Second edition of Screening Rights Film Festival, the Midland’s festival of Social Justice film and debate, took place from 15th to 18th September 2016 in five venues across Birmingham. Here’s the programme:
THURSDAY 15 SEPTEMBER
FILM SCREENING + Q&A WITH FILM DIRECTORS:
2PM | SEED: The Untold Story[dir: Jon Betz and Taggart Siegel, 2016, 94m]
“A handsome and nutrient-rich look at efforts to preserve food-system biodiversity“ – John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter
SEED follows passionate seed keepers protecting our 12,000-year-old food legacy. As biotech chemical companies control the majority of our seeds, farmers, scientists, lawyers and indigenous seed keepers ght a David and Goliath battle to defend the future of our food.
Admission £7/5*. Book to reserve your place.
This film carries a PG Certificate but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children.
FILM SCREENING + PANEL WITH FILM DIRECTORS:
5PM | Lubaraun[dir: Martha Clarissa Hernandez and Maria Jose Alvarez, 2013, 65m]
“A powerful film“ – Ronald Woodaman, Director of The Smithsonian Latino Centre of Exhibitions and Public Programs
A beautiful documentary about the Garifuna people (descendants of West African and Central African people) living on Central America’s Caribbean Coast.
Admission: FREE
This film carries a 12 Certificate but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children.
FILM SCREENING + Q&A FEATURING THE FILM’S CO-PRODUCER, JENN DURRETT:
7.45PM | After Spring[dirs: Ellen Martinez and Steph Ching, 2013, 65m]
“Captures some of the complexity and contradiction of Zaatari as a temporary solution to a problem that has no obvious end in sight“ – Allan Hunter, Screen Daily
With the Syrian conflict entering its sixth year, millions of people are displaced. This is a documentary about resilience, hope and the rebuilding of community in Zaatari in Jordan, the largest camp for Syrian refugees.
Admission: £6/4 – With Festival Pass £3/£2.
This film carries a 12 Certificate but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children.
FRIDAY 16 SEPTEMBER
FILM SCREENING + Q&A FEATURING THE FILMMAKERS AND PRODUCERS BEHIND THE BIRMINGHAM FILM & VIDEO WORKSHOP
2PM | Giro – Is This the Modern World?[dir: Jonnie Turpie, 1984]
Made by the Birmingham Film & Video Workshop, Giro raises questions about unemployment and its e ects on young people. In it, a group of young Midlanders set out to explore the benet system, cross-examining a government minister, pop stars and Ken Livingstone along the way.
Admission: FREE
This film carries a 12 Certificate but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children.
This event is sponsored by Flatpack Assemble and is funded by the BFI Film Audience Network.
FILM SCREENING + PANEL WITH FILM DIRECTORS AND OTHER SPECIAL GUESTS:
5PM | Generation Revolution [dir: Cassie Quarless and Usayd Younis, 2016, 74m]
“An important contemporary document… passion and idealism oozes off the screen“ – Charlie Phillips, The Guardian
Admission £7/5*.
This film carries a 15 certificate and contains graphic descriptions of violence and language.
FILM SCREENING + PANEL DISCUSSION FEATURING THE DIRECTOR, JOHAN GRIMONPREZ, THE WRITER, ANDREW FEINSTEIN, AND BRITISH POLITICIAN CLARE SHORT
8PM | Shadow World[dir: Johan Grimonprez, 2016, 94 mins]
“A superbly edited, angry documentary about the global arms trade that will energize politically-minded audiences.“ – Jay Weissberg, Variety
Based on the book of The Shadow World, this feature length documentary is an investigation into the multi-billion dollar international arms trade.
Admission: £7/5
This film carries a 15 certificate and contains graphic descriptions of violence and language.
SATURDAY 17 SEPTEMBER
FILM SCREENING + Q&A WITH FILM DIRECTOR
2PM | Hooligan Sparrow[dir: Johan Grimonprez, 2016, 94 mins]
“A literal and moving testament to how political protest works: It may start off looking “small,” but it becomes powerful and large when it is seen.” – Owen Gleiberman, Variety.
Nanfu Wang’s first film is a documentary about Ye Haiyan, aka Hooligan Sparrow, and other activists in China who dare to hit the streets for human rights, and what happens to them afterwards.
Admission: £6/£4 – With Festival Pass £3/£2
This film carries an 18 certificate and contains disturbing and distressing descriptions and film of the shelling of civilians, executions and atrocities.
FILM SCREENING + PANEL DISCUSSION WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
5PM | Ambulance[dir: Johan Grimonprez, 2016, 94 mins]
“A literal and moving testament to how political protest works: It may start off looking “small,” but it becomes powerful and large when it is seen.” – Owen Gleiberman, Variety.
A raw, first-person account of the war in Gaza in the summer of 2014. As war approaches, Mohamed Jabaly, a young man from Gaza City, joins an ambulance crew to document their stories.
Admission: £7/£5
This film carries a 15 certificate and contains graphic descriptions of violence and language.
This event is sponsored by FilmLab Palestine and is funded by the Sharek Youth Forum.
FILM SCREENING + Q&A
8PM | Zvizdan – The High Sun[dir: Dalibor Matanić, 2016, 123 mins]
“The acting shines brightly in three love stories told with absorbing passion.” – Deborah Young, Hollywood reporter.
Nanfu Wang’s first film is a documentary about Ye Haiyan, aka Hooligan Sparrow, and other activists in China who dare to hit the streets for human rights, and what happens to them afterwards.
Admission: FREE
This film carries an 15 certificate and contains sexual references, violence and language.
SUNDAY 18 SEPTEMBER
FILM SCREENING FOLLOWED BY PANEL DISCUSSION
2PM | Battle of the Somme[prod: W.F. Jury, 2016, 74 mins]
“People should be made to realise that war is not merely a lively game that goes on in newspapers.” – Richard Nelsson, The Guardian.
Re-release, with newly commissioned score, of seminal documentary of the British army’s participation in the Battle of the Somme in France during World War I.
Admission: FREE
FILM SCREENING + Q&A WITH THE DIRECTOR
4PM | Chicken[dir: W.F. Jury, 2016, 86 mins]
“Even Bolter’s widescreen cinematography captures the warmth, loneliness and harsh reality of this disenfranchised world with unobtrusive aplomb.” – Mark Kermode, The Guardian.
A heart-wrenching British drama about a 15-year-old boy with learning difficulties.
Admission £8.70/£5.90, 2-4-1 with festival pass
This film carries a 15 Certificate containing strong language.
FILM SCREENING + PANEL WITH DIRECTORS & SPECIAL GUESTS + CLOSING NIGHT DRINKS
8PM | Two Soft Things, Two Hard Things [dir: Leila Sansour, 2013, 90m]
“The kind of art that peace processes are built on“ – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
As a small group in Nunavut, Canada prepare for a seminal LGBTQ Pride celebration in the Arctic, the lm shows the colonization of the Nunavut from the 1950s through the community’s thaw towards the LGBTQ community.
Admission: £7/£5
This film carries a 15 certificate containing moderate violence, peril and language.
Tickets can be found at MAC Cinema, The Mockingbird Theatre, The Electric Cinema and University of Birmingham shop.
Screening Rights 