Wallace State independent film series continues with “Barzan” on Thursday, March 13 at 6 p.m.

HANCEVILLE, ALA. – Wallace State Community College will continue its independent film series this month with a free screening of “Barzan” at the Burrow Center for the Fine and Performing Arts on Thursday, March 13 at 6 p.m.
The film, directed by Bradley Hutchinson, follows a man who is racially profiled after the September 11, 2001 attacks. It chronicles two fundamental myths of 21^st century America: the American dream of peace and prosperity and the bloodthirsty terrorist bent on destroying that dream.
According to the film’s website, “Sam ‘Barzan’ Malkandi, an Iraqi refugee to the U.S. and a beloved father, was working toward his piece of the American Dream in a Seattle suburb. But a footnote in ‘The 9/11 Commission Report,’ connecting him to a high-level Al-Qaeda operative through his childhood nickname, changed everything…To neighbors, Malkandi was the model immigrant and perfect family man. He worked hard to buy a house, secure a better future for his children and assimilate to American life. To investigators, Malkandi was a cold-blooded terrorist that represented a potential link between Iraq and the 9/11 attacks. To audiences, Malkandi was a mercurial character whose story embodies controversial issues of immigration, xenophobia and the price of security in the 21^st century.
“Shot both in Iraq and Seattle, and featuring haunting and animation sequences, the film takes audiences on the epic geopolitical journey of a family torn apart by suspicion, and examines the opaque government agencies charged with keeping us safe, even at the cost of freedom.”
Hutchinson will stick around after the screening to answer questions from the audience. Refreshments will be available as well.
“Barzan” was well received on the 2013 independent film circuit. It earned a Best Documentary Award at the Evolution Film Festival and was a Heartland Film Festival award winner. It was also an official selection at the Sarasota, Seattle, Tacoma, Tallgrass, Warsaw and Woodstock film festivals.
“Barzan” is now part of the South Arts film circuit, which brings the work to Wallace State. The screening is through a partnership with the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers. It’s made possible by a grant from South Arts, which is a nonprofit regional arts organization founded in 1975 to build on the South’s unique heritage and enhance the public value of the arts. South Arts’ work responds to the arts environment and cultural trends with a regional perspective. South Arts offers an annual portfolio of activities designed to address the role of the arts in impacting the issues important to our region, and to link the South with the nation and the world through the arts. www.southarts.org.
After “Barzan,” Wallace State will close the independent film series on April 10 with “The Winding Stream: The Carters, The Cashes and The Course of Country Music” in conjunction with the college’s Learning Communities program.
For more information about the film series, call 256.352.8457 or 256.352.8118 or visit Wallace State online at wallacestate.edu.

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Russell Moore
Staff Writer
Wallace State Community College
P.O. Box 2000, Hanceville, AL 35077
1-866-350-9722    256-352-8443 direct
256-339-2422 cell
Visit us online at www.wallacestate.edu
 
Kristen Holmes
Communications & Marketing Director
Wallace State Community College
801 Main Street NW | Hanceville, AL 35077
E-mail: kristen.holmes@wallacestate.edu
Office: 256.352.8118 | Cell: 256.339.2519 | Toll Free: 866.350.9722
Be One of Us. Visit us online at www.wallacestate.edu.