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."
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