Amnesty International Film Festival Educates and Inspires

2012 Reel Awareness Film Festival organizers alongside other Amnesty International members hold a picture of Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh who was imprisoned in Iran for her work as a lawyer. Sotoudeh was released this September alongside other political prisoners. (Eugen-Florin Zamfirescu)

TORONTO—Around the world, filmmakers risk their lives to expose human rights abuses. By bringing these to the forefront, Reel Awareness, the Amnesty International Toronto Human Rights Film Festival, aims to inspire action. 

“Amnesty International has long since recognized the power of the visual arts as one of the most effective methods of creating meaningful emotional impacts on the viewer that will resonate long after a film screening,” said the festival’s coordinator Elena Dumitru. 

In its eighth year, the four-day festival screens nine feature-length films and documentaries that highlight human rights issues that are on Amnesty International’s radar. 

This year’s themes include the plight of civilians in war zones such as Syria (“The Suffering Grasses”) and Sri Lanka (“No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka“); the courage of women human rights advocates (“Forbidden Voices,” ”Pussy Riot: Punk Prayer”); the defence of land against corporate greed (“Gold Fever”); hatred and homophobia (“Call Me Kuchu,” “Last Chance”); the military occupation of the Gaza Strip (“The Law In These Parts”); and a multi-faceted exploration of heroism (“10% - What Makes a Hero?”). 

For the organizers, the most rewarding aspect is seeing the festival attract new audience members, and even more so, seeing them take action to speak out for human rights, explained Dumitru. 

“When an audience member tells us: ‘I had no idea this was happening. I am so inspired, so angry, so enraged ... What can I do NOW to help?’ That’s when the power of film is reaffirmed and the purpose of our festival fulfills its mandate and its name.”

The Reel Awareness Film Festival runs Nov. 14–17 at Toronto’s Carlton Cinema. For more information, visit: www.aito.ca/reelawareness