2012 Human Rights Film Series
Co-Presented By:
Each fall the American University's Center for Social Media and the Washington College of Law's Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law host a Human Rights Film Series, showcasing the power of film to educate and advocate about human rights.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
Give Up Tomorrow
Filmmaker: Michael Collins and Marty Syjuco
Over a decade ago, Paco was accused of murdering two young immigrant women. He has plead innocent to these accusations throughout his trial and sentencing. Now on death row, he faces lethal injection if the courts do not over turn the ruling. Considered the "murder's of the century" in the Philippines, the international community took interest in this capital punishment case with organizations such as Amnesty International and the government of Spain supporting Paco's innocence. Filmmakers Michael Collins and Marty Syjuco capture the emotion and drama that unfolds in this award-winning film that raises issues of political power, capital punishment, media's role in public trials and the divides between race and class in the Philippines and around the world.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2012
1/2 Revolution
Filmmaker: Omar Shargawi and Karim El Hakim
When the people took to the streets in downtown Cairo in 2011, Omar and Karim saw a story unfolding before their eyes. As accomplished filmmakers, they picked up their cameras and recorded the events of the Egyptian Revolution as they happened. The narration of the film blends their own voices and conversations with the audio from the streets in a film that tells the story of a few weeks and asks questions that will be considered for decaded. According to the film website, "This film is the first film that considers the 25th of January revolution an incomplete revolution, which has been proven by the latest events in Egypt. The film’s name was decided on from the first days of its shooting, where Omar and Karim considered that the title reflects on what happened to the ongoing Egyptian revolution."
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2012
Call Me Kuchu
Filmmakers: Katherine Fairfax Wright and Malika Zouhali-Worrall
In Uganda, "A new “Anti-Homosexuality Bill” proposes death for HIV-positive gay men, and prison for anyone who fails to turn in a known homosexual. Inspired by American evangelicals who have christened Uganda 'ground zero' in the war on the “homosexual agenda”, The Bill awaits debate in Uganda’s Parliament." (Call Me Kuchu Website) This film intimately steps into the lives of gay Ugandans, some of whom have choosen to come out to their friends and family, and the struggles they face on a daily basis trying to over turn the court's rulings while also educating their communities that being gay is not a crime and certainly not a grave sin as many Ugandans would suggest.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2012
Granito
Filmmaker: Pamela Yates and Pace de Onis
"GRANITO is a story of destinies joined by Guatemala’s past, and how a documentary film intertwined with a nation’s turbulent history emerges as an active player in the present. Each of the five main characters whose destinies collide in GRANITO are connected by the Guatemala of 1982, then engulfed in a war where a genocidal “scorched earth” campaign by the military exterminated nearly 200,000 Maya people." (FIlm Website)
ABOUT THE SERIES:
The Human Rights Film Series, first organized in 2000 and presented by the Center for Social Media and the Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law, showcases the power of film to educate and advocate about human rights. Four exceptional documentary films that exhibit excellence in filmmaking and explore a broad spectrum of human rights issues are screened each fall. Following each screening, there is an opportunity for the filmmaker and human rights advocates to discuss the film and its issues with the audience. The Centers also provide resource pages to provide a deeper understanding of the underlying human rights issues discussed in the films. The Human Rights Film Series is free and open to the public.
Previous Human Rights Film Series: 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003,2002.