Promoting awareness, discussion,
and commitment to social justice
SAN FRANCISCO — (March 22, 2012) — The University of San
Francisco (USF) is proud to host its 10th annual human rights film festival taking
place March 29-March 31, 2012.
The
festival seeks to promote awareness and discussion of global human rights abuses
and to encourage action in order to prevent such injustices. The three-day festival
is free and open to the public, and will include the screening of four to five
films each day in USF’s Presentation Theater (2350 Turk Boulevard, at Masonic).
A detailed schedule and film descriptions can be found at www.usfca.edu/artsci/hrff/
“We truly believe in the power of film to
educate and empower citizens to take action against human rights violations,” said Susana Kaiser, associate
professor of Media Studies
and Latin American Studies, and
co-organizer of the festival. “We aim to increase the collective scope of our
social justice efforts by inviting Bay Area human rights organizations to
participate in educating our audiences and distribute information about their
projects prior to each screening.”
For the fourth
year in a row, the festival will also open with a selection of short films
produced by USF students. “The passion that students bring to advocacy is
inspiring,” said Mary Zweifel, administrative director of the Master of Arts in
International Studies Program and film festival co-organizer. “The
accessibility of film allows students to visually confront the reality of
various human rights issues, resulting more often than not, in raised
consciousness. Students begin to shift their particular ways of being in the
world.”
An
amazing program of selected films celebrates the tenth anniversary of the USF
festival. The films address human rights abuses including genocide, state
terrorism, environmental destruction, human trafficking, indigenous rights, and
violence against the LGBT community in locations as varied as the U.S.,
Guatemala, Rwanda, Iran, Eastern Europe, Chile, and Ecuador. To facilitate dialogue
and a better understanding of the issues, the films directors will be on hand
to lead question and answer sessions with audience members prior to each
screening. “In these times when thousands are taking to the streets all over
the world, we are including films that focus on political dissent, strategies
for effecting change, and the post 9/11 environment's impact on civil
liberties,” said Kaiser.
USF was the first
university in the Bay Area to screen the traveling Human Rights Watch (HRW)
Film Festival and is still the only educational institution in the area
offering screenings free and open to the public.
Screening times and descriptions of the selected films are
available at www.usfca.edu/artsci/hrff/. For more information on
USF’s 10th Annual Human Rights Film Festival, please contact Susana Kaiser at (415) 422-5141.
For media inquiries, please contact Anne-Marie Devine at (415)
422-2697 or abdevine@usfca.edu
About the
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco is located in the heart of
one of the world’s most innovative and diverse cities, and is home to a vibrant
academic community of students and faculty who achieve excellence in their
fields. Its diverse student body enjoys direct access to faculty, small classes
and outstanding opportunities in the city itself. USF is San Francisco's first
university, and its Jesuit Catholic mission helps ignite a student’s passion for
social justice and a desire to “Change the World From Here.” For more
information, please visit www.usfca.edu.
