The Seventh Human Rights Film Series, presented by the Washington College of Law (WCL) and the American University Center for Social Media, ended Thursday in the Wechsler Theatre. Beginning on Oct. 3, the four-week film series featured a different film every week and explored how film and media are used to advance human rights in the world.
"Our hope is that the film series will help increase awareness of world issues and inspire others to make a difference by making their own films and providing new points of view," said Bree Bowman, project manager for the festival.
This year's film series included two fairly recent films. "China Blue," released in 2005, chronicled the lives of several denim factory workers in China who struggled to earn a living under unjust working conditions. "Maquilapolis," released this year, followed two sweatshop workers in Tijuana, Mexico, and explored the effects of globalization.
"The selection this year was exceptional because the films have not been screened very often and we were able to show them," Bowman said.
All four of the films were screened twice, first on Tuesdays at the Washington College of Law and again on Thursday nights at the Wechsler Theatre. The WCL and Center for Social Media held special double screenings so part-time students and students with evening classes had a better chance to attend.
The WCL established a Center for Human Rights and Human Law in 1990 to work with students, faculty and the international legal community for human rights initiatives, according to its Web site. The Center for Social Media is a part of the School of Communication and focuses on social documentaries for civil society and democracy, according to its Web site.
AU professors like Dan Chong also incorporated the film series into their class curriculum. Chong currently teaches "Human Rights and the Media," a non-recurring course offered by the School of International Service that deals with a close study of human rights films. His students participated in all four of the film series' screenings.
"From the responses I've received thus far, my students really enjoyed and got a lot out of the films. For a class on human rights and the media, the films not only help educate students on particular human rights issues, such as apartheid in South Africa, sweatshops in China and Mexico, and press freedom in Haiti, but they show how different forms of media - documentary films, music, radio, grassroots video - can be used as tools for human rights advocacy," Chong said.
Chong highlighted the importance of understanding such tools.
"Through watching these films, students can see and feel how each of these tools has different strengths and reach different audiences," Chong said.
Each screening had a different guest speaker to facilitate interactive discussions about the films. Guest speakers included professors, "Maquilapolis" filmmaker Vicky Funari, representatives from local non-governmental organizations and institutions and others who were knowledgeable on the films and their issues.
Those who attended the screenings also received background sheets with extensive information on the topics of each film, providing historical context and statistics relevant to the screening. The background sheets also provided a list of related Web sites to direct viewers on how to learn more.
"The film series was a great opportunity to gain a different perspective of issues that aren't tangible for people in the United States to experience. It's creating space for change, and I think it's a great start to making that change," Bowman said.
