The Hope College Knickerbocker Theatre is showing three highly acclaimed documentaries this fall, including the return of a favorite film from the 2006 Tulipanes Festival.
The films are "Why We Fight," "Who Killed the Electric Car?" and "Crossing Arizona."
The series opened with "Why We Fight," which runs through Friday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. A new film by Eugene Jarecki, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, "Why We Fight" is an unflinching look at the anatomy of the American war machine, weaving unforgettable personal stories with commentary by a "who's who" of military and beltway insiders. Featuring John McCain, William Kristol, Chalmers Johnson, Gore Vidal, Richard Perle and others, ""Why We Fight" launches a bipartisan inquiry into the workings of the military industrial complex and the rise of the American empire.
"Who Killed the Electric Car?" shows Monday-Friday, Nov. 13-17, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. It was among the fastest, most efficient production cars ever built. It ran on electricity, produced no emissions and catapulted American technology to the forefront of the automotive industry. So why did General Motors crush its fleet of EV1 electric vehicles in the Arizona desert? "Who Killed the Electric Car?" chronicles the life and mysterious death of the GM EV1, examining its cultural and economic ripple effects and how they reverberated through the halls of government and big business.
The series will end with a return showing of "Crossing Arizona" on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 24-25, and Monday through Friday, Nov. 27-Dec. 1, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. (on Thursday, Nov. 30, the film will show only at 9 p.m.). The film was originally appeared as part of the Tulipanes Festival in September, and is brought back by popular demand. As up-to-date as the nightly news, but far more in-depth, "Crossing Arizona" reveals the surprising political stances people take when immigration and border policy fails everyone. "Crossing Arizona" examines the crisis through the eyes of those directly affected by it. Frustrated ranchers go out day after day to repair cut fences and pick up the trash that endangers their livestock and livelihoods. Humanitarian groups place water stations in the desert in an attempt to save lives. Political activists rally against anti-migrant ballot initiatives and try to counter rampant fear-mongering. Farmers who depend on the illegal work force face each day with the fear that they may lose their workers to a border patrol sweep. And now there are the Minutemen, an armed citizen patrol group taking border security into their own hands.
Admission to films at the Knickerbocker costs $6 for regular admission, and $5 for students and senior citizens.
The Knickerbocker Theatre is located at 86 E. Eighth St. in downtown Holland.
Additional information may be obtained online at www.hope.edu/arts/knick or by calling the Knickerbocker Theatre at (616) 395-7403.