Events

AALDEF co-sponsors the screening of two timely and provocative films on Saturday, July 17 at the 33rd Asian American International Film Festival, Quad Cinema, 34 West 13th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues).

At 3:30 pm, 9500 Liberty, directed by Eric Byler and Annabel Park, recounts the heated debate on immigration and racial profiling by Virginia residents in Prince William County, as they consider an anti-immigrant ordinance similar to the now-infamous Arizona SB1070, which requires police officers to ask people to show their papers if they are suspected of being here illegally. The film will be followed by a Q&A and panel discussion.

At 9:00 pm, Lt. Watada, directed by Frieda Lee Mock, tells the story of Lt. Ehren Watada, the first commissioned military officer to refuse his orders to deploy to Iraq on the grounds that the war was illegal. The film describes Watada’s act of conscience, his emergency as a public speaker and activist, and his tense court martial proceedings that ended in a mistrial.

Contact events@aaldef.org or 212.966.5932 for tickets, with special discounts for AALDEF members. For more information about the entire festival schedule, go to www.aaiff.org/2010.