Film festival shines light on human rights issues

Students tired of action flicks or romantic comedies still have one chance to expand their movie horizons, as the Princeton Human Rights Film Festival wraps up its schedule this Friday.

Over the past week, the festival has showcased three films from across the globe and given the filmmakers a chance to share their experiences in person. The remaining film, "Seoul Train," will be shown Friday at 10 p.m. in McCosh 10.

"Seoul Train," a documentary by Jim Butterworth and Lisa Sleeth, follows a group of North Korean refugees as they escape into China and evade authorities in both countries.

"It has become the rallying cry for North Korean human rights," Butterworth, who will attend the screening, said in an email. "Thousands of people have joined school, church or community groups after having watched the film."

By screening his film at the University, Butterworth hopes to encourage student interest in human rights.

"I have a deep respect for colleges, Princeton in specific," Butterworth said. "This film is all about awareness and activism, and this is the ideal audience."

Chinese food will be available prior to the screening, co-organizer Emily Seen '08 said.

Organized by Seen and Elizabeth Washburn '08, the festival is sponsored by the University Film Organization as part of the month-long International Festival.

The festival began last Wednesday with "God Sleeps in Rwanda," a documentary by Kimberlee Acquaro that details the 1994 genocide — also the subject of the recent film "Hotel Rwanda" — from the perspective of female victims. The film was one of this year's Academy Award nominees for best short documentary.

"It touches on genocide, women's rights and AIDS all in half an hour," Seen said.

Students who attended the screening said they were inspired by the film. "Watching Acquaro's documentary ... reminded me of my obligations as a Rwandan citizen," Irene Ndikumwenayo '09 said in an email. "I was moved by her courage and optimism about Rwanda."

At the screening, Acquaro accepted donations for AGAHOZO, the Association of Genocide Widows, which works to improve the condition of genocide victims.

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The second film of the series, "Private," is a fictional account of the tension that results when the home of a wealthy Palestinian family is occupied by Israeli soldiers. Lead actress Hend Ayoub was available to answer questions after the screening.

The third movie, screened yesterday night, was "Innocent Voices." This film is based on the childhood experiences of screenwriter Oscar Torres, as he and other children avoided recruitment into the El Salvador army during the country's civil war in the 1980s.

"[Writing the script] started as a way to deal with the overwhelming emotions I started having after my memories of the war were triggered by the 9/11 attacks," Torres, who spoke at the screening, said in an email.