Portland Documentary & eXperimental Film Festival

On February 10, 2005, Lynne Stewart was convicted of providing material support for a terrorist conspiracy. She is the first lawyer to be convicted of aiding terrorism in the United States. Stewart faces thirty years of prison and will be sentenced in September 2006. Untitled... is a video portrait of Stewart that focuses on the relationship between the language of poetry and the language of the law. Stewart speaks both languages, and employs poetry as a "knotting point" to connect ideas of beauty and justice for juries and judges alike. The film takes Stewart’s understanding of poetry and the law as a departure point to explore the possibilities of a poetics capable of articulating the pressures of terror and justice.

On May 11, Steve Kurtz phoned 911 to report his wife of 20 years was unresponsive. When paramedics came to his house one of them noticed that Kurtz had laboratory equipment, which he used in his art exhibits. The paramedics reported this to police, and the FBI sealed off his house. Authorities later said that Kurtz’s wife had died of "heart failure," but he wasn’t allowed to return to his home for two days while the FBI confiscated his equipment and biological samples. They also carted off his books, personal papers and computer. Kurtz is one of the founders of the Critical Art Ensemble, a group who creates public performances and videos that educate the public about the politics of biotechnology. All of CAE’s performances are meant to inform the public about the ways their lives are affected by biotechnology and dispel public paranoia that is generated by the media and a lack of understanding. Steve became the victim of this paranoia, and through the extended powers of the US Patriot Act, he still awaits trial for mail fraud. If found guilty, could face up to twenty years.

"For the Least" is a short documentary about American Catholics who march to Guantanamo to bring spiritual comfort to the prisoners and an end to the torture they endure. In December 2005, Catholic Workers--people of faith following the tradition of Dorothy Day--marched over 70 km in the hopes of entering the prison. Although they could not actually visit the prisoners, they camped outside the Cuban military limit, fasting and praying for the detainees. The video is in the format of a letter written to the U.S. Department of Treasury that currently investigates the activists’ journey to Guantanamo. If found guilty for breaking sanctions on Cuba by marching to Guantanamo, the Catholic Workers can face up to $50,000 in fines or 20 years of jail time.

Mohamed Yousry: A Life Stands Still is a short documentary on Mohamed Yousry, a naturalized American citizen who’s life changed radically after September 11, 2001. Mohamed immigrated to the United States in 1980. For the next twenty years, he developed a full and happy life, as a husband, father, and academic. On September 13, 2001 Mohamed was approached by the FBI on his doorstep in Queens, NY. Currently, Mohamed is appealing his prison sentence and waiting to find out what more his fate will bring.

Trojan Nuclear Facility, Oregon’s powerful iconic landmark, goes adios. With score by Sam Coomes and cinematography by Eric Edwards.

A simple gathering of New York City street footage, shot with a spring-wound 16mm Bolex on, above, and below the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn, including footage of the ticker tape parade for astronaut John Glenn.