Amnesty International Film Festival 2011

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Friday, November 25th, 2011
Friday, November 25: 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Saturday, November 26: 2:00 pm - 5 pm, 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Sunday, November 27: 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm

AMNESTY IN VICTORIA � 10th ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL
GAME CHANGERS: VISONARY WOMEN, RESILIENT CHILDREN, AND COURAGE IN COMMUNITY

As the dominant powers lurch from economic instability to political crisis and back again, true global tales of heroism, resistance, and compassion are being lost in the shuffle. While newshounds are transfixed by sordid details of vitriolic political division and fallen entertainment idols, techno-gadgets and shady stock market practices, the majority public wonders: Is there any true leadership, any genuine vision left in the world? When will demagoguery fall away and our leaders take up the mantle of meaningful change? Where is our cherished value of a better world for all?

Luckily, there are new visionaries who are fed up with waiting for change to trickle down from the top; globally, they are righting the wrongs they see in their communities today. In Nicaragua, Yamileth Cahvarria�s local radio station shames abusers of women in her community, brazenly defying the established order of sexism and violence. Aid workers in East Africa, tired of waiting for the world to end a 20-year-old conflict, help former child soldiers to regain their humanity and believe in the future. Once one of the world�s richest women, Ribya Kadeer, the de facto leader of the Uyghurs, continues to speak out about the brutality inflicted on her people by the Chinese government, despite the toll it has taken on her own children, imprisoned and mistreated. And on the heels of the Nobel Committee�s historic award of the Peace Prize to three African women, a look back at the loved (and recently departed) Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement which has planted over 45-million trees in Kenya and seeded the rebirth of transparent democracy in the region.

No society, global or local, is able to institute change without the bravery and innovation of its visionary citizens. Amnesty in Victoria is proud to present a slate of engaging and evocative documentaries that provide templates for communities solving the issues they understand best, and a snapshot of the real crises gripping millions of people just like them. The festival will include speakers, discussions, real life success stories, a human rights fair, free music and tasty refreshments.

Please join us for our 10th Annual Human Rights Film Festival at the University of Victoria�s David Lam Auditorium, November 25-27.


Amnesty International, of which Amnesty in Victoria is a charter group, has been advocating globally for human rights since 1961.
For complete film program and speaker information, go to http://www.amnestyinvictoria.ca