ORONO – With the United States anticipating war with Iraq, the new Peace and Justice Film Series at the University of Maine will focus on that Persian Gulf nation and past and current military conflicts.

The weekly movies are sponsored by the Maine Peace Action Committee, a group made up predominantly of UMaine students. The movies are free and open to the public.

The series kicks off Jan. 30 with a showing of “Hearts and Minds,” a documentary about the Vietnam War. MPAC has shown the film at UMaine for nearly 30 years. The film will be followed by a discussion with Ngo Vinh Long, UM history professor who is from Vietnam, and two Vietnam War veterans, Bob Whalen, an English professor, and Jim Frick, editor of the UM alumni magazine.

All films, except the Feb. 27 program, will be shown at 7 p.m. in Room 110 of Little Hall:

. Jan. 30 – “Hearts and Minds,” Academy Award-winning documentary about the Vietnam War and its causes and consequences. This film is followed by a discussion.

. Feb. 6 – “Hidden Wars of Desert Storm,” an account of the Gulf War and its aftermath.

. Feb. 13 – “Paying the Price: Killing the Children of Iraq,” shows how sanctions imposed by the international community on Iraq to punish Saddam Hussein have led to the death of an estimated 500,000 children.

. Feb. 20 – “Palestine is Still the Issue,” the latest movie by journalist John Pilger.

. Feb. 27 – “The Trials of Henry Kissinger: Is Henry Kissinger, Nobel laureate and diplomat, also a war criminal?” Room 100 Corbett Business Building.