2013 Human Rights Watch International Film Festival

Big Idea:

Encounter

Overview

Human Rights Watch International Film Festival
Thursdays, Mar 7–28 • 7:30 pm
Screening Room
Admission per screening: $10 Regular / $8 YBCA members students, seniors, teachers
FREE for YBCA:You

Every March, for over ten years, we’ve presented a selection of powerful films with distinctive human rights themes. The power of film cannot be underestimated to challenge the viewer and promote calls to action. Rather than wallow in despair, the films in this program will put a human face on threats to individual freedom and dignity, and celebrate the ability of the human spirit and intellect to prevail.

Events

Words of Witness

Mar 7, 2013 7:30pm

Screening Room

By Mai Iskander
Director Mai Iskander in Person
Defying cultural norms and family expectations, 22-year-old Heba Afify takes to the streets to report on an Egypt in turmoil, using tweets, texts, and Facebook posts. Her coming of age, political awakening, and the disillusionment that follows, mirrors that of a nation seeking the freedom to shape its own destiny, dignity and democracy. Heba’s words bear witness to the heady optimism of a country on a path to self-determination, the toppling of a dictator, the difficult transition toward democracy, and the celebration of a cultural shift where a younger generation inspired a country to “lead themselves.” (2012, 68 min, digital)

Co-presented by the Arab Film Festival

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Bidder 70

Mar 14, 2013 7:30pm

Screening Room

By Beth and George Gage
Bidder 70 tells the story of Tim DeChristopher and his stunning act of civil disobedience in a time of global climate chaos. In December of 2008, DeChristopher, as “Bidder #70,” derailed the Bush administration's last minute, widely disputed federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Oil and Gas lease auction, acting to safeguard thousands of acres of Utah land. Bidding $1.7 million, Tim won 22,000 acres of land with no intention to pay or drill. For his disruption of the auction, DeChristopher was indicted on two federal charges. Tim's civil disobedience has drawn national attention to America's energy policy and criticism to the BLM's management of public lands. Refusing to compromise his principles and rejecting numerous plea offers by the prosecution, Tim is willing to sacrifice his own future to bring this vitally important issue to global attention. (2012, 73 min, digital)

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Habibi

Mar 21, 2013 7:30pm

Screening Room

By Susan Youssef
Habibi, a story of forbidden love, is a fiction feature set in Gaza. Two students in the West Bank are forced to return home to Gaza, where their love defies tradition. To reach his lover, Qays writes grafitti poetry across town. Habibi is a modern re-telling of the famous ancient Sufi parable Majnun Layla. Lyrical and passionate, the film depicts a reality where personal happiness must be weighed against society's opinions, and a choice must sometimes be made between one's people and one's heart. (2011, 78 min, digital)

Co-presented by the Arab Film Festival

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Reportero

Mar 28, 2013 7:30pm

Screening Room

By Bernardo Ruiz
We follow veteran reporter Sergio Haro and his colleagues at Zeta, a Tijuana-based newspaper, as they ply their trade in what has become one of the most deadly places in the world to be a journalist. Since the paper's founding in 1980, two editors have been murdered and the founder viciously attacked. Despite this, the paper has continued its singular brand of aggressive investigative reporting, tackling dangerous subjects that other publications avoid, such as cartels' infiltration of political circles and security forces. (2011, 72 min, digital)

Co-presented by the Cine+Mas SF Latino Film Festival

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