Several events held at Iraqi film festival
Jennifer Cox
Issue date: 4/20/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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In a weekend of reflection, Colby students and Waterville community members gathered at the Railroad Square Cinema to watch films and discuss the ongoing war in Iraq. Allyson Rudolph '07, a student representative of the national organization Campus Progress, was encouraged to organize and lead a movie showing by the DC- based group. Many campuses hosted showings of Iraq themed films and documentaries to promote awareness and ignite activism. Rudolph went above and beyond expectations by providing the city with the festival. "I'm terrific at creating more work for myself than is strictly necessary, plus I adore Railroad Square and am always looking for excuses to spend time in town, so it seemed like it would be more fun to try to put the movies up there," said Rudolph. Her hard work was appreciated by the people who attended to see the films and the impressive speakers who were invited to talk. In addition to Philip Haas, director of the film "The Situation Room," Colby also hosted Bowdoin graduate Alex Cornell du Houx '06, who just returned from a year of being stationed in Iraq.
The films showed vivid pictures of the situation in Iraq. Baghdad ER, The Ground Truth, Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, The War Tapes, and The Situation Room were screened at the Railroad Square cinema. They brought the realities of the war crashing down through the theater, and had many audience members in tears or shaking their heads. Many students sloshed through the rain puddles and piled into the theatres. The mood was solemn, perhaps because of the weather, but more likely because of the profundity and seriousness of the topics at hand.
Cornell du Houx, who traveled to Iraq with troops from other New England states, described a world of paranoia, frustration and futility. Though he was strong, respectful, and admirable it was evident that his time in Iraq was not nearly as productive as he would have hoped. Cornell du Houx and his troopers were in charge of demolition, ambushes, and controlling the outskirts of a city. Every building was riddled with bullet holes or collapsed into a pile of rubble. "The city went from having everything to nothing," he said. He found that he was lucky because when he and his men arrived they brought new armor, but as he left the forces had created advanced technology. Every improvement made by the United States, the Iraqis would match soon after.
The films showed vivid pictures of the situation in Iraq. Baghdad ER, The Ground Truth, Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, The War Tapes, and The Situation Room were screened at the Railroad Square cinema. They brought the realities of the war crashing down through the theater, and had many audience members in tears or shaking their heads. Many students sloshed through the rain puddles and piled into the theatres. The mood was solemn, perhaps because of the weather, but more likely because of the profundity and seriousness of the topics at hand.
Cornell du Houx, who traveled to Iraq with troops from other New England states, described a world of paranoia, frustration and futility. Though he was strong, respectful, and admirable it was evident that his time in Iraq was not nearly as productive as he would have hoped. Cornell du Houx and his troopers were in charge of demolition, ambushes, and controlling the outskirts of a city. Every building was riddled with bullet holes or collapsed into a pile of rubble. "The city went from having everything to nothing," he said. He found that he was lucky because when he and his men arrived they brought new armor, but as he left the forces had created advanced technology. Every improvement made by the United States, the Iraqis would match soon after.
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