Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2011 – Chicago
May 25: Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 East Chicago Avenue
June 1-9: Facets Cinémathèque, 1517 West Fullerton Avenue
May 25
Wed
June 1
Wed
June 2
Thurs
June 3
Fri
June 4
Sat
June 5
Sun
June 6
Mon
June 7
Tues
June 8
Wed
June 9
Thurs
CAMP VICTORY, AFGHANISTAN
Dir. by Carol Dysinger, Afghanistan/U.S.A, 2010, 84 mins. In English and Dari with English subtitles.
Drawing from nearly 300 hours of vérité footage shot between 2005 and 2008, Camp Victory, Afghanistan skillfully explores the reality of building a functioning Afghan military. Filmmaker Carol Dysinger achieves a remarkable intimacy in telling the story of several US National Guardsmen stationed in Herat, Afghanistan, and the Afghan officers they are assigned to mentor. Although the United States has poured military aid into Afghanistan, money alone does not produce security -- people do. Frustrations are evident as are moments of humor as the film vividly exposes the difficulties faced by men from two very different worlds as they attempt to understand and work effectively together in this monumental endeavor.
Filmmaker Carol Dysinger and Colonel (R) Michael Shute (subject of the film) will be here for a Q&A after the 5 pm screening on Saturday, June 4th.
Trailer Official site NYT: director interview
Variety Slant Magazine Chicago Sun-Times
Showtimes:
Sat., June 4 at 5 pm purchase tickets
Thurs., June 9 at 8:45 pm purchase tickets
X
Dir. by Carol Dysinger, Afghanistan/U.S.A, 2010, 84 mins. In English and Dari with English subtitles.
Drawing from nearly 300 hours of vérité footage shot between 2005 and 2008, Camp Victory, Afghanistan skillfully explores the reality of building a functioning Afghan military. Filmmaker Carol Dysinger achieves a remarkable intimacy in telling the story of several US National Guardsmen stationed in Herat, Afghanistan, and the Afghan officers they are assigned to mentor. Although the United States has poured military aid into Afghanistan, money alone does not produce security -- people do. Frustrations are evident as are moments of humor as the film vividly exposes the difficulties faced by men from two very different worlds as they attempt to understand and work effectively together in this monumental endeavor.
Filmmaker Carol Dysinger and Colonel (R) Michael Shute (subject of the film) will be here for a Q&A after the 5 pm screening on Saturday, June 4th.
Trailer Official site NYT: director interview
Variety Slant Magazine Chicago Sun-Times
Showtimes:
Sat., June 4 at 5 pm purchase tickets
Thurs., June 9 at 8:45 pm purchase tickets
X
ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE
Dir. by Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath, Cambodia/UK, 2009, 94 mins. In English and Khmer with English subtitles.
Enemies of the People follows the project of Thet Sambath, whose parents were among the approximately two million people who perished under the Khmer Rouge regime in the late 1970s. With unprecedented access and groundbreaking confessions from the notorious "Brother Number Two," Nuon Chea, and from numerous grassroots killers, he uncovers terrifying personal explanations for the genocide by allowing the perpetrators to speak for themselves.
Dary Mien from the Cambodian Association of Illinois will be here for a Q&'A after the 9 pm screening on Thurs., June 2nd.
Trailer Official site Village Voice
New York Times Slant Magazine
Chicago Reader
Showtimes:
Thurs., June 2 at 9 pm purchase tickets
Tues., June 7 at 9 pm purchase tickets
X
Dir. by Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath, Cambodia/UK, 2009, 94 mins. In English and Khmer with English subtitles.
Enemies of the People follows the project of Thet Sambath, whose parents were among the approximately two million people who perished under the Khmer Rouge regime in the late 1970s. With unprecedented access and groundbreaking confessions from the notorious "Brother Number Two," Nuon Chea, and from numerous grassroots killers, he uncovers terrifying personal explanations for the genocide by allowing the perpetrators to speak for themselves.
Dary Mien from the Cambodian Association of Illinois will be here for a Q&'A after the 9 pm screening on Thurs., June 2nd.
Trailer Official site Village Voice
New York Times Slant Magazine
Chicago Reader
Showtimes:
Thurs., June 2 at 9 pm purchase tickets
Tues., June 7 at 9 pm purchase tickets
X
THE GREEN WAVE
Dir. by Ali Samadi Ahadi, Germany/Iran. 2010, 80 mins. In English and Farsi with English subtitles.
From the widespread hope of political change in Iran through the 2009 elections to the brutal suppression of the mass protests against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election, The Green Wave recounts the dramatic events of the most severe domestic crisis in the history of the Islamic Republic. In May 2009, the youthful green-clad crowds were enraged and the atmosphere was explosive. Yet Election Day in June was a disappointment on a massive scale. The film recounts the ways in which the authorities violently crushed the protests that took place directly thereafter and exposes the arrests and interrogations that followed in intense detail.
Interweaving animated blogs and tweets, video footage caught by those present, and extensive interviews, The Green Wave is a remarkable portrait of modern political rebellion, an exposé of government-sanctioned violence, and a vision of hope that continued resistance may galvanise a new Iran.
Danny Postel, editor of The People Reloaded: The Green Movement and the Struggle for Iran's Future, and Kaveh Ehsani of DePaul University will be here for a Q&A after the 7 pm screening on Saturday, June 4th.
Trailer Official site Guardian UK
Showtimes:
Sat., June 4 at 7 pm purchase tickets
Tues., June 7 at 6:30 pm purchase tickets
X
Dir. by Ali Samadi Ahadi, Germany/Iran. 2010, 80 mins. In English and Farsi with English subtitles.
From the widespread hope of political change in Iran through the 2009 elections to the brutal suppression of the mass protests against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election, The Green Wave recounts the dramatic events of the most severe domestic crisis in the history of the Islamic Republic. In May 2009, the youthful green-clad crowds were enraged and the atmosphere was explosive. Yet Election Day in June was a disappointment on a massive scale. The film recounts the ways in which the authorities violently crushed the protests that took place directly thereafter and exposes the arrests and interrogations that followed in intense detail.
Interweaving animated blogs and tweets, video footage caught by those present, and extensive interviews, The Green Wave is a remarkable portrait of modern political rebellion, an exposé of government-sanctioned violence, and a vision of hope that continued resistance may galvanise a new Iran.
Danny Postel, editor of The People Reloaded: The Green Movement and the Struggle for Iran's Future, and Kaveh Ehsani of DePaul University will be here for a Q&A after the 7 pm screening on Saturday, June 4th.
Trailer Official site Guardian UK
Showtimes:
Sat., June 4 at 7 pm purchase tickets
Tues., June 7 at 6:30 pm purchase tickets
X
IN THE LAND OF THE FREE...
Dir. by Vadim Jean, UK/USA, 2009, 84 min.
Herman Wallace, Albert Woodfox and Robert King -- the Angola 3 -- have spent a combined century in solitary confinement in Angola, the Louisiana State Penitentiary. Targeted by prison officials for being members of the Black Panther Party and for fighting against terrible prison conditions, they were convicted of the murder of a prison guard, a verdict they continue to challenge and for which new evidence continues to emerge. In the Land of the Free... presents their ongoing story as dramatic events continue to unfold. Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson. Film courtesy of The Mob Film Company.
Guardian UK: interview with Vadim Jean & Brendan Gleeson (podcast)
HRW: prison detention conditions
Trailer Official site
Opening night screening, Museum of Contemporary Art:
Wed., May 25th at 5:30pm purchase tickets
This screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Robert King, one of the freed Angola 3 prisoners and Jamie Fellner, Senior Counsel of Human Rights Watch's US Program.
Facets Cinémathèque screening:
Thurs., June 9 at 7 pm purchase tickets
X
Dir. by Vadim Jean, UK/USA, 2009, 84 min.
Herman Wallace, Albert Woodfox and Robert King -- the Angola 3 -- have spent a combined century in solitary confinement in Angola, the Louisiana State Penitentiary. Targeted by prison officials for being members of the Black Panther Party and for fighting against terrible prison conditions, they were convicted of the murder of a prison guard, a verdict they continue to challenge and for which new evidence continues to emerge. In the Land of the Free... presents their ongoing story as dramatic events continue to unfold. Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson. Film courtesy of The Mob Film Company.
Guardian UK: interview with Vadim Jean & Brendan Gleeson (podcast)
HRW: prison detention conditions
Trailer Official site
Opening night screening, Museum of Contemporary Art:
Wed., May 25th at 5:30pm purchase tickets
This screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Robert King, one of the freed Angola 3 prisoners and Jamie Fellner, Senior Counsel of Human Rights Watch's US Program.
Facets Cinémathèque screening:
Thurs., June 9 at 7 pm purchase tickets
X
LAST BEST CHANCE
Dir. by Michael Camerini and Shari Robertson, U.S.A., 2010, 100 mins.
Last Best Chance brilliantly presents a political legend, Senator Edward Kennedy, in his final battle for comprehensive immigration reform in the US. Seeking legislation that he believes would best serve US interests and provide greater security and dignity to many of the 20 million people currently living in the shadows, Senator Kennedy joins forces with talented allies on the outside to marshal fellow Senators, including Obama, Clinton, and McCain toward a "Grand Bargain." However, below the level of strategy and protocol, we find a moral tale of modern American politics. Ted Kennedy, one of a handful of people who through his personal efforts truly changed the face of America, is forced to decide how much he wants this deal and what he is willing to trade for his greatest legacy.
Mary Meg McCarthy of the National Immigrant Justice Center will be here for a Q&A after the 7:00 screening on Thursday, June 2nd.
Filmmakers Michael Camerini and Shari Robinson will be present for the screening on Wednesday, June 8th.
Official site Slant Magazine
Showtimes:
Thurs., June 2 at 7 pm purchase tickets
Wed., June 8 at 8:30 pm purchase tickets
X
Dir. by Michael Camerini and Shari Robertson, U.S.A., 2010, 100 mins.
Last Best Chance brilliantly presents a political legend, Senator Edward Kennedy, in his final battle for comprehensive immigration reform in the US. Seeking legislation that he believes would best serve US interests and provide greater security and dignity to many of the 20 million people currently living in the shadows, Senator Kennedy joins forces with talented allies on the outside to marshal fellow Senators, including Obama, Clinton, and McCain toward a "Grand Bargain." However, below the level of strategy and protocol, we find a moral tale of modern American politics. Ted Kennedy, one of a handful of people who through his personal efforts truly changed the face of America, is forced to decide how much he wants this deal and what he is willing to trade for his greatest legacy.
Mary Meg McCarthy of the National Immigrant Justice Center will be here for a Q&A after the 7:00 screening on Thursday, June 2nd.
Filmmakers Michael Camerini and Shari Robinson will be present for the screening on Wednesday, June 8th.
Official site Slant Magazine
Showtimes:
Thurs., June 2 at 7 pm purchase tickets
Wed., June 8 at 8:30 pm purchase tickets
X
MOUNTAINS AND CLOUDS
Dir. by Michael Camerini and Shari Robertson, U.S.A., 2010, 93 mins.
With unprecedented access to some of the most powerful members of the US Congress, Mountains and Clouds revisits a seminal moment in the push for immigration reform, with implications for the immigration battle currently brewing for the Obama administration and Congress. August 2001 was the most electrifying time in decades for immigration advocates, with Washington on the cusp of realizing comprehensive reform. Two weeks later, the 9/11 attacks shifted the Capitol's focus completely to national security issues. In response, Senator Ted Kennedy and his unexpected Senate partner, conservative evangelical Republican Sam Brownback, have every intention of passing the security legislation in order to return to immigration. But fate throws up a roadblock as elder statesman Senator Robert Byrd has a star turn holding up the business of the nation; young Senator Brownback begins to have doubts; and the future of immigration reform hangs in the balance.
Filmmakers Michael Camerini and Shari Robinson, as well as Joshua Hoyt of Illinois Coalition for Immigration and Refugee Rights, will be here for a Q&A after the 6:30 screening on Wednesday, June 8th
Official site TimeOut Chicago
Showtimes:
Sat., June 4 at 3 pm purchase tickets
Wed., June 8 at 6:30 pm purchase tickets
X
Dir. by Michael Camerini and Shari Robertson, U.S.A., 2010, 93 mins.
With unprecedented access to some of the most powerful members of the US Congress, Mountains and Clouds revisits a seminal moment in the push for immigration reform, with implications for the immigration battle currently brewing for the Obama administration and Congress. August 2001 was the most electrifying time in decades for immigration advocates, with Washington on the cusp of realizing comprehensive reform. Two weeks later, the 9/11 attacks shifted the Capitol's focus completely to national security issues. In response, Senator Ted Kennedy and his unexpected Senate partner, conservative evangelical Republican Sam Brownback, have every intention of passing the security legislation in order to return to immigration. But fate throws up a roadblock as elder statesman Senator Robert Byrd has a star turn holding up the business of the nation; young Senator Brownback begins to have doubts; and the future of immigration reform hangs in the balance.
Filmmakers Michael Camerini and Shari Robinson, as well as Joshua Hoyt of Illinois Coalition for Immigration and Refugee Rights, will be here for a Q&A after the 6:30 screening on Wednesday, June 8th
Official site TimeOut Chicago
Showtimes:
Sat., June 4 at 3 pm purchase tickets
Wed., June 8 at 6:30 pm purchase tickets
X
OUT IN THE SILENCE
Dir. by Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer, U.S.A., 2009, 66 mins.
Out in the Silence captures the controversy that ensues when filmmaker Joe Wilson's same-sex wedding announcement is published in the newspaper of the small Pennsylvania hometown he left long ago. Drawn back by a plea for help from the mother of a gay teen being tormented at school, Wilson's journey dramatically illustrates the challenges of negotiating the morally charged issue of sexual orientation and the potential for building bridges when people with differing opinions approach each other with openness and respect.
Filmmakers Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer will be here for a Q&A after both screenings.
Trailer Official site Windy City Times
Showtimes:
Sun., June 5 at 2:30 pm purchase tickets
Mon., June 6 at 7 pm purchase tickets
X
Dir. by Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer, U.S.A., 2009, 66 mins.
Out in the Silence captures the controversy that ensues when filmmaker Joe Wilson's same-sex wedding announcement is published in the newspaper of the small Pennsylvania hometown he left long ago. Drawn back by a plea for help from the mother of a gay teen being tormented at school, Wilson's journey dramatically illustrates the challenges of negotiating the morally charged issue of sexual orientation and the potential for building bridges when people with differing opinions approach each other with openness and respect.
Filmmakers Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer will be here for a Q&A after both screenings.
Trailer Official site Windy City Times
Showtimes:
Sun., June 5 at 2:30 pm purchase tickets
Mon., June 6 at 7 pm purchase tickets
X
A SMALL ACT
Dir. by Jennifer Arnold, U.S.A., 2010, 88 mins.
One good deed can transform an entire life. When Hilde Back sponsored the primary school education of Chris Mburu from her home in Sweden, his life in Kenya was forever changed. Now a prominent human rights lawyer, Mburu hopes to replicate the generosity he once received by founding a scholarship fund to aid a new generation of Kenyan children. The brightest students in Mukubu primary school are poised to become the next leaders of Kenya, but they cannot afford to pay school fees to continue their education. The future of their families rests in the hands of the scholarship committee, but with limited income, how many students can Mburu's fund help as violence erupts around Kenya's elections, affecting all involved.
With clarity and grace, A Small Act bears cinematic witness to the ripple effect a single action can generate even in the midst of persistent poverty and political turmoil.
Neela Ghoshal of the Kenya Research for Human Rights Watch will be here for a pre-screening reception at 7pm on Monday, June 6th.
Trailer Official site Director interview
Roger Ebert New York Times
Showtimes:
Wed., June 1 at 9 pm purchase tickets
Mon., June 6 at 8:30 pm purchase tickets
X
Dir. by Jennifer Arnold, U.S.A., 2010, 88 mins.
One good deed can transform an entire life. When Hilde Back sponsored the primary school education of Chris Mburu from her home in Sweden, his life in Kenya was forever changed. Now a prominent human rights lawyer, Mburu hopes to replicate the generosity he once received by founding a scholarship fund to aid a new generation of Kenyan children. The brightest students in Mukubu primary school are poised to become the next leaders of Kenya, but they cannot afford to pay school fees to continue their education. The future of their families rests in the hands of the scholarship committee, but with limited income, how many students can Mburu's fund help as violence erupts around Kenya's elections, affecting all involved.
With clarity and grace, A Small Act bears cinematic witness to the ripple effect a single action can generate even in the midst of persistent poverty and political turmoil.
Neela Ghoshal of the Kenya Research for Human Rights Watch will be here for a pre-screening reception at 7pm on Monday, June 6th.
Trailer Official site Director interview
Roger Ebert New York Times
Showtimes:
Wed., June 1 at 9 pm purchase tickets
Mon., June 6 at 8:30 pm purchase tickets
X
THIS IS MY LAND... HEBRON
Dir. by Giulia Amati and Stephen Natanson, Israel/Italy, 2010, 75 mins. In English and Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles.
Hebron is the largest city in the occupied West Bank, home to 160,000 Palestinians. It is also home to one of the first Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the only one right in the heart of a Palestinian city. It now resembles a ghost town, as a colony of 600 Israeli settlers have a garrison of more than 2,000 Israeli soldiers to defend them. The cultural and economic life of the town is being suffocated and war between neighbors is waged on a daily basis.
Featuring interviews with both Israelis and Palestinians living in Hebron, as well as activists on both sides, members of the Israeli parliament and prominent Ha'aretz journalists, This Is My Land... Hebron shows life in Hebron as it is today -- a city fraught with violence and conflct.
Simcha Leventhal (founding member of Breaking the Silence) and Tom Porteous (HRW Deputy Program Director) will be here for a Q&A after the 7:00 screening on Wednesday, June 1st.
Trailer Official site TimeOut Chicago
Showtimes:
Wed., June 1 at 7 pm purchase tickets
Fri., June 3 at 8:30 pm purchase tickets
X
Dir. by Giulia Amati and Stephen Natanson, Israel/Italy, 2010, 75 mins. In English and Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles.
Hebron is the largest city in the occupied West Bank, home to 160,000 Palestinians. It is also home to one of the first Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the only one right in the heart of a Palestinian city. It now resembles a ghost town, as a colony of 600 Israeli settlers have a garrison of more than 2,000 Israeli soldiers to defend them. The cultural and economic life of the town is being suffocated and war between neighbors is waged on a daily basis.
Featuring interviews with both Israelis and Palestinians living in Hebron, as well as activists on both sides, members of the Israeli parliament and prominent Ha'aretz journalists, This Is My Land... Hebron shows life in Hebron as it is today -- a city fraught with violence and conflct.
Simcha Leventhal (founding member of Breaking the Silence) and Tom Porteous (HRW Deputy Program Director) will be here for a Q&A after the 7:00 screening on Wednesday, June 1st.
Trailer Official site TimeOut Chicago
Showtimes:
Wed., June 1 at 7 pm purchase tickets
Fri., June 3 at 8:30 pm purchase tickets
X
12 ANGRY LEBANESE
Dir. by Zeina Daccache, Lebanon, 2009, 78 mins. In Arabic with English subtitles.
In Lebanon's largest prison, inmates stage a version of Reginald Rose's play 12 Angry Men, revealing the tremendous dignity and despair of the prisoners, as Zeina Daccache's inspired theatre project transforms their lives, while offering an extraordinary experience for the audience. For nearly a year and a half, 45 prison inmates found themselves working together to present their version of the play, here renamed "12 Angry Lebanese". The drama therapy sessions, the interviews with the inmates, and the interaction with both Daccache and the audience convey an extraordinary message of trust, forgiveness, and change. Daccache exposes the complex layers of each actor's personality as well as the remarkable evolution they experience as a group.
Meade Palidofsky of Storycatchers Theatre will be here for a Q&A after the 7 pm screening on Fri., June 3rd.
Trailer BBC Variety Chicago Reader
Showtimes:
Fri., June 3 at 7 pm purchase tickets
Sun., June 5 at 4 pm purchase tickets
X
Dir. by Zeina Daccache, Lebanon, 2009, 78 mins. In Arabic with English subtitles.
In Lebanon's largest prison, inmates stage a version of Reginald Rose's play 12 Angry Men, revealing the tremendous dignity and despair of the prisoners, as Zeina Daccache's inspired theatre project transforms their lives, while offering an extraordinary experience for the audience. For nearly a year and a half, 45 prison inmates found themselves working together to present their version of the play, here renamed "12 Angry Lebanese". The drama therapy sessions, the interviews with the inmates, and the interaction with both Daccache and the audience convey an extraordinary message of trust, forgiveness, and change. Daccache exposes the complex layers of each actor's personality as well as the remarkable evolution they experience as a group.
Meade Palidofsky of Storycatchers Theatre will be here for a Q&A after the 7 pm screening on Fri., June 3rd.
Trailer BBC Variety Chicago Reader
Showtimes:
Fri., June 3 at 7 pm purchase tickets
Sun., June 5 at 4 pm purchase tickets
X
YOUTH PRODUCING CHANGE
Total running time: 67 min.
Teen filmmakers turn the camera on their own struggles for human rights and invite audiences to experience the world as they do. Youth Producing Change shares eleven powerful stories made by teens from across the globe as they share their vision of change.
View program schedule
Program trailer
Showtimes:
Sat., June 4 at 1 pm purchase tickets
Sun., June 5 at 1 pm purchase tickets
X
Total running time: 67 min.
Teen filmmakers turn the camera on their own struggles for human rights and invite audiences to experience the world as they do. Youth Producing Change shares eleven powerful stories made by teens from across the globe as they share their vision of change.
View program schedule
Program trailer
Showtimes:
Sat., June 4 at 1 pm purchase tickets
Sun., June 5 at 1 pm purchase tickets
X
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