Monthly Archive: May 2009

ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD – a documentary by Werner Herzog (99 min) 2007 “Off the map, things get strange” Herzog explores the landscape and the dreams of people who live and work in the Antarctic. Breathtaking underwater scenes, images of deep tunnels carved beneath the snow and ice and more are intermixed with interviews with scientists and other souls who choose to live for a time at the ends of the earth. “… this is very much Werner Herzog’s story of the Antarctic and not, as he intimates right up front, a heartfelt tale of ‘fluffy’ penguins…” The New York Times Special Guest Kari Nester Kari Nester lived for over a year in Antarctica. She will talk about her experiences and share photographs. Kari’s words: “It was a great experience to be at the bottom of the world for over a year.  I saw one sunset and one sunrise in the course of a year.  Six months of sunlight and six months of darkness.  We were able to see amazing austral lights!  It was an unforgettable time, and I will always be humbled by it.”

The Struggle of Illegal Immigrants GOLDEN VENTURE – a documentary by Peter Cohn 2006 (70 min) “We feel for these immigrants, we want them to stay and find satisfying lives here…” The Golden Venture is an immigrant smuggling ship that ran aground near New York City in 1993. The film follows the fate of the passengers who had paid thousands of dollars to leave China for what they thought would be a golden future in the US. Their fate gets entangled with the confusing objectives of US immigration policy, which is set in stark contrast with the heartwarming concern of everyday US citizens.