TRUTH, LIES,AND VIDEOTAPE Conspiracy Film Fest, April 29th to May 7, 2006 What's New MANIFESTO The Films Schedule Tour of Duty Contact Us

"Kitchener had flashes of genius but was usually stupid. He could not see any use in Munitions. He was against tanks. He was against Welsh and Irish divisions. But he was a great force in recruiting. Asquith said of him, "He is not a great man. He is a great poster." -Sir Arthur Conan Doyle READ MORE

MANIFESTO Truth Lies and Videotape is being held in response to the military exercises under the name "Exercise Charging Bison" being held in Winnipeg from April 30th to May 1st. That part of the exercise entails armed response to street demonstrations is of concern to many Winnipeggers, especially in view of the now-cancelled "Hemispheria" conference being held soon afterwards. This Military Exercise involves the 38th Battalion taking over downtown Winnipeg and dealing with demonstrators in an urban environment. That this exercise is also being planned so that the largest Labour Parade of the year falls precisely in the middle of the exercise is ominous and chilling. It either shows a complete lack of regard for the beliefs of ordinary working class Canadians, or is a deliberate provocation and veiled threat to our rights to lawful assembly. Therefore, we have envisioned a film festival comprised of "conspiracy movies". Cinemateque will be showing "Why We Fight" during that week for both the 7PM and 9PM shows, and Matinees featuring films such as Shake Hands With The Devil", "Borderline Medicine" and "Medium Cool". This festival has a selection of great American and Canadian films about the role of the Media in obscuring our vision of the world, and the constant tension betweenthe interests of those who own the Media, the people who work witihin it, and their audience. This "game of cat and mouse" is played out daily, and it's outcome determines our reality. If you enjoyed the series "Twilight Zone", find out what it's like for the people who live within the Real Thing. Keep checking the Films Page and Schedule as we finalize the plans for the festival. We have established a mandate to show films that do not necessarily project the CNN/Fox empire version of the world, but films that ask questions and demand answers from our secret services, armed forces and politicians. It is also a challenge to media reporters to step outside the Press Release format of newsgathering and going out to speak to the people who are affected by government policies. There was a time when the word "investigative" did not have to be tagged onto a reporter who dug beneath the official proclamations. It was, and still should be, assumed. The films are controversial and will provoke heated reactions, and hopefully lead people to think about the world around us and wonder how we got to the place in which we live. Democracy is under siege from within. The balance between security and freedom has been skewed by dogmatic and fundamentalist beliefs. Though two sides may see an injustice being done, the difference between the fundamental ideologies prevents the adherents to work together even when the immediate crisis or goal is shared and the same threat perceived. For that reason, the films will be probably shown in a film/panel format. We are looking for people to join the viewing and discussion. If you would like to volunteer your time to us, please contact us immediately. This Tour Has 7 Days In addition we are hosting a local film making project similar to the 48-hour movie, titled "This Tour has 7 days" where local film makers have 7 days to film "Exercise Charging Bison" of troops on Winnipeg Streets, and create a short to be screened on the last Sunday afternoon of the festival at Cinemateque. The idea is to also create an archive of the raw footage of troop movement in Winnipeg to create a stock footage archive for members of the Film Group and Video Pool to use in the future as well. The opening session of this part would be a workshop to set out the legal aspects of guerilla and documentary filming on the streets: entitled "Shooting in the Street: Know Your Rights!"