THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

Queen’s Law CLAIHR Documentary Film Festival – March 18-19th, 2011

As the world celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, “Children’s Rights” is the theme of this year’s international human rights film festival presented by CLAIHR Student Chapter at Queen’s University in conjunction with Canadian Lawyers Abroad.

FRIDAY, MARCH 18TH

Macdonald Hall, 128 Union Street: Room 202

5:00pm      Screening: Born into Brothels*

6:30pm      Panel Discussion: Katherine Fournier, Catherine McKenna

SATURDAY, MARCH 19TH

Macdonald Hall, 128 Union Street: Room 001

11:00am      Screening: Uganda’s Haunted Children*

11:45am      Panel Discussion: Walter Dorn, Darryl Robinson, Melanie Adrian, Stanley Corbett

1:00pm        Lunch (provided)

Macdonald Hall, 128 Union Street: Room 001

2:00pm      Screening: Lost in the Struggle*

2:45pm      Panel Discussion: Landon Pearson, Nicholas Bala, Daren Douggal, Saadya Hamdani, Leanne Wight

*Receptions in the Student Lounge 30 minutes preceding and following all screenings. All events are open to the public.  Admission by donation. For more information please click here.

BOTTOMS UP! Fighting Human Rights Abuses From Within

Queen’s Law CLAIHR Documentary Film Festival – January 29-30th, 2010

At Queen’s Law, CLAIHR organizes and presents an annual documentary film festival that gives students and faculty at Queen’s University, as well as interested members of the greater Kingston and surrounding community, the opportunity to view a small selection of films showcasing human rights issues. These films are followed by a panel discussion during which 3 to 4 persons with expertise in the area discuss human rights issues (especially as these pertain to law and legal systems) pertinent to the film.

The Queen’s Law CLAIHR co-chairs would like to extend an invitation to you to attend our film festival this year, which will be taking place on Friday January 29th and Saturday January 30th, 2010, in MacDonald Hall at Queen’s University. Previous festivals organized by CLAIHR at Queen’s University have been quite successful both in number of attendees and in raising awareness of the issues presented in the films. CLAIHR is eager to continue and build upon this success for our film festival this year, which concentrates on grassroots movements by citizens to aid other citizens suffering human rights abuses within their own country.

Following the schedule for the festival, which is reproduced below, there is a description of the three films we are showing. We will add information on the speakers who are participating in our panel discussions once this information is confirmed.

Friday January 29th, 2010

4:30-5:00 PM – Festival attendees arrive

5:00-5:10 PM – Opening Remarks

5:10-6:30 PM – Pray the Devil Back to Hell

6:30-7:15 PM – Panel Discussion + Questions

Saturday January 30th, 2010

10:30-11:00 AM – Coffee and snacks (provided by CLAIHR); festival attendees arrive

11:00 AM – Seoul Train

12:00-1:00 PM – Panel Discussion + Questions

1:00-2:00 PM – Lunch (provided by CLAIHR)

2:00 PM – 21 Days to Nawroz

3:00 – 4:00 PM – Panel Discussion + Questions

4:00 PM Closing Remarks

The three films we are showing this year are:

21 Days to Nawroz (Michelle Mama, Director): “Kurdistan broke free from Iraqi rule and held its first parliamentary elections in 1992. But the road to democracy was still a dangerous one, even with the protection of a “no fly zone” as enforced by English and U.S. forces. 21 Days to Nawroz examines how this new reality has impacted the lives of three Kurdish women, each dealing with the uncertainty and promise of a new beginning for their homeland, as they prepare for the ancient New Year feast of Nawroz” (from http://www.realscreen.com/screeningroom/20090320/nawroz.html)

See also http://www.triconfilms.com/upload/nawrozpromo3/index.html

Pray the Devil Back to Hell (Gini Reticker, Director): Pray the Devil Back to Hell “chronicles the remarkable story of the courageous Liberian women who came together to end a bloody civil war and bring peace to their shattered country. Thousands of women – ordinary mothers, grandmothers, aunts and daughters, both Christian and Muslim – came together to pray for peace and then staged a silent protest outside of the Presidential Palace. Armed only with white T-shirts and the courage of their convictions, they took on the warlords and nonviolently forced a resolution during the stalled peace talks. A story of sacrifice, unity and transcendence, Pray the Devil Back to Hell honors the strength and perseverance of the women of Liberia. Inspiring, uplifting, and most of all motivating, it is a compelling testimony of how grassroots activism can alter the history of nations” (from http://www.praythedevilbacktohell.com/v3/).

Seoul Train (Jim Butterworth, Lisa Sleeth & Aaron Lubarsky, Directors): “With its riveting footage of a secretive “underground railroad,” SEOUL TRAIN is the gripping documentary exposé into the life and death of North Koreans as they try to escape their homeland and China. Seoul Train also delves into the complex geopolitics behind this growing and potentially explosive humanitarian crisis. By combining vérité footage, personal stories and interviews with experts and government officials, Seoul Train depicts the flouting of international laws by major countries, the inaction and bureaucracy of the United Nations, and the heroics of activists that put themselves in harm’s way to save the refugees” (from: http://www.seoultrain.com/).

In previous years, in lieu of charging an entrance fee to the festival, CLAIHR has asked attendees to make a small donation to a charity involved with protecting human rights. This year, in light of the current events in Haiti, CLAIHR will be asking attendees to make a donation to Doctors Without Borders, an organization which, according to their website, has treated over 2,000 people so far in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and has yet to account for all 800 of their staff that were already in Haiti when the earthquake hit

We are eager to get as many people as possible out to this festival this year and would be grateful for your attendance at what promises to be an informative and though-provoking event. Please do not hesitate to contact us at queens.claihr@gmail.com if you have any questions or concerns.

31 January 2009 [2pm] | CLAIHR Human Rights Documentary Film Festival & Conference. Screening of “De Nadie” directed by Tin Dirdamal. Location: Macdonald Hall.

31 January 2009 [11 am] | CLAIHR Human Rights Documentary Film Festival & Conference. Screening of “Daughters of Afghanistan” directed by Sally Armstrong. Location: Macdonald Hall.

30 January 2009 [5 pm]| CLAIHR Human Rights Documentary Film Festival & Conference. Screening of “Finding Dawn”, directed by Christine Welsh. Location: Macdonald Hall.

2 February 2008 | CLAIHR Human Rights Film Festival: Screening of three documentaries: “The Women’s Bank of Bangladesh,” on the micro credit programs in Asia and Africa; “No End in Sight” on the US foreign policy and a winner of the 2007 Sundance Special Jury Prize for Best Documentary; “Tambogrande: Mangos, Murder, Mining.” investigating crimes associated with a discovery of gold under a small town in Peru. Ulises Garcia, the documentary’s protagonist will give a speech after the film. Admission is Free.

16 January 2008 | Grilled Cheese and Bread fundraiser in support of the CLAIHR Film Festival

10 March 2007 [4pm] | CLAIHR Human Rights Film Festival: Screening of three documentaries: “My Country My Country” directed by Laura Poitras, “Secure Freedom” directed by Alexandre (Sacha) Trudeau, and “Killer’s Paradise” directed by a reporter Olenka Frenkiel and a fimmaker, Giselle Portenier. There will be a Speaker Panel following the screening. After the screening, Omar al-Dewachi, an Iraqi refugee who worked as a translator for My Country, My Country, will speak to the audience. Location: Dunning Hall.

2 February 2005 [3pm] | CLAIHR Human Rights Film Festival: Screening of ”Scared Sacred”, a film by Velcrow Ripper. All Proceeds were donated to the Red Cross’ Asia Earthquake and Tsunamis Relief Fund. Location: Etherington Auditorium, Kingston, ON.

2 February 2005 | CLAIHR Human Rights Film Festival: Screening of “A Tribe of His Own: The Journalism of P. Sainath” directed by a Canadian director Joe Moulins.

7-9 February 2003 | CLAIHR Human Rights Film Festival “Rights Take Action.” The festival will feature 11 films & docs from around the globe, each followed by a panel or speaker discussing human rights issues raised in the film. Location: Etheringon Auditorium, Queen’s University. Admission is free.