CounterCorp Film Festival benefit screening: "Grain of Sand" (Granito de Arena, 2005) February 8, 2006

"Grain of Sand" is a new documentary about the grassroots struggle of teachers and parents in Mexico to resist the privatization of the nation's public school system, which has accelerated since the passage of NAFTA made education a so-called "tradable service".

Under pressure from the World Bank, IMF, U.S. government and multinational corporations, Mexican President (and former Coca-Cola executive) Vicente Fox has stepped up efforts to dismantle the country's public schools and replace the teachers, who have traditionally defended the rights of Mexico's poor, disenfranchised, and indigenous citizens.

Using the slogan "quality education" to impugn the teachers, the Mexican government has embarked on a program of standardized testing and performance-based evaluation that echoes the Bush administration's "No Child Left Behind" initiative. In one ominous scene in the film, Mexican TV commercials promote new schools built by the Ford Motor Company and Coca-Cola.

"Grain of Sand" also documents the historic role that teachers have played in Mexican politics, including the struggle against their own corrupt and co-opted national union, which has undermined efforts to preserve their classrooms, jobs, and autonomy -- as well as Mexican democracy -- through the use of intimidation and violence.

The film is in both English and Spanish (with alternating bilingual subtitles), and runs approximately 60 minutes. It was written and directed by acclaimed Seattle filmmaker Jill Freidberg, who also produced the award-winning documentary "This Is What Democracy Looks Like", about the historic 1999 anti-globalization protests against the WTO in Seattle.

Following the screening, a panel of speakers will discuss the connection between the privatization of schools in Mexico and similar trends in the U.S., and answer questions from the audience.

Tickets are $5-$10 and go on sale at the theater 30 minutes before the screening. Proceeds from the event go to support the 2006 CounterCorp Film Festival in October.

For more information on the screening or the CounterCorp festival, visit www.countercorp.org or contact [email protected].