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The 21st annual Syracuse University Human Rights Film Festival will be held at the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium and the Shaffer Art Building this weekend as part of this year’s Syracuse Symposium: “Landscapes.” The festival is presented by the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the SU Humanities Center in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The festival was founded by television, radio and film professor Tula Goenka and english professor Roger Hallas to advocate for human rights and social justice as well as create enriching experiences for students and visiting filmmakers. The six films that will be shown at the festival come from all around the world and highlight themes of identity, struggle and overcoming tragedy. All screenings are free and open to the public.

“North by Current”
After the inconclusive passing of his young niece, Angleo Madsen Minax returned to his rural Michigan hometown to make a film about addiction, Christian fervor and transgender embodiment. Throughout the film, Minax presents the audience with challenging questions about identity, the nuances of family and the difficulties of growing up. The film will be screened on Thursday night at the Herg at 7 p.m. and a Q&A with Minax will follow.

“Twice Colonized”
An official selection of the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, the film centers on an Inuit lawyer, Aaju Peter, as she embarks to establish an Indigenous forum at the European Union. Along the way, she also experiences a deep, emotional struggle dealing with the unexpected passing of her youngest son. The film will be screened on Friday night at the Herg at 7 p.m. and a Q&A with director Lin Alluna will follow, along with a virtual Q&A with Peter.

“My Favorite Job”
In the film, Ukrainian director Sasho Protyah documents a volunteer group evacuating people from the city of Mariupol, Ukraine as it was surrounded by Russian troops. After each trip, the group meets to share information, support each other and talk about their traumatic experiences. Protyah uses images from the volunteers, her own personal archives and animation models in the film. The film will be screened on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Shemin Auditorium at the Shaffer Art Building.

“When Spring Came to Bucha”
Directors Mila Teshaieva and Marcus Lenz tell the story of the Ukrainian city of Bucha and those who survived its destruction. Yuri is a municipal services manager who struggles to keep people supplied with clean drinking water, Lidmula searches for her husband’s body to properly bury him, and Olenka is the only student in School No. 1 after her peers were either killed or fled the country. In the middle of all the sorrow, the film captures a young couple getting married. The film will be screened on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Shemin Auditorium. A Q&A with Teshaieva will follow the screening.

“FRACTURE”
Syracusan Evan Starling-Davis will showcase an innovative exhibition on Sept. 23 in collaboration with the Urban Video Project at Light Work. In the exhibition, viewers can interact with a projection on the facade of the Everson Museum of Art. The projection uses smart devices to explore the virtual world of “FRACTURE,” which features 3D renderings of objects from Afro-diasporic culture in local collections and archives. Pieces from the SU Art Museum, the Everson Museum, SU’s Special Collection Research Center and the Community Folk Art Center will all be used. As part of the presentation, Starling-Davis will be discussing the project and allow audience members to participate in the projection. Starling-Davis will host a talk about the exhibit at 4 p.m. in the Shemin Auditorium.

“Peacock Lament”
This film from award-winning director Sanjeewa Pushpakumara follows the film’s main character, Amila, as he moves his siblings from their village in East Sri Lanka to the capital city of Colombo. Amila takes a job at “Baby Farm,” a business that traffics infants from unwanted pregnancies to wealthy foreigners. There, the women give up their babies without question once they are requested by the buyers. Over time, Amila begins to feel remorse for his work and empathizes with the women. The festival will hold a screening of the film on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Shemin Auditorium.

Published on September 20, 2023 at 9:45 pm