| Camden 28 |
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| Directed By:
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Anthony Giacchino
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| Produced In:
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USA, 2006
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| Running Time:
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82 minutes
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| Genre:
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Documentary
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| Language:
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English
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| Themes:
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USA, Militarism, Civil Liberties
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| Distributor:
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www.Camden28.org
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Synopsis:
How far would you go to stop a war? On August 22, 1971, twenty-eight men and women in Camden, New Jersey, carried out a powerful act of civil disobedience against United States involvement in the Vietnam War. The group was part of a nonviolent antiwar movement popularly known as the "Catholic Left." One of the most dramatic tactics utilized by this movement was breaking into draft board offices to remove and destroy government records that identified young men available for military service. The activists claimed that their actions were meant to show their belief that killing-even in war-was morally indefensible. And by conducting their raids mostly in inner cities, they hoped to call attention to war's damaging effect on some of America's most vulnerable populations. The documentary tells of the activists' covert preparations, government intrigue, a government raid and arrest of the protesters, and an ensuing legal battle which the late Supreme Court Justice William Brennan called "one of the great trials of the twentieth century." Thirty-five years later, key participants openly discuss their motives, their fears, and the tremendous personal costs of their actions. It is a story of resistance, friendship, and betrayal played out against the backdrop of one of the most turbulent periods in recent American history.
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Links:
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Visit the film's website for:Trailer, FBI Interviews on its role in Camden 28 case, Photos, Links on Nonviolent Civil Disobedience
Check outthe WIKIPEDIA entry on the FBI's COINTEL PRO program to spy and infiltrate activist organizations
Listen to an interview with the director
Listen to the New York Human Rights Watch Film Festival audience Q & A with the director
Read about Human Rights Watch work in the United States
Read about HRW's work on U.S. Foreign Policy and Human Rights
Check out the American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) work on Domestic Spying
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