Date: Thursday March 22nd
Spreadsheet: Timeline rev 2
Inside Job, an Academy Award-winning documentary film about the U.S. 2001-to-2007 financial crisis narrated by Actor Matt Damon, will be shown Thursday, March 22nd at 6:30 P.M. at the Midcoast Friends Meeting House in Damariscotta. The film was first screened at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, where it was praised for its pacing, research and exposition. Following its international screening, Inside Job was awarded the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2010.
The film explores how the erosion of financial protections and policies in the U.S. helped create a national and international financial crisis that injured millions of Americans and destabilized financial markets in countries around the globe. Inside Job looks at how the deterioration of banking controls, especially in the investment and housing industries, led to high levels of mismanagement and corruption in many of the U.S.’s most prestigious banks and investment corporations.
Director Charles H. Ferguson says that Inside Job describes “…the systemic corruption of the United States by the financial services industry and the consequences of that systemic corruption.” Ferguson interviews key players from the U.S.’s financial community about how the crisis was created and reveals how a lack of accountability—from the highest to the lowest levels—contributed to the theft of billions of dollars and the collapse of large segments of the U.S.’s financial community. Ferguson also follows the crash of Iceland’s banking industry and the country’s subsequent recession after Iceland underwent a similar process of financial deregulation that paralleled events in the U.S.
Inside Job is co-sponsored by CONA (Citizens Offering New Alternatives) and the Midcoast Peace Center. CONA is a non-profit membership organization celebrating 30 years of presenting programs and community events in support of peace, justice and the environment. Admission is free, but a donation of non-perishable food or toilet articles for the Ecumenical Food Pantry would be appreciated. A second, follow-up discussion and study group program will be offered at a future time for interested participants.
The Midcoast Meeting House is located at 7 Belvedere Road in Damariscotta. From south of Damariscotta, at the blinking yellow light on Route One between Newcastle and Nobleboro, turn left onto Belvedere Road (from north of Damariscotta, turn right onto Belvedere Road). Proceed approximately .2 miles. The Meetinghouse is on the right. FMI: go to www.conamaine.com or contact Doris Balant, 563-1216, dbalant@roadrunner.com.
