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Film Descriptions

a book with colored pencils on a deskInstitutions of Fear

Directed by Montsé Armengou and Ricard Belis
Spain. Even after the advent of democracy (1977), thousands of boys and girls remained locked away in charitable institutions; religious schools, orphanages, preventoriums or Social Assistance centers, which became a prison of sorts for these children. This film delves into this hidden and silent part of our history. Unlike other countries such as Ireland, in which the mistreatment of children under state care has been recognized, in Spain, such abuse has not been prosecuted and no redress provided.

  • Q&A with director Montsé Armengou, Professor Aránzazu Borrachero and Professor Pedro Lange Churión
    Tuesday, February 23rd, 11:00am-1:00pm

four people facing the cityUnsettled: Seeking Refuge in America

Directed by Tom Shepard
A feature-length documentary revealing the untold stories of LGBT refugees and asylum seekers who have fled intense persecution from their home countries and who are resettling in the United States. This film sets out to humanize a group few people know who are desperately trying to create new and safer homes. What are the costs persecuted immigrants pay for seeking refuge in America? And how are everyday Americans stepping forward to help those most in need?

  • Q&A with director Tom Shepard and USF Professor Karina Hodoyan
    Wednesday, February 24th, 6:30pm - 10:30pm

film still of the La Lucha movieLa Lucha Sigue

Directed by Sam Vinal
A feature length documentary that highlights the work of social movement organizations COPINH (co-founded by Berta Cáceres) and OFRANEH in Honduras. 

  • Q&A with Sam Vinal, the Film Director and Environmental Media students
    Thursday, February 25th, 12:45pm – 2:30pm

still from the movie Belly of the BeastBelly of the Beast

Directed by Erika Cohn
When an unlikely duo discovers a pattern of illegal sterilizations—nearly forty years after being banned— in women’s prisons, shielded by prison officials and doctors inside the correctional system, they wage a near-impossible battle against the Department of Corrections. Belly of the Beast exposes modern-day eugenics and reproductive injustice in California prisons, through intimate accounts from currently and formerly incarcerated people.

  • Q&A with director Erika Cohan. Moderated by Lara Bazelon (USF Professor of Law)
    Thursday, February 25th, 4:35 pm – 5:35 pm

Couper Was Here

Directed by Nicole Foley
Couper Was Here is about an unhoused San Francisco resident, Couper Oroña. She was a firefighter, injured on the job, and now lives with disabilities. She supports herself on a small monthly disability check. After her injury and a divorce, she could no longer afford an apartment in the Bay Area, and subsequently found herself living on the street. She’s known by houseless people throughout the city because of the way she looks out for them and advocates for their rights. This film follows Couper in her caring for fellow unhoused San Franciscans, and in her quest to find permanent housing in the city.

  • Q&A with star of the documentary, Couper Oroña, and Jackie Ramos, Instructor of the Community Empowerment Activists
    Thursday, February 25th, 4:35 pm – 6:35 pm