Films from Spain, Romania, Italy, Canada and Scotland will be screened in Glasgow next month as part of the 2015 Document International Human Rights Film Festival.
The festival, now in its 13th year, will include world, UK and Scottish premieres all centred around the theme of perspective(s) with filmmakers involved not only adding perspective to their own experiences, but also providing depth to the experiences of others.
Subjects covered include child refugees fleeing Syria in ‘This is Exile: Diaries of Child Refugees’, female farmers working against gender discrimination in ‘Mulheres’, the Leveson Inquiry in ‘The Fourth Estate’ and, closer to home, the impact on Glasgow of tower block demolitions in short film ‘Lights Out’.
Taking place October 16-18 mainly at CCA Glasgow, the festival will open with the Scottish premiere of ‘A Quiet Inquisition’ from directors Alessandra Zeka and Holen Kahn. Made without the knowledge of the authorities, the film looks at the medical world of Nicaragua with a doctor struggling with her conscience as her and her colleagues contend with the harrowing implications of a new law that prevents the termination of a pregnancy – even when a women’s life is at stake.
Romanian film ‘Toto and His Sisters’, which took home awards at the Zurich and Warsaw film festivals, will close the event. Set in Bucharest from Emmy-winning director Alexander Nanau, the documentary looks at the lives of three siblings who have been impacted by parental abandonment, drug addiction and destitution and tells the story of their survival in the face of insurmountable circumstances.
A day dedicated to debate will also be included as part of the festival featuring workshops, discussions and live music, along with videotheque installations across the city taking the films to audiences in their own communities.
Festival director Cayley James says the festival acts as an invaluable platform for unheard voices from around the world.
‘In this age of austerity, where respect for civil liberties and human decency is flouted on a regular basis, we need to remind ourselves of the strength and grace of the human condition,’ she adds.
Document, October 16-18, CCA Glasgow.
See more film in Glasgow from Time Out.