American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein

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Mar 08 - Mar 11, 2010

(David Ridgen & Nicolas Rossier, USA/Canada, 2009, Beta-SP, 84 min)

Special guests Edward Mast from Palestine Information Project and John Sinno of Typecast Films will be in attendance for Q&A after both shows on Thursday, March 11th

A devoted son of Holocaust survivors and ardent critic of Israeli foreign policy, the polarizing American political scientist and author Norman Finkelstein has been called a lunatic and self-hating Jew by some, and an inspirational revolutionary by others. Exploring the deeply complex issues at the heart of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, American Radical is the insightful and enraging documentary that follows Finkelstein around the world as he attempts to negotiate a voice among his impassioned critics and supporters. Uncompromising even in the face of his recent denial of tenure at DePaul University, Finkelstein is revealed as a complex and supremely lonely figure whose self-destructive nature often undermines his academic credibility. A guaranteed argument starter, this potent documentary plunges viewers into the psychological and intellectual underpinnings of a vitriolic personality.
 
 
"American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein is a cautiously respectful documentary portrait of a political firebrand who presents himself as a beacon of moral truth in the murk of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” —Stephen Holden, New York Times
 
"With impressive restraint, the fascinatingly thorny American Radical is less interested in the validity of Finkelstein’s ideas—seriously mounted, if inflammatory—and more in the topsy-turvy life of today’s professional academic. Amazingly, that choice doesn’t result in a boring movie.” —Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York

“A fascinating, well-rounded portrait of Finkelstein that simultaneously informs, inspires and infuriates…the filmmakers ride a delicate line, assembling a warts-and-all portrait that shows why Finkelstein is deeply respected and equally reviled.”  —Mark Achbar, Director of The Corporation and Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media 
 

Special guest Edward Mast from Palestine Information Project will be in attendance for Q&A after both shows on Thursday, March 11th.
Edward Mast is a playwright and performer whose plays and solo performances have been seen around the US and elsewhere.  He has travelled with human rights and arts delegations to Nicaragua, Uzbekistan, Ireland, and elsewhere, and has volunteered with the International Solidarity Movement to End the Occupation (ISM).   Currently he volunteers with Palestine Information Project and the Palestine Solidarity Committee - Seattle. With his wife Linda Bevis he created the film version of PALESTINE FOR BEGINNERS, soon to be released in an updated second edition.  In 2002, Edward Mast was given a human rights award by the United Nations Association of Seattle. 

 

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