Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

Via Nick Humphreys, Political Action Committee

Amnesty International Announces 5th Annual Human Rights Film Festival: University of Victoria to host this very special 3 day event from November 17-19

Victoria, BC: In spite of the increasing influence of human rights organizations around the world, and the improved flow of information to and among concerned citizens, tragic abuses continue to occur with alarming frequency. Amnesty International is committed to shining a light on these events through these sometimes stark, but always honest, films capturing the reality we face.

• November 17,18,19
• Location: University of Victoria David Lam Auditorium (MacLaurin Building)
• Tickets: All screenings by donation. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
• more information: www.amnestyfilmsvictoria.ca

Now in its fifth year in Victoria, the event has seen a remarkable increase in attendance and is now the second largest Amnesty Film Festival in the nation. It is a showcase for talented filmmakers who work against long odds, short finances and threatening politics to bring to the screen powerful stories of human struggle, sacrifice and triumph. This year, the festival is honoured to present eight exceptional and timely new films of global importance, with guest speakers introducing and discussing content and implications.

“But this festival is about more than just exemplary film-making. We share these powerful films to raise awareness and to encourage people to translate what they have seen into meaningful action,” says festival director Mariko Miller. “All of these films are windows into worlds we may know little about. We have the opportunity to see, hear, and be moved to act.” Information and education will be provided at tables from over 30 organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, Building Bridges, Canada-Tibet Committee, Free the Children, Central American Support Committee, Journalists for Human Rights, Save the Aids Orphans, Kapasseni Project and more.

Films included in the 2006 festival include:

The Tank Man: On a fateful day in June 1989, the world became fixed on the bold image of a lone man staring down a procession of tanks in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. While trying to unearth the story behind this courageous man, producers of The Tank Man uncover additional stories about the clash between the communist government of the People’s Republic of China and those advocating for a more open, democratic society. In this film, FRONTLINE explores a society in transition 17 years after the demonstrations at Tiananmen Square. China has become open for global business, but it remains closed to a free media and available information. What distinguishes this film are demonstrable links between June 4, 1989 and China at the dawn of the 21st century.

Total Denial: Ka Hsaw Wa’s battle on behalf of the Karen peoples of Burma (Myanmar) is among the most courageous and committed human rights struggle yet depicted on film. Wanted by secret police in Burma and Thailand, the exiled Ka Hsaw Wa hid in the jungle, meticulously gathering evidence from thousands of victims of human rights and environmental abuses. The result was a precedent-setting lawsuit against two multinational oil companies building a pipeline through Burma, TOTAL of France and the American company UNOCAL. From the jungles of Burma to US courtrooms, filmmaker Milena Kaneva has been following this incredible story for five years. The result is detailed and stirring documentary access to cutting edge activism at work. This film changes lives (Sean Farnel, Hot Docs).

Uganda Rising: For two decades, the Acholi people of Northern Uganda have been caught in a civil war between a rebel group whose objective was inhumane terror and a government whose military response only increased misery and suffering. Over one and a half million people were displaced into camps and 25,000 children abducted as soldiers and sex slaves. And yet through it all, something remarkable happens. Against a backdrop of dismal statistics, miniscule opportunity and unpredictable terror, in a part of Uganda forgotten by the world, children who have never known peace, face the day as if to live this way is normal, as if they still believe in the future. These children are the embodiment of resilience and hope. This film is the story of Uganda, her stolen children, and the fight to be free. Writer/producer Pete McCormack will be available for questions after the screening.

Blind Man: Blind Man is a hard-hitting, unconventional comment on human rights violations, war, global poverty, racism and starvation. The film combines poetry and paradox to convey its point.

Breaking Ranks: Breaking Ranks is a documentary about the plight of four U.S. soldiers seeking sanctuary in Canada as part of their resistance to the war in Iraq. The film documents their experiences as they try to exercise their consciences amidst profound emotional, ethical and international consequences. Filmed over the course of the refugee process, this provocative film explores the meaning of duty through the powerful testimonies of these young soldiers.

Cry For Madiom: Powerful and dreadful experience and a rare insight into an isle of desperate hope in the ocean of misery that is southern Sudan. A testimony, to the lives of some of the most unfortunate victims of the longest war in Africa and to the few Westerners that came to their aid. Former Israeli television journalist Erez T. Yanuv Barzilay witnessed the horrific situation during two visits to Sudan in 1993 and 1998. Erez will be available for questions after the screening.

(Hate) Machine: Innocent words, beautiful children, transparent direction, disturbing results: these are the elements of (Hate) Machine, a short video exploring the process of creating so-called truth in the media. With seamless production values (Hate) Machine resembles what can be seen on TV every day. And by combining these aesthetics with transparent manipulation, a dialogue between the consumers and creators of media is encouraged. With society’s growing reliance on mediated, secondhand experience, this dialogue is more important than ever.

Visioning Tibet: This award-winning film is about humanitarian ophthalmologist Marc Lieberman, founder of the Tibet Vision project. Lieberman aspires to end preventable blindness in Tibet (which has the highest rate of cataract blindness in the world) by 2020. Visioning Tibet tells the story of two Tibetans, Karma and Lhasang, who make the arduous journey to a remote clinic hoping that Tibetan doctors can restore their sight using technology and training provided by Dr. Lieberman. Filmed over three years, Visioning Tibet uses breathtaking cinematography to portray Tibet and its people in ways seldom seen by international audiences.

Founded in London, England in 1961, Amnesty International is a Nobel Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with over 1.8 million members worldwide. Amnesty International undertakes research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the context of its work to promote all human rights.

Amnesty International’s vision is of a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. AI is independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion. It does not support or oppose any government or political system, nor does it support or oppose the views of the victims whose rights it seeks to protect. It is concerned solely with the impartial protection of human rights.

More information about this year’s films, along with schedules, guest speakers and links to Amnesty International can be found at www.amnestyfilmsvictoria.ca.