Speak Out hopes to raise awareness with film

In an effort to promote political awareness, Speak Out, a
socialist group on the UCLA campus, will sponsor a screening of the
Oscar-winning documentary “The Panama Deception”
tonight.

Following the film, Speak Out will hold a discussion about the
film, and its parallels to the United States’ potential war
with Iraq. The discussion will be abridged for the sake of
time.

“It’s an identical situation (compared to the
film),” Barbara Trent, the film’s director said.
“The United States builds up one man to be the Boogie Man and
goes after him.”

Winning the 1993 Academy Award for best feature-length
documentary, “The Panama Deception” tells the story of
the United States’ invasion of Panama in 1989. During
the invasion, the U.S. military arrested corrupt Panamanian
President Manuel Noriega, but according to Trent, there were more,
less publicized reasons behind the action.

“George Bush said he sent 14,000 troops and a stealth
fighter to arrest one man,” Trent said. “Either
the United States had an inept and ill-equipped military, or there
was another agenda.”

Trent raises the argument that the U.S. military took action in
Panama to ensure American political and economic interests would be
heeded in the future. According to Trent, Noriega had worn out his
use to the United States, and was removed in a coup, leaving the
country open to larger American political and economic
influence.

Having already directed two socially-conscious documentaries,
Trent and her partner, David Kasper, knew what work and research
would be required for their new project. Her previous films,
“Destination Nicaragua” in 1986 and “COVERUP:
Behind the Iran-Contra Affair” in 1988, were critical of the
American government, and Trent was able to use her previous
connections for “The Panama Deception.”

“(Trent) is a very active and productive citizen of this
country,” said Marina Goldovskaya, UCLA documentary film
professor and longtime documentary director.

Trent believes revisiting her film is now, perhaps more than
ever, important to remembering what happened in Panama and avoiding
the same injustices.

“Notice the deceit of the Bush administration,”
Trent said, referring to her film. “Notice the lies the
U.S. administration and the corporate media got away with, and
(people can make their) own connections to what’s happening
now.”

Not everyone agrees with her analysis. Andrew Jones, a
fourth-year political science major, former Viewpoint columnist,
and chair of the Bruin Republicans, called the documentary
“biased.” He has not seen the film.

“To argue that parallel is the biggest joke of all,”
Jones said.

Though there are differing opinions about the film, there is
little debate over its merits as a documentary.

“It’s a very well-made film,” Goldovskaya
said. “There is no doubt it proves its points
well.”

According to Speak Out, portions of the film have been edited to
shorten its total running time. The group assures it has not
cut anything that presents an alternate perspective on the
invasion, and that the changes were made simply in the interest of
time. The abridged version of the film runs about an hour.

“The Panama Deception” will screen tonight in Haines
A44 at 7:00 p.m., with discussion to follow.

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