Cinema of Conflict and Transformation Series: Bisbee '17

This virtual film discussion series centers around films about conflict and transformation and is hosted by ACC Center for Peace and Conflict Studies and ACC Radio-TV-Film Professor, Dr. Mark Cunningham. Joining the discussion with Dr. Cunningham to discuss BISBEE ‘17 is Dr. Samuel Echevarria Cruz, ACC Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Associate Dean. The movie is available to stream on Kanopy. Set in 2017 in Bisbee, Arizona, an old copper-mining town just miles from the Mexican border, the town’s close-knit community prepares to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Bisbee’s darkest hour: the infamous Bisbee Deportation of 1917, during which 1,200 striking miners were violently taken from their homes, banished to the middle of the desert, and left to die. Townspeople confront this violent, misunderstood past by staging dramatic recreations of the escalating strike. These dramatized scenes are based on subjective versions of the story and “directed,” in a sense, by residents with conflicting views of the event. Deeply personal segments torn from family history build toward a massive restaging of the deportation itself on the exact day of its 100th anniversary. Filmmaker Robert Greene confronts the current political predicaments of immigration, unionization, environmental damage, and corporate corruption with direct, haunting messages about solidarity and struggle. Visit austincc.edu/peace for future discussions and events hosted by ACC Center for Peace and Conflict Studies.