Local peace advocates are turning to the movies to plead their case against the current war in Iraq.

Proceeds from the Lancaster Peace Film Festival, running this Wednesday through Saturday, will support Iraq Veterans Against the War, a national organization that favors ending the war and bringing American troops home.

"We believe that Iraq Veterans Against the War is the anti-war organization that has the biggest possibility of being able to pressure an end to the war," local activist Nick Martin said Sunday.

"So we want to raise money and public support in Lancaster."

The film festival is sponsored by Lancaster Interchurch Peace Witness, the Lancaster Coalition for Peace & Justice and the Lancaster chapter of Students for a Democratic Society. Each movie will be hosted by church youth groups at four participating churches.

"It's winter, and it's hard to have big outdoor rallies," Martin said. "But it's easy to show a diversity of movies so people will come out."

The movies and screening locations are:

-"Turtles Can Fly" — 7 p.m. Wednesday, Community Mennonite Church of Lancaster, 328 W. Orange St.

-"Why We Fight" — 7 p.m. Thursday, Lancaster Friends Meetinghouse, 110 Tulane Terrace.

-"The Ground Truth" — 7 p.m. Friday, Unitarian Universalist Church of Lancaster, 538 W. Chestnut St.

-"Sir, No Sir" — 7 p.m. Saturday, East Chestnut Street Mennonite Church, 434 E. Chestnut St.

"We watched all of them and thought they were the most fitting for our film festival," Martin said.

Event co-organizer Rebecca Rast said they hope "to introduce topics of the war in ways that encourage dialogue."

"We want to make sure people know ... the worth and cost of the war," she said.

The film series is one of numerous events involved in the fundraising campaign for IVAW, Rast said.

The effort will culminate March 15 with a march in Lancaster marking the war's fifth anniversary.

"It's really important the people come to this," Martin said. "Supporting Iraq Veterans Against the War is the most tangible way to see an end to a war that the majority of U.S. citizens are strongly against."