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Contact:
Janni Chowdhuri
janni@houstonculture.org

Mark Lacy
(713) 521-3686
mark@houstonculture.org

www.houstonculture.org/media

March 30, 2004




Two Powerful Films, "The New Rulers of the World"
and "Thirst," Explore Global Issues, Exploitation of
Factory Labor and Water Privatization



On April 21 at the Rice Media Center, Houston Institute for Culture and Houston Peace and Justice Center will present two powerful films on globalization: "The New Rulers of the World" and "Thirst."

"The New Rulers of the World," 2002, Directed by Alan Lowery (53 min)
Award-winning journalist, John Pilger, goes behind the hype of the new global economy and discovers that the divisions between the rich and poor have never been greater -- two thirds of the world's children live in poverty -- and the gulf is widening like never before.

In order to examine the true effects of globalization, Pilger turns the spotlight on Indonesia, a country described by the World Bank as a model pupil until its globalized economy collapsed in 1998. The film examines the use of sweatshop factories by famous brand names, and asks some penetrating questions: Who are the real beneficiaries of the globalized economy? Who really rules the world now? Is it governments or a handful of huge companies? The Ford Motor Company alone is bigger than the economy of South Africa. Enormously rich men, like Bill Gates, have a wealth greater than all of Africa. Pilger presents revealing interviews with top officials of the World Bank and the IMF.

The film looks at the new rulers of the world -- the great multinationals and the governments and institutions that back them -- the IMF and the World Bank. Under IMF rules, millions of people throughout the world lose their jobs and livelihood. The reality behind much of modern shopping and the famous brands is a sweatshop economy, which is being duplicated in country after country.

"Thirst," 2004, Directed by Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman (62 min)
The film offers a piercing look at the global corporate drive to control and profit from water. Is water part of a shared "commons", a human right for all people? Or is it a commodity to be sold and traded in a global marketplace? Thirst tells the stories of communities in Bolivia, India, and the United States that are asking these fundamental questions, as water becomes the most valuable global resource of the 21st Century.


"The New Rulers of the World" and "Thirst" are presented free, Wednesday, April 21, 2004, 7:30pm, at Rice University's Rice Media Center (University Blvd. Entrance 8).

These enlightening films are presented in conjunction with "Winners and Losers: The Impact of Globalization," a conference on global justice, presented by Houston Peace and Justice Center, with keynote speaker Kevin Danaher of Global Exchange. The conference will take place on Saturday, April 24, 8:30am to 5:00pm at the First Unitarian Universalist Church (5200 Fannin St., Houston, Texas).

For more information, please see: www.houstonculture.org/film

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