USA vs AL-Arian是关于一个美籍阿拉伯家庭被美国政府拆散的故事。一个家庭如何面对被恐怖主义气氛笼罩下的反穆斯林情绪。多年来,Nahla为她的丈夫和孩子们的父亲沙米的无辜而奔走。沙米,这个在美国居住了三十多年的巴勒斯坦难民,大学教授和人权活动家。2003年被指控向恐怖组织提供物质援助,被禁闭达三年之久。长达六个月的审判结果是无罪但不能释放。因为起诉方申请复议。2006年五月他同意与美国政府达成交易,联邦政府判了他57个月监禁,之后驱逐出境。沙米的案件是美国911事件之后匆忙订立的值得争议的新宪法《爱国者法案》的第一批案例之一。
Line Halvorsen | Dalchows Verden | 挪威 | 2007 | 99 分钟 | 35mm | 英语配中文字幕
USA vs Al-Arian
The film draws an intimate family portrait that documents the American-Muslim family Al-Arian’s desperate attempt to fight terrorism charges leveled by the US Government. In February 2003, university professor and pro-Palestinian civil rights activist Sami Al-Arian was arrested in Tampa, Florida, charged with providing material support to a terror organization. For two-and-a-half years he was held in solitary confinement, denied basic privileges and given limited access to his attorneys. While the Bush administration considered this a landmark case in its campaign against international terrorism, Sami Al-Arian claims he was targeted in an attempt to silence his political views.
The film follows Sami Al-Arian’s wife Nahla and their five children throughout his 6 month-long trial. It is an intimate family portrait that documents the strain brought on by the trial, a battle waged both in court and in the media. The film raises questions on whether it is possible for a man like Sami Al-Arian to receive a fair trial in the United States given the current hostile environment against Muslims and the strong US support of Israel. It presents democracy in a new light in a post-9/11 culture of fear. It is also an example of how the American government’s hunt for terrorists is a struggle that can be seen from multiple angles.
about the director: Line Halvorsen was educated at the University of Trondheim and Documentary Department at the Volda University College.
Line Halvorsen | Dalchows Verden | Norway | 2007 | 99 minutes | 35mm | English with Chinese subtitles |