|
Six thousand police officers fill the streets of Quebec City on April 20, 2001 as helicopters buzz ominously overhead. The arsenal is there to protect the Summit's high profile guests. Thirty four-heads of state from the Americas (Cuba excluded) will meet behind closed doors to discuss agreements for a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). Those opposed to the FTAA will either peacefully march in protest, or express their resistance through much more militant means. Officials are concerned that some protestors will attack the security barricades. The local population fears the worst. Will the Quebec capital become a battleground? View from the Summit introduces us to Thomas d'Aquino, president of the Business Council on National Issues, representing Canada's 150 largest corporations. d'Aquino is an ardent supporter of free trade and has his own particular view of democracy. Also in attendance is Richard Feinberg, promoter of the "democracy clause" and confessed fan of summitry. Viewers will also meet three activists:
Graciela Rodriguez, an Argentinean exiled in Brazil for the past
25 years and a prominent figure in the Continental Social Alliance,
which seeks an alternative to the type of economic integration
pursued by the Summit invitees. Philippe Duhamel and his group,
Opération SalAMI, have put together a non-violent coalition
to protest the FTAA. Tania Hallé, a student and member
of the anarchist movement, Convergence of Anti-Capitalist Struggles
(known as CLAC in French), is also on hand. Hallé and
CLAC support a range of protest tactics including festive demonstration,
peaceful obstruction, and active disruption. |
|||||||
 |
A
film by In Collaboration With With the Participation of Editing Production Production Executive Production Distribution
|
||||||||
|
Film Crew - Photo Credit: Jacques Nadeau |