On October 3rd, 1993, 120 Delta Force Commandos and Army Rangers were dropped into the heart of Mogadishu, Somalia. Their mission was a fast daylight raid to kidnap lead terrorist Mohammed Farrah Aidid, who had been killing U.N. workers delivering food to starving Somalis. Aidid’s goal was to control the country by controlling all the food.

The U.S. raid went off with clockwork precision, until the unexpected happened. Two of the U.S. Black Hawk helicopters, the soldiers’ airlift out, were shot down. The mission abruptly changed to a rescue operation. Surrounded by Somali militia, a fierce firefight ensued that left American troops trapped and fighting for their lives. The ordeal left 18 American men dead, 70 wounded, with 3,000 Somalis casualties.

This brilliant documentary tells the true story of “Black Hawk Down” through the memories and voices of the American Special Forces survivors. Also included are Somali militiamen as they recount their harrowing experiences of battle.

The True Story of Black Hawk Down is a reminder of the bravery and determination of our armed forces and their creed and commitment to never leave a man behind.

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Fighting The Taliban is the exclusive first-hand account of one of the longest battles fought by British soldiers in Afghanistan. When John Reid dispatched British forces to Helmand province on a “peace keeping” mission he expected them to achieve their goals “without firing a shot”. Dispatches reveals how the war on terror is really being fought on the ground, and assesses the formidable scale of the task facing British troops in Afghanistan. Ignoring Ministry of Defense orders, filmmaker Sean Langan hitches a ride with the Afghan army who, along with British soldiers, are on a mission to retake the strategically critical town of Garmser in Helmand province.

The assault is expected to take 24 hours but it soon runs into difficulty, leading to six days of relentless attacks and counter attacks, captured from start to finish by Langan. The front line was often less than 100 yards from the compound where the 17 British troopers established their forward base and the ferocity of fighting saw the British officers call in a record number of NATO air strikes. (Excerpt from channel4.com)

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Palestinian civilians live under the threat of Israeli Defence Force attacks that do not discriminate between militants and children. Israeli settlers live in fear of suicide attacks. But it is not only Palestinians and Israelis who are dying. Since the Gulf war, three Westerners have come under Israeli army attack.

An American peace activist was crushed to death by an IDF bulldozer; a British peace protester was shot in the head by an IDF sniper and remains in a coma; and last weekend, a British cameraman was shot dead by the IDF. Within hours of arriving Sandra and Rodrigo are shot at and tear-gassed by Israeli troops breaking up a memorial service for Rachel Corrie, an American peace activist crushed by an Israeli Army bulldozer two days before.

That sets the tone for a five-week stay in which they document the shooting by Israeli troops of the British peace campaigner Tom Hurndall, the death of James Miller, the award-winning cameraman who worked extensively for Channel 4, killed as he filmed Israeli troops bulldozing Palestinian homes, and the deaths and mutilation of many innocent Palestinians and Israelis. (Excerpt from channel4.com)

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In spring 2003, filmmaker James Miller and reporter Saira Shah, following the success of their Peabody-winning films “Unholy War” and “Beneath the Veil,” set out to take a first-hand look at the culture of hate that permeates the Middle East.

They captured the lives of three Palestinian children growing up in the bullet-riddled streets of Gaza, indoctrinated in the creed of Jihad, and had planned to show the Israeli side next. But on May 2, in the midst of filming, Miller was shot to death by an Israeli tank, falling victim to the conflict he covered. The America Undercover special Death In Gaza tells this tragic, eye-opening story.

Death In Gaza begins in Nablas, where Miller and Shah witness an explosion that kills several Palestinians suspected of being suicide bombers. “We’re trying to understand how people learn to hate so deeply that they’re prepared to die in order to kill,” says Shah.

“So we’re looking for the next generation, the children who will make either peace or war.” In Nablas, that generation is playing dangerous games with the Israelis, as children shower the tanks that patrol their street with rocks, taunting the soldiers inside. (Excerpt from bullfrogfilms.com)

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On January 1, 1994, the Zapatista National Liberation Army–made up of impoverished Mayan Indians from the state of Chiapas–took over five towns and 500 ranches in southern Mexico. The government deployed its troops, and at least 145 people died in the ensuing battle. Fighting for indigenous Mexicans to regain control over their lives and the land, the Zapatistas and their charismatic leader, guerilla poet Subcomandante Marcos, began sending their message to the world via the Internet. The result was what THE NEW YORK TIMES called “the world’s first postmodern revolution.” Years into the uprising, filmmaker Nettie Wild traveled to the jungle canyons of southern Mexico to film the elusive and fragile life of the rebellion. Her camera effectively and movingly captures the personal stories behind a very public clash of traditional culture and globalization.

Palestine is Still the Issue. Great video about Palestine / ISrael conflict. This documentary has to be seen and is important in understanding the Middle East issue.

All Power to the People! examines problems of race, poverty, dissent, and the universal conflict of the “haves versus the have nots”. U.S. government documents, rare news clips, and interviews with both ex-activists and former FBI/CIA officers, provide deep insight into the bloody conflict between political dissent and governmental authority in the U.S. of the 60s and 70s.

Globally acclaimed as being amount the most accurate depictions of the goals, aspirations, and ultimate repression of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. All Power to the People! is a gripping, timeless news documentary. (Excerpt from chicagofilmfestival.org)

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The torture and slaughter of Iraqi civilians is reaching unprecedented heights with estimates of up to 655,000 dead. Night after night death squads rampage through Iraq’s main cities. In Baghdad, up to a hundred bodies a day are dumped on the streets. Often they’ve been tortured with electric drills. Yet those doing the killing have little to do with al Qaeda or Sunni insurgents. The majority of the killings are carried out by Shia death squads who want to turn Iraq into a Shia state aligned to Iran.

This shocking film investigates the links between the death squads and high-ranking Shia politicians. It reveals how the Shia militia that these politicians control have systematically infiltrated and taken over police units and even entire government ministeries. It investigates how these units are closely linked to the death squads, indeed they often are the death squads. And the killers act with impunity – there’s little investigation into their activities. (Excerpt from channel4.com)

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A 30 minute video from Witness partner Images Asia which is working at the Thai-Burmese border. This documentary is about children who have become victims or participants in Burma’s armed conflicts, used as porters, human shields, or human minesweepers. It shows the life of children who have been killed, forcibly conscripted, unwillingly separated from their families, kidnapped and tortured, and it includes interviews with child soldiers. (Excerpt from witness.org)

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Taxi to the Dark Side is a gripping investigation into the reckless abuse of power by the Bush Administration.

A documentary murder mystery that examines the death of an Afghan taxi driver at Bagram Air Base, the film exposes a worldwide policy of detention and interrogation that condones torture and the abrogation of human rights.

This disturbing and often brutal film is the most incisive examination to date of the Bush Administration’s willingness, in its prosecution of the “war on terror,” to undermine the essence of the rule of law.

The film asks and answers a key question: what happens when a few men use the wartime powers of the executive to undermine the very principles on which the United States was founded? (Excerpt from taxitothedarkside.com)

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