Series/Festivals

Comments (0) Wednesday, Feb 9 2005

Margaret Mead Program I (unrated) Dedicated to international, cultural documentaries, the Margaret Mead Traveling Film and Video Festival kicks off its three Wednesday programs with two works: Afghanistan Unveiled, which contains firsthand accounts of the Taliban's violent and cruel oppression as recorded by the first Afghani women videojournalists, and Mrs. Littlebones (Madanm Ti Zo), a glimpse into the life of a Haitian midwife/herbal doctor. Afghanistan Unveiled includes footage gathered from many Afghani regions and details the impact of both Taliban and U.S. campaigns. Forced from destroyed homes, widows and children live desperate lives in caves; women must beg healthcare; daughters cannot work outside the home or travel without a male guardian's permission. By contrast, the titular Mrs. Littlebones has run a home clinic in Jacmel, Haiti, since 1957. But in a slow, nonanalytical piece, this traditional healer reveals that ingredients come to her in dreams, and evil spirits get blamed for problems as she struggles to help the poor in ill health. Both screen at 7 p.m. Wednesday, February 9, in the Moore Auditorium on the campus of Webster University, 470 East Lockwood Avenue, Webster Groves. Call 314-968-7487 for more information. (Diane Carson)