- Street:
- Village Books
- Additional:
- 1200 Eleventh Street
- City:
- Bellingham ,
- Province:
- Washington
- Postal Code:
- 98225
- Country:
- United States
Join us for this FREE, non-ticketed event at Village Books.
Entangled in a distant war, our nation lost sight of its highest values. Men and women who spoke out against the war were punished. Their families were torn apart. In Montana, scores of people were convicted of sedition, merely for criticizing the war effort or for refusing to prove their loyalty by buying war bonds. Some were sent to prison for up to 20 years. This was almost 100 years ago.
This powerful, hour-long documentary traces the dramatic story of Montana's draconian WWI sedition law, the harshest law of its kind in the nation, and the model for a U.S. law passed shortly after. Through interviews with free speech experts, historians, and descendants of the prisoners, the film shows how war hysteria and super-patriotism led to broken lives. Creative re-enactments help tell this compelling human drama, while contemporary footage shows the dramatic conclusion, the pardoning of all sedition prisoners by Montana Govenor Brian Schweitzer in 2006. Framed in the context of our First Amendment guarantee of free speech and free press, this cautionary tale demonstrates in clear and compelling terms what can happen when Americans give up their liberties in return for the promise of greater security. Produced and directed in Montana by acclaimed filmmaker Gita Saedi Kiely and narrated by J.K. Simmons, Jailed For Their Words resonates in today's world and sounds a warning for tomorrow.
Co-sponsored by Amnesty International
