A Moving Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

by Paige Grand Pre

It is commonly accepted in the activist community that the first step in making a difference is promoting awareness. With this concept in mind, the Bronxville High School Human Rights Coalition has planned its first ever Human Rights Film Festival, set to open Friday, March 13th at 7pm. With the generous support of the Bronxville Public Library, the Human Rights Coalition (affectionately known by its members as “HRC”) will be showing four movies over the course of three days in the Yeager room of the library.

Since its inception, the BHS Human Rights Coalition has campaigned against a multitude of human rights abuses, focusing primarily on the genocide and civil strife in the Darfur region of Sudan for the past four years. With the upcoming film festival though, the HRC is showing four very different movies on issues separate from the genocide in Darfur – proving that the work of a human rights activist is never done.

On Friday, the 13th, the film “I Know I’m Not Alone” will be screened for opening night at 7pm. The film, a magnificent commentary on peace activism, features the music and journey of Michael Franti and his band Spearhead, activist-musicians in the vein of Citizen Cope and O.A.R. “I Know I’m Not Alone” chronicles Michael Franti’s search for peace in the world, and the power of messages in music. But this is only the beginning.

On Saturday, two films will be screened. First, the HRC has partnered with another social justice group at Bronxville High School, the Gay-Straight Alliance, to present “For the Bible Tells Me So,” at 12. Touching on an extremely relevant and current issue, the film closely examines various sects of major religions such as Christianity and Judaism and their attitude towards gay marriage. Following that at 2:30pm is “The Day My God Died,” a powerful film that fearlessly takes on the issue of human trafficking in Nepal and India, bringing to light the disturbing concept that slavery still exists in our world today. Additionally, the Human Rights Coalition is thrilled to have Phil Marinelli speak following the movie, for Mr. Marinelli has spent the last nine years as a high school teacher on Long Island, involving his students in the work of Maiti Nepal, the anti-trafficking organization featured in “The Day My God Died.”

Finally, the film festival concludes with “Persepolis,” a unique spin on a historical event with massive contemporary context. The film is a cartoon about the Iranian Revolution, and follows the life of a girl growing up in Iran at the time in a politically active family. The Human Rights Coalition is also honored to have the movie prefaced with an introduction by Dr. Mandana Nakhai, an Iranian professor at Concordia College with a unique and unparalleled perspective on the nation’s history.

Thanks to the help of the Bronxville Public Library, the Human Rights Coalition will be not be charging any admission for the film festival, but will instead be having a fundraising raffle, with proceeds going to the NGOs Maiti Nepal and STAND (Students Taking Action Now for Darfur). The Human Rights Coalition looks forward to hosting this public awareness event and welcomes all students, teachers, parents, and community members interested in attending any or all of the films.