The ninth annual Human Rights Film Series, which begins Thursday, will highlight social issues through up-to-date documentaries, according to Micael Boger, the project manager for the School of Communication's Center for Social Media.
The Center for Social Media and the Washington College of Law's Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law will present the series, which is open to both the AU community and the public.
Boger said she believes the film series will offer students and the public an opportunity to see the power of documentaries along with their ability to contribute to social change.
"They spark emotional feelings, and propel people to take action," she said.
Members of the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law select the themes they would like to see portrayed. Center for Social Media staff, along with Patricia Aufderheide, the center's director, choose appropriate films, Boger said.
Films will be screened twice, first on Wednesdays at WCL and again on Thursday nights at the Wechsler Theatre, which is located on the third floor of the Mary Graydon Center. The series will run through Nov. 13, according to an advertisement.
Amelia M. Parker, the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law's program coordinator, praised the variety of the films chosen.
"The Center for Social Media picks cutting edge, high quality films produced by a range of grassroots and major film companies," she said.
Films for this year will include "Ballad of Esequiel Hernandez," "At the Death House Door," "When the Levees Broke," "Cut Off" and "Banished," according to an advertisement.
These films discuss themes such as immigration rights, the death penalty, Hurricane Katrina relief and racism, according to Boger.
The MGC screenings will include a discussion with the film's director or producer, while WCL screenings will feature a local lawyer or activist involved in the issue portrayed in the films.
Kibibi Tyehimba, co-chair of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America will be leading the discussion following WCL's screening of "Banished," Parker said.
More information about human rights issues will be available through fact sheets distributed at each show, according to Boger. Contacts for local nonprofit organizations and advocacy groups will also be available to those interested in getting involved with similar human rights groups in D.C.
Julia Edwards, a freshman in the School of International Service, said she is looking forward to the film series.
"I think showing documentaries will be a really efficient way to generate awareness about these human rights issues," she said. "After seeing a great film I always feel inspired to go out and help."
Parker said she is optimistic students will feel similar to Edwards and hopes the series will generate a large response on campus.
The film series provides a unique educational opportunity and a chance to find committed individuals standing up for a cause, Boger said.
"The films bring human rights issues to life, and speakers put them into context, [making] the issues tangible," she said.
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