March 21st: Human Rights Film Festival

Premiering in March 2011, the “March 21st: Human Rights Film Festival” showcases a film selection, speakers and filmmakers that explore and discuss human rights and social inequality issues.

The “March 21st: Human Rights Film Festival” accepts film submissions of both feature length and short film/video. Films may be fictional, experimental, dramatic or documentary; however they must address human rights, multiculturalism or interfaith issues and must relate to either Canada/ Manitoba or be produced or created by a Canadian/Manitoban. We are now accepting films for March 2014.

March 2013 Festival Schedule:

All Events are Free

As seating is limited for daytime programing we ask that schools and groups RSVP

Film Synopses

Shorts

Sounds for Mazin

Mazin is deaf from the day he was born. But now he faces an operation that is supposed to make him hear.
Excited about all the new things he might discover, Mazin is looking forward to it. How will a dog sound? And fishes, do they make any noise?

But he keeps on having second thoughts. For one of his closest classmates a similar operation turned out to be a disaster. And even if he succeeds, the world as he knows it might never be the same again, he fears. Will he get used to this whole new universe, or will it make him go crazy?

Jan's Mom

A view day's in the live of 11 year old Jan, who's mom is in prison. She's been incarcerated for a year and still has about 18 months to go. So how does that affect Jan's day-to-day life? Well, he can't call her when he feels like it. And she can't pick him up from school, or answer the questions he so wants to ask. Questions like "What's it like in prison?" He worries sick about her wellbeing but doesn't dare to ask her about that. Jan talks to his friends and his grandmother about the things he struggles with. In the course of the film he musters the courage to finally have a conversation with his mother to find out how she's really doing.

Closet

A young man who seemingly has it all: great friends, a caring mother and a lovely girlfriend until he reveals a very different side of himself. In the hopes that those he loves will be accepting of who he is, Robbie Hudson takes a big step by letting others in on the secret feelings he has been holding inside. When he tells his girlfriend Mona, she decides to take his fate into her own hands as she has the most to lose… or so she thinks. Heartache, pain and Shakespeare ensue in this coming of age story of coming out of the closet.

Flooding Hope: Lake St. Martin

Lake St. Martin First Nation is an Anishinaabe community situated in the Interlake region of Manitoba, Canada. In May 2011, the First Nation received a major death blow when the entire population--2000 men, women and children--was permanently displaced from their land by the Province of Manitoba. After being ripped away from their livelihoods, land and homes, the community members tell their stories and their hope for a permanent eco-reserve community on higher ground with economic opportunities.
Flooding has a long history on Lake St. Martin. With the Fairford Dam that was built in 1961 and the Portage Diversion that followed ten years later, all farm land on the reserve was eventually turned into marsh. Everything in Lake St. Martin First Nation was destroyed in 2011/2012 when the province sent water to Lake St. Martin to reduce water levels and impacts for settlers' agricultural land, cottages and Winnipeg. This film asks “Why would Manitoba government use a water control structure to save upstream cottagers and farmers with only an economic and recreational interest in the land?” and “What is the duty to consult – in decisions on the flooding, channeling and location of their community?” In a state of emergency, a $100 million dollar water channel was constructed adjacent to the Lake St. Martin First Nation reserve without any consultation or an environmental assessment.

A Path to Dignity

The Power of Human Rights Education presents three stories illustrating the impact of human rights education among school children (India), law enforcement agencies (Australia) and women victims of violence (Turkey). These successful practices and projects illustrate the power of human rights education in fulfilling human rights.

 

A key message is that one person can make a difference in solving problems in society. Human rights education can transform people's lives, guiding individuals on a path to dignity and empowering them to bring about positive change in their respective communities and societies. Human rights education plays a fundamental role in ensuring equality and equal opportunities, combating discrimination and preventing human rights violations.

Feature Films

Free China

The fates of a woman living in Beijing and a man living in New York become inextricably linked because of a common conviction. A mother and model citizen, Jennifer Zeng was imprisoned for her faith. As she endures physical and mental torture, she has to decide: does she stand her ground and languish in jail, or does she recant her belief so she can tell her story to the world?

Home to 1.3 billion people, China is now the second largest economy in the world. From its environmental policy, its consumption of natural resources, to its labor and trade practices, what happens in China can significantly affect the rest of the world. Therefore, whether China acts as a responsible actor on the world stage has profound implications to our planet. To ensure China becomes a force of good, it must transform into a free and open society, where its government is accountable to its people. Through powerful story-telling, Free China: The Courage to Believe makes this point real to the audience, and sheds light on an important movement underway in and outside of China to effect this transformation.

The Freedom Tour

The Freedom Tour is a powerful documentary that has been raising awareness about institutions both nationally and internationally. In partnership with the National Film Board, The Freedom Tour project is unique in that the process of making this film was totally inclusive.  Members of People First learned all aspects of film making – from sound, editing, camera, interviewing, working with the media, promotion and more.
 

The Price of Sex

An unprecedented and compelling inquiry, THE PRICE OF SEX sheds light on the underground criminal network of human trafficking and experiences of trafficked Eastern European women forced into prostitution abroad. Photojournalist Mimi Chakarova’s feature documentary caps years of painstaking, on-the-ground reporting that aired on Frontline (PBS) and 60 Minutes (CBS) and earned her an Emmy nomination, Magnum photo agency’s Inge Morath Award, and a Webby for Internet excellence.
Filming undercover with extraordinary access, even posing as a prostitute to gather her material, Bulgarian-born Chakarova travels from impoverished rural areas in post-Communist Eastern Europe, including her grandmother’s village, to Turkey, Greece, and Dubai. This dangerous investigative journey brings Chakarova face to face with trafficked women willing to trust her and appear on film undisguised. Their harrowing first-person accounts, as well as interviews with traffickers, clients, and anti-trafficking activists, expose the root causes, complex connections, and stark significance of sexual slavery today.
 

Poor No More

We were always told, "If you work hard, things will get better." But many hard-working Canadians have only seen things get worse. Corporate profits soared, but only the rich got richer. The recession took away more jobs and piled up more debt, leaving more people poor or insecure.
Poor No More offers solutions to Canada's working poor.  The film takes three Canadians to a world where people do not have to beg, where housing is affordable and university education is free. They ask themselves:  if other countries can do this, why don't we?
Hosted by TV and film star Mary Walsh, Poor No More offers an engaging look at Canadians stuck in low paying jobs with no security and no future. Mary then takes us on a journey to Ireland and Sweden so we can see how these countries have tackled poverty while strengthening their economies. It offers hope to those who have to work two jobs a day and to those who can’t find work.
Poor No More will be the first film to explain the roots of the economic crisis, its impact on Canadians, and what can be done about it. It is designed to build public support for a real reduction in poverty.
 

Hard Time

Hard Time is a film about Robert Hillary King, the only freed member of the Angola 3. King was a political prisoner who spent 29 years in solitary confinement in the infamous Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. The film focuses on racism and human rights in the U.S. penal system, and draws attention to the plight of Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox, the other members of the Angola 3, who have been held in solitary confinement for more than 40 years. Together they formed they created a prison chapter of the Black Panther Party to fight for better conditions, security for inmates and justice behind bars.

Check out last years films: March 2012 Film Festival Program

Get Involved

If you are interested in submitting a film, volunteering, or have further questions regarding this festival please contact Choloe at:

Phone: 204.947.0213
Email: here

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