6th Annual International SURGE Film Festival in Austin, Texas in Austin Feb 20, 2012 6:00 PM

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TEXAS. Austin. February 2012 Date: February 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd, 2012 Location:The Amazing and Awesome La Peña! 227 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701 Access:Wheelchair access Admission: Free of Charge with Free Popcorn because everything in the world should be free. February 20th, 6:00pm ~ "Nostalgia for the Light" (United States) For his new film master director Patricio Guzmán, famed for his political documentaries (THE BATTLE OF CHILE, SALVADOR ALLENDE), travels 10,000 feet above sea level to the driest place on earth, the Atacama Desert, where atop the mountains astronomers from all over the world gather to observe the stars. The sky is so translucent that it allows them to see right to the boundaries of the universe. The Atacama is also a place where the harsh heat of the sun keeps human remains intact: those of Pre-Columbian mummies; 19th century explorers and miners; and the remains of political prisoners, "disappeared" by the Chilean army after the military coup of September, 1973. "Stunningly beautiful. I don't know how you can put more into a film, or make one that's more deeply moving." Stuart Klawans, The Nation "An extraordinary film about the unknown and the unknowable." Sight & Sound Magazine "An amazing film! Nostalgia for the Light gave me goosebumps so many times I lost count." Andy "Copernicus" Howell, Ain't It Cool News *Official Selection, Cannes Film Festival *Official Selection, Toronto International Film Festival *Winner Best Documentary, Prix ARTE, European Film Academy Awards *Winner Best Documentary, Abu Dhabi Film Festival *Official Selection, San Francisco International Film Festival *Official Selection, Miami International Film Festival *Official Selection, Melbourne International Film Festival February 20th, 7:30pm ~ Group Feedback about "Nostalgia for the Light" (United States) and/or possible Teleconference call with Patricio Guzmán February 20th, 7:45pm ~ "Cartografía de la soledad" - Cartography of loneliness (Spain) 3-Line Synopsis (English) The documentary is akin to a map tracing the emotions and feelings of women in three countries, India, Nepal and Afghanistan. India is the country with the most widows in the world, 45 million. In Nepal, half of the female population is widowed. Afghanistan has the highest proportion of widows in the world after 30 years of war. Tradition, society and religion have determined the course of their lives following their husbands' deaths. Many widows are abandoned by their families, or victim of women trafficking, or condemned to social ostracism. I lived with them 4 months and they told me their amazing stories. Country of Production Spain Country of Filming Afghanistan, India, Nepal February 21st, 7:00pm ~ "18q- A different kind of normal" - (Australia) with Special guest speakers from San Antonio, Texas 3-Line Synopsis An intimate, autobiographical documentary with an eclectic mix of 3D animation, observational footage, home video and personal interview, by filmmaker, Veronica Wain, as she comes to terms with life as a single mother when her youngest child, Allycia is born in 1995, with a rare chromosome abnormality known only as Chromosome 18. After being told there were only a handful of people living with the condition, a ten year search culminates in their meeting an international community, numbering in the hundreds, in the United States. This touching film explores ideas about normality, disability, beauty, religion and science as the family embarks on their journey to find other people born with the same condition. February 21st, 8:20pm ~ Jannine D. Cody, PhD, Special guest speakers from San Antonio, Texas. After the ""18q- A different kind of normal" film, Jannine D. Cody, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics; Director of the Chromosome 18 Clinical Research Center located in San Antonio, TX and Founder & President of The Chromosome 18 Registry & Research Society will offer a Question and Answer period. http://www.pediatrics.uthscsa.edu/centers/chromosome18 http://www.chromosome18.org Jannine De Mars Cody is founder and President of the Chromosome 18 Registry and Research Society. She founded the Registry in 1990 as a way to bring affected families together and to learn from each other. To date, the Registry includes more than 3000 families affected by chromosome 18 abnormalities from around the world. Then in 1991, in order to ensure that the research into these conditions was done and was what was important to families Jannine enrolled in a Ph.D program at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. While pursuing her Ph.D., she developed the multidisciplinary Chromosome 18 Clinical Research Center. Jannine is now an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. The families of the Chromosome 18 Registry now fund over a quarter of a million dollars a year in research. This research ranges from the molecular biology of the conditions, to the clinical consequences, to the psychosocial ramifications for the affected individual, the parents and the siblings. February 21st, 8:45pm ~ A speaker will give a very short excerpt from a speech on"Justice, Peace, Prosperity and Sustainability: Why economics obstructs these goals, and what we can do about it." by Kellia Ramares February 21st, 9:00pm ~ Short Films. February 22nd, 4:30pm ~5:30pm ~ Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Austin. Occupt Texas State and Occupy Together Films from all over the country with several members of local and regional Occupy Movement organizers from all over the country. February 22nd, 5:30pm ~ Filmmakers Panel February 22nd, 6pm ~ 6:30pm ~ Screenwriters Panel February 22nd, 6:30pm ~ 7:30pm ~ Script Reading Exhibitions, Performances and Eternal Flame Award Presentations as well as Certificates of Achievements. February 22nd, 7:30pm ~ "Soleil" with Q+A with Director Patrick Shanahan. Soleil 3-Line Synopsis In a Land of Conformists, where all it's inhabitants wear the same mask, one man chooses to step outside. For love, for himself, for life. What will become of Soleil without the mask? Love? Life? Death? February 23rd, 6:00pm ~ "Precious Knowledge" At Tucson High School, charismatic teachers and a rigorous curriculum help Latino students complete high school and realize their dream to go to college. Precious Knowledge interweaves the transformative stories of seniors in the Mexican American Studies Program at Tucson High School. Inequalities in education continue to affect people of color. The ticking time bomb story of our time is that fewer than six in 10 Latino adults in the United States have a high school diploma. These alarming dropout rates will continue to have a serious impact on our nation. Our documentary goes further, however, by illustrating forms of critical pedagogy that can empower Latino youth and other youth of color and change this state of affairs. Precious Knowledge will illustrate to a nationwide audience a Mexican American Studies program that inspires 82% of its students to enroll in college. The themes of Precious Knowledge are embedded in the journey of each student as they: self reflect, seek out precious knowledge, begin to act, and ultimately transform, while nurturing positive images of Latino identity and embracing the dignity of all cultures and histories.