Sausalito Film Festival Presents Provocative New Film

The Sausalito Film Festival – now in its 6th year – has announced the next in its series of films which will be screened on Saturday, November 15, in the Callippe Theater at Cavallo Point. 

 #chicagoGirl – is a riveting political documentary about a 19-year old American girl who takes on a dictator using social media.  From her childhood bedroom in a Chicago suburb, Ala’a coordinates a revolution in Syria; she is armed with Facebook, Twitter, Skype and camera phones, not AK-47s.

Linked to her social network "on the ground" in Syria, she helps  them organize demonstrations, as well as brave snipers and shelling in the streets in order to show the world the human rights atrocities of dictator (Bashar al-Assad). When the government imposes a media blackout to prevent the world from seeing the brutality taking place, Ala’a secures video from her colleagues in Syria, uploads it to YouTube and distributes “breaking news” to the media worldwide.

The powerful new film begs many issues about the power and use of social media as well as Revolution 2.0. Tunisia fell in 28 days when a cell phone video when viral. Egypt fell in 18 days in a revolution sparked by a Facebook post. When revolution rages, what is the most effective way to fight a dictator? And even when we know about and can see the violence, can we really help? And how?

The film was directed by Joe Piscaltella and is dedicated to Bassel Shahade, the film’s director of photography in Syria who was killed while filming in the street, showing the world what was really happening in the war-torn country.

Piscaltella will be at the screening that evening and participating in the panel discussion that follows. It promises to be a fascinating and thought provoking evening.

A reception with a hosted bar starts at 6 p.m.; the film will be screened and 7 p.m., followed by a panel discussion with special guests and the filmmaker at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased online at http://bit.ly/126hjEW.

For more information about the film, it’s sponsors and the festival: sausalitofilmfestival.com.