ACLU Attorney Ben Wizner to Speak at Secrecy Screening October 29 - Austin

ACLU Attorney Ben Wizner to Speak at Secrecy Screening October 29
Wizner, Featured in Film, Represented Detainees at Guantanamo Bay

AUSTIN – American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) attorney Ben Wizner, who has represented detainees at Guantanamo Bay, will answer questions after the October 29 screening of the documentary, Secrecy, at the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz in Austin.

Secrecy, by Harvard professors Peter Galison and Robb Moss, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2008. The documentary examines “the vast, invisible world of government secrecy. By focusing on classified secrets, the government’s ability to put information out of sight if it would harm national security, Secrecy explores the tensions between our safety as a nation, and our ability to function as a democracy.”

In Secrecy, Wizner is interviewed about the ACLU’s handling of the case of Khaled El-Masri, who was kidnapped and detained for five months in a secret CIA prison.

The film will be presented by the ACLU of Texas Central Texas Chapter in cooperation with Third Coast Activist. Additional screenings of the film will take place October 21 and 22 at the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz.

The film begins at 7pm. Tickets are $8.50 for general admission and $6.50 for students and seniors. Tickets are available at the door or online at www.originalalamo.com

Alamo Drafthouse Ritz
320 E. 6th Street
Austin, TX 78701
Tel: 512-476-1320

For more information about the film, please go to: secrecyfilm.org

For information about the case of Khaled El-Masri, please go to: aclu.org/safefree/extraordinaryrendition/22201res20051206.html

Wednesday, October 29, 7 p.m.
Third Coast Film Night at Alamo Drafthouse Ritz, "Secrecy" with ACLU attorney Ben Wizner

Secrecy, a new film by Harvard professors Peter Galison and Robb Moss about government classification debates, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2008. Historian Tom Blanton, executive director of the National Security Archive, played a featured role in the film and the discussion following it at Sundance. The film examines "the hidden world of national security policy by examining the many implications of secrecy, both for government and individuals."

"We live in a world where the production of secret knowledge dwarfs the production of open knowledge," the filmmakers say. "Depending on whom you ask, government secrecy is either the key to victory in our struggle against terrorism, or our Achilles heel." The film explores the various ways "secrecy saves" lives by keeping volatile information out of the hands of dangerous people, and how "secrecy corrupts" governments by shielding them from public accountability. The film interviews former military and intelligence service personnel, historians, scientists, and lawyers on both sides of the open access divide. The film covers "the vast, invisible world of government secrecy. By focusing on classified secrets, the government's ability to put information out of sight if it would harm national security, Secrecy explores the tensions between our safety as a nation, and our ability to function as a democracy."

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with ACLU attorney Ben Wizner, who is interviewed in the film about the ACLU's handling of the case of Khaled El-Masri, who was kidnapped and detained for five months in a secret CIA prison.

Location: Alamo Drafthouse Ritz, 320 E. 6th Street

Tickets - $8.50 general / $6.50 student, senior - are available at the door or online at http://www.originalalamo.com/Show.aspx?id=5683
These screenings are presented in conjunction with ACLU - Texas.