Human Rights Festival Brochure 2012

5 - 10 November 2012

Jersey Arts Centre Box Office: 700444 www.artscentre.je www.amnesty.org.je

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Human Rights Festival8th Jersey Amnesty International

Photographic ExhibitionBerni Gallery at Jersey Arts CentreMonday 5 November - Saturday 10 November

Using the French word débrouillardise – the art ofgetting by – as a motif for his work, StuartFreedman’s reportage photography showspeople touched by war and poverty, living as bestthey can. These are photographs of what he hastried to see – sometimes forced himself to see –to remember that the world is not dark,dangerous and other, but that it is beautiful andfull of life. These images reflect the everyday struggles ofcommon people. They are not an outsider’s rosydepiction of poverty nor do they patronise. They are small stories from larger narratives and by and large show small lives.

They are no less important for that.Stuart has worked consistently in the DevelopingWorld for most of his career. That was a choicemade from the low horizons of his own childhoodand the desire to escape the grey landscape of aHackney past. He consciously sought differencebut found similarity and common ground.“Why shouldn’t the poor, the maimed, thebrutalised, somehow steal a smile, fall in love? A determination to live. To be normal. To be justlike us.” – Stuart Freedman

Narcisse, who is HIV positive, prays with his family at dawn before they start work in the fields. Kibileze, Rwanda

The Art of Getting ByStuart FreedmanExhibition Preview and Festival Launch by: Stuart Freedman Monday 5 November 5.30pm - 7pm

Into The Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life

Monday 5 November 8pmUSA | UK | Germany 2011 / 106 mins / Cert: 12ADirector: Werner HerzogSpeaker: Ciarnan Helferty, Chair of AI UK£6 (£5 students) / Jersey Arts Centre Members: £5.10 (£4.25 students)

The film profiles Michael Perry, a man on death rowconvicted of murdering Sandra Stotler, a fifty-year-oldnurse. He was suspected, but never charged, of twoother murders which occurred in Conroe, Texas, withhis accomplice Jason Burkett. Perry denies that hewas responsible for the killings, blaming Burkett (alsoappearing in the film) who was convicted of the othertwo murders. Burkett, who received a lesser lifesentence for his involvement, likewise blames Perry.Perry's final interviews for the film were recorded onlyeight days before his execution on 1 July 2010.Unravelling the crime and trial from separateviewpoints, including those of the victims’ families andprison staff, Herzog’s masterful exploration of life onDeath Row shows devastating effects of capitalpunishment on all involved. Amnesty International opposes the death penaltybelieving it to be a violation of two fundamentalhuman rights: the right to life and the right not to betortured or subjected to cruel, inhuman or degradingpunishment.

WERNER HERZOG, born on 5 September 1942, is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.

Often considered one of the greatest figures of New German Cinema, his films often feature heroes with

impossible dreams, people with unique talents in obscurefields, or individuals who find themselves in conflict withnature. French filmmaker François Truffaut once calledHerzog "the most important film director alive".

CIARNAN HELFERTY (Chair of AI UK) hasbeen an Amnestymember since 2001,a member of theFoyle Local Group and significantcontributer toAmnesty's Youth and Student movement. Ciarnan has Chaired theQueen's University Belfast Student Group and theSTAN. He represented the Section at the 2007ICM and is committed to empowering youngerAmnesty members to campaign for change.

Putin’s KissTuesday 6 November 8pmDenmark | Russia 2011 / 85 mins Director: Lise Birk PedersenSpeaker: Alisa Lockwood£6 (£5 students) / Jersey Arts Centre Members: £5.10 (£4.25 students)

Presenting a chilling view of modern Russia and its fragile democracy, it follows 16-year-old MashaDrokova, a rising star in Russia’s popular nationalistic youth movement, Nashi. She's a smart,ambitious teenager who embraces Vladimir Putin and his promise of a greater Russia, and herdedication as an organiser is rewarded with a university scholarship, an apartment, and a job as aspokesperson. But her bright political future falters when she befriends a group of liberal journalistswho are critical of the government; she’s forced to confront the group’s dirty — even violent— tactics. It won the World Cinema Cinematography Award in Documentary at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

ALISA LOCKWOOD is Head of Eurasia Forecasting at London-based political risk consultancy, Exclusive Analysis. Alisa manages a regional intelligence team of in-country analysts and sources. She specialises in Russia’s strategic outlook, natural resources in central Asia, and regulatory and trade risks in Ukraine and Baltic states.

Following the March 2012 elections in Russia, she authored an in-depth report onprospects of the Putin presidency. Alisa received an MA in Politics and Public Policyfrom the University of Toronto and also spent a year in Moscow on the prestigious Alfa Fellowship Programme between 2010-2011.

H2OilWednesday 7 November 8pmCanada 2009 / 76 mins Director: Shannon WalshSpeaker: Dr Tim du Feu£6 (£5 students) / Jersey Arts Centre Members: £5.10 (£4.25 students)

SHANNON WALSH is a Montreal-based filmmaker and writer. Her first feature documentary,H2Oil, traced the human and environmental costs of Alberta's oil sands. Her films have beenreleased theatrically in Canada and the UK, broadcast nationally and internationally, andscreened at festivals around the world. She has been the recipient of numerous awards,fellowships and prizes.

Dr Tim Du Feu is both an EnvironmentalProtection Officer and active withinAmnesty. He will be leading a post-filmdiscussion, which will include a Canadianwith first-hand experience of the health and environmental consequences of the tar sands extraction.

H2Oil follows a voyage of discovery,heartbreak and politicisation, weavingtogether a collection of compelling stories ofpeople who are at the front line ofattempting to defend water in Albertaagainst tar sands expansion. Unlikelyalliances are built and lives are changed asthey come up against the largest industrialproject in human history.This documentary traces the waveringbalance between the urgent need to protectand preserve fresh water resources and themad clamouring to fill the global demand foroil. Ultimately the film asks what is moreimportant, oil or water? And what will be ourresponse? With hope and courage H2Oiltells the story of one of the most significantand destructive projects of our time.In recent years, Amnesty International hascampaigned to raise awareness of the plightof indigenous communities such as that ofthe Lubicon Cree of Little Buffalo, Alberta.The Lubicon Cree have been battling forthree decades for the right to control theirlands and hold to account the oil, gas andlogging companies that have devastatedtheir environment and destroyed theirtraditional way of life.

This is Not a FilmThursday 8 November 8pmIran 2011 / 75 mins Directors: Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Jafar PanahiSpeaker: Maryam Namazie£6 (£5 students) / Jersey Arts Centre Members: £5.10 (£4.25 students)

An Iranian film that documents one day in the life of Jafar Panahi, who is under house arrest andawaiting the result of his appeal of a six year prison sentence and twenty year ban on film-making,leaving the country or giving media interviews for "propaganda against the regime". The film was smuggled from Iran to Cannes in a Flash-Drive hidden inside a birthday cake. It wasspecially screened at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

MARYAM NAMAZIE is an Iranian-born campaigner, commentator and broadcaster. She is the spokesperson for Equal Rights Now – promoting an end to discrimination against women in Iran, the One Law for All Campaignagainst Sharia Law in Britain and the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain. She worksclosely with Iran Solidarity, which she founded, and the International CommitteeAgainst Stoning.She has spoken at numerous conferences and written many articles on women's rights issues, violence against women, political Islam, and secularism.

A Small ActFriday 9 November 8pmUSA 2010 / 88 minsDirector: Jennifer ArnoldSpeaker: a local speaker£6 (£5 students)Jersey Arts Centre Members: £5.10 (£4.25 students)

When Hilde Back, from Sweden, sponsored a young, rural Kenyan student, she thought nothing of it.She certainly never expected to hear from him, but years later she did. Now a Harvard graduate and aHuman Rights Lawyer for the United Nations, Chris Mburu decided to find the stranger that changed hislife. Inspired by her generosity, he started a scholarship program of his own and named it after hisformer benefactor.

JENNIFER ARNOLD graduated from UCLA and University of Nairobi with a B.A. inAfrican History and returned to UCLA for a MFA in Film. After success at Sundancewith Maid of Honor (HBO / Cinemax / Film4) and her Internet series The MulletCronicles (Palm Pictures / Lionsgate), Jennifer shot A Small Act, her first featuredocumentary, in a Kenyan village where she didn't even speak the language.

Tavaziva Dance: Sensual AfricaA celebration of dance to conclude the 8th Jersey Amnesty International Human Rights FestivalSaturday 10 November 8pm£17 (£11 students)Jersey Arts Centre Members: £14.45 (£9.35 students)

Tavaziva Dance, set up in 2004 by Zimbabwean-born Founder and Artistic Director, Bawren Tavaziva, is a national touring company that presents cutting-edge new work representing the diversity of BlackBritish Dance. The company specialises in fusing African and contemporary dance, creating a uniquedance style that is both contemporary and rooted in African cultures.Voyage with Tavaziva Dance as they salute and pay homage to the fascinating Tumbuka and ChewaTribes from Milawi. Be seduced as they inject their own interpretation on the complexities of theseintriguing tribes’ movements and music and the distinctiveness of the rituals that boys and girls gothrough to become men and women. Suitable for 12 years +

Showing in the Berni Gallery at Jersey Arts Centre

Monday 5 November - Saturday 10 November

Filmed by Richard Wainwright, this documentary film focuses on acampaign about rights for Indigenous Peoples. It was first shot inBeswick, a remote community in the Northern Territories of Australia,and then in the Bolivian Amazon where Richard journied with twoaboriginal men, Scott and Major, to meet with this other indigenouscommunity.Richard is an award-winning photojournalist based in Perth, WesternAustralia. With over 10 years professional experience, Richard ishighly capable of utilising his extensive experience in news, features,portraiture and photojournalism to fulfil any clients brief. Since gaining a degree in Documentary Photography at UWCN, hehas been reporting on news and humanitarian issues forinternational aid agencies around the world, documenting theiractivities, writing stories and producing multimedia packages.Originally from Jersey, he was a senior staff photographer with theJersey Evening Post for eight years, as well as being a contributingphotographer for Corbis picture agency. His work has been widelypublished and has resulted in numerous awards and exhibitions inAustralia, London and Jersey.

Education ProgrammeSome recent news items:

Gambia: President Jammeh has vowed to kill all death row inmates by mid-September.Canada: Government has cut diplomatic ties with Iran over support for Syria and alleged humanrights abuses.Afghanistan: Attack on female actors leaves survivors facing more ‘punishment’. Killing and deaththreats reveal depth of Afghan society’s prejudices against women.Syria: Aleppo – civilians and water supplies hit. Nowhere left to shelter. Schools, hospitals, homes –places of safety destroyed by air strikes.Chad: New report reveals horror of detention conditions.Faced with news which so often reveals man’s inhumanity towards others, how can we respond?Amnesty believes that supporting young people in learning about human rights and global issues isa vital part of its work. Gaining knowledge of what is happening in different countries and howhuman rights are affected can lead to greater awareness of, and respect for, human rights. Current Amnesty campaigns are particularly focussing on women’s rights and poverty and human rights, themes which feature in this year’s Festival.

Photo by Stuart Freedman: A mentally ill man kisses his wife who visits him in the secure ward at theInstitute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences, Delhi, India. The department of Psychiatry is led by Dr Nimesh Desai, who leads a revolutionary street clinic for the mentally ill homeless. He is licensed to administer anti-psychotic drugs on the street, but those patients that require hospitalisation come to this clinic.

Education Programme continued...The education programme offered last year was well received. Over 700 Island students found outabout human trafficking and migration. This year’s five day education programme will give furtheropportunities to students to learn about a variety of human rights and global issues. PhotojournalistStuart Freedman will give presentations to students both in schools and at Jersey Arts Centre, basedon his experience of human rights issues in a range of countries. In addition, films and speakers arebeing provided for a number of ‘human rights days’.From Canada to Kenya, from Russia to the USA, the chosen films give a clear picture of the threats tohuman rights posed by exploitation of the environment, denial of freedom of expression and thepersisting use of the death penalty. But there is hope...Can one small act dramatically change the course of another’s life? In what ways do small deedsundertaken by individuals ripple out to affect other’s lives? These are some of the questions whichstudents will be challenged to consider.In 1948 when the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted,Eleanor Roosevelt stated:“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home, so close and sosmall that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world.”We hope that young people will support this year’s Festival by visiting Stuart Freedman’s photographicexhibition in the Berni Gallery and coming to see the films at Jersey Arts Centre.

Photo by Stuart Freedman: Teacher Potamienne Komezusenge (37) plays with her youngest child. She contracted HIV from her husband who died of the diesase and is buried in the back garden under a woodencross. She says "As long as I feel strong, I feel OK emotionally... sometimes there is stigma here... but thebiggest problem is money". Kibileze, Rwanda

Festival Committee

Photo by Stuart Freedman: Patti Das, a rag-picker, plays with his son Khrisha on

a piece of waste ground that is their home next to a rail line beneath a flyover near Okhla station,

New Delhi, India

SAM LOSHChair

MIRIAM MORRISONEducation Coordinator

GEORGINA NOELSecretary

DANIEL AUSTINJersey Arts Centre Liaison

ANTONIA CARATSISTreasurer

TOM BROSSMANI.T. / Technical

GILLIAN BUNTINGVolunteers Coordinator

ROHINI GANGARAMANIVolunteers Coordinator

MICHELLE PARKERMarketing and Publicity