VivirLatino

Vivir Latino will be covering the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, specifically the world premiere of Youth Producing Change series where young media makers from all over the world create and produce messages and share stories important to them! From June 18-19th there will be 11 films featured.

Adobe Youth Voices presents the World premiere of Youth Producing Change, an innovative program of youth-produced short films from across the globe showcased with the Human Rights Watch Film Festival. Eleven films will be shown this year, selected from over 250 international submissions.

All screenings are at Film Society of Lincoln Center Walter Reade Theater
165 West 65th Street, Upper Level (Between Broadway and Amsterdam) in NYC. The films are affordable and there are special discounts! For example:

Special Offer: BUY ONE TICKET for $8~ GET ONE FREE
Select the “YPC Special” online and receive a 2nd complimentary ticket at the Walter Reade Theater box office. This offer is subject to availability and only good for the YOUTH PRODUCING CHANGE screenings in the HRWIFF10. For group tickets please email ypc@hrw.org

I’m so excited to be able to see these films. Below is a list and brief synopsis of each film at the festival this year. Are there any specific films you VL readers would love to hear more about?

HANDS OF LOVE:
For David Were and his community in Kibera, the largest slum in Kenya, having access to simple facilities like a bathroom can be a matter of life and death. After a devastating attack on his father, David and his friends know their work to provide security, latrines, and clean-up projects is more than a struggle for a healthier environment —it is part of ensuring the survival of their community. *David Were and Justus Ongera will attend the festival.

KAMRAN’S STORY:
Drawing from a series of dramatic life-changing events, 14-year-old asylum seeker, Kamran, narrates the story of his courageous escape from Afghanistan   and his unaccompanied journey to the United Kingdom. *Kamran Safi will attend the festival.

MIGRATION:
Young people find themselves left on their own when parents are forced to seek work in other countries in order to support their families. Migration provides a new take on immigration, from the perspective of children left behind.

ALIMENTATION D’UN CONGOLAIS MOYEN
(AN AVERAGE CONGOLESE MAN’S DIET):
For 14 years, Congo has been ravaged with conflict. In Congo, food insecurity remains the norm. Millions have died mostly due to malnutrition or lack of access to basic medicine. The simple truth for children in Congo – having a meal isn’t always a given.

17 & UNIDENTIFIED:
Born in Batey Cuchillia, Dominican Republic of Haitian descent, Deivei was never provided with a birth certificate. Without it, he cannot continue his education, find a job, marry or travel. *Filmmaker Alicia Wade will attend the festival.
GROWING UP IN INDIA:
In the northeastern desert state of Rajasthan in India, Sangita feels the limitations of her culture’s caste system when she decides she must forgo an education to train as a dancer in order to support her family.

BABICA:
The Roma people have been the target of persecution and discrimination for   centuries. A Roma grandmother shares her hopes for future generations as she prepares bread with her granddaughter. *Martina Hudorovič will attend the festival.

HUDUD:
Being 16 in the Occupied Palestinian Territories today is to have one’s life dictated by curfews, clashes with soldiers at check points, arbitrary searches and arrests. Hudud (an Arabic word for restriction) illustrates the challenges that Israeli construction of the “separation barrier,” or wall, pose for Palestinian youth.

MARIPOSA:
As Espie prepares for her quinceañera, a traditional rite of passage celebrating a 15-year-old Latina’s debut, her family comes to terms with Espie’s decision to “come out” in a different way. Espie’s story embraces the complexity of family tradition and sexual identity with an honest and brave heart.*Espie Hernandez will attend the festival.

SEE. LISTEN. SPEAK. NGARRINDJERI’S BEING HEARD:
After water is diverted from natural streams and lakes in the rural Coroong community and delivered by pipeline to larger cities, the aboriginal Ngarrindjeri face a disastrous water crisis, threatening their way of life. Ngarrindjeri youth speak out to protect their culture and traditions.

IMAGE OF CONTAMINATION:
The course of Air Force enlistee Diana López’s life changes forever when she learns that toxic waste has been seeping off nearby Kelly Air Force Base and into her community’s ground water. *Elizabeth Gonzalez and Antonio Rodriguez will attend the festival.