Political Film Team Scheduled for Florence Blocked at Border
Nov.4, 2004


Despite a capacity audience, the Wednesday, Florence, Oregon, Citizens' Democracy Watch library film screening of the "Fourth World War" was changed because the film and directors were held over at the Canadian Border.

Reached by cell phone, the filmmakers Richard Rowley and Jacqueline Soohen, apologized following a border search, which prevented them from reaching Florence as scheduled. "We were asked a lot of questions about the film. Our car was thoroughly searched. We had a screening in Canada," said Ms. Soohen.

A representative of CDW stated that, " We have just learned that the film-makers were stopped at the border. There was an extended search and delay. Undoubtedly America is safer because we along the Oregon Coast didn't see the film they were bringing."

The audience numbered over seventy, including people from Coos Bay and Reedsport.

The CDW representative stated, "Our original purpose was to see a movie about the down-stream consequences of Globalization: "The Fourth World War". Maybe the border stop had a message, maybe it didn't."

"Those empty seats of the filmmakers are current reality. But they are going to be filled by people concerned about generation-eating budget deficits or that Social Security is imperiled. Homeland Security has increasing resources to micro-search political filmmakers returning to the U.S. This shows we have credible civil rights issues. These two folks have been arrested, their cameras smashed, in other countries-that comes with the turf nowadays. Today's searches show the turf is getting closer. "

"The directors asked to be able to reschedule Florence in the future. We showed an earlier film of theirs concerning the Seattle, 1999, World Trade Organization demonstrations, which emphasized events mainstream media did not show."