Underskog

Get ready for a whole day of human rights documentaries!

Today we are screening Chicago Girl (14.30), State Builders (14.30), Narco Cultura (17.00), After Life: Four Stories of Torture (17.00), Light Fly, Fly High (18.30), Big Men (19.00), Everyday Rebellion (20.00, and Return to Homs (21.30).

Read more about the films below.

#CHICAGO GIRL – 14.30

Introduction by Mona Abdel-Fadil (Fafo)

A 19-year old girl in Chicago is deeply involved in the protest movement in Syria, keeping constant contact with her Syrian friends through Facebook, Twitter, and Skype. She helps organize demonstrations, and sends camera equipment so her friends can document what’s going on and share it with the world. Slowly, the optimism of what was hailed as a social media revolution gives way to a violent reality no one was ready for.

En 19-årig jente i Chicago hjelper til med å organisere demonstrasjoner i Syria. Optimismen er stor i begynnelsen og man tror at sosiale medier kan overvinne diktaturet, men en brutalitet som ingen var forberedt på tar raskt over.

STATE BUILDERS – 14.30

After 50 years of civil war, South Sudan has finally become its own state, but none of the institutions of a functioning democracy are in place. In a land that’s been torn apart by extreme violence, famine, and displacement, how do you start thinking about things like creating a treasury, a taxation system, or a national archive? How do you stop a new state from failing before it gets started, and is the one-size-fits-all model the UN has for building a state even relevant for South Sudan?

Etter 50 år med borgerkrig er Sør-Sudan endelig blitt en egen stat, men ingen av de institusjoner som kjennetegner et velfungerende demokrati er på plass. Hvordan bygge en stat fra bunnen av? Og er FNs «one-size-fits-all»-modell for statsbygging i det hele tatt relevant for Sør-Sudan?

NARCO CULTURA – 17.00

Introduction and Q&A by Alfredo Corchado and
Benedicte Bull. Presented in collaboration with Norwegian Latin America Research Network – NorLARNet.

The violence connected to Mexican drug cartels is so massive and invasive, and the death rate so high that it’s changing the cultural fibre of society. The hugely popular music form called narcocorridos, like gangster rap in the USA, makes heroes of the mafia leaders and glorifies violence.

Den mexicanske krigen mot narkokartellene har gjort deler av Mexico til noen av de farligste stedene å være på kloden. Volden er så massiv og invaderende at den endrer kulturen. Musikkformen narcocorridos har blitt svært populær. På samme måte som den nord-amerikanske gangsterrap’en skaper den helter av mafialederne.

AFTER LIFE: FOUR STORIES OF TORTURE – 17.00

Introduction by Nora Sveeaas (HHRI). Presented in collaboration with Health and Human Rights Info.

Four men have survived torture, managed to flee their countries, and have come to Finland to seek asylum. But life isn’t easy when they’re faced with an illogical asylum system while struggling with the horror they have been through. This film questions whether immigration systems in European countries have forgotten about humanity.

Fire menn har overlevd tortur og har flyktet fra sine respektive hjemland. De har kommet til Finland for å søke asyl men livet er ikke så enkelt når alt de kjenner fra før er borte og de må streve både med sine egne traumer og med et system som er vanskelig å manøvrere og å forstå. Denne filmen viser både menneskene bak asylsøknadene og stiller spørsmål om hvorvidt Europas flyktningepolitikk har kastet menneskeligheten på båten.

LIGHT FLY, FLY HIGH – 18.30

Q&A with Directors Susann Østigaard and Beathe Hofseth, moderated by Kristin Kjæret (FIAN)

Thulasi was born a dalit, an untouchable, and a girl, meaning her options in life in India are grim. She is tough as a nail, though, and determined to get more out of life than what society has in store for her. She leaves her family, and finds her talent in boxing, putting in tireless hours of training to win a place as one of the top athletes in India. Thulasi has to fight both in and out of the boxing ring, facing sexual harassment, pressure of arranged marriage, and a society that doesn’t value what she has to give.

Thulasi er født dalit, «kasteløs», og jente, dermed er hennes muligheter i India få. Fast bestemt på å få mer ut av livet enn hva samfunnet tilbyr henne, forlater hun familien, begynner å bokse og legger ned utallige treningstimer for å bli en av de beste utøverne i India. Thulasi må kjempe både innenfor og utenfor bokseringen, stilt overfor seksuell trakassering, press om arrangert ekteskap og et samfunn som ikke verdsetter det hun har å gi.

BIG MEN – 19.00

Can Ghana escape the resource curse? With unprecedented behind-the-scenes access, this film follows as the first commercial oil field is developed in Ghana. Whose interests are being taken into consideration? Will foreign investors run off with all of the profit, or can oil development help the country as a whole? As point of comparison, we look at the Nigerian situation, where it’s become evident that the riches oil extraction has brought with it aren’t doing the people any good.

En imponerende film som følger et amerikanske oljeselskaps vei inn i Ghana i håp om et oljeeventyr. Vi er med helt på innsiden i denne prosessen. Det overskyggende spørsmålet er: kan Ghana overvinne ressursforbannelsen eller vil de ende opp som nabolandet Nigeria?

EVERYDAY REBELLION – 20.00

Actions matter. Stop hoping. Make it happen! We usually feel small when faced with the undemocratic practices that are pushing our societies in a direction that neglects the fact that we’re all humans. But there are people all around the world who aren’t just sitting back and taking it. Indignados in Spain, Occupy Wall Street in New York, FEMEN in Ukraine, The Yes Men, Otpor! in Serbia and non-violent protest movements in Syria and Iran show us what’s worth fighting for and how to get results without bloodshed.

Over hele verden finnes det protestbevegelser som med fredelige midler forsøker å gjøre verden til et bedre sted. Hva har de alle til felles og hvordan kan vi bedre vise solidaritet med hverandre?

RETURN TO HOMS – 21.30

Did we do the right thing? Filmed between August 2011 and August 2013, this is a remarkable and intimate portrait of a group of young men in the city of Homs in Syria. They dream of removing Bashar al-Assad from power, and fight for justice through peaceful demonstrations. As the army acts ever more brutally, the young men become armed insur- gents. Basset, a charismatic football player and popular singer, becomes a militia leader. Scenes of lively demonstrations make way for panicking civilians, grim battles, and rising numbers of fallen loved ones.

Et veldig sterkt vitnesbyrd fra innsiden av krigen i Syria. Vi følger Basset, en karismatisk ung fotballspiller og sanger, fra å lede fredelige demonstrasjoner til å bli leder av en lokal væpnet militia.

For more information about the festival program, visit www.hrhw.no

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