated documentary uses clay figurines and archival footage to chronicle the Khmer Rouge’s ruthless reign over Cambodia in the 1970s. Discussion will be led by Olivier Morel, assistant professor of film, media studies and French literature.
- “Return to Homs,” 6:30 p.m. Feb. 6 (Friday). Talal Derki’s Sundance Film Festival award-winning documentary follows 19-year-old national football team goalkeeper Abdul Basset as he and a ragtag group of comrades fight to protect the captive inhabitants of the besieged city of Homs, Syria. Discussion will be led by Aysegul Keskin Zeren, visiting assistant professor of conflict analysis and transformation at the Kroc Institute.
- “The Supreme Price,” 9:30 p.m. Feb. 6. This political thriller traces the evolution of Nigeria’s pro-democracy movement. Hafsat Abiola faces the challenge of transforming a corrupt culture of governance into a democracy capable of serving Nigeria’s most marginalized population: women. Discussion will be led by Ann Mische, associate professor of sociology and peace studies.
- “The Man Who Saved the World,” 6:30 p.m. Feb. 7 (Saturday). This film tells the story of Stanislav Petrov, the commanding officer on duty at the Soviet nuclear early warning center when the system falsely reported the launching of five nuclear missiles from the United States. Discussion will be led by film producers Mark Romeo and Christian Bruun.
- “The Last Days in Vietnam,” 9:30 p.m. Feb. 7. Filmmaker Rory Kennedy’s documentary chronicles the last days of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War and the desperate efforts to help 135,000 South Vietnamese escape to safety. Discussion will be led by David Cortright, associate director of programs and policy studies at the Kroc Institute.
Films are free, but ticketed. Call the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center Ticket Office at 574-631-2800 to reserve tickets, order them online at performingarts.nd.edu or pick them up at the box office.