The documentary film Gaza Strip by James Longley will be shown free of charge Tuesday, July 18th, 7-9 p.m. in the Luther Hall at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 1515 Harrison Avenue NW, in Olympia. Longley traveled to the Gaza Strip in 2001 to spend a few weeks gathering material for a documentary film on the Palestinian intifada. But after the election of Ariel Sharon and as violence erupted around him, Longley threw away his return ticket and filmed in Gaza for the next three months. His film Gaza Strip is a journey into the lives of Gazans struggling with the day-to-day trials of occupation. According to The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, “Gaza Strip is an unflinchingly honest portrayal of a population under siege. As a perspective that is largely excluded from American attention, it deserves the widest possible audience.”

Following the film, there will be a community discussion on the current crisis in Israel, Palestine, and Lebanon and the events leading to it. Panelists include Professor Steve Niva, Middle East Studies at The Evergreen State College, Will Hewitt of Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project, recently returned from Gaza, and Craig and Cindy Corrie, parents of Rachel Corrie who was killed in the Gaza Strip in March 2003.

The event is sponsored by the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice and the Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project.

Contact: John Harvey at John_Harvey@Comcast.net