“”No End In Sight”” could be one of the most important films you see this year.
The highly acclaimed documentary won the Special Jury Prize at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and it provides a deeper look into the policies of the United States and their consequences in Iraq.
The Loft Cinema, along with the Tucson Peace Action Coalition, will host tomorrow’s local premiere of the film.
Jeff Yanc, Loft program director, approached the film’s distributor after hearing about the documentary from Nancy Myers, a member of the Tucson Peace Action Coalition.
Yanc decided “”No End In Sight”” would be perfect for the theater to show.
“”A lot of films like this don’t get distribution through mainstream venues, and we have always tried to give a place for these kinds of alternative movies,”” Yanc said.
At first glance, “”No End in Sight”” might seem like another angry anti-war movie. But in fact, director Charles Ferguson approached his first film from a policy perspective, trying to keep politics out of it.
Ferguson, a political scientist and Brookings Institution scholar, created a film less about whether a Democrat or Republican should be in office and more about what the U.S. did in Iraq and what it should have done differently.
“”One reason it is such a good film is that it feels fairly nonpartisan,”” Yanc said. “”The story really speaks for itself.””
“”No End In Sight”” focuses on a period of a few months in 2003, using graphic footage of the streets of Baghdad to illustrate the impact of U.S. intervention in Iraq.
Ferguson features interviews with high-ranking government officials, policy experts, Iraqis and U.S. soldiers.
Many of the people interviewed committed to fulfilling the government’s policies but in retrospect became critical of how the U.S. began to mishandle the war.
“”The movie highlights people who were part of the administration, and it gives it more credibility for those who might be more on the defense about if we should stay in Iraq,”” Myers said.
A panel discussion will follow the movie and center on what can be done to help end the war. Led by the Tucson Peace Action Coalition, the panel is expected to provide a lively, provocative and possibly controversial discussion.
“”The movie does point to some sort of solution of getting out of Iraq,”” Yanc said. “”I am hoping that we can talk about strategies that we can do locally to help facilitate pulling out.””
A variety of Tucson-based peace groups, such as the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and Voices of Opposition, will have information tables set up on the Loft patio.
“”No End In Sight”” will premiere at 7 p.m. tomorrow at The Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. Admission isÿ$8.50 general, $6 student and military, $5.50 senior and $4.75 for Loft members.
