This evening presents two of the four films in the AALS Annual Meeting Law and Film Series. This night features two documentary films on legal topics, chosen for their cinematic and legal value, identifying film resources for possible classroom instructional purposes, as well as raising general awareness for law and film appreciation purposes. For each of these two nights of film showings, we will present double feature films chosen by the AALS Annual Meeting Film Advisory Committee. There will be brief discussions and commentary in connection with the films.
Documentary Films:
Out of the Ashes: 9/11 (2011) http://www.outoftheashes911.com/main/
Out of the Ashes: 9/11 is an award–winning powerful film about the Victim Compensation Fund providing an unbiased look into the Fund and 9/11. It is a must-see thought-provoking film for anyone teaching social justice issues.
Professor Berger will present a post-film discussion about the documentary, her role as a law professor in directing, co-writing, and producing the documentary, as a medium of scholarship and teaching.
The stories of seven 9/11 families (undocumented worker, same-sex partner, widower of a Civil-Rights attorney, and their lawyers) examine the legal, moral, and ethical ramifications of the Fund and its impact on the civil justice system. National and environmental disasters such as Katrina, toxic dust, Oklahoma City, are focused in the documentary.
Complex issues are raised. Did the 9/11 Fund challenge our legal system? Or did it offer 9/11 families justice? Was it an ADR model for remedies of compensation? Mass disasters? Other terrorist tragedies?
Narrated by Charles Ogletree, Harvard Law Professor, featuring interviews with 9/11 Special Master Kenneth Feinberg, the film is beautifully filmed in HD by award winning cinematographer (Waiting for Superman and Driving Miss Daisy). Extraordinary visual images in Out of the Ashes highlight the issues.
Good Copy/Bad Copy (2007) http://www.goodcopybadcopy.net/
This film concerns the evolving debate about the role of copyright law and cultural innovation. It features interviews with people of various perspectives on the relative merits of strong versus weak property-like protection in original expression, including lawyers, artists, producers, distributers and filesharing service providers. It can be very useful in class given its very engaging content and new-reporting style. It is an excellent example of legal reform in action in light of diverse constituents.