From the experiences of a teenage girl in the Ferguson protests to four women finding their individual freedom, Syracuse University’s 15th Annual Human Rights Film Festival will center on the feeling of belonging.

The festival is set to run Thursday through Saturday. This year’s lineup consists of “For Ahkeem,” “Memories of a Penitent Heart,” “The Good Postman,” “Plastic China” and “Lipstick Under My Burkha.”

In an effort to maximize engagement, festival co-directors Tula Goenka and Roger Hallas often look at the political climate to best reflect issues civilians face today. Their goal was to find films that engage a range of civil injustices, they said.

“We want a festival that is genuinely global and that addresses human rights as seen across the world, but also a festival that doesn’t make human rights seen as elsewhere but viewed in a domestic context,” Hallas said.

Courtesy of SU Human Rights Film Festival

Goenka and Hallas worked on the festival throughout the year and went through an extensive selection process for the films. They searched through movies screened at showings like the Sundance and Berlin film festivals.

The festival strives to engage students on the social and political problems there are in the world. Both Goenka and Hallas said they consider it a responsibility — not only as educators, but as individuals — to bring forth new perspectives to students.

“As students go through college it’s important for students to know that they can have an positive impact,” Goenka said. “Whatever job they end up with they can give back to society.”

Here are details for each of the films that will be screened during the festival:

“For Ahkeem”

Directed by: Jeremy Levine and Landon Van Soest
When: Thursday at 7 p.m.
Where: Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium, Newhouse 3
“For Ahkeem” follows Daje Shelton, a 17-year-old black girl based in North St. Louis during the Ferguson, Missouri protest that followed the fatal police shooting of black teenager Michael Brown. In the film, Shelton struggles with academics, her relationship with her mother and the father of her child and a loss of friends. The film provides a close look into how black women deal with institutional racism, mass incarceration and domestic social injustices.

“Memories of a Penitent Heart”

Directed by: Cecilia Aldarondo
When: Friday at 7 p.m.
Where: Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium, Newhouse 3
After discovering family home videos and photos, Cecilia Aldarondo investigates the secret conflict surrounding her uncle Miguel’s death from AIDS. She attempts to track down Miguel’s old partner for two years, only to find he has converted to be a Franciscan monk, Father Aquin.

“The Good Postman”

Directed by: Tonislav Hristov
When: Saturday at 1 p.m.
Where: Shemin Auditorium in Shaffer Art Building
The film centers on a local postman who runs for office in Great Dervent, a small village in Bulgaria. Faced with the Syrian refugee crisis, Ivan vows to allow refugees into the humble town. While some of his neighbors agree in letting the town become an asylum, Ivan faces the oppression of others, who refuse to allow their town to be dominated by Syrians.

“Plastic China”

Directed by: Jiuliang Wang
When: Saturday at 4 p.m.
Where: Shemin Auditorium in Shaffer Art Building
“Plastic China” focuses on the country’s status as one of the world’s largest plastic importers, and Yi-Jie, an 11-year-old girl who resides close to a recycling plant. Yi-Jie daydreams of school and friends her own age, but her dreams are hard to obtain due to her father’s alcoholism. Kun, the local plant owner, teaches Yi-Jie how to read and write as he, too, is looking for a way to leave the plastic ruins.

“Lipstick Under my Burkha”

Directed by: Alankrita Shrivastava
When: Saturday at 7 p.m.
Where: Shemin Auditorium in Shaffer Art Building
Set in a small town in India, the film tells the story of four women who try to gain their own individual freedom — whether it’s finding their sexual freedom or moving out of their small town. The film follows their trials in a comedic narrative.

Published on September 27, 2017 at 10:16 pm

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