Human Rights Watch Film Festival New York June 11-21
June 12th, 2015 by chocko
3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets (Marc Silver)
The Human Rights Watch Film Festival in New York will be screening movies from June 11-21 at the Film Society of Lincoln Center and IFC Center. The film festival focuses on films that deal with social injustices and human rights violations. It is a film festival in its 26th year and features 17 award-winning films that cover a lot of ground and deal with some deep issues. This year’s festival focuses on themes such as Art Versus Oppression, Changemakers and Justice and Peace. I had the pleasure of seeing 3 films in advance including the opening night film 3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets. This documentary tells the story of four unarmed African American who were shot at a gas station in Jacksonville, Florida in November 2012. The teens were playing their stereo too loud, there is an altercation with a person from another vehicle and seconds later the bullets fly. The shooter, Michael Dunn, claimed he shot in self defense because he thought one of the teens had a gun. That teen, 17-year-old Jordan Davis died after 10 bullets were fired into the car he was in. The film follows Jordan’s parents as they fight for justice in a state that favors the Stand Your Ground self-defense laws.
The Wanted 18 (Amer Shomali and Paul Cowan)
The Wanted 18 tells the “moo-ving” story of how a group of Palestinians peacefully protested the Israeli occupation of the West Bank by purchasing 18 cows and producing their own milk. The undercover dairy operation was declared “a threat to the national security of the state of Israel” and hundreds of soldiers took part in the search for the illegal bovines. The movies is told with a mix of funny stop motion animation and interviews with activists from the town of Beit Sahour where the collective farm was located. It screens on June 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the Film Society of Lincoln Center and opens theatrically in NYC on June 19.
Life Is Sacred (Andreas Dalsgaard)
The third movie I saw was titled Life Is Sacred and deals with life and politics in Colombia, a country in constant turmoil due to clashes and widespread violence between the military, guerrillas, paramilitaries and drug cartels. Along comes the presidential candidate Antanas Mockus who galvanizes the public with creative ideas and catchy phrases, with a promise to end the violence and make some much needed changes. As mayor of Bogota, Mockus dressed up as a superhero in a cape to take on crime in the streets and had mimes on street corners directing traffic. This portrait of the anti-establishment icon follows the ups and downs of a political figure who loves his people and just wants to make a difference. The movie also makes its New York premiere screening on Thursday June 18 at 7:00 p.m. at the IFC Center and Saturday June 20 at 9:00 p.m. at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Plenty of movies to see at this film festival…get information on tickets HERE. Check out the trailer for the Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2015 below!
Tags: 3 1/2 Minutes, documentary, film festival, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Human Rights Watch, Human Rights Watch Film Festival, IFC Center, Life Is Sacred, movies, new york city, nyc, review, Ten Bullets, The Wanted 18
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