Our Next Film - God Loves Uganda - Feb 11th!

Our Next Film - February 11th God Loves Uganda God Loves Uganda February 11th, 2014 Library & Archives, Main Auditorium 395 Wellington, Ottawa 7:00 PM Admission:  $20 ($10 students).  All tickets available at the door. God Loves Uganda explores the role of the American evangelical movement in Uganada, where American missionaries have been credited with both creating schools and hospitals and also promoting dangerous religious bigotry. God Loves Uganda - Official Trailer | HD The film follows evangelical leaders as they attempt the task of eliminating 'sexual sin' and converting Ugandans to their brand of fundamentalist Christianity. As an American-influenced bill to make homosexuality punishable by death wins widespread support, tension in Uganda mounts and an atmosphere of murderous hatred takes hold. The film reveals the conflicting motives of faith and greed, ecstasy and egotism, among Ugandan ministers, American evangelical leaders and the foot soldiers of a theology that sees Uganda as ground zero in a battle for billions of souls. Through verité, interviews, and hidden camera footage - and with unprecedented access - God Loves Uganda takes viewers inside the evangelical movement in both the US and Uganda. Shocking, horrifying, touching and enlightening, God Loves Uganda will make you question what you thought you knew about religion. It offers a portrait of Lou Engle, creator of The Call, a public event that brings tens of thousands of believers together to pray against sexual sin. It provides a rare view of the most powerful evangelical minister in Uganda, who lives in a mansion where he's served by a white-coated chef. It goes into a Ugandan church where a preacher whips a congregation into mass hysteria with anti-gay rhetoric. God Loves Uganda records the culture clash between enthusiastic Midwestern missionaries and world weary Ugandans. It features a heartbreaking interview with gay activist David Kato shortly before he was murdered. It tells the moving story of Bishop Christopher Senyonjo, a minister excommunicated, ostracized and literally spat on for being tolerant - and chronicles his remarkable campaign for peace and healing in Uganda. Shocking, horrifying, touching and enlightening, God Loves Uganda will make you question what you thought you knew about religion. While Uganda's parliament considers an anti-homosexuality bill, which would mandate the death penalty for serial "offenders," Western-supported megachurches flourish in the African country. Roger Ross Williams' incisive and absorbing documentary "God Loves Uganda" makes a compelling case for the link between the two situations without connecting all the dots for viewers, and without condemning the young missionaries who flock to "the pearl of Africa" believing they are saving souls.  Williams' alarm is balanced by his measured observation of a group of twentysomethings from the Kansas City-based International House of Prayer. The Pentecostal Christian group deploys missionaries worldwide, with a special zeal for Africa. The youthful proselytizers' sincerity is evident, but the film emphasizes that such earnestness doesn't preclude condescension - their encounters with locals, in which they threaten sinners with hell, are thoroughly dispiriting. - Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times Our Film on March 24th  Honor Diaries  Tickets Available at the door. Monday, March 10th, 7:00 PM Library & Archives Main Auditorium Admission:  $20 ($10 students). Film, Panel discussion, and reception Don't miss the Ottawa premiere of this important film.  We will also have a panel discussion with Muslim women who participated in this film. Honor Diaries features nine courageous women's rights advocates with connections to Muslim-majority societies who are engaged in a dialogue about gender inequality. Honor Diaries - Official Trailer These women, who have witnessed firsthand the hardships women endure, are profiled in their efforts to affect change, both in their communities and beyond. The film gives a platform to exclusively female voices and seeks to expose the paralyzing political correctness that prevents many from identifying, understanding and addressing this international human rights disaster.  Freedom of movement, the right to education, forced marriage, and female genital mutilation are some of the systematic abuses explored in depth. Spurred by the Arab Spring, women who were once silent are starting to speak out about gender inequality and are bringing visibility to a long history of oppression. This project draws together leading women's rights activists and provides a platform where their voices can be heard and serves as inspiration to motivate others to speak out. More than a movie, Honor Diaries is a movement meant to inspire viewers to learn more about issues facing women in Muslim-majority societies, and to act for change.