FreedomFest 2017: Full Schedule

12:00pm MDT

'May Fifteenth in Paris' Janek Ambros (10 min)

Wednesday 12:00 noon; Saturday 10:00 am coffee break
While scenes shot in Paris on May 15, 2016 playing onscreen, a Parisian narrator tells us the story of May 15, 1848, 168 years earlier, when protesters finally pushed the establishment to let them have a popular vote to elect their ruler. Produced by Martin Scorsese's longtime producer Barbara De Fina and directed by award-winning director Janek Ambros, MAY FIFTEENTH IN PARIS metaphorically compares the populist protest of 1848 with the populist election of Donald Trump in 2016.

Anthem Film Festival

May Fifteenth in Paris

Janek Ambros, dir (10 min) Wednesday 12:00 noon; Saturday 10:00 am coffee break While scenes shot in Paris on May 15, 2016 play onscreen, a Parisian narrator tells us the story of May 15, 1848, 168 years earlier, when protesters finally pushed the establishment to let them have... Read More →

Wednesday July 19, 2017 12:00pm - 12:15pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

12:15pm MDT

'Freedom on Trial' John Papola, dir. (27 min)

Wednesday 12:15 pm; Friday 2:30 pm
FREEDOM ON TRIAL is a courtroom drama that takes viewers into the heart of the everyday issues that arise when an employer’s desire to hire more employees runs into the barrier of minimum wage laws, and when the government’s plans to “solve” income inequality only makes things worse.
Panel: “The Human Cost of Welfare and Regulation” Lisa Conyers, John Papola, Opportunity Village; Bob Chitester, mod.

Anthem Film Festival

Freedom on Trial

John Papola, dir. (27 min) Wednesday 12:15 pm; Friday 2:30 pm FREEDOM ON TRIAL is a courtroom drama that takes viewers into the heart of the everyday issues that arise when an employer’s desire to hire more employees runs into the barrier of minimum wage laws, and when the... Read More →

Wednesday July 19, 2017 12:15pm - 12:45pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

1:00pm MDT

'Temporary' Milena Govich, dir. (12 min)

Wednesday 1:00 pm; Friday 4:20 pm coffee break
In TEMPORARY, a compassionate veterinarian works as an in-home euthanasia specialist for dying pets, but when he’s called to the house of an eccentric pet owner, she challenges the ideals of his chosen profession, forcing him to question the boundaries of freedom of personal choice.

Anthem Film Festival

Temporary

Milena Govich, dir. (12 min) Wednesday 1:00 pm; Friday 4:20 pm coffee break In TEMPORARY, a compassionate veterinarian works as an in-home euthanasia specialist for dying pets, but when he’s called to the house of an eccentric pet owner, she challenges the ideals of his chosen... Read More →

Wednesday July 19, 2017 1:00pm - 1:15pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

1:15pm MDT

'Go to Where the Light Is: Escaping North Korea' Josh Oldham, dir. (7 min)

Wednesday 2:15 pm; Saturday 1:30 pm
Each year, approximately 13,000 North Koreans risk their lives in an attempt to flee the country. Very few survive, and many are often sent back where they face death or life in prison. Those who make it out escape starvation and a ruthless dictator. Fewer among these ever fully escape that dictator’s mental grip. GO TO WHERE THE LIGHT IS: ESCAPING NORTH KOREA is the story of one survivor who had the strength to do both: Yeonmi Park.
Panel: "Escape from Communism" Yeonmi Park, Tim Hedberg, Josh Oldham

Anthem Film Festival

Go to Where the Light Is: Escaping North Korea

Learn Liberty, dir. (7 min) Wednesday 1:15 pm; Saturday 2:20 pm Each year, approximately 13,000 North Koreans risk their lives in an attempt to flee the country. Very few survive, and many are often sent back where they face death or life in prison. Those who make it out escape... Read More →

Wednesday July 19, 2017 1:15pm - 1:30pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

1:30pm MDT

'A Lifetime Later' Adrienne Levy, dir. (11 min)

Wednesday 1:30 pm; Friday 10:00 am coffee break
Joe and Amy Buckley live in a small working class neighborhood with their seven-year-old daughter, Lisa. When Amy is diagnosed with advanced cancer, Joe begins to buy medical marijuana to help her cope. When they discover how effective the marijuana is for Amy’s cancer, they begin to make weed brownies and distribute them to other families in need of an alternative way to alleviate the suffering. One night, a stranger breaks into their house to steal the drugs. Terrified, seven-year-old Lisa makes a call to 911. She doesn’t know that phone call will be the worst mistake of her life. Lisa’s family is torn apart and, twenty years later, that night still haunts her, in the important film, A LIFETIME LATER.

Anthem Film Festival

A Lifetime Later

Adrienne Levy, dir. (11 min) Wednesday 1:30 pm; Friday 10:00 am coffee break Joe and Amy Buckley live in a small working class neighborhood with their seven-year-old daughter, Lisa. When Amy is diagnosed with advanced cancer, Joe begins to buy medical marijuana to help her cope... Read More →

Wednesday July 19, 2017 1:30pm - 1:45pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

1:45pm MDT

'Silence U' Rob Montz, dir. (14 min)

Wednesday 1:45 pm; Thursday 9:00 am
Around the country, college students are silencing speakers in the name of safe spaces, prompting controversy over whether certain topics are too sensitive to debate on campus or whether the university is even the most important place to debate them. In We the Internet TV's first mini-documentary, SILENCE U, filmmaker Rob Montz visits his alma mater, Brown University, to find out what happened to free speech and debate on campus. Montz interviews Brown University students, administrators, and Professor Glenn Loury as he examines the controversial actions of Brown University President Christina Paxson and ProfessorTricia Rose in an effort to answer one key question: Is the "heckler's vote" a valid exercise of free speech or simply a way of censoring others and ostracizing legitimate but unpopular perspective through mob pressure?

Wednesday July 19, 2017 1:45pm - 2:00pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

2:00pm MDT

'And My Prison Bars Bloom: The True Story of Armando Valladares' Jeff Gasser, dir. (7 min)

Jeff Gasser, dir. (7 min) Wednesday 2:00 pm; Saturday 2:10 pm
Armando Valladares is a poet and artist with a day job in a postal office in 1950’s Cuba. For refusing to place a sign on his desk in support of Fidel Castro, he is sentenced to 30 years in prison. While in prison, Armando refuses to cooperate in a political re-education program. His fight to maintain his beliefs results in years of torture. During this time, he ingeniously smuggles poetry about his experiences – both harrowing and hopeful – to his wife, Martha, who publishes it to international and critical acclaim. AND MY PRISON BARS BLOOM: THE TRUE STORY OF ARMANDO VALLADARES is a testament to the depths of freedom that one can find in the human spirit. Armando said of his experience, “Though my body was in prison and abused, my soul was free and flourished. My jailers took everything from me, but they could not rob me of my conscience.”
Panel: "Escape from Communism" Li Schoolland, Adrienne Levy, Jeff Gasser; Hawk Jensen, mod,

Wednesday July 19, 2017 2:00pm - 2:15pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

2:15pm MDT

'Regulating Rideshare: Uber and Lyft in Austin TX' Tyler Ann Lowe, dir. (13 min)

Wednesday 2:15 pm; Saturday 9:00 am
Why did Uber and Lyft leave one of the fastest growing cities in America? Lawyers, reporters, Austin city council members, and the drivers themselves weigh in on the core issues of regulating the sharing economy and what it means for the future of ridesharing in Austin, TX. Through meaningful dialogue and robust debate, REGULATING RIDESHARE: UBER AND LYFT IN AUSTIN TX delves into pressing questions about government, regulation, and technology, such as: In the sharing economy, should new, high-tech businesses face the same regulatory framework as their more established competitors? Should we allow the peer-to-peer market to regulate itself? How doe we keep people safe? Who gets to decide?

Anthem Film Festival

Regulating Rideshare: Uber and Lyft in Austin TX

Tyler Ann Lowe, dir. (13 min) Wednesday 2:15 pm; Saturday 9:00 am Why did Uber and Lyft leave one of the fastest growing cities in America? Lawyers, reporters, Austin city council members, and the drivers themselves weigh in on the core issues of regulating the sharing economy... Read More →

Wednesday July 19, 2017 2:15pm - 2:30pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

2:30pm MDT

'Anastasia Lin: The Witness Project' Hawk Jensen, dir. (8 min)

Hawk Jensen, dir. (8 min) Wednesday 2:30 pm; Saturday 2:20 pm
The Witness Project is a short documentary series sponsored by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC) that records the experiences of a number of individuals who were – and in some cases still are – victims of persecution by collectivist regimes in the 20th and 21st centuries. Anastasia Lin grew up in China but later moved with her mother to Canada as a young adult. Once she was outside the influence of the Communist Party, she realized the lies she had been taught to believe. Now, as an accomplished model, actress and winner of Miss World Canada 2015, she speaks out in hopes it will encourage other Chinese to do the same, despite continuing threats by the Chinese regime to her and her family.
Panel: Escape from Communism, Yeonmi Park, Li Schoolland, Jeff Gasser; Hawk Jensen, mod.

Anthem Film Festival

Anastasia Lin: The Witness Project

Hawk Jensen, dir. (8 min) Wednesday 2:30 pm; Saturday 1:30 pm The Witness Project is a short documentary series sponsored by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC) that records the experiences of a number of individuals who were – and in some cases still are... Read More →

Wednesday July 19, 2017 2:30pm - 2:45pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

2:45pm MDT

'I, Whiskey' Pip Gilmour, dir. (8 min)

Wednesday 2:45 pm; Friday 12:30 lunch break
I, WHISKEY is the story of how the human spirit thrives when it has the freedom to connect and create. There’s more to whiskey than what’s in the glass. I, WHISKEY highlights what we can accomplish when we’re free to innovate. It’s a story about human ingenuity and the market – and how these forces have shaped whiskey and society for ages. I, Whiskey celebrates the countless individuals involved in bringing this spirit from grain to glass. From the distant farmer and distiller to our closest companions around the table and at the bar, commerce is human connections. It brings us together and gives us products that we love and enjoy. The opportunity to create and innovate, enjoy and profit, brings people together.

Speakers

Drew Tidwell

Filmmaker

Drew Tidwell has spent over two decades in the film and television industry in New York City and Washington, DC. His work includes full-length features, network television, and documentaries. Drew has worked as a production coordinator on numerous major motion pictures and television... Read More →

Wednesday July 19, 2017 2:45pm - 3:00pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

3:00pm MDT

'Born Blue' Geordie Day, dir. (47min)

Wednesday 3:00 pm; Thursday 12:00 Lunch Break
BORN BLUE: THE GUYANA PROJECT is a character-driven documentary that uses extraordinary access to go behind the doors of a Guyanese public hospital to follow Debra Isaac and her team of doctors on their mission to save lives. Driven by the need to help others where she can, she organizes an innovative program to bring Canadian standards in heart surgery to Guyana, South America. Along the way, the team must overcome grossly misdiagnosed patients, children who can’t be saved, and a lack of equipment and trained supporting staff. Using a blend of cinema verité and interviews - the film offers a raw, intimate, and even uplifting look at how patients, staff and caregivers each cope with disease, poverty and hard choices. It is a film about one hospital, its multifaceted community and how our common vulnerability to illness binds us together as humans.

Anthem Film Festival

Born Blue

Geordie Day, dir. (47min) Wednesday 3:00 pm; Thursday 12:00 Lunch Break BORN BLUE: THE GUYANA PROJECT is a character-driven documentary that uses extraordinary access to go behind the doors of a Guyanese public hospital to follow Debra Isaac and her team of doctors on their mission... Read More →

Wednesday July 19, 2017 3:00pm - 4:15pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

8:00pm MDT

Little Pink House' Courtney Balaker, dir. (98 min) PANEL Courtney Balaker, Ted Balaker, Scott Bullock, Susette Kelo, John Kramer, mod.

Wednesday 8:00 pm, Rivoli Ballroom, following the Gala Reception in the Exhibit Hall
Our opening night film stars two-time Academy Award nominee Catherine Keener (Capote, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Being John Malkovich) and Emmy nominee Jeanne Tripplehorn (Big Love, The Firm, Grey Gardens). LITTLE PINK HOUSE dramatizes the real-life story of Susette Kelo, a small-town nurse who emerges as the reluctant leader of her working-class neighbors in their battle against political and corporate interests bent on seizing their land and handing it over to Pfizer to build a laboratory complex. Susette takes her fight all the way to the Supreme Court, inspires a nation, and helps millions of Americans save their homes. The real Susette Kelo, her attorney Scott Bullock of the Institute for Justice, and screenwriter Jeff Benedict will join director Courtney Balaker for the post-screening discussion.
Director Courtney Moorehead Balaker and producer Ted Balaker are the same dynamic duo who brought us Can We Take a Joke? the critically acclaimed documentary about comedy and free speech that won the FreedomFest Grand Prize in 2016. Join us for this special opening night event!

Moderators

John Kramer

Vice President for Communications, Institute for Justice

John Kramer's strategic media relations work—coupled with IJ’s litigation—has protected homes and small businesses nationwide from eminent domain abuse and secured the rights of entrepreneurs to earn an honest living when the government sought to shut them out. Kramer’s work... Read More →

Speakers

Ted Balaker

Co-Founder, Korchula Productions

Ted Balaker, an award-winning filmmaker and journalist, is co-founder of Korchula Productions, a film and new media production company devoted to making important ideas entertaining. Ted directed the feature documentary Can We Take a Joke? in which comedians such as Adam Carolla... Read More →

Courtney Balaker

Co-Founder, Korchula Productions

Courtney Moorehead Balaker is an award-winning filmmaker, theatre director, and co-founder of Korchula Productions, a film and new media production company devoted to "making important ideas entertaining." Courtney wrote and directed Little Pink House, a new feature film about Susette... Read More →

Scott Bullock

President, Institute for Justice

Scott Bullock joined the Institute for Justice at its founding in 1991. In January 2016, he became its second President and General Counsel. Before becoming president, he served as a senior attorney and litigated a wide variety of constitutional challenges in federal and state courts... Read More →

Susette Kelo

Nurse

Susette Kelo is a nurse and mother of five sons who rose to international prominence as a champion for property rights when her fight to save her beloved home and neighborhood went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Susette’s epic saga began in 1997. She was starting over in... Read More →

Wednesday July 19, 2017 8:00pm - 10:00pm MDT
Rivoli Ballroom

Anthem Film Festival

9:00am MDT

'Silence U' Rob Montz, dir. (14 min)

Wednesday 1:45 pm; Thursday 9:00 am

Around the country, college students are silencing speakers in the name of safe spaces, prompting controversy over whether certain topics are too sensitive to debate on campus or whether the university is even the most important place to debate them. In We the Internet TV's first mini-documentary, SILENCE U, filmmaker Rob Montz visits his alma mater, Brown University, to find out what happened to free speech and debate on campus. Montz interviews Brown University students, administrators, and Professor Glenn Loury as he examines the controversial actions of Brown University President Christina Paxson and ProfessorTricia Rose in an effort to answer one key question: Is the "heckler's vote" a valid exercise of free speech or simply a way of censoring others and ostracizing legitimate but unpopular perspective through mob pressure?

Panel: "Is the University Killing Free Speech?" Ted Balaker, Ari Cohn, Stephen Cox, Lou Perez; Claudia Murray, mod.

Moderators

Claudia Murray

Senior Impact Producer, Moving Picture Institute

Claudia Murray, MPI's senior impact producer, develops social action campaigns designed to accompany MPI-supported films and spur social action. She has experience organizing a broad array of outreach initiatives and has helped street vendors, parents, limo drivers, craft-beer aficionados... Read More →

Speakers

Ted Balaker

Co-Founder, Korchula Productions

Stephen Cox

Editor, Liberty Magazine

Stephen Cox is the editor of Liberty magazine, an American monthly libertarian and classical liberal review. He is also a professor of literature at the University of California, San Diego and author of several non-fiction books. Cox, who had been a longtime... Read More →

Lou Perez

Head Writer, Moving Picture Institute

Lou Perez is head writer for We the InternetTV, an original project of the Moving Picture Institute and winner of the 2017 Webby Award for Variety in online film & video. He is also half of the comedy duo Greg and Lou with over 36 million views and 90K subscribers on YouTube, and co-host of the political comedy podcast "Unsafe Space... Read More →

Anthem Film Festival

Silence U

Rob Montz, dir. (14 min) Wednesday 1:45 pm; Thursday 9:00 am Around the country, college students are silencing speakers in the name of safe spaces, prompting controversy over whether certain topics are too sensitive to debate on campus or whether the university is even the... Read More →

Thursday July 20, 2017 9:00am - 9:15am MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

9:15am MDT

PANEL Is the University Killing Free Speech? - Ted Balaker, Ari Cohn, Stephen Cox, Lou Perez; Claudia Murray, mod.

Rob Montz, dir. (14 min) Part 1 (Brown University) Wednesday 1:45 pm; Thursday 9:00 am; Part 2 (Yale University) Thursday 9:30 am coffee break

Around the country, college students are silencing speakers in the name of safe spaces, prompting controversy over whether certain topics are too sensitive to debate on campus or whether the university is even the most important place to debate them. In We the Internet TV's first mini-documentary, SILENCE U, filmmaker Rob Montz visits his alma mater, Brown University, to find out what happened to free speech and debate on campus. Montz interviews Brown University students, administrators, and Professor Glenn Loury as he examines the controversial actions of Brown University President Christina Paxson and ProfessorTricia Rose in an effort to answer one key question: Is the "heckler's vote" a valid exercise of free speech or simply a way of censoring others and ostracizing legitimate but unpopular perspective through mob pressure?

Panel: "Is the University Killing Free Speech?" Ted Balaker, Ari Cohn, Lou Perez; Claudia Murray, mod.

Moderators

Claudia Murray

Senior Impact Producer, Moving Picture Institute

Speakers

Ted Balaker

Co-Founder, Korchula Productions

Ari Cohn

Attorney, FIRE

Ari Cohn is an attorney who joined FIRE to defend civil liberties after leaving private practice in Chicago, where he represented large multinational companies in high-stakes litigation. Ari regularly comments on First Amendment issues in the press, appearing in television and... Read More →

Stephen Cox

Editor, Liberty Magazine

Lou Perez

Head Writer, Moving Picture Institute

Anthem Film Festival

Silence U

Thursday July 20, 2017 9:15am - 10:00am MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival Coffee Break

10:00am MDT

'Democracy through the Looking Glass: Media and Politics in the Post-Truth Era' Kevin Bowe, dir. (76 min)

Thursday 10:00 am
An individual chronicles the state of media and politics in America today. First, by embedding himself for nine months with the media covering the presidential election, then by casting a light on the media habits of the body politic. So begins the journey down the rabbit hole of our broken political information system. Where shiny objects hypnotize, truthiness empowers and paranoia runs rampant. Ultimately, DEMOCRACY THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS: MEDIA AND POLITICS IN THE POST-TRUTH ERA is a story about the immense challenges democracy faces in the digital age and the role "we the people" play in renewing long-held values during transformative times. While a cautionary tale about technology, the film is an example of how the tools of the digital age can empower the individual in combating groupthink.
Panel: “Realigning Political Ideologies in the Digital Age” Jim Antle, John Fund, Madeleine Morgenstern; Kevin Bowe, mod.

Anthem Film Festival

Democracy through the Looking Glass: Media & Politics in the Post-Truth Era

Kevin Bowe, dir. (76 min) Thursday 10:00 am An individual chronicles the state of media and politics in America today. First, by embedding himself for nine months with the media covering the presidential election, then by casting a light on the media habits of the body politic... Read More →

Thursday July 20, 2017 10:00am - 11:15am MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

11:15am MDT

PANEL Realigning Political Ideologies in the Digital Age - Jim Antle, John Fund, Adam Guillette, Madeleine Morgenstern; Kevin Bowe, mod.

Moderators

Kevin Bowe

Executive Producer, Story-Crafters

Kevin Bowe is the Executive Producer of Story-Crafters, a video production company that specializes in examining broad social issues from the perspective of personal stories. A self-taught video producer, Kevin was chronicling the impact of Post-Traumatic Stress on returning combat personnel and the opioid epidemic that has impacted millions... Read More →

Speakers

Jim Antle

Politics Editor, Washington Examiner

W. James Antle III is the Washington Examiner's politics editor. He was previously managing editor of the Daily Caller, associate editor of the American Spectator and senior writer for the American Conservative. He is the author of Devouring Freedom: Can Big Government Ever Be... Read More →

John Fund

Columnist, National Review

John Fund is national-affairs columnist for National Review. He worked for the Wall Street Journal for more than two decades, starting in 1984, and was a member of the newspaper’s editorial board from 1995 to 2001. Fund has written for Esquire, Reader’s Digest, Reason, and the New... Read More →

Adam Guillette

Vice President of Development, Project Veritas

Adam Guillette has extensive experience in the liberty movement. In 2007 Americans for Prosperity selected him to launch their Florida chapter, and within a year the chapter had gained over 150 media hits statewide while defeating over $370 million in tax increases. Since 2004 Adam... Read More →

Madeleine Morgenstern

Digital Editor, Washington Examiner

Madeleine Morgenstern is the digital editor at the Washington Examiner, where she headed social media during the 2016 election, including running Facebook Lives from the Republican and Democratic conventions in Cleveland and Philadelphia. She previously spent four years at The Blaze... Read More →

Media Sponsors

Washington Examiner

The publication most read, admired and embraced by the majority party on Capitol Hill. Delivering news and serious analysis committed to influencing opinion by reporting the facts and laying bare the merits of policy insights is the platform in which we are committed. Strong opinions... Read More →

Anthem Film Festival

Democracy through the Looking Glass: Media & Politics in the Post-Truth Era

Thursday July 20, 2017 11:15am - 11:50am MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

12:00pm MDT

'Born Blue' Geordie Day, dir. (47min)

Anthem Film Festival

Born Blue

Thursday July 20, 2017 12:00pm - 12:50pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival Lunch Break

1:00pm MDT

'I Am, Or How Jack Became Black' Eli Steele, dir. (84 min)

Thursday 1:00 pm
The births of Jack and June, the third multiracial generation in filmmaker Eli Steele’s family, coincided with a startling projection: by 2050, at least 20% of all Americans will self-identify as two or more races. What will this mean to a nation tormented by race? Born black and Jewish, Steele has long battled the forces of Identity Politics in both education and employment. He believed that holding onto his individuality, rather than his skin color, was part of America’s promise to him. However, Steele's belief in this promise was shaken when his son was denied entrance to a public school for refusing to name his "primary race." Why did race still matter so much? To answer this question, Steele journeyed out into America, producing a film, I AM, OR HOW JACK BECAME BLACK, that Adam Carolla called “eye-opening,” National Review declared “fascinating,” and HollywoodInToto said “demolished Identity Politics.”
Panel: “Resisting Identity Politics” Deneen Borelli, Shelby Steele; Eli Steele, mod.

Anthem Film Festival

I Am, Or How Jack Became Black

Eli Steele, dir. (84 min) Thursday 1:00 pm The births of Jack and June, the third multiracial generation in filmmaker Eli Steele’s family, coincided with a startling projection: by 2050, at least 20% of all Americans will self-identify as two or more races. What will this mean... Read More →

Thursday July 20, 2017 1:00pm - 2:30pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

2:30pm MDT

PANEL Resisting Identity Politics - Deneen Borelli, Shelby Steele; Eli Steele, mod.

Speakers

Deneen Borelli

Chief Political Correspondent, Conservative Review

Deneen Borelli is the chief political correspondent at Conservative Review. She is one of America's premier conservatives due in large part to her outspoken and articulate criticism of failed big-government policies as well as the corrupt political establishment responsible for them... Read More →

Eli Steele

Filmmaker, I Am or How Jack Became Black

Eli Steele is the filmmaker behind I Am or How Jack Became Black. His career highlightsinclude What’s Bugging Seth, winner of ten film festivals, and Katrina, which won theBreakthrough Filmmakers award. His latest film, I Am, was born out of a Los Angeles Timesop-ed where he wondered... Read More →

Shelby Steele

Research Fellow, Hoover Institution

Shelby Steele is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and is featured in the film I Am or How Jack Became Black. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Content of Our Character, which won the National Book Critics’ Circle Award. Steele’s most recent book... Read More →

Anthem Film Festival

I Am, Or How Jack Became Black

Thursday July 20, 2017 2:30pm - 3:20pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival Coffee Break

3:20pm MDT

'What Happened in Vegas' Ramsey Denison, dir. (84 min)

Thursday 3:20 pm
While on vacation in Las Vegas, Ramsey Denison is walking through a parking lot when he sees a group of police officers abusing a stranger in custody. Shocked by what he’s witnessing, he calls 911 to report police brutality -- only to find himself attacked by police and arrested. After reading a police report filled with lies and discovering that the video documenting his attack by the LVMPD has conveniently gone missing, Denison investigates a terrifying pattern of police corruption and discovers that behind the shimmering surface of Las Vegas lies a police department with individuals willing to go to any lengths to cover up its crimes. WHAT HAPPENED IN VEGAS exposes the truth surrounding three murder cases in which all of the victims were shot by cops. The film graphically portrays the shooting deaths of Trevon Cole, a small-time drug dealer; Erik Scott, a decorated ex-army officer and West Point graduate, and Stanley Gibson, a disoriented combat army veteran suffering from PTSD. With the help of the victims' families, this shocking documentary weaves its way through the maze of lies from top LVMPD officials. Even in the shadow of this deep corruption, we meet heroic LVMPD officers who fight to improve relations with the community while keeping the streets safe. WHAT HAPPENED IN VEGAS takes a deep look at what is going wrong and what, if anything, can be done to fix it.
Panel: "Law and Disorder" Larry Burns, Bill Scott; Ramsey Denison, mod.

Anthem Film Festival

What Happened in Vegas

Ramsey Denison, dir. (84 min) Thursday 3:20 pm While on vacation in Las Vegas, Ramsey Denison is walking through a parking lot when he sees a group of police officers abusing a stranger in custody. Shocked by what he’s witnessing, he calls 911 to report police brutality... Read More →

Thursday July 20, 2017 3:20pm - 4:45pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

4:45pm MDT

PANEL Law and Disorder - Larry Burns, Neill Franklin, David Safavian; Ramsey Denison, mod.

Speakers

Larry Burns

Retired Veteran Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Deparment

Larry Burns is a 28-year veteran of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and retired after serving as the Bolden Area Commander. He worked various patrol assignments, the Gang Intelligence Unit, SWAT, the Academy Staff, and Criminal Intelligence Section. Larry has the distinction... Read More →

Neill Franklin

Executive Director, Law Enforcement Action Partnership

Major Neill Franklin is a 34-year law enforcement veteran of the Maryland State Police and Baltimore Police Department. During his time on the force, he held the position of commander for the Education and Training Division and the Bureau of Drug and Criminal Enforcement. Major Franklin... Read More →

David Safavian

Deputy Director, American Conservative Union Foundation's Center for Criminal Justice Reform

David Safavian is the Deputy Director of the American Conservative Union Foundation’s Center for Criminal Justice Reform, where he advocates for policy changes that improve public safety, ensure personal responsibility, maintain government accountability, and protect human dignity.Safavian’s... Read More →

Anthem Film Festival

What Happened in Vegas

Thursday July 20, 2017 4:45pm - 5:10pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

8:00pm MDT

'Re-Evolution' David Sousa Moreau, dir. (101 min) sneak peek, not in competition Panel: The Legacy of Ayn Rand in Filmmaking - Doug Casey, Jennifer Grossman, Javier Parellada; Mark Klugmann (mod)

Thursday 8:00 pm Sneak Preview--Not in competition
RE-EVOLUTION combines the taut action of V is for Vendetta with the philosophy of Atlas Shrugged. The most sensational “media crime” investigation of history has started. Four individuals, fed up with the world changing their lives, decide it is time to the change the world instead. Now, every European government is demanding an explanation for the daring event that has taken place. Using flashbacks and interrogations, RE-EVOLUTION challenges the audience to rebuild the story of four suspects accused of having freed humanity. Who are these people, and what happened last night? Slowly, the tension builds as clues and confessions reveal how these characters met, how they got close, how they inspired each other, and how they save each other...
But ... Can the world change? Or, what seems even more difficult … Can you change the world? Director David Sousa Moreau could be the Ayn Rand of a new generation.
Panel: "The Legacy of Ayn Rand in Filmmaking" Doug Casey, Jennifer Grossman, Javier Parellada; Mark Klugmann (mod)

Moderators

Mark Klugmann

Visiting Professor, Francisco Marroquin University

Mark Klugmann was speechwriter to Presidents Reagan and Bush (41). He also served as assistant director of the White House Outreach Working Group on Central America.In Honduras, where he introduced the LEAP zone concept and "institutional leapfrogging" in 2002, he has advised three... Read More →

Speakers

Doug Casey

Chairman, Casey Research

Author of the bestsellers Strategic Investing, Crisis Investing and Crisis Investing for the Rest of the 90s, Doug Casey has lived in seven countries and visited over 100 more. He has appeared on scores of major radio and TV shows and remains an active speculator in the stock, bond... Read More →

Jennifer Grossman

President, The Atlas Society

As president of The Atlas Society, Jennifer Anju Grossman brings a powerful combination of executive management, public policy, and digital media expertise. Her creativity, charisma and commitment to Objectivism are taking the liberty movement to the next level. Her mission is to... Read More →

Javier Parellada

Film, Visual Media and Entrepreneurship, UFM

Javier is part of the spearheading team for Universidad Francisco Marroquín´s newest BA in Film, Visual Media and Entrepreneurship, a program that seeks to become the leading platform for entrepreneurial minded filmmakers who learn about the principles of a free society. His... Read More →

Anthem Film Festival

Re-Evolution

David Sousa Moreau, dir. (101 min) Thursday 8:00 pm Sneak Preview--Not in competition RE-EVOLUTION combines the taut action of V is for Vendetta with the philosophy of Atlas Shrugged. The most sensational “media crime” investigation of history has started. Four individuals... Read More →

Thursday July 20, 2017 8:00pm - 10:00pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

8:30am MDT

'School Inc.' Andrew Coulson, dir. (56 min)

Friday 8:30 am
Why doesn’t education use innovation to grow, the way a successful business does? SCHOOL INC.—A PERSONAL JOURNEY WITH ANDREW COULSON follows the late Andrew Coulson, series creator, writer, host, and senior fellow of education policy at the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom, as he sets out on a worldwide personal quest for an answer to this question. Throughout the three-part series, Coulson examines the role of innovation, the universal search for educational excellence, and –for better or worse—the application of the profit motive. Screening at Anthem is episode one, “The Price of Excellence,” wherein Coulson explores the educational establishment, its history, and the politics that sometimes impede the growth of good schools, effective teachers, and the involvement of entrepreneur educators.
Panel: "School Inc: Exploring Global Innovation in Education, and Applying it Here" David Boaz, Bob Bowdon, Bob Chitester; Neal McCluskey, mod.

Friday July 21, 2017 8:30am - 9:30am MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

9:30am MDT

PANEL School Inc: Exploring Global Innovation in Education, and Applying it Here - David Boaz, Bob Bowdon, Bob Chitester; Neal McCluskey, mod.

Moderators

Neal McCluskey

Center for Educational Freedom Director, Cato

Neal McCluskey is the director of Cato’s Center for Educational Freedom. Prior to arriving at Cato, McCluskey served in the U.S. Army, taught high-school English, and was a freelance reporter covering municipal government and education in suburban New Jersey. More recently, he was... Read More →

Speakers

David Boaz

Executive Vice President, Cato Institute

David Boaz is executive vice president of the Cato Institute and has played a key role in the development of the Cato Institute and the libertarian movement. He is the author of The Libertarian Mind: A Manifesto for Freedom, which the Los Angeles Times described as “a well-researched... Read More →

Bob Bowdon

Founder, Choice Media

Bob Bowdon runs Choice Media, a national education newsgroup that publishes a daily newswire, website (ChoiceMedia.TV), Twitter feed (@ChoiceMediaTV) and national event calendar about education reform and American schools. He frequently appears in the media to promote education reform... Read More →

Bob Chitester

President and CEO, Free to Choose Network

Bob Chitester has more than fifty years of experience in television management and program development. He is president and CEO of Free To Choose Network, Inc., Chitester Creative Associates, Inc. and managing partner of Free To Choose Enterprise. These companies produce television programs for public television, educational videos, web sites, CD-ROM and print materials and curriculum materials for high schools and colleges. In 1977 Mr... Read More →

Anthem Film Festival

School, Inc.

Andrew Coulson, dir. (56 min) Friday 8:30 am Why doesn’t education use innovation to grow, the way a successful business does? SCHOOL INC.—A PERSONAL JOURNEY WITH ANDREW COULSON follows the late Andrew Coulson, series creator, writer, host, and senior fellow of education... Read More →

Friday July 21, 2017 9:30am - 10:00am MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

10:00am MDT

'A Lifetime Later' Adrienne Levy, dir. (11 min)

Anthem Film Festival

A Lifetime Later

Friday July 21, 2017 10:00am - 10:30am MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival Coffee Break

10:30am MDT

'Incarcerating US' Regan Hines, dir. (84 min)

Friday 10:30 am
INCARCERATING US is a feature-length documentary that exposes America’s prison problem and explores ways to unshackle the Land of the Free through vital criminal justice reforms. With 2.3 million people behind bars, the U.S. has the largest prison population in the history of the world. The film begins with a brief overview of U.S. prisons and the flawed policies that fueled unprecedented over-incarceration. In many cases, these laws exacerbate problems they were designed to solve. Through both empirical evidence and moving personal stories, we see the failures of two major policies: the War on Drugs and mandatory minimum sentences. INCARCERATING US tells the story of America’s broken criminal justice system through the eyes of those who created it, those who have suffered through it, and those who are fighting to change it. After decades of failures, now is the time to unshackle the Land of the Free.
Panel: "The Land of the Free?" Regan Hines, Vincent Vittorio, Adrienne Levy, Lyn Ulbricht

Anthem Film Festival

Incarcerating US

Regan Hines, dir. (84 min) Friday 10:30 am INCARCERATING US is a feature-length documentary that exposes America’s prison problem and explores ways to unshackle the Land of the Free through vital criminal justice reforms. With 2.3 million people behind bars, the U.S. has the... Read More →

Friday July 21, 2017 10:30am - 11:55am MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

11:55am MDT

PANEL The Land of the Free? Regan Hines, Adrienne Levy, Lyn Ulbricht, David Safavian; Vincent Vittorio (mod)

Speakers

Regan Hines

Partner, Life is My Movie Entertainment

Regan Hines is motivated to make compelling films that shed light on social and political issues that both entertain audiences and move them to bring about change. Hines directed Incarcerating US to shine a spotlight on a problem that is out of sight and out of mind for many Americans... Read More →

David Safavian

Deputy Director, American Conservative Union Foundation's Center for Criminal Justice Reform

Lyn Ulbricht

Founder and CEO, Ross Ulbricht Legal Defense Effort

Lyn Ulbricht is a political activist and advocate for constitutional protections, individual freedom and privacy. She is also the mother of Ross Ulbricht, who was sentenced to double life without parole for non-violent charges associated with his role in the Silk Road website. Lyn... Read More →

Vincent Vittorio

Founder, Life Is My Movie Entertainment

Founder of Life Is My Movie Entertainment, a company built on Vincent’s ambition to elevate the documentary genre through visionary means of development, production and distribution.Vincent’s belief in the stirring power of documentary coupled with his dedication to maintaining... Read More →

Anthem Film Festival

Incarcerating US

Exhibitors

Moving Picture Institute / We the Internet TV

The Moving Picture Institute (MPI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that promotes freedom through film, comedy, and online videos. MPI achieves this goal in three unique and effective ways: (1) developing creative talent; (2) making entertaining movies that change policy and culture; (3... Read More →

Friday July 21, 2017 11:55am - 12:45pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

12:30pm MDT

'I, Whiskey' Pip Gilmour, dir. (8 min) PANEL The Marvel of Free Markets - Lawson Bader, Kent Lassman, Larry Reed, Jeffrey Tucker; Drew Tidwell, mod.

Moderators

Drew Tidwell

Filmmaker

Speakers

Lawson Bader

President and CEO, Donors Trust

Lawson R. Bader is president and CEO of DonorsTrust, a community foundation engaged with donors and charities to promote limited government, free enterprise, and personal responsibility. In addition to his foundation work, Lawson has more than 20 years of experience leading free-market... Read More →

Kent Lassman

CEO, Competitive Enterprise Institute

Kent Lassman is president and CEO of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, where he oversees strategy for the free market organization, including management of a team of policy, communications, litigation, and fundraising staff. Prior to joining CEI, Lassman spent eight years as vice... Read More →

Lawrence Reed

President, Foundation for Economic Education

Larry Reed is president of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE). Before joining FEE, Reed served as president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Michigan. He is the author of Excuse Me, Professor: Challenging the Myths of Progressivism and a forthcoming book, Real... Read More →

Jeffrey Tucker

Chief Liberty Officer, Foundation for Economic Education // Director of Content

Jeffrey Tucker is Director of Content for the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE). He is also Chief Liberty Officer of Liberty.me, Distinguished Honorary Member of Mises Brazil, research fellow at the Acton Institute, policy adviser of the Heartland Institute, founder of the CryptoCurrency Conference, member of the editorial board of the Molinari Review, an advisor to the blockchain application builder Factom... Read More →

Anthem Film Festival

I, Whiskey: The Human Spirit

Pip Gilmour, dir. (8 min) Wednesday 2:45 pm; Friday 12:30 lunch break I, WHISKEY is the story of how the human spirit thrives when it has the freedom to connect and create. There’s more to whiskey than what’s in the glass. I, WHISKEY highlights what we can accomplish when... Read More →

Friday July 21, 2017 12:30pm - 1:20pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival Lunch Break

1:30pm MDT

'Work and Happiness: The Human Cost of Welfare' Erin Mae Miller, dir. (57 min)

Friday 1:30 pm
Compassion fueled the creation of America’s welfare system, a safety net that rescues some of the most vulnerable among us. Our current system spent more than $1 trillion in social spending last year, which would be a worthwhile expenditure if it was breaking the cycle of poverty. Many think it’s doing just the opposite. We often hear politicians tout the system’s good intentions, but what about those living on welfare? Do they think the system is working? Have good intentions delivered good results? Join Free To Choose Media Executive Editor Johan Norberg as he examines America’s welfare system through the eyes of those who are currently stuck in it. Discover the struggles they are experiencing in the system that is supposed to help them ultimately get out of poverty. They may learn that the system’s greatest cost is its human cost in WORK AND HAPPINESS: THE HUMAN COST OF WELFARE.
Panel: "Unintended Consequences: The Human Cost of Welfare and Regulation" Lisa Conyers, John Papola, Greg Gudenkauf, Erin Mae Miller; Bob Chitester, mod.

Anthem Film Festival

Work and Happiness: The Human Cost of Welfare

Erin Mae Miller, dir. (57 min) Friday 1:30 pm Compassion fueled the creation of America’s welfare system, a safety net that rescues some of the most vulnerable among us. Our current system spent more than $1 trillion in social spending last year, which would be a worthwhile... Read More →

Friday July 21, 2017 1:30pm - 2:20pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

2:30pm MDT

'Freedom on Trial' John Papola, dir. (27 min)

Anthem Film Festival

Freedom on Trial

Friday July 21, 2017 2:30pm - 3:00pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

3:00pm MDT

PANEL Unintended Consequences: The Human Cost of Welfare and Regulation - Lisa Conyers, John Papola, Greg Gudenkauf; Bob Chitester, mod.

Moderators

Bob Chitester

President and CEO, Free to Choose Network

Speakers

Lisa Conyers

Director of Policy Studies, DKT Liberty Project

As Director of Policy Studies at DKT Liberty Project, Lisa Conyers works on topics including welfare, inequality, and civil liberties. She has traveled the globe, reporting on welfare dependence and its effects on recipients, the relationship between religiosity and criminal behavior... Read More →

Gregory Gudenkauf

Major Gifts Officer, Opportunity Village

Gregory Gudenkauf is the Major Gifts Officer at Opportunity Village, an organization that arranges employment opportunities for men and women with disabilities. He is responsible for OV’s gift planning program and raising funds for OV’s Capital Campaign. Before joining Opportunity... Read More →

Anthem Film Festival

Freedom on Trial

Work and Happiness: The Human Cost of Welfare

Friday July 21, 2017 3:00pm - 3:20pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

3:30pm MDT

'Mama Rwanda' Laura Hinson dir. (30 min) Panel: What Can America Learn from Entrepreneurs in the Developing World? - John Chisholm, Lee Allison; Claudia Murray (mod)

Friday 3:30 pm
MAMA RWANDA examines a new generation of women in post-genocide Rwanda whose passion for entrepreneurship is transforming their nation into one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. This short documentary interweaves the stories of two women: Drocella, a village wife, and Christine, a city widow, as they trade subsistence living for a life in business, challenging Western stereotypes of the “African woman,” and highlighting the role of education in empowering women to overcome poverty. A universal, globally relevant tale, MAMA RWANDA is a deeply cinematic portrait of two mothers on a journey to build peac through prosperity.
Panel: "What Can America Learn from Entrepreneurs in the Developing World?" Lee Allison, John Chisholm; Claudia Murray, mod.

Moderators

Claudia Murray

Senior Impact Producer, Moving Picture Institute

Speakers

Lee Allison

Professor, Eastern Kentucky University

Dr. Allison is the Karl D. Bays Professor of Business at Eastern Kentucky University, where she teaches sales management and marketing research. Dr. Allison received her Ph.D. in Business Administration – Marketing from Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University. She... Read More →

John Chisholm

CEO, John Chisholm Ventures

John Chisholm is CEO of San Francisco-based John Chisholm Ventures, an entrepreneurial advisory and angel investment firm. He is founder and former CEO/chair of Decisive Technology (now part of Google), the first company to automate surveys on the Internet, and of CustomerSat (now... Read More →

Anthem Film Festival

Mama Rwanda

Laura Waters Hinson dir. (30 min) Friday 3:30 pm MAMA RWANDA examines a new generation of women in post-genocide Rwanda whose passion for entrepreneurship is transforming their nation into one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. This short documentary interweaves... Read More →

Friday July 21, 2017 3:30pm - 4:20pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

4:20pm MDT

'Temporary' Milena Govich, dir. (12 min)

Anthem Film Festival

Temporary

Friday July 21, 2017 4:20pm - 4:50pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival Coffee Break

9:00am MDT

'Regulating Rideshare: Uber and Lyft in Austin TX' Tyler Ann Lowe, dir. (13 min) PANEL How the Sharing Economy Improves Quality, Reduces Price and Raises Incomes - Gene Meyer, Dan Mitchell, Randal O'Toole, Lesley Skousen; Matt Wood, mod.

Tyler Cohen, dir. (13 min) Wednesday 2:15 pm; Saturday 9:00 am
Why did Uber and Lyft leave one of the fastest growing cities in America? Lawyers, reporters, Austin city council members, and the drivers themselves weigh in on the core issues of regulating the sharing economy and what it means for the future of ridesharing in Austin, TX. Through meaningful dialogue and robust debate, REGULATING RIDESHARE: UBER AND LYFT IN AUSTIN TX delves into pressing questions about government, regulation, and technology, such as: In the sharing economy, should new, high-tech businesses face the same regulatory framework as their more established competitors? Should we allow the peer-to-peer market to regulate itself? How doe we keep people safe? Who gets to decide?
Panel: "How the Sharing Economy Can Simultaneously Improve Quality, Reduce Price and Raise Incomes" Dan Mitchell, Randal O'Toole, Lesley Skousen; Matt Wood, mod.

Moderators

Matt Wood

Director of Film and Photography, Federalist Society

Matt Wood is the Federalist Society's Director of Film and Photography. Since joining the team in late 2015, Matt has filmed, edited, or produced more than 100 videos. In addition to overseeing video production, Matt also photographs major events and manages podcast production for... Read More →

Speakers

Gene Meyer

President, Federalist Society

Eugene B. Meyer is the P\president of the Federalist Society, an intellectual network that promotes limited government, the separation of powers, and individual freedom. He has served as various combinations of tresident, CEO, and executive director of the Federalist Society for over... Read More →

Dan Mitchell

Senior Fellow, Cato Institute

Daniel J. Mitchell is a Cato Senior Fellow who specializes in fiscal policy, tax reform, international tax competition, and the economic burden of government spending. He also serves on the editorial board of the Cayman Financial Review. Prior to joining Cato, Mitchell was a senior... Read More →

Randal O'Toole

Senior Fellow, Cato Institute

Randal O’Toole is a senior fellow with the Cato Institute specializing in land-use and transportation policy. In 1975, he founded the Thoreau Institute, an organization dedicated to protecting the environment without big government. His 1988 book, Reforming the Forest Service... Read More →

Lesley Skousen

Lead Placement Director, Varsity Tutors

Lesley Skousen earned her Ph.D. in History from the University of Wisconsin Madison. She has contributed to the field of education for a decade, specializing in online and blended learning in high school, college, and adult learning. Dr. Skousen was invited to address the IMF about... Read More →

Anthem Film Festival

Regulating Rideshare: Uber and Lyft in Austin TX

Saturday July 22, 2017 9:00am - 9:50am MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

10:00am MDT

'May Fifteenth in Paris' Janek Ambros, dir. (10 min)

Anthem Film Festival

May Fifteenth in Paris

Saturday July 22, 2017 10:00am - 10:30am MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival Coffee Break

10:30am MDT

'Is America In Retreat?' Kip Perry, Elan Bentov, dirs. (57 min)

Saturday 10:30 am
For years, we’ve lived in a time of relative peace enforced by the military might of the United States. The U.S. acts as a global policeman, a deterrent to keep others in line. But many Americans have tired of this role, wanting to “mind their own business” instead. And as America withdraws, China claims more of the South China Sea, Russia invades its neighbors and menaces Europe, and Iran expands its nuclear capabilities. These are big questions to consider, and IS AMERICA IN RETREAT? takes them on. Is there a downside to America’s retreat? What happens in a world with no deterrent, no global policeman to keep others in check? Can the world afford for America to mind its own business? Can America?
Panel: "World Anarchy vs Rule of Law: Should America Mind its Own Business?" Janek Ambros, Elan Bentov, Doug Casey, Barbara Kolm, Kip Perry; Bob Chitester, mod.

Anthem Film Festival

Is America In Retreat?

Kip Perry, Elan Bentov, dirs. (57 min) Saturday 10:30 am For years, we’ve lived in a time of relative peace enforced by the military might of the United States. The U.S. acts as a global policeman, a deterrent to keep others in line. But many Americans have tired of this role... Read More →

Saturday July 22, 2017 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

11:30am MDT

PANEL World Anarchy vs Rule of Law: Should America Mind its Own Business? - Janek Ambros, Elan Bentov, Doug Casey, Barbara Kolm, Kip Perry; Bob Chitester, mod.

Moderators

Bob Chitester

President and CEO, Free to Choose Network

Speakers

Doug Casey

Chairman, Casey Research

Barbara Kolm

President, Hayek Institute

Barbara Kolm holds degrees in business studies and economics and serves as CEO in private enterprises as well as NGOs. She does academic research and lectures at universities on the topics of efficiency processes, and financial and legal foundations of administrative and state institutions... Read More →

Anthem Film Festival

Is America In Retreat?

Saturday July 22, 2017 11:30am - 12:20pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

1:30pm MDT

'Anastasia Lin: The Witness Project' Hawk Jensen, dir. (8 min) PANEL Escape from Communism - Li Schoolland, Hawk Jensen (mod)

Wednesday 1:30 pm; Saturday 2:10 pm
The Witness Project is a short documentary series sponsored by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC) that records the experiences of a number of individuals who were – and in some cases still are – victims of persecution by collectivist regimes in the 20th and 21st centuries. Anastasia Lin grew up in China but later moved with her mother to Canada as a young adult. Once she was outside the influence of the Communist Party, she realized the lies she had been taught to believe. Now, as an accomplished model, actress and winner of Miss World Canada 2015, she speaks out in hopes it will encourage other Chinese to do the same, despite continuing threats by the Chinese regime to her and her family.
Panel: Escape from Communism, Li Schoolland, Hawk Jensen, mod.

Speakers

Hawk Jensen

Founder, Smock Media

Hawk Jensen began his film career on commercial sets and high-end Hollywood productions with Disney and Warner Brothers. He then ventured into television writing, selling a one-hour dramatic pilot and winning a DGA and WGA writing competition award for a 30-minute comedy pilot. Seeking... Read More →

Li Schoolland

Founder, TFT Events

Founder of TFT Events, Li Schoolland organized the World Conference on Market Liberalization in Bali (2015), two Shanghai Austrian Economic Summits (2012 & 2014), the Bratislava Austrian Economic Summit (2013), and another in Bucharest, Romania (2013). Li has presided over the... Read More →

Anthem Film Festival

Anastasia Lin: The Witness Project

Saturday July 22, 2017 1:30pm - 2:10pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

2:10pm MDT

'And My Prison Bars Bloom: The True Story of Armando Valladares' Jeff Gasser, dir. (7 min) PANEL The Art of Revealing Truth through Film - Jeff Gasser, Tim Hedberg, Adrienne Levy, Josh Oldham; Hawk Jensen, mod.

Wednesday 2:00 pm; Saturday 2:10 pm
Armando Valladares is a poet and artist with a day job in a postal office in 1950’s Cuba. For refusing to place a sign on his desk in support of Fidel Castro, he is sentenced to 30 years in prison. While in prison, Armando refuses to cooperate in a political re-education program. His fight to maintain his beliefs results in years of torture. During this time, he ingeniously smuggles poetry about his experiences – both harrowing and hopeful – to his wife, Martha, who publishes it to international and critical acclaim. AND MY PRISON BARS BLOOM: THE TRUE STORY OF ARMANDO VALLADARES is a testament to the depths of freedom that one can find in the human spirit. Armando said of his experience, “Though my body was in prison and abused, my soul was free and flourished. My jailers took everything from me, but they could not rob me of my conscience.”
Panel: "The Art of Revealing Truth through Film" Jeff Gasser, Adrienne Levy, Tim Hedberg, Josh Oldham; Hawk Jensen, mod.

Speakers

Hawk Jensen

Founder, Smock Media

Anthem Film Festival

And My Prison Bars Bloom: The True Story of Armando Valladares

Jeff Gasser, dir. (7 min) Wednesday 2:00 pm; Saturday 2:10 pm Armando Valladares is a poet and artist with a day job in a postal office in 1950’s Cuba. For refusing to place a sign on his desk in support of Fidel Castro, he is sentenced to 30 years in prison. While in prison... Read More →

Saturday July 22, 2017 2:10pm - 3:00pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

2:10pm MDT

'Go to Where the Light Is: Escaping North Korea' Learn Liberty, dir. (7 min) PANEL The Art of Revealing Truth through Film - Jeff Gasser, Tim Hedberg, Adrienne Levy, Josh Oldham; Hawk Jensen, mod.

Wednesday 1:15 pm; Saturday 2:20 pm
Each year, approximately 13,000 North Koreans risk their lives in an attempt to flee the country. Very few survive, and many are often sent back where they face death or life in prison. Those who make it out escape starvation and a ruthless dictator. Fewer among these ever fully escape that dictator’s mental grip. GO TO WHERE THE LIGHT IS: ESCAPING NORTH KOREA is the story of one survivor who had the strength to do both: Yeonmi Park.
Panel: "The Art of Revealing Truth through Film" Jeff Gasser, Adrienne Levy, Tim Hedberg, Josh Oldham; Hawk Jensen, mod.

Speakers

Hawk Jensen

Founder, Smock Media

Anthem Film Festival

Go to Where the Light Is: Escaping North Korea

Saturday July 22, 2017 2:10pm - 3:00pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

3:30pm MDT

'Secrets of the Magna Carta' Martin Durkin, dir. (50 min)

Saturday 3:30 pm
Hugh Bonneville (of Downton Abbey) narrates this epic history of freedom. SECRETS OF THE MAGNA CARTA tells the fascinating story of the legendary document that dates from the time of Robin Hood. It is the most highly valued piece of paper in the world, and has changed the course of history. Magna Carta is a standard against which we can judge how free we are. So how do we measure up today? This film features interviews with leading historians, judges, economists and others. They give us reasons to celebrate, but also to be fearful.
Panel: "Freedom Fighters in Tights: Robin Hood, Magna Carta and the Epic Story of Freedom" Sam Bowman, John Chisholm, Deirdre Nansen McCloskey, Tom Palmer, Jeff Tucker; David Boaz, mod.

Saturday July 22, 2017 3:30pm - 4:20pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival

4:30pm MDT

PANEL Robin Hood, Magna Carta and the Epic Story of Freedom - John Chisholm, Deirdre Nansen McCloskey, Jeffrey Tucker; Sam Bowman (mod)

Speakers

John Chisholm

CEO, John Chisholm Ventures

Deirdre Nansen McCloskey

Distinguished Professor of Economics, History, English, and Communication, University of Illinois at Chicago

Author of seventeen books and editor of eight others, and having written over four hundred scholarly articles, Deirdre McCloskey is well known internationally in economics, economic history, rhetorical theory, philosophy of science, statistical theory, gender studies, and other fields... Read More →

Jeffrey Tucker

Chief Liberty Officer, Foundation for Economic Education // Director of Content

Anthem Film Festival

Secrets of the Magna Carta

Martin Durkin, dir. (50 min) Saturday 3:30 pm Hugh Bonneville (of Downton Abbey) narrates this epic history of freedom. SECRETS OF THE MAGNA CARTA tells the fascinating story of the legendary document that dates from the time of Robin Hood. It is the most highly valued piece... Read More →

Saturday July 22, 2017 4:30pm - 5:20pm MDT
Anthem Theater/Versailles 3

Anthem Film Festival