Academy Award Winning Filmmaker Comes To Portland October 11-13, 2008

On Saturday, October 11th, Sunday the 12th and Monday the 13th, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Barbara Trent will be in Portland in a series of events. She will screen several of her films, including her newest, Soldiers Speak Out, her Academy Award winning feature, The Panama Deception, and will be the keynote speaker at the regional conference of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Ms. Trent will be available for phone interviews from Monday September 15th thru Friday September 19th and from Friday, October 3rd through Thursday, October 9th.

Highlights include her Saturday October 11th "Economics of Censorship" presentation at the regional conference of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society whose them is "The Paradox of Affluence." The conference will be held at Portland Community College's Sylvania Campus, 12000 SW 49th Avenue, Portland. Barbara Trent's keynote presentation will take place at 1:00 PM in the Performing Arts Center and is open to the public.

Sunday October 12th will be a benefit screening of the recent Soldiers Speak Out, a 28-minute first-hand testament to the reality of the military experience shedding light on the growing and courageous anti-war and anti-occupation movement within the military and their families. Ms. Trent will lead a question and answer session following the film. A wine and cheese reception will begin at 3 PM and the film will be screened at 3:30 PM at the Bagdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd. She will also present a sample reel of Empowerment Project's latest film in progress, Seizing Power, revealing the transformation of the U.S. into an authoritarian system of government. Donations will benefit distribution of Soldiers Speak Out and completion of Seizing Power. A donation of $10 is requested at the door but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

On Monday, October 13th Ms. Trent will present her recently re-released Academy Award winning film, The Panama Deception. The film reveals the untold story of the US invasion, the shocking events of the assault, the enormity of death and destruction, the devastating aftermath and the true motivation for the invasion. It explains how and why the mainstream media collaborated with the US government to censor information and deceive the public. Ms. Trent uses The Panama Deception as a springboard for analyzing current domestic and international events as well as an illuminating case study of government and media disinformation. It is a poignant and alarming reflection of what is unfolding today. The presentation is free to the public and will take place at 1:00 PM at Portland Community College, Sylvania campus, 12000 SW 49th Ave, Portland. Room number to be announced. The presentation is sponsored by the Associated Students of Portland Community College (Sylvania Campus) and PCC Sylvania's Multicultural Center.

A seasoned activist and filmmaker, Barbara Trent won an Oscar in 1992 for the documentary, The Panama Deception, and has both directed and produced other films including Waging Peace, Destination Nicaragua, and Coverup: Behind the Iran-Contra Affair. She has publicly exposed criminal activities in the White House, Pentagon, and CIA; and has been the target of at least three FBI counter-intelligence operations. Appointed as an Expert Senior Training Specialist for the VISTA Program under Jimmy Carter, Ms. Trent has been decorated with the Gasper Octavio Hernandez Award by the Journalist's Union in Panama, and is a recipient of the American Humanist Association's Arts Award for her "courageous advocacy of progressive ideas."

Barbara Trent and David Kasper directed Soldiers Speak Out as a counter- recruitment and organizing tool for veterans, activists, schools, and organizations. Veterans reveal the military's deceptive recruitment tactics, the Bush administration's erroneous reasons for the necessity of military campaigning in Iraq, and the incredulous combat environment to which soldiers are exposed. Not only does it provide a sober view of the war in Iraq, but it also sheds light on the growing and courageous anti-war movement within the military and their families.

Both films were directed by Barbara Trent and David Kasper, who co-direct the Empowerment Project, based in Chapel Hill, NC. The Empowerment Project is a media resource center serving hundreds of progressive videographers and filmmakers each year. It produces and distributes its own documentary films and videos, and provides facilities, training and other support for independent producers, artists, activists and organizations working in video and other electronic media. Its purpose is to work towards democratizing access to the media, and to provide the resources necessary to put the power of media in the hands of individuals and organizations working to further important social, political and artistic purposes. For more information, visit: www.empowermentproject.org.

Schedule of Events with Barbara Trent:

Saturday, October 11th, 1 PM
"The Economics of Censorship" presentation at the "Paradox of Affluence" Regional Conference of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society PCC Sylvania Campus, 12000 SW 49th Avenue, Portland (free to public)

Sunday, October 12th 3 p.m.
Wine and Cheese Reception at 3:00 pm; presentation at 3:30 "Soldiers Speak Out" and a trailer for a work in progress, "Seizing Power" with Q&A to follow at the Bagdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland ( $10 donation requested at door)

Monday, October 13th 1 p.m.
Screening of The Panama Deception and Q&A with Director, Barbara Trent
PCC Sylvania Campus, 12000 SW 49th Avenue, Portland (free to public)

Co-Sponsoring Organizations: Portland Peaceful Response Coalition -
Oregon Peace Works - Physicians for Social Responsibility - Portland Central Solidarity Committee - Peace and Justice Works' Iraq Affinity Group - Portland Socialist Action Bridgeport - United Church of Christ - Code Pink Portland - PCC Sylvania Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society - Portland Freedom Socialist Party - KBOO 90.7 FM - The Empowerment Project
For local information contact Peace and Justice Works at 503-236-3065 or iraq@pjw.info.