CBC turns down opportunity to sit on our panel.

Just One Week Till Festival Time! The Biases of the CBC Please join us for our first self-produced documentary which examines whether the CBC is biased against Israel and biased against conservatives. After the film, we will have a panel discussion with Mike Fegelman of HonestReporting Canada, Stephen Taylor of the NCC, Brian Lilley of Sun News, Eric Duhaime from the Le Journal de Montreal, and David Krayden from the Canadian Centre for Policy Studies. The Biases of the CBC November 13th, 2 PM Library & Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Admission to this event is just $15! Or you can buy a festival pass for $75 and see all the events in the Festival. This event is co-sponsored by Le Réseau Liberté-Québec. History Wars! Opening Event Jack Granatstein debates Michael Byers on the future of the Canadian Military November 11th, 6:30 PM Bronson Centre, 211 Bronson Canadians historically have been great supporters of peacekeeping, and after heavy casualties in the long Afghan war, many believe the Canadian forces should do only UN peacekeeping, not war fighting. But is this possible or wise? Has peacekeeping turned into peace enforcement? If so, is this different from war? What should Canada do? J.L. Granatstein writes on Canadian national history, and he has published extensively on politics, defence, foreign policy and military history. He taught Canadian history at York University for thirty years. After taking early retirement in 1995, he is now Distinguished Research Professor of History Emeritus. His best-known work is Who Killed Canadian History?, but he is the author of over sixty other books, including Yankee Go Home? and Victory 1945. Granatstein was Director and CEO of the Canadian War Museum from 1998 to 2000, is a Trustee of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation, was chair of the Council for Canadian Security in the 21st Century and is Chair of the Advisory Council of the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and has six honorary degrees. Dr. Michael Byers holds the Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law at the University of British Columbia. Prior to 2005, he was Professor of Law and Director of Canadian Studies at Duke University; from 1996-1999 he was a Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford University. Michael is a regular contributor to the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and Ottawa Citizen, and a frequent guest on the CBC, CTV and Global. His most recent book is "Who Owns the Arctic?", described by Thomas Berger as "A much-needed road map for policy-makers and an unusually readable guide for every concerned citizen who wants to understand Canada's choices in the Arctic." This even is co-sponsored by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, and is part of the 2nd Annual Free Thinking Film Festival 2011, which runs between November 11-13th, 2011. For more information, please visit www.freethinkingfilmfest.ca The Macdonald-Laurier Institute will be presenting two more debates in the History Wars! series. Please visit their web site http://www.macdonaldlaurier.ca/ for more information. The Living a film about the Holodomor November 12, 2011, 7 PM Bronson Centre 211 Bronson The Living trailer The Living, feature documentary by Serhiy Bukovsky made in 2008 to mark the 75th Anniversary of the genocidal Great Famine of 1932-1933 in Ukraine, a.k.a. the Holodomor. The Living (Живі) tells the story of the tragic events in Ukraine in 1932-33 and one Welshman's attempts to tell the world what was happening. It presents a new angle on Stalin's man-made famine as Ukrainians who were witnesses to the millions who died and the millions more who suffered horrendously, tell their heartfelt stories. Side by side with their story, is the story of Welsh journalist Gareth Jones. He travelled through Ukraine, by train and on foot, to see for himself what the people were enduring. Jones published articles in British newspapers drawing attention to the lack of even basic food in once rich Ukraine and told of the suffering and death. But on the whole he was ignored and even ridiculed for suggesting such things. Gareth Jones was killed in 1935 in Manchukuo and some claim that his untimely death at 29 years old was the result of Russian revenge for Gareth Jones' willingness to expose wrongdoing. Check out our Youtube channel! Here's a link to many of our past presentations. Please Volunteer! We can use your help!!! First, we value all suggestions for films for us to show. Secondly, we need people to help at our upcoming events. From planning to staffing to marketing, there's always something to do! info@freethinkingfilms.com Quick Links Free Thinking Film Society CBC declines invite to be on our panel! I went to the CBC annual meeting in Ottawa this week to leaflet the audience and to see if I could get an opportunity to ask senior management to participate on our panel on the Biases of the CBC. I actually got a chance to ask the President and CEO Hubert Lacroix exactly that and here is the transcript: Fred: My name is Fred Litwin and I am the President of the Free Thinking Film Society. On November 13th, we're actually showing our own self-produced documentary on the biases of the CBC. It covers CBC bias against conservatives and CBC bias against Israel. You talk about linkages [in the community] - I've sent many e-mails and I am very anxious in having someone from the CBC sit on our panel. Will you send someone to sit on our panel? M. Lacroix: Thank you for the invite. We know about this event. We think this is more an opportunity for people of like-minds to have a conversation amongst themselves - let's call them activists - that's their right. We will not participate because we don't think that as a public broadcaster we should get involved in something like this. If you have issues about the CBC and our biases, we have people like the ombudsman in French and in English, and we welcome you to go through normal channels. Fred: We will have more people at our event than here. Here is a link to a broadcast of the annual meeting - my question comes at about the 1 hour, 30 minute mark. I am very disappointed. I would have thought that he would have been curious to see our documentary at the very least. I am not sure I understand why a public broadcaster would not be interested in an event that will have 200-300 people discussing public broadcasting. Canadian Premiere of "Unmasked: Judeophobia and the Threat to Civilization" On November 11th, 2011, The Free Thinking Film Society kicks off its 2nd annual film festival to celebrate liberty, freedom and democracy. The Free Thinking Film Festival will feature three major events, two panel discussion and over 20 films, between November 11-13, 2011 at Library and Archives Canada and the Bronson Centre. There will also be a Free Thinking Alley where attendees can buy books and DVDs, and enjoy food and drink. The Festival will end with "Unmasked: Judeophobia and the Threat to Civilization", the Canadian premiere of a documentary about the current political assault against Israel - fundamentally a war against the Jewish people and their right to self-determination. Jews are facing a threat much greater than a military threat in the battlefield or a traditional terror threat in urban centers. They are facing the possible uprooting of the very idea that there should be a nation state of the Jewish people. Unmasked Judeophobia Trailer Featured in the film: ALAN DERSHOWITZ | ALEX SAFIAN | ALVIN ROSENFELD | ANDREA LEVIN | ANNE BAYEFSKY | ANTHONY JULIUS | BARRY RUBIN BEN-DROR YEMINI | BENNY MORRIS | BRET STEPHENS | CAROLINE GLICK | CATHERINE CHATTERLEY | CHARLES SMALL | DAN DIKER EMANUELE OTTOLENGHI | FIAMMA NIRENSTEIN | GERALD STEINBERG | HILLEL NEUER | IRWIN COTLER | ITAMAR MARCUS JAMES WOOLSEY | JEFFREY HERF | JOE LIEBERMAN | JOHN BOLTON | CHIEF RABBI JONATHAN SACKS | KENNETH MARCUS MANFRED GERSTENFELD | MARK GARDNER | MATTHIAS KUNTZEL | MEIR WAINTRATER | MELANIE PHILLLIPS | MOSHE YA'ALON NATAN SHARANKSY | NIDRA POLLER | PILAR RAHOLA | PHYLLIS CHESLER | RADU IOANID | RICHARD LANDES | ROBERT WISTRICH ROBIN SHEPHERD | RON DERMER | RUTH WISSE | SHIMON SAMUELS | SHMUEL TRIGANO | TAMMI BENJAMIN | YISRAEL NE'EMAN I visited producer Gloria Greenfield in her offices in Boston and I asked her why she made this film: "Totalitarianism and lethal Jew-hatred go hand-in-hand. I believe that bringing voices of clarity and courage to the world stage can be an effective antidote to the darkness and confusion that has been enveloping the West. I choose to believe that we in the West can regain the strength and courage to fight for our values with the determination to win the battle against the forces of hate." Ms. Greenfield will be in attendance to answer questions. There are many other terrific films showing the festival this year: "Justice for Sergei," the shocking story of Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who died in November 2009 at the age of 37 under excruciating circumstances in a Moscow detention center, still awaiting trial; "The Making of a Martyr," examines the ideology that would lead children to become suicide bombers (producer Brooke Goldstein will be in attendance); "The Biases of the CBC," a film and panel discussion on CBC bias against Israel and CBC bias against conservatives; "The Power of the Powerless," about the velvet revolution in Czechoslovakia which toppled communism; "Angryphone: The Struggle for Canada in Quebec", about English-language rights; and many many more. The list of events can be seen at www.freethinkingfilmfest.ca Free Thinking Film Society show films that promote limited government, free market economies, and the dignity of the individual, and a healthy respect for Western culture. Where to buy tickets for the 2nd Annual Free Thinking Film Festival 2011: Tickets will be available at the door. You can also buy tickets at four locations in Ottawa - tickets available right now. 1. Compact Music, 785 1/2 Bank Street in the Glebe. 2. Compact Music 190 Bank Street (at Nepean). 3. Collected Works (1242 Wellington). 4. Ottawa Festivals (47 William Street) Join our Fan Page We now have a brand new fan page on FaceBook. Please become a fan and please pass it on to your friends on faceBook! And, check out our Youtube channel where we have film trailers and other videos of interest. Pricing for the 2nd Annual Free Thinking Film Festival 2011 Full Festival passes are available for $75 ($55 students). This pass admits you to all events, including the Friday night debate, and the feature films on Saturday and Sunday nights. Saturday and Sunday passes are available at $30 each ($15 for students). The Friday night debate between Jack Granatstein and Michael Byers is $30 - so the best way to see the debate is to buy a festival pass. Bruce Bawer writes about the Free Thinking Film Society! Acclaimed author Bruce Bawer has just written about the Free Thinking Film Society for FrontPage Magazine. The year was 2006. Fred Litwin couldn't help noticing that Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 was playing all over his hometown of Ottawa - "in the main cinemas, in the repertory cinemas, on campus, and it was the talk of TV. I couldn't escape it." Then he learned about a documentary called Michael Moore Hates America, made by a relatively unknown filmmaker named Mike Wilson. "I asked a local rep cinema if they would bring it in, since his film was not available on DVD. They quickly replied that they wouldn't." So Litwin decided to bring it to Ottawa himself. This was not his line of work. He had an MBA in finance, and over the years had worked in various business enterprises in New York, Britain, Hong Kong, and Singapore. In 2000 he had retired to start his own successful music label, NorthernBlues. Over the years his politics had shifted. A socialist during his student days, he was moved after 9/11 by David Horowitz's The Politics of Bad Faith. The left's hysteric response to 9/11 bewildered him. "I could hardly believe hearing people questioning whether Bin Laden was behind it or whether the US had it coming. I couldn't be part of that. And, when I started seeing some of my liberal friends abandon Israel during the second Intifada - a time when suicide bombers were regularly killing people in Israel - I then completely moved to the right." [Please read the whole article..]