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Wednesday,
February 10 – Saturday, February 13, 2010
Selections
from the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, 8th Edition
Co-presented
by the Greenfield Intercultural Center and the African Studies
Center at the University of Pennsylvania
The
works featured during Selections from the Human Rights Watch
International Film Festival help to put a human face on threats
to individual freedom and dignity, and celebrate the power of
the human spirit and intellect to prevail. They enable people
to see human rights issues and their impact through the art
of film, a medium that has the power to share individual stories
of suffering and of strength across borders of all kinds. We see
these films as capable of creating forums for discussion in
communities across the Philadelphia Region and seek to empower
everyone with the knowledge that personal commitment can make
a very real difference.
Friday,
February 12, 2010
Mrs
Goundo's Daughter
dir.
Barbara Attie and Janet Goldwater, Mali/US, 2009, BetaSP, 60
mins, color, English, Bambara and French w/English subtitles
Directors
Barbara Attie and Janet Goldwater in person
Mrs
Goundo’s Daughter is the story
of a Malian mother’s fight for asylum in the US to protect her
two-year-old from female genital mutilation. To stay in the
US, Goundo must persuade an immigration judge that her US-born
daughter will suffer this procedure if Goundo is deported. In
Mali, 85 percent of women and girls experience clitoral excision.
Goundo and her husband are convinced they would be powerless
to protect their daughter from her grandparents, who believe
all girls should be excised. The film bridges Goundo’s two worlds,
expertly interweaving scenes from Mali of girls preparing for
an excision ceremony and from Philadelphia where those who have
survived the procedure share their stories.
Saturday,
February 13, 2010
Back
Home Tomorrow
dir.
Fabrizio Lazzaretti and Paolo Santolini, Italy, 2008, BetaSP,
90 mins, color, Dari, Nuba and Arabic w/ English subtitles
Directors
Fabrizio Lazzaretti and Paolo Santolini share the moving stories
of two children affected by war to present the remarkable work
of the Italian aid organization Emergency. Yagoub fled with
his family from Darfur and now lives in the Mayo Refugee Camp
in the Sudanese capital Khartoum. He must undergo a serious
heart operation, but neither his family nor his fellow tribesmen
can come up with the money to pay for it. Murtaza is recuperating
in a hospital in Kabul after losing his left hand to a landmine.
The directors expertly interweave these two fascinating and
heartfelt stories without commentary to create a film of rich
complexities and emotional resonance.
followed
by
My
Neighbor, My Killer
dir.
Anne Aghion, US, 2009, BetaSP, 80 mins, color, French and Kinyarwanda
w/ English subtitles
In
1994, hundreds of thousands of Rwandan Hutus were incited to
wipe out the country’s Tutsi minority. In 1999, the government
began Gacaca – open-air hearings with
citizen-judges to try their neighbors and rebuild the nation.
As part of this experiment in reconciliation, confessed killers
are sent home from prison, while traumatized survivors are asked
to forgive them and resume living side-by-side. Film ing for
nearly a decade, award-winning filmmaker Anne Aghion charted
the impact of Gacaca on survivors and perpetrators alike. Through
their fear and anger, accusations and defenses, blurry truths,
inconsolable sadness, and hope for life renewed, she captures
the emotional journey to coexistence.
Saturday,
February 13,
2010
Youth
Producing Change
Founded
by Adobe Youth Voices, Youth Producing Change presents 10 powerful
stories from young filmmakers across the globe as they turn
a camera on their own lives and share their visions of change.
Running time 62 minutes.
I
Live in Mozambique
dir.
Alcides Soares in association with BYkids, US/Mozambique, 2008,
BetaSP, 4 mins, color
Alcides,
who recently lost both parents to HIV/AIDS, documents the community
impact of the epidemic. His story focuses on the realities for
children left to their own; their resilience to recreate family
and to persevere.
Leila
prod.
Camera-etc, Burkina Faso, 2007, BetaSP, 4 mins, color, French
w/ English subtitles
The
film focuses on the lives of children that are sold into servitude,
told through animation. This enchanting short tells the story
of Leila, an only daughter of poor farmers who decide to exchange
her for one bag of millet to feed the rest of their family.
Sako
dir.
Aram Abrahamyan and David Martirosyan of Manana Youth Center,
Armenia, 2005, BetaSP, 5 mins, color, Armenian w/ English subtitles
Sako
is a 13 year old boy who works in a gravestone factory in order
to support his family. He speaks about his daily life and his
dreams of going to school.
Thoughts
in a Hijab
dir.
Cliona Byrne, Eimanne El Zein and Sahar Shakeri of Reel Grrls,
US, 2008, BetaSP, 7 mins, color, English and Persian w/ English
subtitles
A
young woman who recently emigrated from Iran chooses to continue
wearing the hijab (Islamic head covering) that once symbolized
oppression for her family.
Noe’s
Story
dir.
Noe in association with Beyond Borders: Mas Alla de las Fronteras,
US, 2008, BetaSP, 5 mins, color, Spanish w/ English subtitles
15
year old Noe, a recent immigrant to the US, explores his identity
in his new country. Driven to succeed despite obstacles he faces,
he challenges other new immigrants not to give up hope.
What
Courage Means to Me
dir.
Lekphel, Lungsang, Pema, Tashi and students at Tibetan Children’s
Village in collaboration with Bridges to Understanding, US/Tibet,
2008, BetaSP, 4 mins, color
Inspired
by the courageous story of a Tibetan nun and former political
prisoner who escaped Tibet, Lungsang resolves to keep Tibetan
culture alive for the next generation.
Aquafinito
dir.
Annalise Littman in association with the Fast Forward Program
at the Institute of Contemporary Art, US, 2009, BetaSP, 10 mins,
color
Access
to clean water is a basic human necessity, yet corporations
seeking profit are purchasing community water supplies around
the world. Aquafinito raises awareness of the human
rights and environmental impact of bottled water.
It’s
Not About Sex
dir.
Ibrahim Al Hashidi, Aaron A Alberto, David Brice, Jessica Cele,
Everin Khatun, Will Lucas, Shon McGoy, Justin Miro, Paola Pazymino,
Daniel Potts, Luis Rodriguez, Sara Siddique and Akeem Smith
in association with Educational Video Center, US, 2009, BetaSP,
8 mins, color
Shocked
by the claim that more than half of all rape happens to people
under 18, these young filmmakers search for the roots of sexual
violence and call for change.
Just
a Normal Day
dir.
Fiona Whelan, Samantha Williams and Arran Walker in association
with BFI Reel Lives, UK, 2008, BetaSP, 5 mins, color
This
film depicts the grim reality of life for young people in London
who are targets of arbitrary "stop and search" and
maltreatment by police.
In
My Shoes
prod.
12 youth filmmakers from Urban Arts Partnership, US, 2008, BetaSP,
8 mins, color
Each
night 1,600 teenagers in New York City find themselves homeless.
Clevins and Jackie, two formerly homeless teens from New York
City, share their stories of overcoming adversity and their
work to create a community of support around teen homelessness.
Adobe
Youth Voices is the Adobe Foundation’s global philanthropic
initiative that empowers youth from underserved communities
worldwide to comment on their world using multimedia and digital
tools to communicate and share their ideas, demonstrate their
potential, and take action in their communities.
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