Racism: What It Is and How to Deal with It - Uned

A Guide to Talking about Racism | 52
3. Resources
3.1. Films
¡Mezquita no!: http://www.aulaintercultural.org/article.php3?id_article=1018
Director: Alberto Aranda and Guillermo Cruz
Length: 30 minutes.
Synopsis: A documentary on the conflict in the city of Santa Coloma de Gramenet in
October-November 2004. The installation of a Moslem place of prayer on the
ground floor of an apartment building unleashed the protests of neighbors who
complained that the premises were not prepared to house a center of worship. In
the conflict among the neighbors, the city hall, and the Moslems, several people
from the cultural center Ateneu de Sta. Coloma intervened, asking for the
neighbors’ respect toward those who were praying, defending the consititutional
right to freedom of worship. Finally, the atmosphere became too heated, and the
Mossos d’Esquadra (autonomous community police) had to intervene.
With the conflict over, with the relocation of the center of worship on a piece of open
land on the outskirts of Sta. Coloma, “¡Mezquita no!” tries to be a documentary of
the dialogue and a reflection on the events, on the causes and consequences of a
case that was not the first and will not be the last of its kind, an event that
proliferates increasingly in Spanish society, a society that receives a great number
of immigrants.
American History X: http://www.aulaintercultural.org/article.php3?id_article=1018
Director: Tony Kaye
Length: 115 minutes.
Synopsis: The film attempts to describe the attitude of young neo-Nazis in the
United States and the causes that lead them to become skinheads. A young man
who belongs to a racist group goes to jail and when he is released he meets up with
his old friends.
The film reflects three processes of change: that of the main character in jail, that of
the group of friends (including, particularly, his younger brother) during this same
time period, and the clash of opinions and attitudes once he is free again.