2008 Woodie Awards
Film festival tackles human rights issues
By: Megan Connelly
Issue date: 4/12/07 Section: LifeStyle
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Aids. Torture. Sweatshops. Racism. War.
There's a lot going wrong in the world, but Webster's Amnesty International chapter is trying to change that, one film at a time with The First Annual Human Rights Film Festival.
The group opened the festival April 3 with the topic of violence against women. One short film and one long film are shown each day of the festival. The first was "Something Between Her Hands," a look at human sex trafficking. The second, "Senorita Extraviada," explored violence against women in Juarez, Mexico.
Between the films, students are encouraged to take action. Each night there are petitions to sign or other opportunities to get involved.
Those in attendance April 3 took part in the Umbrella Photo Petition, which is part of Amnesty International's Stop Violence Against Women campaign. The group took photos of themselves under an umbrella holding a sign saying "Support CEDAW" - Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The photos will be sent to Amnesty International along with others from across the country and distributed to senators in hopes the United States will ratify the Treaty for the Rights of Women. The treaty was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979 and serves as an international bill of rights for women. It defines what constitutes discrimination against women and outlines how to end such discrimination.
Kristin Armstrong, a senior international relations major and co-president of the chapter, said the group organized the film festival because they saw a need to spread awareness about human rights.
"I think a lot of people aren't aware of how bad things are," Armstrong said. "It's important to get that across to students and let them know how serious these things actually are."
Armstrong had help from co-president Lauren Paulk, a senior international human rights and international relations major. Amnesty International offers film suggestions to chapters doing film festivals.
There's a lot going wrong in the world, but Webster's Amnesty International chapter is trying to change that, one film at a time with The First Annual Human Rights Film Festival.
The group opened the festival April 3 with the topic of violence against women. One short film and one long film are shown each day of the festival. The first was "Something Between Her Hands," a look at human sex trafficking. The second, "Senorita Extraviada," explored violence against women in Juarez, Mexico.
Between the films, students are encouraged to take action. Each night there are petitions to sign or other opportunities to get involved.
Those in attendance April 3 took part in the Umbrella Photo Petition, which is part of Amnesty International's Stop Violence Against Women campaign. The group took photos of themselves under an umbrella holding a sign saying "Support CEDAW" - Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The photos will be sent to Amnesty International along with others from across the country and distributed to senators in hopes the United States will ratify the Treaty for the Rights of Women. The treaty was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979 and serves as an international bill of rights for women. It defines what constitutes discrimination against women and outlines how to end such discrimination.
Kristin Armstrong, a senior international relations major and co-president of the chapter, said the group organized the film festival because they saw a need to spread awareness about human rights.
"I think a lot of people aren't aware of how bad things are," Armstrong said. "It's important to get that across to students and let them know how serious these things actually are."
Armstrong had help from co-president Lauren Paulk, a senior international human rights and international relations major. Amnesty International offers film suggestions to chapters doing film festivals.
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