n o s a e P.O.V. 18S Discussion Guide The Brooklyn Connection A Film by Klaartje Quirijns www.pbs.org/pov P.O.V. n o The Brooklyn Connection s Discussion Guide | a 18e S Letter from the Filmmaker Dear Viewer, Why did I want to make this film? The armed struggle in Kosovo is far from over. In 1999, after mediation by the UN, the Serbs and Albanians reached a ceasefire, but the Serbs want to retain control over the region and the Albanians (90 percent of the population) continue to strive for independence. A disarmament campaign has failed. Kosovo is ready to explode again. Florin Krasniqi, the main character in the film, was born in Kosovo and lives in Brooklyn. He is willing to do anything to gain independence for Kosovo. Florin and his comrades consider NATO and the UN their new occupiers. This time, they may use high-power sniper rifles against the “Internationals." But the real story began when Stacy Sullivan and I met five years ago. I was working on a documentary and approached Stacy because I was looking for a war correspondent. She was then writing a book about Florin Krasniqi, titled Be Not Afraid, For You Have Sons in America. At that time, her main character was an owner of a roofing company in Brooklyn. During the war (1997-1999), he collected millions of dollars from Albanian communities in the U.S. With this money, weapons were bought that were subsequently Filmmaker Klaartje Quirijns smuggled into Kosovo via Albania. Stacy introduced me to Krasniqi, and I was Photo courtesy of Marie Claire immediately persuaded toward his cause: he was charming, charismatic, funny, and ruthless all at the same time. Coming from the Netherlands, a country where you cannot own a weapon, this story shocked me. It was not just the easy access to weapons, but also the mechanism of the political lobby: you pay for politicians and they will pay you back. And on top of this, a person can legally export weapons to wherever he chooses. Not just small arms, but sniper rifles that can shoot down a helicopter and kill a person from a mile away. We had no funding and I was more than eight months pregnant, but Stacy, the cameraman, Martijn 't Hartl and I were determined to make this film. We went to Albania, traveled to Kosovo, and with the footage we shot, our Dutch executive producer George Brugmans convinced the public TV in the Netherlands that this film needed to be made. In the film, we tried to find an answer to the question, Where did all the weapons actually come from? We followed Krasniqi in his private life and in his "regular" work and at election meetings, where he carries out his lobbying activities. To me, the most striking thing about the story was here you have gun laws that make it possible to build a guerrilla army in the U.S., and then you have the situation in Kosovo where they are ready and willing to fight the Internationals. How did this happen? I like to make documentaries that let the viewer have their own thoughts. In this case, I was fascinated by the character of Krasniqi: Is he a freedom fighter or a terrorist? The line is very thin, and I wanted to show the complexity of this. He is a great guy, a charmer, but he can be ruthless as well. Is he a terrorist in the sense that he has killed civilians for his cause? No, I don't think so. Is he capable of it? Yes, I think so. He is radical, he wants independence for Kosovo, and he will do whatever it takes to make this happen. Klaartje Quirijns Director/Producer, The Brooklyn Connection © American Documentary, Inc. 2 P.O.V. n o The Brooklyn Connection s Discussion Guide | a 18e S Table of Contents Credits, Acknowledgements 4 Introduction Writer 5 Potential Partners Faith Rogow, PhD 5 Key Issues Insighters Educational Consulting 5 Event Ideas 6 Using This Guide Guide Producers 6 Planning an Event Cara Mertes 7 Facilitating a Discussion Executive Director, P.O.V. 7 Finding a Facilitator Eliza Licht 7 Preparing Yourself Community Engagement Manager, P.O.V. 8 Preparing the Group Shabnam Ahamed 9 Background Information Community Engagement Assistant, P.O.V. 9 History Juliet Gorman 10 U.S. Policy on Kosovo Associate Producer, P.O.V. Interactive Design: Rafael Jiménez 11 U.S. Gun Control Policy Copy Editor: Anne Hellman 11 Biography: Florin Krasniqi 12 General Discussion Questions 13 Discussion Prompts Thanks to those who reviewed this guide: 15 Taking Action Klaartje Quirijns 16 Resources Filmmaker, The Brooklyn Connection 20 How to Buy the Film Stacy Sullivan Author, Be Not Afraid, For You Have Sons in America © American Documentary, Inc. 3 P.O.V. n o The Brooklyn Connection s Discussion Guide | a 18e S Introduction Florin Krasniqi leads a double life. To most of his Brooklyn neighbors, he is an Albanian immigrant from Kosovo who owns a successful roofing company. But to the Kosovo Liberation Army, a guerilla group fighting for Kosovo’s independence from Serbia, Krasniqi is a major fundraiser and arms supplier. The Brooklyn Connection, a feature-length (60 min.) documentary based on material from Stacy Sullivan’s book, Be Not Afraid, For You Have Sons in America, follows Krasniqi as he raises money, solicits political support, purchases arms and supplies, smuggles his purchases into Kosovo, and, like any normal father, celebrates his child’s birthday with a family barbeque on the roof of his Brooklyn home. Krasniqi’s ability to easily and Florin Krasniqi and compatriots ride the ferry to legally purchase weapons suitable for a guerrilla army raises bring arms to Albania. Photo courtesy of “The Brooklyn Connection” questions about U.S. policy. Can the United States broker peaceful solutions to conflicts like the one in Kosovo when the conflict is being sustained by arms obtained through American gun shows, retailers, catalogues, and websites? As The Brooklyn Connection provokes viewers to examine the worldwide impact of U.S. firearms laws, it also challenges people to consider their own ideas about patriotism, national identity, and independence. As an outreach tool, the film can spark frank discussions about the connections between human rights, U.S. foreign policy, the value of gun ownership, and the ultimate safety of American citizens. © American Documentary, Inc. 4 P.O.V. n o The Brooklyn Connection s Discussion Guide | a 18e S Potential Partners Key Issues The Brooklyn Connection is well suited for use in a variety of The Brooklyn Connection is an excellent tool for outreach settings and is especially recommended for use with: because it features a person who is clear and open about his loyalties, actions, and beliefs. The film will be of special • Your local PBS station interest to people interested in exploring or working on the • Groups that have discussed previous PBS and P.O.V. issues below: films relating to war or war crimes and their relationship to national identity and/or human rights, • Arms control including Discovering Dominga, The Flute Player, • Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Regret to Inform, or War Feels Like War Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia, • Groups focused on any of the issues listed to the right former Yugoslavia) • Legislators • Campaign financing • High school students • Ethnic identity • Faith-based organizations and institutions • Guerilla warfare • Academic departments and student groups at • Gun control colleges, universities, community colleges, and high • Human rights schools • Immigration • Community organizations with a mission to promote • Militarism education and learning, such as P.O.V.’s national • Muslim communities partners Elderhostel Learning in Retirement Centers, members of the Listen Up! Youth Media Network, or • Nationalism your local library. • Peace • Terrorism • U.S. Foreign policy • United Nations • War Event Ideas Use a screening of The Brooklyn Connection to: • Host a discussion on arms sales policy or the Balkans. Invite a local expert on the issue to provide background or lead the discussion. You might focus on how availability of guns in the U.S. affects people outside of the U.S. • Convene Study Circles to investigate current conditions in Kosovo and current U.S. policy toward governments and ethnic groups in the region. Arrange for Study Circle participants to meet with local journalists to share what they have learned as background for creating a series of reports on the Balkans and how events there relate to ethnic groups where you live. © American Documentary, Inc. 5 P.O.V. n o The Brooklyn Connection s Discussion Guide | a 18e S Using This Guide This guide is designed to help you use The Brooklyn Connection as the centerpiece of a community event. It contains suggestions for organizing an event as well as ideas for how to help participants think more deeply about the issues in the film. The discussion questions are designed for a very wide range of audiences. Rather than attempt to address them all, choose one or two that best meet the needs and interests of your group. Planning an Event In addition to showcasing documentary films as an art form, screenings of P.O.V. films can be used to present information, get people interested in taking action on an issue, provide opportunities for people from different groups or perspectives to exchange views, and/or create space for reflection. Using the questions below as a planning checklist will help ensure a high-quality/high- impact event. • Have you defined your goals? With your partner(s), set realistic goals. Will you host a single event or engage in an ongoing project? Being clear about your goals will make it much easier to structure the event, target publicity, and evaluate results.