A searing true story from America’s heartland, “Losing Our Sons” tells of two American families whose lives intersected through a shattering act of violence. Melvin Bledsoe, a small business owner in Memphis, watched with pride as his son Carlos went to Tennessee State University in Nashville to better his life. Daris Long, an ex-Marine, felt honored that his son, Andy, chose to follow in his footsteps by joining the military. But when Carlos Bledsoe murdered Andy Long in Little Rock, Arkansas, both fathers had to face a new kind of American nightmare. As Melvin followed the trail that led Carlos from Nashville to Yemen and then to Little Rock, Daris confronted an American government which seemed in denial about what happened to his son. This powerful documentary provides a moment of clarity for Americans who care about their country’s future.

“The J Street Challenge” is an important and timely documentary about a significant issue facing the American Jewish community. Since it was founded in 2008, J Street’s idealistic message has attracted many Jews, young and old, who are frustrated by the Middle East conflict and sincerely want peace between Arabs and Jews. J Street has been a subject of controversy. Critics claim that J Street has divided the Jewish community and weakened American Jewish support for Israel. “The J Street Challenge” lets viewers hear both sides of this important debate over the elusive solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. The film explores the reasons for J Street’s appeal, as well as the diverse and at times contradictory motivations of its leaders and followers. The film is being released at a critical time for the American Jewish community given the intense efforts by the United States to resolve the conflict and influence the community’s leadership to support these efforts. The Kerry peace initiative has further divided the Jewish community, with J Street working to weaken the influence of AIPAC while strongly backing the Obama administration. The film includes distinguished scholars and writers from a wide political spectrum, including Harvard professors Alan Dershowitz, Ruth Wisse, Rabbi Daniel Gordis of the Shalem College in Jerusalem, Caroline Glick (Managing Editor of “The Jerusalem Post”), Professor Richard Landes of Boston University, Lenny Ben-David (former Israeli diplomat and author), and Bret Stephens (Pulitzer-Prize winning columnist for “The Wall Street Journal.”)

To arrange a screening or learn more about discrimination against Jewish students on campuses, please visit www.hatespaces.com.

Iranium - National Screening Event on Feb 8, 2011. To learn more or host a community screening, please visit www.iraniumthemovie.com