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History
on Film The 2006 Archaeology Channel International Film and Video Festival brings 17 juried films and videos from around the globe to play at the McDonald Theatre March 9, 10 and 11. Doors open at 5:45 pm March 9 and 10 and at 10:15 am March 11; brief introductions start each day's screenings. Topics cover a wide range of archaeological and indigenous topics, from the Viking invasions of Great Britain to the reinvention of qudad, an ancient lime waterproofing plaster. The festival encompasses events beyond film, as well: Tony Farque speaks about Sacajawea at 4 pm March 9 at the Downtown Library, and for those interested in getting involved in filmmaking about human cultural heritage, a Heritage Film Symposium, also at the Downtown Library, takes place at 1 pm Friday. The Museum of Natural and Cultural History hosts a family program from 1 pm to 4 pm Saturday in which adults and kids can study artifacts, be archaeological detectives and watch The Sandal in the Cave (not otherwise screening at the festival). After the last screening on Saturday, head over to DIVA at 5:30 pm for the festival's awards banquet. See the Calendar or www.archaeologychannel.orgfor more details. THE DISAPPEARING OF TUVALU: Trouble in Paradise. (USA/France). By Christopher Horner. 2004. 97 minutes. Plays at 7:26 pm March 10. Christopher Horner's film, which boasts a long list of awards and festival selections, explores the tiny island nation of Tuvalu. Tuvalu is made up of nine islands that have a total land mass less than that of Manhattan, though they are spread over 700 to 1,000 square kilometers of ocean. Most of Tuvalu's capital, Fulafuti, is less than five feet above sea level — making the issue of climate change, and the rising of the sea, a pressing one for the country's residents, who in recent years have endured more flooding than ever before. Through observation, narration and interviews (with warm, welcoming, ordinary folks as well as scientists), Horner presents a complex portrait of a place in danger of becoming the first entire nation of environmental refugees. FOLLOWING ANTIGONE: Forensic Anthropology and Human Rights Investigations. (Argentina/USA). Produced by EAAF and WITNESS. 2002. 37 minutes. Plays at 3:26 pm March 11. Though Following Antigone can be heartbreaking to watch, one can only imagine the difficulty for those involved in the forensic investigations at sites of human rights abuse. Filmed in El Salvador, Argentina, Haiti, Ethiopia and East Timor, the movie follows the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team as they excavate mass graves and work to return remains to families whose loved ones had been long lost. Evidence gathered by the team is used in court to help prosecute those responsible for human rights crimes, but the court scene is not nearly as striking as the faces of both those hoping to find traces of their families and the archaeologists working tirelessly at such a difficult but necessary task.
THE KINGDOM OF THE NABATEANS: From Petra to Medain Saleh. (France). Produced by Valerie Grenon/Gedeon Programmes. 52 minutes. Plays at 4:09 pm March 11. I confess: My first thought on seeing images from this film was, "Hey! That's where Indiana Jones found the Holy Grail!" But there is much more to both Petra and its less famous sister city to the south, Medain Saleh, than the admittedly unforgettable sight Indiana saw. More than 2,000 years ago, Nabatean camel caravans passed between the two cities. With astonishing skill, Nabatean stoneworkers carved massive, breathtaking cities from the desert's sandstone — with so many tombs that initial explorers of the site thought Petra was a necropolis. Through stone "signatures," architecture, layout, relics, irrigation systems, religious designs and more, archaeologists piece together the ancient and fascinating history of this desert realm.
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